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Changing the switch is cheap, knowing what to change is priceless... Good job Carey!

When I heard "Norton," I went into a semi-coma.

It's all about troubleshooting and not second-guessing your logical path.

Never in my life have I seen a faulty reset switch on a pc.

Being a desktop technician is one of the most skilled but least paying jobs. People think you just push a button and it magically repairs itself. They never consider the hours that go into updating, chasing drivers, backing up user names etc etc.

Proper old skool troubleshooting. Kudos to Carey.

I just realized how sad it was that I got all happy because a technician was honest....

I like you Carey. I like your demeanor. I like the way you methodically troubleshoot. I like the way you explain everything you're doing without talking down to your audience. I stumbled upon your video totally by accident and I'm SO happy I did!! Thank you.

Refreshing to see an honest tech in this business!

In 1992 I was working in London with a computer that wouldn't turn on Monday mornings. It was fine on other days but on Mondays it wouldn't start until lunchtime, then it was fine. It turned out there was a bad solder joint in the power supply. Over the weekend the heating in the office was turned off and the joint would contract in the cold. The rest of the week they left the boiler going in the building so they didn't have to come in early and start the heating. The first few techs tried replacing bits at random. (My fix was to leave it running over the weekend.) Eventually a very clever tech figured it and swapped power supplies.

Most impressed with you helping Bill out and being able to not charge the poor guy. Really enjoyed watching your methods. Nice to have some spare parts around too, for diagnostics. I too was thinking PSU, so this was an eye opener. Great video, thanks!

As an "old school tech" I've had my fair share of these issues to the point where I just run the system on the work bench outside of the case to avoid getting trolled by a button or LED. Nice catch.

Carey demonstrates the method of diagnostics and repair that works the best-methodical unplugging of devices/systems until the problem is solved. That is what makes you look like a genius in the eyes of the customer.Experience and patience wins out in the end. Kudos,Mr. Holzman.

Awesome diagnostic and repair video, just found your channel. I’m an electrical contractor and an alarm technician It always amazes me the things I find that others can’t see or don’t fix properly. Keep up the great work

It was a joy to watch, as a tech-support. I will admit, I clicked through the timeline on the vid and saw the Hyper 212 on the desk and I made the wrong assumption of it being a overheating problem. I myself, have never experienced an issue, where it was the reset-switch, so I would never have guessed. Now, in the future, I will take note of such cases. But then again, even when watching the video in it's whole, from end to finish, I didn't notice the worn out buttons, which could have been a great clue. I thank you for this educational case. Sincerely A tech-support/admin of 4 years.

Brilliant! This is an excellent example of good, solid diagnostics! I think Bill's local computer emporium have left you a few dislikes!

A a young technician (20 years old - in college) This helped me a lot. Learning is key.

Wow. And no charge for the repair. The world needs more folks like you. This happened to me as well. A friend from work couldn't get his machine to turn on. I took it home and just hooked in a power supply from the same manufacturer. It turned on and it powered up and worked fine. I took it back to him the next day, went on the internet and found a power supply for like $12 or $15 and said this is what you need. When it arrived I swapped out the old for the new, connected it up and screwed it in place. He wanted to pay me money but I refused to take any. My reward was just getting his machine working again quickly and simply.

Hi Carey, Some "techs" really have no diag skills, they shoot the parts cannon at it and miss. I`m 62 and keep my family and friends systems running by actually diagnosing problems like you do. Btw I`m self taught, got my A+ cert at 50 yrs old, MS Beta tester since then. Love the logic you use in the diagnosis. I have had switches go bad too. Funny story...I was applying at Staples for a tech position, was waiting to talk to mgr, when a man came in with a similar problem. Unfortunately they were not techs..told him mobo was bad, paid for their time and left. I followed him to his car, asked about the problem, showed my cert card, and id and talked him into letting me check it out. He said ok, gave me his address and I said I will be there in 15 minutes. Went home to get my "kit"(tools, good power switch,Psupply good blank hdrive etc). Usually, like you, I worked on pcs at home. He was also told it was a bad motherboard, and I knew they were wrong. I did my diag similar to you... I stripped it to the basics and booted it. Booted fine. So my first thought was temperature like you...cpu Thermal shutdown. Prime 95 results...ok. THEN it shutdown! I pulled my switch out(from my parts bin) and swapped with his......BINGO! Happy customer. He was not worried about the pc...just his wife`s pics of the kids and grand kids. Ordered switch, inexpensive repair...again..happy customer that gave a nice tip, and got a big hug from the wife. Told him to get a external hd and Acronis. Since then I have built several pc`s for his family. Much respect from this subscriber(me) on how you diagnose all kinds of issues, and the advice you share Sir. Thanks and God Bless.

