A Little Tech Help Please

from GalCiv2 Forums
My computer went down last night, and I could use a liitle help diagnosing the problem.  I pushed the button to start it up, and everything seemed normal. As it was beginning to boot, I left the room for awhile. (We had some storms roll through, and I was in front of the tv).  After ~15 mins, I went back into the office, and the puter was dead. No power-nothing. No fans, not even the case fans. It was as if it had been unplugged.

So what do you think? Is it the power unit? I recently (6 mos or so) upgraded it. I bought the unit from a local computer repair shop. It was an off-brand, but they have never steered me wrong before, so I took a leap of faith. I have to say that there was one tiny spark of life- the small led light on the back of my ethernet card that tells whether or not the line is connected was lit, and went out when I flipped the toggle switch on the back of the power unit.

Is it possible for a power supply to fail in such a way that nothing will work, but still light that led light? I'm REALLY hoping that this is the case, as this is a relatively cheap and easy fix. Could it be something else, such as the mobo?

Any advise you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
66,800 views 15 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Mistralok it could very well just be the power supply, but at this point it's very hard to know. What kind of upgrades and did you do them or did you have someone do them?

If you trust your local repair shop take it back to them and explain what happen.  ;) 
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
What happens when you try to start it now? If the network light was on, there must have been at least some power getting through to it.

If it was a power surge...

Best case scenario (if you haven't tried to already), it may just restart fine having needed the physical switch on the toggled off and then back on again. (Some have internal protection, and won't allow power up for a few seconds immediately after the switch has been flipped.)

Good scenario, maybe just a couple "legs" of the power supply burnt out and you can just replace that component, or even use a different "leg" if your system is not too power hungry. (Though I would be worried about fire hazards if I used a half-dead power supply.)

Bad scenario, part or all of you mobo burnt out. You may be able to salvage some peripherals (drives, expansion cards and memory maybe) for you next computer.

Worst scenario, complete meltdown. Not only could the surge have taken out your mobo, it could have taken out some or all of your peripherals leaving little to nothing to salvage hardware wise, and resulting in permanent loss of any data stored on that machine.

(Well actually, worst would've been a house fire, so even if the computer is completely toast, there is still some small silver lining.)
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Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Mine got struck by lightning once (no blackout) and the same thing happened. The internal power and the modem was fried.

This isn't to hard to fix if it's just that :)
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Just to check, have you tried turning on the computer since this event? You didn't state that you did after it was found off. I'll be assuming that you did.

________________
I'll be assuming you know enough to build a computer. If you do not, I'll change my suggestions to better suite your needs.

Do you have a spare computer (or old) you can use to test to see if the hard drive, DVD drive, and other parts still works? It can save you some money on repairs (and save your data) if those parts can be reused on a new computer.

As for the core components needed for a computer to run, check to see if things are wired correctly. I'm not sure of the odds of a wire getting loose and falling off, but the front power button should connect to the mother board (if it still is, then you mother board might be busted). You'll be needing your motherboard manual to see where things should be connected.

Anyways, the 2 parts that could not be working correctly is the:
-Power supply
-Motherboard

Other parts like CPU and RAM would be difficult to test without moving them to another computer to test them. You may need to get the help of the repair shop to test to see if the Power supply and mother board is working correctly.

________________
By the way, could we get list of some computer details (like the serial numbers) for the power supply and motherboard?
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Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thank you all for your help. After a bit of reflection, and reading your replies, I've decided to go with my gut and send off for a new psu. This is an older agp system that I built, so I don't want to spend too much money. I found a Thermaltake on NewEgg for $30, (after rebate). It's only 430w, with a single 18 amp rail, but I'm hardly a power-user, so this should do.

