Cold Boot

As Ireland endures a cold spell, with temperatures dipping as low as -3ºC, I was reminded of a rather amusing situation from over 15 years ago.

Back then, I had a computer that refused to boot if the room temperature dropped below 13°C. The computer was turned off overnight, and so was the heating in the house. Some nights, the room temperature would plummet to as low as 10°C.

This computer would fail to POST (Power-On Self-Test) and wouldn’t even emit the usual warning beeps. However, as soon as the room temperature rose above 13.5°C, it would start up without issue. It took me a year or two before I finally figured out what was happening!

The only reason I was able to figure out the problem was because I had a digital clock with a built-in thermometer sitting right next to the computer. My dad used this computer as a sort of server for work, so it was powered up every weekday morning.
One day, when it happened yet again, I looked at the clock and somehow realised that there was a pattern - the temperature! Over the following weeks I was able to confirm this by observation, as the pattern held true.
This quirky issue drove us nuts because it only ever occurred during the winter months, and always before 9am. By that time, the outside temperature would have naturally risen enough to warm up the room above that critical 13°C threshold.

Looking back, it seems funny that something so simple could be so elusive, but it was a lesson in troubleshooting (and patience) that I still remember today!