How insulting... $700 and some change, if the customer went ahead with the so-called 'repair shop' for that motherboard swap. When all it was, was something so simple, and easily replaceable. Really goes to show how the integrity of these shops has been flushed down the drain. Gotta appreciate Carey for his patience and knowledge to _properly_ diagnose the issue.

WOW! That was fantastic diagnosing, Carey! In 20 years of PC repairs I've NEVER seen a faulty switch, ESPECIALLY one that causes an INTERMITTENT fault like that ... and I wouldn't even THINK to check that. The way my brain works, I always think about things like RAM, motherboard, video, power supply--the usual suspects. Great job!

Great job Carey! You are such a knowledgeable, well spoken and genuine Gentleman! You have just earned my respect and support for your channel: this is actually the first video of yours I watch and I have randomly stumbled on your great channel! Keep up the great work! Cheers from Montreal!

You're a good dude for doing that. Cheers!

As a newbie computer repair technician here in the Philippines, I learned so much in your KZfaq channel. Thank you.

You sir have earned yourself a sub, keep up the awesome videos!!

Hello, I happened upon your video and enjoyed it very much. I'm a propietor for a small computer business going on 26 yrs and I've seen my share of issues similiar to yours. You took the same logical steps, and diagnostics I would have. It's far more interesting than doing malware cleanup isn't it? Nicely done, very satisfying diagnosis and often neglected follow-up work you performed. Lesser knowledgable techs tend to drop it back in the customer's lap without doing the extra work that keeps clients returning. Kudos on the work and giving the client the no charge. Definitely deserved a break. Take care!

Great call for the reset switch. I would definitely recommend you, without hesitation. Good job!

Those 4 temps below are actually "distance to TJMax" which counts backwards from 100C on this cpu, so it was actually 40° colder!

Hope you heart my comment Mr. Carey i'm from Philippines and I work as an IT Technical Support for a company. But during my college years I really watched your tutorial videos. Even the oldest ones you don't have those flashy edits or music that makes the viewers hype. But all or most of your videos are loaded with iseful technical information. Kudos with your effort and with your long duration videos. It is really long because is loaded with long hours of explaining what's happening detail by detail. Keep it up man! All love from Philippines. :)

Sometimes I spend hours and fail to fix the machine... And I don't charge if I don't fix.

Sir, this was one of the most enjoyable repair videos I've watched in a while. You were clear, concise and interesting. Glad I found your channel.

Dear Carey, at 24:40 min the temperature wasnt 80°, distance to T junction is the temperature 'overhead'. T junction is the temperature when the computer starts throttling down to prevent overheating and damage, usually at 100 °C. See that the current temperature of a core and its respective overhead equals to 100° (current temperatue core#1: 52° + distance t junction core#1: 48° = 100° etc. ).

We have 2 CHIC's - "Cary Holzman Inspired Computers" in our home. Mine was built in Dec 2013, and my wife's in Nov 2015. We NEVER turn our computers off unless it's to blow out the dust bunnies or we're going to be away for a day or more. Heck...I've checked my wife's computer to make sure she's doing the all the updates and occasionally I've seen her computer uptime exceeding 50 days without doing a reboot. Both of us are running Win 7 Pro 64 bit.

Good video. Level-headed diagnostics such as you have demonstrated here are unfortunately hard to come by. I'm impressed that you're not only an ace technician, you also present well. This is the first time I've watched one of your videos. I look forward to watching more!

You didn't even charge the guy. You're awesome Carey...keep being a awesome person much love

Straightforward methods & diagnosis. I had a business repairing 2500 machines a year on my own but it still didn't pay a decent wage....

Subbed! this is the first time I'm watching your videos and I love how you work :) After you read that paper, I thought it may be some issues with those switches... It happened to me before...

You have taught me something as a computer technician. It's great to see people like you out there. Thanks for the knowledge.

Good job Carey. I'm a retired computer tech and appreciate seeing honest work being done. I have that exact same cooler you added, on my i7 Hex core. It worked great till the fan axle froze after 3 years and stopped cooling. Thankfully there was still enough cooling to keep me going till I could fix it. Cleaned the corrosion off the fans ring magnet and greased the axle. Works like new again. But in the old days (when this stuff was made in North America) the fans would have lasted longer than the computer, like at least ten years. Prefer solid U.S. construction over the cheap stuff, when I can get it in Canada.

Seem like I can still learn something even after 10 years with messing around with computers

I hope you are teaching computer classes at a local college. They need instructors like you!!