Thanks again. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Lightning can be a strange critter. I had one computer get nailed Twice. Both times it through the modem (phone line). Even with UPSes now, I still unplug everything when a strong lightning storm is going to pass overhead or nearly so.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
HUZZAH! I'm back in business. It was indeed the PSU. Thank you all again for your replies. A special thanks to DivineWrath. It is clear to me that you put some real thought into your reply. Your 'loose wire' comment is what put me over the top. As soon as I read that, I felt that we had a meeting of the minds, and that I was on the right track.

Now that I have re-read my original post, I see that I didn't make myself entirely clear. The storms in question weren't here yet, they were on their way. Last year, I was hit twice; once it killed a hard drive, once my mobo. You can see how I could be a little oversensitive. After those, I bought a ups, and ran a dedicated ground wire out to a 6' copper pole. Since then, no real surge probs.

Again, great to be back. Now I can be a PITA on my own time. ;)
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
me too, i unplug the pc, phone connection to modem if i even smell a hint of a storm.....i refuse to chance it to mother nature...or 'luck'.......plus cant afford to replace stuff....

im glad that yr pc is up and running again.....
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
I bought a ups

Amen and way to go!!  :CONGRAT: 

Kitty, you really unplug everything? That would take me forever.... I learned living in VA (where thunderstorms are a common occurrence) that a good surge protector can go a loooong way. This time around with the new machine I even went as far as getting a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply, like Mistralok.. 100% recommended) which not only is a surge protector but a voltage regulator and battery backup. Plus if you get something like this from a reputable company they usually have great warranties (like mine says "...comes with a $100,000 Connected Equipment Warranty and a Data Recovery Warranty"). They even have them so your phone lines (and so forth) run through it.

Just a thought and some well spent money in my book.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Last year, I was hit twice; once it killed a hard drive, once my mobo.


Perhaps a good investment might be into a good APS (auxiliary power supply, A.K.A., a battery backup unit, or UPS).

I hope you have at least a good power strip, but an APS is much better - espesially in areas prone to electrical storms.


I have a Thermaltake PSU as well. They are good quality (as are all their products), and a 430W for your APG system should be quite adequate.

(Sorry, didn't read your last post all the way through. So I didn't see that you had bought a UPS. Smart move)
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The UPS connected to this (primary) computer is a Geek Squad, and has both RJ15/RJ45 and Cable in/out connections. So I run the cable for Roadrunner through the UPS to the cable modem, then the ethernet cable from the modem to the UPS and up to the router. Under voltage, Over voltage, surge, and battery backup all in one. The only thing it can't handle, is my HP LaserJet.
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
sk......yeah i do....even though my unit has surge protection and stuff....i just do it for extra safety......i cant really take chances......... :) .......ps...miss you.!
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I even went as far as getting a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply, like Mistralok.. 100% recommended) which not only is a surge protector but a voltage regulator and battery backup. Plus if you get something like this from a reputable company they usually have great warranties (like mine says "...comes with a $100,000 Connected Equipment Warranty and a Data Recovery Warranty"). They even have them so your phone lines (and so forth) run through it.

Just a thought and some well spent money in my book.



Agreed.

I use a :

CyberPower - 550VA Battery Back-Up System

Product Features

* 8 total outlets, all with surge protection and 4 with battery backup
* 550VA rating with 330 watts of power
* 890-joule surge energy rating
* Battery run time up to 60 minutes
* Phone/fax/modem/DSL communication protection ports
* Automatic voltage regulator
* USB/serial connectivity
* Shutdown software included
* CyberPower $75,000 connected-equipment warranty

And in 2.5 years I've never turned off or unplugged anything hooked to it during a storm and never had a problem.

Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The only thing it can't handle, is my HP LaserJet.


It shouldn't be necessary to have a printer connected to a UPS.

The UPS should only be used for the computer and one monitor (or any other "critical" components), so the backup time is as long as possible.
Reply #15 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
My printers are off most of the time anyways, and the LaserJet does not have drivers for XP64 (have to reboot to XP32 to use it). At least with the inkjet, I can finish the printing before powering down, or avoid a jam in a momentary outage.