PSU toast?

I have an almost 6 yr old computer, today - it would not turn on, only a blinking amber light.

but now that i think back - it's been shutting down, and then i will notice the light blinking -- last evening, i could not get the computer to turn off -- had to pull the power cord to get the light to turn off.

so -- it's possible this has been happening for sometime.

I have my laptop next to it in my office -- and i'll hear it 'shut off' on it's own, but i've been able to refire it back up again -- until last night.

so -- i've googled it to death, and the general consensus is.... dead PSU.

I have also noticed my 'boot up- really takes quite a bit of time now .... i've gone into msconfig and unchecked everything but 4
I've done my general maintenance cleaning up the 'junk'
i've blown the dust out of the tower....

Would a dying PSU make my boot up slow??

and granted, a new PSU is cheaper than a new computer.... but is this just a sinking ship?

what about the battery on the motherboard? is that the Cmos battery? [i've seen that term used in the threads i'm reading]

any input would be great.

Terese

This message was edited Mar 13, 2012 5:28 PM