After 45 years doing PCs, I've cracked more cases than many techs have had hot meals, and fixed many problems that other techs said couldn't be fixed. You're a true expert, and a credit to the job. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos.

I have worked in IT for 6 years, and I am subscribing because I like the way you do things. I believe it is critical for my education to watch any and all troubleshooting videos I can to help me in my job, and to learn more.

All the dislikes are probably the unqualified technicians competitors! You sound like a very honest and highly competent man, the kind I like! Wishing You a prosperous business!

Wow, sometimes its the tiniest, most unsuspected parts that can cause the biggest headaches, right? Same stuff with e.g. cars. Your front headlights won't turn on, you think they're broken, when all this time the cable just wasn't plugged in. Great job being patient, knowing your stuff and having this much experience. I also learned something, without knowing it xD

@CareyHolzman - Thanks for sharing/filming/editing/posting....much appreciated.

Great job. I am a computer tech also and see miss diagnostics from other techs often. This is sad because it tends to leave a bad taste with customers toward techs thinking we are all out for nothing but a quick fix. Take the time to do it like you just did and you got a customer for life. Keep up the great work!

Troubleshooting is an art we refine throughout our tech carrier, this is a great example!

Carey you not only an expert but you are gentleman

Hey Carey, Great job! About 12 years back, my son and I were attending LAN parties all over Northern Illinois (where we live) and even ventured to Indianapolis for Stomp Fest 3 times. While attending a LAN party about 30 miles from home, we got set up, played for a bit and then took part in a communal parts swap meet (flea market style). One young kid (I was in my 50's he was about 13) said he needed a ram upgrade. I asked what he had, ended up pulling the module and found to my surprise I had 3 unused 1Gb Corsair modules that were the same spec (exact same SKU). I wasn't using them so I offered an excellent deal and he bought them. ($25 apiece / $50 for all 3) 10 minutes later, he and his older brother come storming back with murder on their faces..."You broke my computer, it won't boot any more." So, I grab my flashlight and magnifying glass and start poking around the case. Everything was seated properly so I took the power switch off and shorted it with a screwdriver. It booted. I looked at the wires and slowly tugged on them. One was attached, the other had been snagged on his brothers watchband and yanked off the back of the switch (no circuit board). I started up my propane soldering iron and reattached the wire. Computer fixed. Ten minutes. They still wanted the money back for the memory - being the nice guy I am, I did so. Then as a joke I said, "Since there was no sale and you broke the computer, that will be $50 labor and $100 travel." Suddenly, 45 something heads turned and looked at me like I was evil incarnate, until I said, "Just kidding." and walked away. Later, he decided to buy the memory anyway.

Crazy how honest techs are so hard to find. Most are all about the money not the customer satisfaction. I did repair like you till I became disable and still have customers coming to me. Love the honest man in any business. MANY THANKS FOR THE HONEST JOB YOU ARE DOING!!!!!!!!!

Awesome troubleshooting, glad to see that you look at everything that could possibly cause an issue instead of being lazy to blame it on something that you imagine is most likely the issue. This happened all the time on old HP machines and eMachines (when HP acquired them). It wasn't obvious the switch was stuck or loose (sometimes it was) and just the vibrations from the fans and hard drives would be enough to engage the the switch. I figured it out the first time because 1. it wasn't overheating (quiet fans) 2. no odd software quirks 3. abrupt power cut. If it was the power supply it would generally make the system crash and/or lock up like with a bad overclock, not generally abrupt power loss unless it was cheap (but that's a quick test with another PSU or PSU tester which is "ok" for quick tests but shouldn't even be done to ensure the PSU is fine). Everything else would cause crashes, handups, slow system, errors, etc but not abrupt power loss. If the system was shutting down like that from a PSU i would be honest with the client and tell them i can replace the PSU and get it running but i wouldn't have any confidence in ANY of the hardware that was connected to that PSU. The odd damage a bad PSU can do to hardware spans from random locking up/crashing from a damaged hard drive PCB to degraded performance from throttling or reduced component interconnectivity like slow SATA to dead Ram slots so you can only run single channel ETC. Cheap PSU's are the root of all EVIL hardware. A super cheap motherboard waay back in the day might make a CPU throttle when it was getting old or kill some RAM, but that's hard to prove unless you have a oscilloscope on hand ;-)

It's ironic that I just recently swapped out an IdeaCentre 510S mobo into a K330 chassis, which worked initially but when I moved it and retried it, I got pwr and fans spinning but it wouldn't actually power on and of course I went through the entire gamut of troubleshooting components for 2 days (inconsistently) I just kinda had an epiphany 🤔, check the power/reset switch and... 💥 We have a winner. I ended up watching this just to see if it was something new to me and it turned out to be what I had literally stumbled through the day before... Either way, thanks for the tips and advice...👍🏿

Your clear and concise style of presentation is a major plus - I found this video very easy to follow, which reminded me of a very similar set of issues involving the reset switch on a Win-7 build some years ago.

