[NTLUG:Discuss] OT: Hardware power-glitch question

[Dennis Daupert]

One day when I pushed the front power button to turn my computer on, nothing happened, dead. I pushed several times, experimented with applying pressure from different angles, trying to get the on switch to make contact, in case that was the problem. I unplugged, replugged the power cord, and finally, voila! Power on. I worked a few hours, and turned my machine off. 

Next time, I first flipped the power switch on the back of the case off briefly, then back on. When I hit the power switch on the front of the machine, he booted up. Great! But the next time I tried this, it didn't work. Bummer. 

I took the side panel off, looked inside while I hit the front power switch, and noticed that a few times, internal led lights periodically flashed on briefly. Again, finally, after messing with things for awhile, the machine came on. 

Does this sound familiar to anyone? I'm not clued-in as to exactly how the electrical system works. Does the power switch close the electrical connection briefly, so that relay or something like a relay on the motherboard closes? In such a case, I could imagine the problem to be at the relay. Or does the power switch close the electrical connection when the button is pushed, and remain closed until the machine is powered down, unless of course the switch is going bad? 

Are there any troubleshooting tips I might follow, short of the all-or-nothing "change out the case, and if that doesn't work, change out the motherboard" approach?

Specs below. Thanks for any info.

/dennis

CASE
Antec SLK3800B ATX Mid Tower Solution Series 3800 Black Case with 400 watt power supply

MOTHERBOARD
EPOX EP-9NPA+ULTRA nForce4 Ultra Athlon 64(FX) Skt939 DDR ATX Motherboard w/Audio, Gigabit LAN, RAID/SATA II Retail