power problem?

[kentuckyser]

I built 2 identical workstations about a year ago. Here are the specs:

AMD 64 4200+ Dual Core
ASUS A8N-E
Antec Sonata II w/Antec 450w PSU
2 GB Corsair RAM
ATI FireGL Video Card

Each computer has been working fine for a year. Now, I'm getting intermittent issues with both computers, it might be the computer, but it also might be electrical issues in my office (in my house).

Here is the issue we are having with both computers. Computer will be running fine. Then, for some reason I need to re-start it. I re-start from the start menu, and it posts fine, Windows loading screen comes up....then it flickers...pauses...and posts again...restart loop. It will continue to do this, so I just shut off the switch on the back of the PSU.

Flip the PSU switch back on....hit the power button....nothing happens. The keyboard lights are on, but no fans are spinning, no lights, no LED's...nada. I unplug the computer and take it into the other room...plug it into another power socket, and voila, starts right up. Then, I unplug it and bring it back into the office. Plug everything back in....hit the power button....again, nothing happens. After about 5 minutes of flipping the PSU power switch on and off and hitting the start button, it FINALLY boots up fine. It runs fine, too....no issues. When it finally booted into Windows it said it had recovered from a fatal error.

My other computer does the same thing....except it doesn't go into the restart loop....BUT...if you shut it down and try to turn it back on....it acts like it's dead....but if you keep messing with it or bring it into another room....it turns back on.

I know the Sonata's with the 450w Antec PSU have a lot of problems with the PSU going bad. Is this a problem with my power supplies, or an electrical problem in my office?

For reference, we have a plotter, another HP 11x17 printer, 2 computers, 4 monitors, a server, a 16 port switch, and a router all plugged into various sockets in this office within my house.

[minsonngo]

Sounds like an electrical problem in your office based on what you are saying.

If you take it to another room and it works fine. Then you basically eliminated the PSUs as the culprit.

[kentuckyser]

Do you think the re-start loop was caused by the electrical problem as well?

[minsonngo]

It could be possible also.

If you take it to another room and the computers work perfectly... then it would be safe to say the office may be having electrical issues.

[Cricket]

Are you plugging the electrical cords directly into the wall outlet or into a surge suppressor or other power protection device?

Cricket

[kentuckyser]

At first when the problems were happening, I had the PC and it's monitors plugged into a power strip on one outlet. Plotter, switch, router, server on another outlet. The other PC and it's monitors on another power strip on another outlet.

I thought that might also be a problem, so I plugged the PC directly into the wall and it still gave me the same problem.

[kentuckyser]

Now that I think about it, a week or so ago I took one of the computers to an apartment to fix it. It was doing that same thing,...no response when you press the power button, no fans, no lights, nada....and this is at a totally different place.

Yet when it happens at the house and I move it into a socket in another room it works fine.