Outstanding diagnostic, repair and most of all service. What I appreciate most about your videos, you talk to us not at us. FYI: I am a retired field tech and now I work 3 days a week, for 30 minutes a day in a local municipality. Carey you are 5* all the way accross the board. Keep up the great work.

I've diagnosed a faulty power switch before.. I felt like a freakin genius, never expected to find that as an issue. now I check the switches almost every time, and yet I've only diagnosed that one time. Its a corner case issue that could throw anyone off track. I dont have a power switch tester- i've always used my Philips screwdriver to intermittent contact the respective switch headers.

These are the kind of Wierd electrical problems that separate the men from the boys. Carey is a lead expert in his field. I wish I had a person as talented as him in my town.

I had a machine that randomly reset itself. Turned out that a customized, super heavy CPU heatsink had stressed and cracked the mainboard (maybe owner dropped the case at some point?). Some epoxy and solder and a new, much LIGHTER cpu fan later and it ran like a top. That was a fun one. The owner was super happy. The guy in the comments that said taking the mainboard out of the case is sometimes necessary is spot on. You did a great job troubleshooting this! I'm going to have my students watch you chase this one down. Fun to watch. Thanks for sharing.

What a opportune time for this video. My PC had just started to turn off and restart and getting worse quickly. After checking the temps and finding them normal I disconnected the reset plug from MB and now problem has gone, running 24/7 and no issues. Without watching your video I do not know if I ever would have checked this bit. Thanks

$700 for a motherboard? Crazy! With this money you can almost build another PC. Great video and diagnostics by the way! :D

Had this issue a few months ago with a friend's PC. I left it running and I didn't have the issue, as soon as I took it back the problem again presented itself.. I had done pretty much all your steps except using a fresh install. Everything in the system checked out. My friend didn't have to wait much at all because I had a switch in my spare bin. Always good to have some spare parts like those!

From one old-school tech to another, I salute you, sir! Subscribed!

I have been building systems since 1997 and I really like seeing someone approach diagnostics in this kind of professional manner. I have yet to meet a computer that I couldn't eventually repair although I have had many head scratchers over the years. Great work.

I've never had a switch problem, but know proper diagnostics on fixing most common problems with process of elimination . In saying that, I learned something today...the beauty of life in learning something new everyday...subbed..Thx Carey

Very educative video...i'm a computer amateur from 1996 with dozen of pcs, but i never had such problems...you can always learn valuable lessons...ty. you got +1 subscription :)

I've only run across this one time in my career. Pulled my hair out trying to fix it, and discovered it in a similar manner to what you did. Excellent diagnosis on your part. BTW, tell the customer to ditch Norton. It causes more problems than it will ever fix.

Watching this makes me realize how far behind I’ve fallen since working on my XP machine. . . Nicely done, sir,

Very good project. Totally interesting and valuable. WELL DONE!

Thanks Carey 🙏 your videos are seriously blessings to a lot of people.

This was well done. As a PC repair tech myself, I want to believe my experience would have gotten me to the correct diagnosis as well. I hate making mis-diagnosis.

total respect, I just subscribed, for the simple reason you seem like a guy that does not give up where others failed - well done!!!

Mr. Carey my utmost respect on the way you handle every repair. Thank you for this awsome videos.

yeah, its a good one. Rare problems like that are sometimes hard to diagnose especially if you don't have spare parts to eliminate test with . What a pain. Well done!

This guy taught me PC repair 5 years ago. Good to be back on this channel to find he's still teaching some more.

Troubleshooting is paramount! I am a field service tech, and have worked on hot tubs to pressure washers to furnaces. Have had to let some guys go in the past due to inability to troubleshoot the problem and not just start throwing parts at device til its magically repaired. Unfortunately for customers, many business owners would rather employ fools that take three times as long to fix with many unnecessary parts. Good job sir, very thorough. Well done indeed!

Fantastic diagnosis !!! Damn good save !!! That is god info Carey . Thank you for this video . Subbed ! Belled !

I love this type video. Thanks you for all your great work and material.

