Comp won't start with 2nd drive attached

[johnnycakes]

I have a computer with two hard drives. XP is installed on the primary.
The primariy is 120GB.
The secondary is 200GB.
They've been both working fine for a few months.
Today when I sat down at my computer, I noticed it had rebooted sometime during the night.
I logged on and it kind of just hung there. I could access my start menu, but programs wouldn't launch.
I rebooted.
Or, at least I tried to. When I push the power buttone, I can hear the fans start and the drives start and then the computer just shuts down before it can get anywhere.
If I unplug the power to the second drive, the machine can boot.
If leave it plugged in, it shuts down seconds after pushing the power button.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

[switch]

Sounds like it may be a failing PSU.

Try unplugging the cd drives and leaving that second hard drive plugged in, then turn it on. This will give you an idea if the PSU is not delivering enough power.

Do you have this PC plugged into a surge protector or a UPS?

 

[johnnycakes]

Yup, it was the PSU.
I got a new one, replaced it and everything's fine now.

Thanks.