My PC died. Power or HD failure? - GoFuckYourself.com

who · 05-02-2005, 08:52 PM

So I was happily working away on my desktop pc, when all of a sudden it dies. No shutdown, no reboot, just off.

Then it wouldn't boot. It would get past the device detection, and then turn off again.

Now I can't even get that far. I can get some power into it if I hold the on button.

First I suspected the worst, a HD crash. Now I'm thinking the motherboard could be fried or something, but I hope it's a power unit that needs replacing.

Has this happened to anyone in here before? What do you think it is?

BTW there's no funky burnt smell coming out of anywhere, and I'd feel safer if there was one coming out of the power supply.

I've checked connections, etc., everything is fine, and, as I said I was working at the time, there was no excessive overheating, I don't think.

ry0t · 05-02-2005, 08:59 PM

Sounds like youre wrong on both occassions. I think you should check out your motherboard.

nap · 05-02-2005, 08:59 PM

sounds like a power supply. i had to replace one last week

who · 05-02-2005, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ry0t

Sounds like youre wrong on both occassions. I think you should check out your motherboard.

Check it how? It 'looks' ok. Smells ok...

What can I do to find out what is fucked here, aside from visually inspecting it?

Xeno · 05-02-2005, 09:03 PM

First thing I would check (and this wasn't mentioned) is the fan. Does it still work and is it blowing? Also, is your computer inside clean of excess dust and dust bunnies?

If the system does not turn on after awhile, but the fan works, I would then look into the powersupply issue. After that, if that was ok, then I would think your motherboard is fried. As for the HD....if you have another hard drive somewhere, perhaps put that inplace of the existing one, and start the system up in dos...hope you have a startup diskette? Because if this works, then your drive was the culprit..which means reformat and and let me guess, you do not have any backups?

gotta love computers hey...

Spunky · 05-02-2005, 09:05 PM

Sounds like the power supply

r3ap3r · 05-02-2005, 09:07 PM

Check your power supply

Tony Montana · 05-02-2005, 09:09 PM

Yeah, power supply or mobo.

who · 05-02-2005, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeysCC

First thing I would check (and this wasn't mentioned) is the fan. Does it still work and is it blowing? Also, is your computer inside clean of excess dust and dust bunnies?

If the system does not turn on after awhile, but the fan works, I would then look into the powersupply issue. After that, if that was ok, then I would think your motherboard is fried. As for the HD....if you have another hard drive somewhere, perhaps put that inplace of the existing one, and start the system up in dos...hope you have a startup diskette? Because if this works, then your drive was the culprit..which means reformat and and let me guess, you do not have any backups?

gotta love computers hey...

Thanks for the reply.

Well, there is some dust inside the case, but I don't think it's a lot, really. The cpu fan still works. How can I test the power supply? There is still a bit of power coming out of it, if I hold the power button on, the cpu fan starts going, at least. But nothing stays on. I don't think it even gets up to starting to boot now. The power won't stay on if I'm not holding the on button.

As for the HD, I have two in there, both are bootable, so if one went down, supposedly the other should get booted, or in any case it seems irrelevant now that the bios doesn't even run.

I'm worried that it could be the motherboard, or even the CPU. If I put my head right in there, it does have a bit of unnatural 'stink' around the cpu and/or a row of transistors nearby on the motherboard.

So it seems to me that my data should still be safe, but could whatever happened have corrupted the drives anyway?

GatorB · 05-02-2005, 09:17 PM

Maybe your power supply can't hand all the stuff you have on your system. what is the wattage?

KRL · 05-02-2005, 09:17 PM

Power Supply. Check that round battery on the motherboard also.

who · 05-02-2005, 09:20 PM

Yeah, it's a 300W supply, probably overdoing it, there's a radeon x800 running on it, 2 hard drives, and the high-end p4.

But I would have thought that if there wasn't enough power, things just wouldn't work? Well, they've been working in that config for about 5 months.

Damn. Well, I'll try to change the power supply but all I have is another old 300W one.

Thanks for all the replies so far

Spunky · 05-02-2005, 09:21 PM

You would get error messages if your HD was fucked on bootup..you would also get a prompt to continue..Probably not the motherboard..how old is your computer?

who · 05-02-2005, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spunky

You would get error messages if your HD was fucked on bootup..you would also get a prompt to continue..Probably not the motherboard..how old is your computer?

It's about a year old. Yeah, no error messages came up at any time.

I'll try changing the power supply. It's not likely that the cpu is fried, is it?

Spunky · 05-02-2005, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by .?.

It's about a year old. Yeah, no error messages came up at any time.

I'll try changing the power supply. It's not likely that the cpu is fried, is it?

