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I've had problems with my computer for a while, my on button was a bit dodgy. The other month it finally became a serious problem- my on button fell off. I figured out I could turn my computer on anyway by using a pair of metal scissors to jump the two pins on the motherboard where the power connector had been. This could only ever be a temporary solution however, it is a pain to do this every time there is a power cut.

So.....The other week I went to an electronics shop and bought an on switch with a 2 pin connector. I hooked it up to my motherboard, pressed it...and nothing happens.

What might be wrong here? Surely a standard one press to cause a spark then nothing else is done switch is all that is required. Does my motherboard somehow know this connector is from something different to the case (seems daft) ? I'm really bemused as to what may be the problem.

This is what the button looks like. Apparently a proper pc on/off switch, though the wiring is an odd colour

odd color

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  • is this a switch that stays down or a momentary switch? I wonder if the system thinks you're holding the power button down, and as such tries to boot and shuts down, waiting for you to let go of it.
    – Journeyman Geek
    Nov 16, 2013 at 10:56
  • That looks significantly larger than what I remember when I strip out old cases.
    – Journeyman Geek
    Nov 22, 2013 at 6:39

3 Answers 3

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If it is a regular switch, it would work just fine.

Just make sure you are buying something similar to this:

enter image description here

Rather than this:

enter image description here

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The switch in your picture looks like it may be an old AT power switch. In that case, it's a toggle switch and alternately toggles between two discrete positions: "in" (on) and "out" (off) when you actuate it. If you check it with a multimeter, you'll see that it's shorted as long as it's in the on position.

What you need instead is a momentary ATX power switch, which is only shorted while you're pressing it. As soon as you release the button, the momentary switch will break the circuit.

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The power button fell off ? How ??

You could buy a whole new set from DealExtreme
http://dx.com/p/computer-box-switch-cable-w-indicators-multicolored-60cm-254983

Might even be able to fit that into your existing case.

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