My PC Won't Turn On: What to Check Before Giving Up

Power first: the obvious

30% of "won't turn on" cases are power: try another wall socket directly (no power strips), check the rear PSU switch is on I (not O) and, on laptops, unplug 30 seconds, hold the button 15 seconds and try again. If the charger has no light, borrow a compatible one before declaring anything dead.

Signs of life (or lack of them)

Watch three things: lights, fans and beeps. Do fans spin a second and stop? Any beeps? (look them up as "POST codes + your board brand": each sequence means something). Any board or keyboard lights? Write down exactly what happens when you press the button: that description is gold for diagnosis.

What if it's the screen?

Many "won't turn on" cases are really "turns on but shows nothing". If you hear fans or disks, try another cable and monitor/TV, and on laptops shine a flashlight at an angle: if you can make out an image, it's the backlight, not the board.

Our honest limits

Straight talk: with zero signs of life (no lights, no fans, no beeps), there is nothing to diagnose remotely: it's PSU, board or a short, and it needs a physical shop. But with signs, partial boots or blue screens, we can absolutely work remotely.

When to call a technician

Call when there are signs of life or the failure is intermittent: with your description plus a video call we narrow it to PSU, RAM or board, and tell you whether repair or a physical shop makes sense. With zero signs, we save you the call: go straight to a local shop.

FAQ

My PC does absolutely nothing, can it be fixed?

Yes, at a physical shop (PSU, board or short). Nothing remote can be done with zero signs of life: we'll tell you before charging anything.

Are my files lost?

Almost certainly not: if the disk is healthy, data is recovered even with a dead board. Don't try blind fixes that make it worse.

Is repairing an old PC that won't boot worth it?

It depends: generic PSU yes; 8+ year old board, usually not. We give you the honest number.

Is the free diagnosis valid for this?

Yes when there are signs of life or intermittent failure. With zero signs we send you to a shop without wasting your time.

Related guides

• Blue screen on Windows
• My slow PC
• All repair guides