Troubleshooting PC Boot Issues: Why a Hair Dryer May Be Your Best Friend

Are you struggling with a PC that refuses to power on without a little unconventional assistance? If you’re finding yourself reliant on a hair dryer to coax your machine back to life, you’re certainly not alone. Let’s dive into a case study and explore potential remedies for this perplexing situation.

The Setup

System Specifications:

• CPU: Ryzen 5 2400G
• Motherboard: Asus PRIME B350M-A (latest BIOS installed)
• RAM: 2x HyperX FURY 8GB 2400MHz
• Power Supply Unit (PSU): Thermaltake 600W 80 Plus White Smart Series

This particular setup is relatively new, with components aged between 1.5 to 2 years. Importantly, there have been no attempts at overclocking, and all settings remain at their factory defaults.

The Problem

The primary issue is straightforward: the PC fails to turn on after being powered down for the night. The only workaround? Heating the computer case with a hair dryer. Strangely enough, once the initial struggle is overcome, the system performs admirably for extended periods—often working flawlessly for hours or days afterward.

Initial Troubleshooting Efforts

The first steps taken included reassembling the system, attempting to boot with a single stick of RAM, and minimizing connected components to eliminate potential culprits. Comprehensive stress tests, including Prime95 and Memtest86, returned no errors, even under heated conditions where the CPU reached a notable 89°C.

The climate may play a role here, as living in a tropical area with temperatures ranging from 24°C to 32°C and high humidity levels might affect the hardware’s performance.

Current Insights and Updates

Despite rigorous testing, isolating the problem proved futile, especially without spare parts like a PSU or motherboard on hand for comparative diagnostics. An interesting twist was observed in the system’s clock, which lagged behind even with automatic updates enabled. This discrepancy—where the clock manually synced at 11:39 but fell to 12:19 instead of ticking forward—adds an unusual angle to the troubleshooting conundrum.

In the most recent attempt, the hair dryer was applied cautiously, avoiding the PSU region entirely and focusing on heating the front and sides of the case. After about 4 to 5 minutes of warmth, the system powered on