Acer Aspire dead on start-up, then it isn't

[Rikkitic]

Can anyone help me with a hardware issue? I have an Acer Aspire M3201 that has developed a start-up problem. This runs the AMD Phenom 8650 triple-core CPU and my diagnostic software identifies the motherboard as ID9600.

Until a few days ago the computer has always worked flawlessly. Then suddenly it wouldn’t start. I checked the PSU and that is okay but no other sign of life except the fans. The power switch has a light that normally comes on and it also was dead. I tried switching the computer on and off many times in many different ways and nothing. Also nothing from the BIOS. Then, after many attempts, the power light suddenly came on and the computer started normally. I ran it all day without any issues.

While it was working I tapped around the motherboard looking for bad connections or chips but everything seemed fine. Eventually I shut it down. The next day exactly the same thing happened. Dead as a dodo. Again, I tried tapping around the motherboard while attempting to switch it on but no response. Finally, after many, many attempts, it suddenly came on and worked normally.

This morning when the same thing happened again I had a bright idea and tried warming the motherboard with a hair dryer. This time it turned on after only a few tries. I have only done this once so can’t be certain that it is temperature-related, but that certainly seems possible.

I know some basic electronics but not enough to diagnose this any further. Has anyone else experienced anything like this, or does anyone have any idea what might be going on? I use this computer a lot and the OS is locked to it, so I would really like to fix this if at all possible. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[Kurtiskain]

Sounds like a Power Supply issue to me. Try and borrow a Power Supply that is the same wattage or greater and see if the issue goes away.

It could also be bad capacitors on the motherboard. Check to see if any of the capacitors look like this:

[Rikkitic]

Thanks for the reply. I did swap out the PSU and that didn't make any difference. I haven't done a close inspection of the motherboard yet but I'll let you know if I find anything. Thanks again.

[Kurtiskain]

Okay, if the motherboard then visually checks out, With the machine off, reseat the first RAM stick, and try again, then the second, etc. If this provides no resolution try reseating any addon cards. If you have a PCI modem, reseat it or consider removing it permanently to avoid any future issues. I have seen these cause many issues like this.

[Rikkitic]

Thanks again for the suggestions. I have now inspected the motherboard with a work light and magnifying glass but can find no sign of any damage. I have also repositioned the memory chips and removed a modem card that wasn't doing anything. The only other card I have installed is for USB 3.0.

Unfortunately, none of this seems to have made any difference. I still have the same issue and I wonder if it could be a microscopic soldering fault on the motherboard. I have heard of such things but have no idea how to look for this.

[Kurtiskain]

I too have had issues with faults that cannot be seen, where the board would not POST unless the heatsink was unclipped. This kinda defeated the purpose of having the computer on at all!

Last thing I can suggest would be to reseat the CPU, and replace the thermal paste.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/333968-28-thermal-paste-removal-installation-guide

If this doesn't help, unfortunately with the machine booting after using the hair dryer the motherboard may have a irreparable fault and will need to be replaced, or an upgrade kit if you cannot get a  compatible motherboard. The motherboard does -not- have to be the same board, as most will lead you to believe, there are ways around getting a Windows installation to boot on a new motherboard quite easily.