Fabulous fix, love the way you handled/inspected the problem. Cheers from Montreal! Mark

Just saw this, I am bloody furious! The amount of times I've had this with builds using recovered components, never occurred to me that the switch could be faulty... From old athalon to AM3, I just put computers together for fun, test and then parts bin them. Have given some away to people who didn't have one. I never enjoyed playing and fixing PC's with windows 10, so I don't really bother much. Still you got a sub from me. Now to binge watch previous ones

Well done, that was educational, sometimes it's the smallest element that can cause so much wasted time in tracking it down.

Glad that CAREY did the repair work for no charge.! Great VID!

It is amazing how rare simple troubleshooting skills are. Eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

Great work. I totally overlooked the reset switch as being a potential cause. Great diagnosis, and great repair and upgrade. Takes hours of rebooting and testing to find computer issues, kudos to the effort and time put in sorting it out and for not charging Bill.

I have been doing IT Work for 15+ years. I am glad to see that there are still good techs out there. People think IT is just a push of a button or "watching paint dry" but we do the exact same thing as a Doctor, Auto Mechanic etc... I applaud you sir!!

You cracked the case! Great job!!!

I reached half way through and I would have never guessed it could have been the reset switched. Nice job!

Thanks for the video...I love how detailed and thorough you are with diagnosing and showing us these things in more of a way that it leaves no doubts pertaining to what you are showing is actually what you are showing

Very nice! I was 'shooting the problem while watching the video and had my own list of things I would have checked. I have to admit I've never had to go down to the wires supporting the power on/reset button. It's a pleasure watching a fellow professional do his thing! 👍👍😎

Way more interesting than watching a predictable mystery show on tv.

I fought this same "anomaly" in one of our home systems. I replaced/upgraded a motherboard and cpu and it immediately started into the reboot cycle similar to this. My particular case had a pc board combo of switches,usb and audio, leds. After thinking RMA I was unplugging a usb from the front and found there was some rapid power on power off happening. I pulled the case apart and found that the pcb for the front panel connections had a crack through it. The case ( Thermaltake Level 10 GTS) is 6 years old, so no warranty, but I found the part on ebay new old stock for $ 15.00. It took 20 minutes to replace. The only thing I could think of was something bumped a usb when plugged in (it sticks out the front) an tweaked the pcb. Great video!

Great video! I have worked as a IT mechanic and IT support for 16 years and i have never before seen a reset switch acting like that. Ruling out what isn't the cause is usually the only way to go. 10 points for a job well done!

Another great video Carey.Even after watching your videos for all these years I always learn something new 👍

You're channel looks very useful, I just subscribed.

Hi Carey! That was a good catch. The prior troubleshooting just wasn't completed fully. As an Air Force trained radio technician I have seen my fair share of situations where something was overlooked. However minuscule the component it still has an effect on the system as a whole. That's what we called a chassis issue. By the way, after seeing this video I am a new subscriber. Keep up the great work!

this was super fun to follow along with you and trying to guess what the issue was. I was surprised!

In all my years of dealing with computers -- one thing I've learned is that the simplest of problems can bring mammoth sized computer systems down. E.G., Like a mainframe getting a smack down from just one misplaced semicolon in the code which was running on it or a loose screw on a network tap that brought down a DEC computer network for three days. That's why when I got into building my own systems I used the check for simple problems first in terms of troubleshooting issues. Because as you proved -- a bad switch can emulate a thermal problem. As well, I've probably saved myself thousands of dollars over the years in terms of repairing my own computer equipment. It's just despicable what those techs wanted to charge -- $700 -- I mean really? But then again you get what you pay for -- I once overheard a Best Buy rep tell a customer that a multiple core processor like a Pentium I5 would prevent a computer system from getting viruses...SMH.

WHAAATTTT!... An HONEST computer technician....!!! I'm liable to have a heart attack !!.. This guy is amazingly nice and smart. WOW... So easy to listen to and understand with my limited knowledge of comps.... GOOD FOR HIM... he WILL be a successful businessman.... Can you do info on usual problems with HD;s.... and loss of info... Arrrgh... (specifically... taking a HD apart,.. and showing how to "unstick" the feelers THE CORRECT WAY!!). Thnx.. you're a good man Charlie Brown !..

Love the process of elimination from most-eliminating to least-eliminating, incredibly efficient diagnostic tactics. I would have first probably taken the board out and set it up outside it's case just on the offchance part of it was shorting the back of the board as it got warm, but you found the problem sooner than I would have.

Another great video Carey, sure has taught me a great deal in diagnostic repairs, one of your last videos ( aka Memory problem ) was the exact same issue that caused my Wifes PC to have a major fit. I worked the problem the same way you would have and fixed Her PC, saved the Wife an otherwise expensive repair shop bill and saved my sanity as well. Another +1