Member Avatar for verryconfused

this is a wierd one my desk top an (acer not even 2 years old ) will boot up any place other than my own house. now i was told that it might be the electical outlet and that i should use a difrent one . the problem is i tried that what can i doo if any one has a good answer please email me at

  • 3 Contributors
  • 6 Replies
  • 112 Views
  • 4 Weeks Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by verryconfused

Dani AI

Generated

Quick, practical steps to isolate whether this is a house power problem or a failing PSU/motherboard, and how to gather evidence for an electrician or the utility. The thread already has useful basic checks from , and — the checklist below builds on that with measurement steps, PC-side tests, and safe mitigation you can act on right away.

Use a true-RMS voltmeter and check the outlet and the service panel. Measure hot-to-neutral, hot-to-ground and neutral-to-ground at the problem receptacle and at the breaker box. Record values at idle and while a typical household load is running (fridge, heater, etc.). Expect roughly 120 VAC hot-to-neutral in North America and near 0 V neutral-to-ground. Large swings, leg imbalance, or significant neutral-to-ground voltage indicate wiring or service problems (split-phase behavior can magnify faults — see Split-phase electric power).

On the PC side do a visual and simple electrical check (power off). Look for burned areas, bulging/leaking capacitors, or scorch marks. Confirm the PSU input rating on its label (many modern switching PSUs are auto-ranging; others have a 115/230 selector). If comfortable, try a known-good PSU or a PSU tester to verify the 12 V / 5 V / 3.3 V rails under load. If not comfortable with these checks, skip them and get a tech involved.

If measurements show unstable mains, have a licensed electrician trace loose neutrals or bad connections and ask the utility for a logged voltage test. Use a line-interactive UPS with AVR or whole-house surge protection while the root cause is addressed (see Uninterruptible power supply and Power supply unit (computer)). Keep time-stamped readings and photos for the electrician/utility. Do not work on live mains unless qualified.

Recommended Answers

All 6 Replies

Member Avatar for David Sanders

are you using the same monitor(screen) as the one at work? power cords everything ?

Member Avatar for verryconfused

monitor is working fine i tried it with another pc. i also tried 4 difrent power cords and still nothing.

Member Avatar for jimlaver

Are you installing it on a specific location like a your desk or is this happening anywhere in your house?

If this happens anywhere in your house, you could have an electrical problem, like low voltage or noise that the power supply can't handle.

Have you tried with a UPS with surge protection?

Member Avatar for verryconfused

getting electrician to comme over in two days.

Member Avatar for David Sanders

You should try the computer at the closet P/PT to the Switch Board. This will tell you whether it is the P/PT in the other room or the computer.. Also is the computer not turning on or is it not displaying ???? If its getting power but not displaying it could be a resolution issue. Saving $100 bucks on a electrician is worth it

Member Avatar for verryconfused

electrician told me that the power company had reduced the voltage by ten % and that my puter suffered a low voltage burn out. he said it can go either way and that i had to be carfule and check the voltage from the outlet. so if any one out there lives in the greater city of sudbury in ontario canada be carfule with the electricity . it's cheap and will fry yoour stuff

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.