start up

[paulammo1]

Hi, i switch my pc on at the power socket. when i try to turn on my  at the power button, it won't power up straight away. sometimes it can take up to   half an hour or more sometimes less. i have replaced the coin battery on the motherboard, but it's still the same. 

any ideas? it's compaq cq5222uk pc about 11 years old ish.

Thanks  

[WAWood]

@paulammo1 

The coin battery on the motherboard only saves the BIOS settings when the PC is off.  It has nothing to do with the PC starting and even if dead, would not prevent it.

This issue is often due to a failing drive.

So, let's check that first, because if it is failing, it would need to be replaced and there is no point then in doing anything else until we confirm that.

If your PC is new enough to support UEFI, you can use these steps to test the HDD (Hard Disk Drive): http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00439024

If not, to check the HDD you have to follow these steps:
1) Press Esc key repeatedly, several times a second, while rebooting the laptop. Do NOT hold the key down, just press it over and over.
2) Eventually, you will see an HP Startup Menu
3) Press the Function key for testing the hard drive (usually F2) and let it run.

If the drive checks out OK, then report that and I can provide you options for reinstalling Windows on your PC.

Please note that if your model has an SSD instead of an HDD, these diagnostics might not work properly.

[paulammo1]

 Hi 

Thanks for your reply.  it is a desktop pc windows 7. I've had it about 11 or 12 years. I also had to have the mother board changed 3 or 4 years ago.

will the instructions  you gave work on this pc ?

Thanks

Paul