Probably not..I would also suggest putting in another fan to cool your box even more..I had 2 power supplies go on me..common problem..I take it you leave yours on 24/7?

JSA Matt · 05-02-2005, 09:47 PM

Check your power supply connection to the motherboard and look for burnt pins.

GatorB · 05-02-2005, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by .?.

Yeah, it's a 300W supply, probably overdoing it, there's a radeon x800 running on it, 2 hard drives, and the high-end p4.

But I would have thought that if there wasn't enough power, things just wouldn't work? Well, they've been working in that config for about 5 months.

Damn. Well, I'll try to change the power supply but all I have is another old 300W one.

Thanks for all the replies so far

remove one of the HD and see if you ahve the same problem. I don't think 300W is made for 2 HD.

GweedZilla · 05-02-2005, 10:11 PM

a 300w PS could definately handle that, depending on the quality of the unit itself. But more commonly not. The fact that you have to hold the button in to keep power makes me lean towards power supply as being the culprit as well. Try yer spare on the bare essential components.

Vitasoy · 05-02-2005, 10:12 PM

If it's not a power supply issue, then it could be a cpu over heating issue.

Xeno · 05-03-2005, 01:14 AM

Over heating is why I was thinking the fan (or fans) in the system if they were not working would soon heat your processor and board up and some systems have an auto shutoff for safety. A 300W supply should be more than enough for what you have, but when you say it has a "bit" of power, that alerts me to think perhaps your supply is defunct. Try the other supply you have and see if it works. But one other thing...if your system does get hot in there, the question will be, does it have enough cooling. As mentioned, if your system has a safety feature to shut down on excess heat, that might be the case. Just out of curiosity, is your computer built by you or a no-name brand company, or is it a brandname? Plus, what is your complete configuration and setup?

who · 05-03-2005, 06:18 AM

Hi everyone, thank you for the helpful information and good replies.

Today I threw in an old 300W power supply as a replacement, but also downgraded my graphics card to something that needs no extra juice (radeon 9200). The system works again. It was, afterall, a power supply problem.

I'm so glad that I didn't have to replace any main parts. Probably I'll buy a new power supply anyway, and also a proper cooling system. At the moment it just has the standard cpu fan on there, which seems to be useless.

Thanks again, and I'm happy you guys helped me get out of this without any major probs.

crockett · 05-03-2005, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by .?.

Hi everyone, thank you for the helpful information and good replies.

Today I threw in an old 300W power supply as a replacement, but also downgraded my graphics card to something that needs no extra juice (radeon 9200). The system works again. It was, afterall, a power supply problem.

I'm so glad that I didn't have to replace any main parts. Probably I'll buy a new power supply anyway, and also a proper cooling system. At the moment it just has the standard cpu fan on there, which seems to be useless.

Thanks again, and I'm happy you guys helped me get out of this without any major probs.

your lucky man, I had a power supply go out and it toasted my entire computer.. It fried 2 hard drives, a expensive graphics card.. along with all the other components.

webcrawler · 05-03-2005, 06:54 AM

Try replacing your power supply first, if no good. Then it must be your motherboard already.

Homer · 05-03-2005, 06:56 AM

hmmm... that must be motherboard or power

05-02-2005, 08:52 PM	#1
who So Fucking Banned Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: ICQ #23642053 Posts: 19,593	My PC died. Power or HD failure? So I was happily working away on my desktop pc, when all of a sudden it dies. No shutdown, no reboot, just off. Then it wouldn't boot. It would get past the device detection, and then turn off again. Now I can't even get that far. I can get some power into it if I hold the on button. First I suspected the worst, a HD crash. Now I'm thinking the motherboard could be fried or something, but I hope it's a power unit that needs replacing. Has this happened to anyone in here before? What do you think it is? BTW there's no funky burnt smell coming out of anywhere, and I'd feel safer if there was one coming out of the power supply. I've checked connections, etc., everything is fine, and, as I said I was working at the time, there was no excessive overheating, I don't think.

05-02-2005, 09:03 PM	#5
Xeno Registered User Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 77	First thing I would check (and this wasn't mentioned) is the fan. Does it still work and is it blowing? Also, is your computer inside clean of excess dust and dust bunnies? If the system does not turn on after awhile, but the fan works, I would then look into the powersupply issue. After that, if that was ok, then I would think your motherboard is fried. As for the HD....if you have another hard drive somewhere, perhaps put that inplace of the existing one, and start the system up in dos...hope you have a startup diskette? Because if this works, then your drive was the culprit..which means reformat and and let me guess, you do not have any backups? gotta love computers hey... __________________ 69Toplinks Website Submissions Reviewed in 24 Hours

05-02-2005, 09:05 PM	#6
Spunky I need a beer Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: ♠ Toiletville ♠ Posts: 133,934	Sounds like the power supply __________________ *YOUR INFORMATION HERE*

05-02-2005, 09:07 PM	#7
r3ap3r Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 3,535	Check your power supply __________________ Fuck My Sig Good ICQ - 203744959

05-02-2005, 09:09 PM	#8
Tony Montana Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 794	Yeah, power supply or mobo. __________________ I am a marketing Genius.

