I have a file server that was recently relocated in a transoceanic move. It isn't under warranty, as it was a custom-built in-house tower.
When I hooked everything up and tried to boot it, the system does not respond at all — power supply and motherboard fans don't spin up, no lights, no sounds. Nothing.
I tried swapping the motherboard (I have a couple of the exact same model) and power supplies with ones I believe to be good, but I don't have another tower case to check the on/off switch. I have a multimeter, but I've never used one before. How can I check to confirm or rule out the on/off switch? Are there any other items I might want to check?
Edit: Solved. Turns out it was a combination of a bad power switch and a bad power supply. The reset switch as power switch advice helped along with seeing the resistance change when the reset switch was pressed, but not when the power switch was pressed.
Best Answer
Turn your multimeter to the Ω/Ohm/Continuity tester. The Ω represents the amount of resistance in a circuit. A piece of wire (closed circuit) should have a resistance that is near 0 ohms. Air (open circuit) will have a very high resistance, most likely infinite from the perspective of your meter.
A power button on an ATX motherboard is a momentary switch. That means the circuit will only be closed when you press it.
Here is how I would test. Find two paper-clips and insert them into the motherboard connector for the power switch. Make sure the paper-clips to not touch each other. Touch one of the probes to one of paper-clips and the other probe to the other. While you have both probes contacting the paper-clips press the power button. If the button is good the reading on your multimeter should go from infinite ohms down to about zero.
BTW, if your case also has a reset button, you may be able to use that as a replacement for the power switch.. On an ATX case the reset button is just another momentary switch.