Had a client's machine that would only boot after being unplugged for exactly 45 seconds, not 30, not 60.

It was an older Dell Optiplex 9020 that kept failing POST with a memory error. Swapped RAM, PSU, cleared CMOS, the works. Out of pure frustration after the third try, I left it unplugged while I went to get a coffee. Came back, plugged it in, and it fired right up. Started timing it. Under 40 seconds, same error. Over a minute, same error. 45 seconds on the dot, every time, it would post. I think it was some weird capacitor discharge timing on the board. Ever run into something that specific where the fix made zero sense but just worked?

2 comments

2 Comments

susan_nguyen1mo ago

You mentioned a loose power cable, but he swapped the PSU which would have ruled that out. The fact it worked on a strict timer points to something on the motherboard itself. I've seen similar weirdness with older boards needing a full power drain.

grayt461mo ago

You sure you weren't just getting a bad connection when you plugged it back in? That sounds like a loose power cable or a flaky wall outlet, not some magic timer. Those old Dells have weird power button circuits too, maybe you were just resetting that by wiggling things. I'd bet money on a simple hardware fault you accidentally worked around, not a precise capacitor thing.