05-02-2005, 08:59 PM	#2
ry0t So Fucking Banned Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Boston Posts: 4,160	Sounds like youre wrong on both occassions. I think you should check out your motherboard.

05-02-2005, 08:59 PM	#3
nap Confirmed User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: midwest Posts: 2,765	sounds like a power supply. i had to replace one last week

05-02-2005, 09:17 PM	#10
GatorB The Demon & 12clicks Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: SallyRand is a FAGGOT Posts: 18,208	Maybe your power supply can't hand all the stuff you have on your system. what is the wattage?

05-02-2005, 09:17 PM	#11
KRL Entrepreneur Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: USA Posts: 31,429	Power Supply. Check that round battery on the motherboard also. __________________ If you would like to develop your domains, you can lease inexpensive foreign labor from the leaders in the field at iWebmasters.com TO LOWER YOUR COSTS AND INCREASE YOUR PRODUCTION! * * * * * * * * * * * * Domains Adult News KRL's Newsletter Biz Tips Just Listed Domains

05-02-2005, 09:20 PM	#12
who So Fucking Banned Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: ICQ #23642053 Posts: 19,593	Yeah, it's a 300W supply, probably overdoing it, there's a radeon x800 running on it, 2 hard drives, and the high-end p4. But I would have thought that if there wasn't enough power, things just wouldn't work? Well, they've been working in that config for about 5 months. Damn. Well, I'll try to change the power supply but all I have is another old 300W one. Thanks for all the replies so far

05-02-2005, 09:21 PM	#13
Spunky I need a beer Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: ♠ Toiletville ♠ Posts: 133,934	You would get error messages if your HD was fucked on bootup..you would also get a prompt to continue..Probably not the motherboard..how old is your computer? __________________ *YOUR INFORMATION HERE*

05-02-2005, 09:47 PM	#16
JSA Matt So Fucking Banned Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 5,464	Check your power supply connection to the motherboard and look for burnt pins.

05-02-2005, 10:11 PM	#18
GweedZilla Confirmed User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Yonder over thar Posts: 549	a 300w PS could definately handle that, depending on the quality of the unit itself. But more commonly not. The fact that you have to hold the button in to keep power makes me lean towards power supply as being the culprit as well. Try yer spare on the bare essential components.

05-02-2005, 10:12 PM	#19
Vitasoy GFY HALL OF FAME DAMMIT!!! Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 58,202	If it's not a power supply issue, then it could be a cpu over heating issue. __________________ [email protected]

05-03-2005, 01:14 AM	#20
Xeno Registered User Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 77	Over heating is why I was thinking the fan (or fans) in the system if they were not working would soon heat your processor and board up and some systems have an auto shutoff for safety. A 300W supply should be more than enough for what you have, but when you say it has a "bit" of power, that alerts me to think perhaps your supply is defunct. Try the other supply you have and see if it works. But one other thing...if your system does get hot in there, the question will be, does it have enough cooling. As mentioned, if your system has a safety feature to shut down on excess heat, that might be the case. Just out of curiosity, is your computer built by you or a no-name brand company, or is it a brandname? Plus, what is your complete configuration and setup? __________________ 69Toplinks Website Submissions Reviewed in 24 Hours

05-03-2005, 06:18 AM	#21
who So Fucking Banned Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: ICQ #23642053 Posts: 19,593	Hi everyone, thank you for the helpful information and good replies. Today I threw in an old 300W power supply as a replacement, but also downgraded my graphics card to something that needs no extra juice (radeon 9200). The system works again. It was, afterall, a power supply problem. I'm so glad that I didn't have to replace any main parts. Probably I'll buy a new power supply anyway, and also a proper cooling system. At the moment it just has the standard cpu fan on there, which seems to be useless. Thanks again, and I'm happy you guys helped me get out of this without any major probs.

05-03-2005, 06:54 AM	#23
webcrawler Confirmed User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: ICQ .:. 286608143 Posts: 2,692	Try replacing your power supply first, if no good. Then it must be your motherboard already.

05-03-2005, 06:56 AM	#24
Homer Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6,780	hmmm... that must be motherboard or power __________________