Hardware question

[Schrute Farms]

I know this isn't a question specific to Ubuntu, but I know that there are some knowledgeable people here who can help me.

My desktop will not stay running. At first it would stop after an hour or four, but now it will not boot all the way into Ubuntu or Windows (shudder). It dies before the log in screen. When it stops, I hear a big click, then the power light just flashes. I have to unplug the tower for about 15 seconds (until the light stops flashing) then it will start again.
I'm pretty sure that my power supply is shot. What do you all think?
Thanks.

[cj.surrusco]

It sounds like a power supply error to me to. I guess it could also be the motherboard. It sounds like troubleshooting time! If you have a PSU that you can take out of another computer, that would help a lot. Otherwise, you may have to buy one and hope that is the problem.

[ahallubuntu]

Power supply is a good guess - and fairly easy to swap out for another one, even a used one of similar power rating. Perhaps you can find one at a thrift store. (I'm lucky to live where I can get a working 350w power supply used for about $10.)

It could also be the CPU overheating and the motherboard shutting it down as a result. I'm not sure whether you meant the it will stay on only a few hours at first then starts shutting down before you can boot...and then goes back to an hour or two til it warms up or now it is ALWAYS shutting down before it can boot? If it's the latter, then power supply is a more likely culprit.

I know this isn't a question specific to Ubuntu, but I know that there are some knowledgeable people here who can help me.

My desktop will not stay running. At first it would stop after an hour or four, but now it will not boot all the way into Ubuntu or Windows (shudder). It dies before the log in screen. When it stops, I hear a big click, then the power light just flashes. I have to unplug the tower for about 15 seconds (until the light stops flashing) then it will start again.
I'm pretty sure that my power supply is shot. What do you all think?
Thanks.

[Schrute Farms]

Thanks for the replies. I just wanted to bounce it off of someone else before I sprung for a new power supply. I don't have another one to swap in.

What I meant was when the problem first started a couple of days ago, it would run for an hour or 2 before it died. Before today, the last time it died was after running for a day & a half in windows. (I thought it might have been a Linux problem, so I tried Windows). Now it clicks off and dies before I even get to the log on screen in either OS. It shouldn't be a heat problem with the MB, because I took the computer apart about a month ago and blew all of the dust. The fans were working then, and I see that the temps & fans are all in normal range in the bios.

One thing that has me puzzled is that I had the computer in the bios checking the temps for a good 5 minutes and it didn't die, but as soon as I exited, it pooped out. Maybe it's the extra draw that the HDs pull or something.

[ahallubuntu]

If you've got a monster video card in there, could be that when Windows boots it loads the video card driver and then that adds significant load to the power supply. Wonder what would happen if you tried to boot in safe mode? Anyway, if the PSU doesn't work, you might try the video card next, if say you can boot in safe mode and stay there indefinitely...

Thanks for the replies. I just wanted to bounce it off of someone else before I sprung for a new power supply. I don't have another one to swap in.

What I meant was when the problem first started a couple of days ago, it would run for an hour or 2 before it died. Before today, the last time it died was after running for a day & a half in windows. (I thought it might have been a Linux problem, so I tried Windows). Now it clicks off and dies before I even get to the log on screen in either OS. It shouldn't be a heat problem with the MB, because I took the computer apart about a month ago and blew all of the dust. The fans were working then, and I see that the temps & fans are all in normal range in the bios.

One thing that has me puzzled is that I had the computer in the bios checking the temps for a good 5 minutes and it didn't die, but as soon as I exited, it pooped out. Maybe it's the extra draw that the HDs pull or something.