What Just Happened?

P

PurePwnage

New Member
So, I was just browsing on the internet. Had AIM on in the background. And then poof. The desktop powered down. Just turned off. No BSOD. Do you think my power supply went? I've had this self-built computer for a year and a half, no problem.

Thanks.
 
1. Check you power cable.

2. Check the surge protector/power strip.

3. Check the inside of the computer for any abnormal smells (burning smells).

4. Try turning your computer back on and see if it happens again.

If you had anything else attached to the power strip, did they go off or was it just the computer? Did the monitor go off too?
 
gamerman4 said:
1. Check you power cable.

2. Check the surge protector/power strip.

3. Check the inside of the computer for any abnormal smells (burning smells).

4. Try turning your computer back on and see if it happens again.

If you had anything else attached to the power strip, did they go off or was it just the computer? Did the monitor go off too?
Click to expand...

Nope, cannot reboot.

1. Check. It's plugged in.
2. Check. I did originally think something might have pulled out, plugged in and to no avail.
3. I checked it last night and didn't think to check smell, but if I smelt something burning, I probably would have noticed it.
4. Can't turn it on.
5. Everything was on.

God I hope it isn't the motherboard. Power Supply is a lot easier to replace :(
 
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Well it sounds like your PSU kicked the bucket. Try unplugging the PSU, wait a minute and then plug it back in and see if hitting the power button gets a response. Look inside your computer, do any fans spin up for a second or any LEDs blink on? If not then it is most likely the PSU. If you have a second computer or a friend who would let you do it, try getting another PSU to try it. I would hate to buy a new PSU and find out that it wasn't the problem.
 
gamerman4 said:
Well it sounds like your PSU kicked the bucket. Try unplugging the PSU, wait a minute and then plug it back in and see if hitting the power button gets a response. Look inside your computer, do any fans spin up for a second or any LEDs blink on? If not then it is most likely the PSU. If you have a second computer or a friend who would let you do it, try getting another PSU to try it. I would hate to buy a new PSU and find out that it wasn't the problem.
Click to expand...
A PSU doesn't normally last a full year and a half before going though, does it?
 
gamerman4 said:
Well it sounds like your PSU kicked the bucket. Try unplugging the PSU, wait a minute and then plug it back in and see if hitting the power button gets a response. Look inside your computer, do any fans spin up for a second or any LEDs blink on? If not then it is most likely the PSU. If you have a second computer or a friend who would let you do it, try getting another PSU to try it. I would hate to buy a new PSU and find out that it wasn't the problem.
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Just tried your idea.

The front LEDs blink on for give or take...a twentieth or tenth of a second. It makes a hard beep sound (same length as the light is on) and goes off.
 
PurePwnage said:
Just tried your idea.

The front LEDs blink on for give or take...a twentieth or tenth of a second. It makes a hard beep sound (same length as the light is on) and goes off.
Click to expand...

Well then I would recommend just trying to get a different PSU and testing it out.
 
PurePwnage said:
I don't know if I have another one... :( and if I do, it is in a computer from like 1998!
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Well you could risk it and go buy a new PSU. It is logical that your PSU is to blame but a bad CPU or motherboard could also cause your computer to fail to turn on.
 
gamerman4 said:
Well you could risk it and go buy a new PSU. It is logical that your PSU is to blame but a bad CPU or motherboard could also cause your computer to fail to turn on.
Click to expand...

I just changed the red thing on the back of the PSU from 115 to 230 (only other thing) and one of the USB things started smoking, and then a thing on the motherboard actually turned into a little flame (then I turned off the power), then I dropped a few f-bombs, but it did boot (w/o monitor, but everything spun correctly)

17-189-003-08.jpg


The voltage switch, which I just found out is for different countries. Damn. (I'm only 15, live and learn).

So, should I get a new computer?
 
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you probably burned your psu and mobo. Cpu probably isn't burned through. Motherboards protect them from that mostly. I'd get a new psu and mobo and see if it powers on with the old cpu. You can always buy another psu.
 
PurePwnage said:
I just changed the red thing on the back of the PSU from 115 to 230 (only other thing) and one of the USB things started smoking, and then a thing on the motherboard actually turned into a little flame (then I turned off the power), then I dropped a few f-bombs, but it did boot (w/o monitor, but everything spun correctly)

17-189-003-08.jpg


The voltage switch, which I just found out is for different countries. Damn. (I'm only 15, live and learn).

So, should I get a new computer?
Click to expand...

Wow nice job, you probably just fried half your computer. You're lucky it wasn't the other way around, it could have been much worse.

If the computer is from 1998, just throw it away and get a new one. There's no point in trying to salvage stuff from it.
 
diduknowthat said:
Wow nice job, you probably just fried half your computer. You're lucky it wasn't the other way around, it could have been much worse.

If the computer is from 1998, just throw it away and get a new one. There's no point in trying to salvage stuff from it.
Click to expand...

Noooooooooo...I didn't have any other new PSU's. This computer was from 2007.

So what should I do? Buy an AMD motherboard of the same socket and buy another PSU?
 
It will depend on what all got damaged.
If you saw fire or smoke from the board that will need replaced the other parts may be fine you'll just have to test them out.
 
pies said:
It will depend on what all got damaged.
If you saw fire or smoke from the board that will need replaced the other parts may be fine you'll just have to test them out.
Click to expand...

You think that the motherboard might be alright? It didn't all burst into flames. Just this one black piece that is soldered to it.

EDIT: OK, I just tried booting it up on 115. And fans ran, everything ran, but that one piece again started glowing red. I unplugged it once I saw it glow, this is strange.

13-186-105-04.jpg


OK, you see that? Look where the CPU goes. Look below it, there's 3 grayish looking things. Now below that, there's 9 more black things. The black thing on the far right is what's glowing.
 
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