Power went out, came back, and now your computer’s completely unresponsive? No lights, no fans, no startup sound? You’re not alone; it’s a common issue we see at Little Dog Tech, and it’s not always as bad as it looks.
Let’s walk through what might be going on, and what you can do next.
Step 1: Is the Outlet Actually Working?
Start with the basics. Plug something else (like a lamp or phone charger) into the same outlet. Still no power? Try a different outlet. Sometimes a power outage triggers a surge protector or flips a breaker.
If you’ve got a whole section of the house not working, check your breaker panel for any tripped switches. Resetting them might bring everything back online.
Step 2: The Power Supply Might’ve Taken the Hit
If the outlet is fine but the computer’s completely dead, the internal power supply might be toast. Power outages and surges often take it out because it’s the first component to receive power.
A blown power supply can leave your computer totally lifeless. The good news? Replacing it usually does the trick, and we can test it for you quickly in the shop to be sure.
Step 3: Other Parts Could Be Affected
Sometimes the surge doesn’t stop at the power supply. It might sneak past and hit other components like your:
- Motherboard
- Hard drive or SSD
- RAM
- Graphics card
This kind of damage isn’t always visible. You might not see sparks or smell burning, but the machine still won’t boot. That’s where a professional diagnostic comes in, we’ll pinpoint what’s working and what’s not.
Step 4: It Could Be Software, Not Hardware
If your computer turns on but refuses to boot properly (blue screen, spinning circle, weird error messages), it might be a software issue.
Sudden shutdowns can corrupt system files, especially if your machine was updating or saving data when the power went out. That can confuse your operating system on startup.
We’ve repaired plenty of systems like this without wiping any personal files. So don’t panic, we’ll see if we can recover your system.
What You Can Try First
Before bringing it in, try this quick checklist:
- Test the outlet with a different device
- Unplug and replug your computer’s power cable
- Try a different power strip or surge protector
- Check your breaker panel for anything tripped
If it’s still not turning on, you know where to find us.
How Little Dog Tech Can Help
We help people with this exact problem all the time. Whether it’s a dead power supply, deeper hardware damage, or a corrupted operating system, we’ll figure it out.
No pressure, no guesswork. Just real help, in plain English.
Bring your machine in and we’ll take a look. Most of the time, power-related problems leave behind clues, and we know exactly where to look.