To start or not to start
 

My home-pc got very lazy.

The pc refuses to start-up right away when i push the start button.

Procedure:
- push start button: pc works for 0,05 seconds and stops, pc does nothing when i push the power button again
- pull power cord out of PSU
- push start button: pc works for 0,05 seconds and stops, pc does nothing when i push the power button again
- pull power cord out of PSU
- repeat these 2 steps from 5 to 20 times
- ... then it suddenly works

My guess:
or PSU
or mobo

What's your guess ?

No other psu to test?

1) Loose main connector (20-pin)
2) PSU cable (happened to me - cable turned bad)
3) Loose or intermittent reset or mobo s/w connection
4) PSU replacement
5) Mobo

PSU/mobo, start with PSU, if you need a spare to test with give me a shout

Or, could be dozens more reasons and dozens more replies:)

Found a dog hair stuck in between CPU pin once causing the same f_cking problem:) Honest.

did you open the PC up and reseated all PCI cards & removed dust? can also be caused by a short circuit

Molto graci for your answers and offers

PC is air dusted every 2 months approx, power cable properly seated, fiddled with cables while pc was running -> no problems, no dogs or cats, just chickens and one goldfish

I'll start with a new spare psu from work. Haven't got any spare one's here after a lightning killed 2 (two !) of them at my house.

Sidenote: lightning also killed a wireless router, a vcr and an adsl plug.

the goldfish survived the lighting strike?

you don't have lighting-deflector on house (or something like that)

I buried a six-foot copper rod into the ground from the main; the lightning came thu the phone line and did not kill my dog.

I live at approx 300 meters from a 150 meter high television antenna. Still lightning stroke very nearby during the night (wife and i jumped 1 meter high out of bed), main surge (correct term ?) blew immediatly.

Only damage is descibed above, all fubar appliances are from different rooms ... no logic