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I have a custom made desktop which is 5 1/2 years old. The computer was working perfectly until I moved. After I set up the PC again, I couldn't consistently turn it on and off. When I did get it on, it works perfectly. I am afraid to turn it off because I don't know if it will turn on again, and I need it badly. I called Tiger Direct thinking the power button is bad, and they said since it is custom made they wouldn't have a replacement. I have all the original specs in the invoice from where I bought it.

In the course of working on this, I noticed a red fuse type switch on the back of the case under the area where you plug in the power cord. I have never noticed this before and see that it can be put in two different positions, but I'm not sure which one it should be in. It shows 115v in its current position. Could this setting have anything to do with my power button problem?

This has been a great computer and I don't want to give it up, but if I cant fix it I guess I will have to. I originally thought I might have a bad power supply, but ruled that out because it did/does start sometimes. Maybe I have a wiring problem?

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    Don't touch that switch. The switch is used for different territories. It is unlikely to have moved, a the fact that you write this question using the pc tells us that it is ok. Also moving it could have bad effects. Jul 29, 2014 at 18:26

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I suspect that the switch has come unplugged from the motherboard, during the move.

If so you need to push it back in. However you can do your computer serious damage by touching the insides. You need anti-static equipment, (some people will tell you they never use this, and never had a problem. This is because the problem usually comes about a year later).

Find someone that is confident to do the job, or go to the PC store.

Also the fact that someone does not have a replacement, does not affect there liability.

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  • This is my first thought too, and likely to be the case.
    – LPChip
    Jul 29, 2014 at 18:49
  • thanks. i always use anti static wrist bracelet when working on the inside of the pc.i guess i will have to turn it off open it up and see if i can id where the switch plugs into the mobo. i was so careful in moving this pc i doubt that is the problem....i think the button is shot...i have just emailed the company who sold me the pc to see if they can help. i get lifetime tech support from them, but the real issue is replacing the button..i think. Thanks very much.
    – bearcatjer
    Jul 30, 2014 at 10:11
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You need to change the power on-off switch ! It is like push-button switch. Observe about the type of Cabinet of PC and then go to a good (old enough) store and ask for the Power on-off switch and replace it.

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  • good idea. maybe the company who built the pc for me will have some sort of power button i can use. probably my best bet, but i am going to check the inside of the box in case the button wiring got disconnected from the mobo.
    – bearcatjer
    Jul 30, 2014 at 10:14
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About the switch in the back of your Computer, it's used to change the Voltage Input, now it's set on 115V, the other option would be 220v/240v, most countries use 220v/240v, HOWEVER, you should NOT touch that switch as long as your PC is running, because if you put the wrong Value the Power Supply will get destroyed and maybe light up some fire, some put protections though

So just don't touch that

about the Power switch, it seems the chassis is old and the power switch is faulty, you need to replace the chassis or if you are a geek you can replace only the button but you need some soldiering and stuff.. and you must be a bit expert..

However, i will give you a temporary solution in case the PC turned off and can't be turned on again, Open up the case, you will find a bunch of wires attached from the case to the Motherboard, they are in couples, find the one that is a Power switch, remove the wires, and short the pins and the Switch will be activated, also, these wires might have de-attached during the move, make sure they are put in the right place

BUT be careful this is dangerous and any wrong move can destroy the PC permanently, and i'm NOT responsible for it!

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  • thanks for clarifying the voltage input issue. i now understand it but just never had to deal with it before. I'm not a geek but i have replaced ram, hard drives, power supplies etc. i do have a grounding bracelet i use when working on the inside of the pc.It looks like that unless i can find a replacement switch im headed for a new pc which is a shame because this one still works great in all other respects. thanks for all the helpful feedback from you and other posters. i appreciate it. .
    – bearcatjer
    Jul 30, 2014 at 10:04
  • You probably don't need a soldering iron; all the PCs I have opened have the switch screwed into the case, and plugged into the mother-board. Also don't know if permanently closing contacts will work, with modern power switches the contacts are closed when you press, released when you release, could try it though. Another option is to go to bios settings, there may be on always on setting. Only thing is after a shutdown you may have to power-off manually. Jul 30, 2014 at 11:48
  • @bearcatjer Look at This, it's showing you the wires i'm talking about, they are attached to something like This, if those Pins in the second image are broked, then you need to repair the Motehrboard, also check that they are properly attached, otherwise, the button is faulty, you might need to go to a repair shop to replace it, also, if you de-attached them and not sure how to attach them again see your motherboard manual, they show you how to attach them properly.
    – OverCoder
    Jul 30, 2014 at 12:47
  • thanks for the help. i have been able to get in touch with the company i bought the pc from and their tech supp gave me the info on which replacement switch i need and i ordered it from Newegg so when it shows up i will try to fix this and go from there. thanks again.
    – bearcatjer
    Jul 31, 2014 at 13:13
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Check the switch header cables on the Motherboard. There will be 2 long rows of vertical pins which are usually labelled in short, such as "PWR" for switch, "PWR LED" for power indicator and "HDD LED" for Hard Drive access etc. There's no locking mechanism for the connectors and so they can easily come out from moving the PC or if you've opened up the case.

Never play around with the power supply switch (the 115/240V one), that will kill the power supply if you have it different to what you're getting through the wall (ie what country you're in), and could also kill your components and even start a fire in a worst case scenario.

In the case that your switch headers are in correctly and in the correct pins, then there's more than likely to be a mechanical issue with the button, so you'll just have to press it in harder to make the connection, or you could try a repair although it's more likely going to be a new front panel/whole case as spare's are usually hard and expensive to buy separately with cases.

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