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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?
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susan_nguyen2mo 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.
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grayt462mo 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.
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kevin_sullivan8d ago
Man, that reminds me of a buddy who worked at a repair shop. He had a monitor that only worked when you smacked the left side of the bezel twice, not once, not three times. He tried new cables, different power bricks, even swapped the main board. Ended up just leaving a note on it that said "smack here twice" and it worked for years.
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