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| Computer may have died. | |
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| Topic Started: Aug 3 2013, 09:32 AM (107 Views) | |
| brodie | Aug 3 2013, 09:32 AM Post #1 |
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Small Star Member
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Dead tower computer? Our power went off briefly and one of our computers seems to have died. on and off switch does nothing, plugged into other working outlets, still nothing, no response cannot turn it on. Is there a reset buttom like there used to be on the very old macs, or is this thing just done (it is a hewlet p. not a mac). |
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| Dialtone | Aug 3 2013, 11:29 AM Post #2 |
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Gold Star Member
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Most PCs don't have a reset button, so IMO, it could be the cord, the power supply, the mother board, or the switch itself. The most likely culprit is the power supply, since you had probably had a power bump or surge when the power went out. All my PCs and any expensive electronics are plugged into a surge protector bar to prevent spikes in the electrical system from damaging the electronics. It's hard to tell for sure without actually seeing the computer. |
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| Delphi51 | Aug 3 2013, 11:39 AM Post #3 |
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Member title
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I saw one like that a few weeks ago. It was in a power surge, too. Nothing lit up, no voltage coming out of the power supply. I disconnected the power supply, plugged it in and shorted the two power supply pins that turn it on - away it went. It appeared to be a problem on the motherboard making it unable to turn on the power supply when the power button was pressed. I told the lady she would have to take it to a repair store. She did and they said a new motherboard would be required, so the computer was a write off. She left it at the store. I wish she had brought it back to me so I could see if a switch connected directly to the power supply wires would workaround the problem. The hard drive was okay; the store connected it to another computer and copied her data onto a memory stick for her. |
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| wildie | Aug 3 2013, 04:08 PM Post #4 |
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Veteran Member
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Desktops are not as nasty as laptops when this happens. At the moment, I have two laptops here that died in much the same way. With a desktop, its possible to measure the output voltages from the power supply. If there is no output, its a simple exercise to buy a new one, for about $20. With a laptop, its practically impossible to check the power supply as its buried beneath layers of covers and printed circuit boards. I have removed the hard drives from these and will install them in external drive enclosures so as to recover info and to have a backup media for future use. One of these machines is a two year old, Win7 machine, so I'll advertise it on Kijiji for parts. Hopefully, the parts will sell for $100/150. |
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| brodie | Aug 8 2013, 02:15 AM Post #5 |
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Small Star Member
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Thank you for the words of wisdom, I could do nothing with it so it is off to our computer guy hopefully he will fix it. |
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| Trotsky | Aug 8 2013, 07:44 AM Post #6 |
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Big City Boy
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wildie, Is it hard to install a new power supply? Are they one size fits all? Do they have standardized output plugs? Edited by Trotsky, Aug 8 2013, 07:45 AM.
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| wildie | Aug 8 2013, 04:24 PM Post #7 |
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Veteran Member
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Replacing a desktop power supply is the simplest repair to make. You need to remove the covers on the computer housing, then unplug the power plugs to the various expansion devices, such a the drives, fans etc. The hardest is removing the two plugs that feed the mother board. Not to be sexist, but women are able to do this better because us guys have such fat, fumbling fingers. Once everything is unplugged, four screws with Phillips head screws are undone, to release the box. All power supplies are labelled with their wattage rating, so all you need do, is buy a new one of the same rating or better still, buy one with an increased capability. Once the supply is mounted, its just a case of plugging everything back in, and you're ready to go. |
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| Delphi51 | Aug 9 2013, 08:41 AM Post #8 |
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Member title
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I have two spares, one brand new, but they don't fit newer computers. Four new pins appeared on motherboards sometime in the last few years. They also don't have the right connectors for serial drives. I'll keep them around for a few more years until our own old computers wear out. |
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