Power Outage
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)Posted by: Kayl
Hey, after the power outage my gf's comp stopped working :( . I'm wondering what could've fried? Mine still works :D , but I wasn't using it at the time. Any thoughts?
Posted by: 3rd gen noob
what happens when you try and turn it on?
if nothing at all happens, it is probably the motherboard
best advice - take it to a repair shop
Posted by: Kayl
I told her to take it to the shop, but I'm just curious. When I push the power button, the light on the cd drive goes on for a split second, but that's it. And it won't go on if you push it again, you have to wait a little while for that small sign of life.
Posted by: RPerry
just some quick questions in case.....
Is it plugged into a surge protector?
if so have you either unplugged, or turned the power off on the surge protector itself?
I know these sound like dumb questions, but I live in Central Florida, which is know as the lightinging capitol of the world, when my power goes out, I must reset my surge protector in order to power up the PC ;)
Posted by: 3rd gen noob
well, unless you hadn't figured out, it's not looking good
if it was a cpu problem, then the system should still attempt to post, however, it sounds like the motherboard is gone
which is gonna be expensive...:(
Posted by: harrycary
Unplug it from the wall for awhile(if you haven't already done this).
While it's unplugged, remove the CMOS battery from the motherboard. It looks like a shiny nickel and pops right out with a paperclip or small screwdriver. Keep it out for 10-15 minutes and than reinsert it.
If that doesn't work and you want to troubleshoot it a bit yourself I would try swapping your power supply for hers. The power supply is the first place a surge will hit and/or damage.
Beyond that it may be more serious and expensive.
I work in the repair industry and that's what I would recommend my customers do first.
Posted by: Kayl
Thanks Harrycary, I'll try that tomorrow morning. It was in a power bar so I wasn't sure if the outage could've surged it anyway. I plugged it in other outlets with the same results, so I know its f**ked. I just don't know how bad.
Posted by: Schmiggy_JK23
maybe instead of taking off the cmos, he should just try to reset the cmos jumper first?
Posted by: balamm
Originally posted by Schmiggy_JK23+20 August 2003 - 04:40--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Schmiggy_JK23 @ 20 August 2003 - 04:40)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> maybe instead of taking off the cmos, he should just try to reset the cmos jumper first? [/b]
That and a digital multimeter would have been my first recommendations.
<!--QuoteBegin-harrycary
I work in the repair industry and that's what I would recommend my customers do first.
[/quote]
No matter how many times you repeat that, I'm still not really convinced ;)
Posted by: lynx
If the cd light comes on for a fraction of a second, then you are obviously getting power to the machine, but it just isn't going anywhere.
The power supply will shutdown very rapidly if 1) there is an overload
2) there is no '+5v good' signal being returned
3) the power supply itself is faultyYou could try removing the power leads from all the auxilliary components (disk drives, usb etc) so that there is just power to the motherboard. If it works, plug the items back in one at a time until you find the faulty part.
If there is still no luck then the problem is either the power supply or the motherboard, you can then try the ps from your machine with her mobo, if it still doesn't work then her mobo is faulty, if it does work then her power supply is faulty.
Posted by: Kayl
A little light comes on on the mobo in between pci slots.
Posted by: lynx
Does the light stay on ?
What is the mobo ?
I suspect the light is an indication of standby power, which is from another circuit in the power supply, if so it doesn't really help.
Posted by: Kayl
It's on the mobo between the 2 of the pci slots. It stays on til I unplug it. The power button isn't on, but the light is, so maybe the mobo is fine? It's an Asus system by the way. We'll see what the repair man says. Thanks guys.
Posted by: balamm
The light is the "power good" indicator in most cases.
Posted by: andrew2022
if the mobo lite is on, ur power supply is working, but cud only be givin very little power, or ur mobo dont work. does the mobo lite stay on wen u first plug the comp in? or afta u press on? if be u press on, press on and c if it goes out then how long it takes to ome bak on. also look 4 signs of damage (burnt parts on mobo, burnt power cables etc)
Posted by: downloader2008
Sometimes when my computer shuts off because of a power outage (if it wont go back on) I usually unplug the power cord that goes into the back of the PC for 30 secs then plug it back in and then it works.
Posted by: vivitron 15
damn...all this talk makes me wanna UPS....
me goes to look at scan.co.uk