!!!Urgent PC Help Appreciated!!!

luis M.

Solid State Member
Messages
10
Hello friends!

A phew months ago my Hush QR pc was pluged in and working fine in my music studio, i left it for a brief moment to come downstairs. While i am downstairs i start to smell something burning, as i go back to the pc i find it black on the screen, it doesn't respond and some smoke is coming out of the case.

I managed to switch it off as it didn't respond but still had some lights on.

I left it for a phew months.

Recently i switched it back on to see what would happen, and :
I think the fan started to spin and it wanted to work but i kept strugling to do so, and the main thing is that there was alot os smoke coming not directly from the power supply but from the cd/dvd drive.

The cable that comes from the power supply to this cd/dvd drive is slightly melted an the cd drive end.

I am broke and cannot afford to go to a shop and pay them loads of money just for them to tell me that maybe my computer is all fryied.

So i am trying to diagnose what might be damaged inside the computer.

So please, i call for your help.

I just needed somebody with a good light of understanding on these type of subjects to advise on some simple steps to follow to know if it is rubish or still can work.
I am not a computer wizard, but have enough knowledge to follow some cues.

Can you help me guys ?

If needed i can provide more detailed description on anything.

Regards

Luis
 
Ok.

Judging by your description i'd say that the PSU and maybe the CD/DVD drive is suspect.

It seems like a short circuit happened in/near the CD/DVD drive which caused the power cables to it to heat up and melt as the PSU tried to supply the current to this load.

The thing is the PSU will give out after a while, the older ones won't put up with this kind of stress as much as the new ones. So i'd try with a new PSU and CD/DVD drive.
 
ok, i am with you!!

1 - Replace power supply
The PS that came with the pc is a 500 watt one, so i'll have to get one with the same specs, right ?

Will i be taking the risk of damaging a new Power Supply ?
(just for curiosity, do you mean that older PSU are more reliable?)

Thanks you !
 
ok, i am with you!!

1 - Replace power supply
The PS that came with the pc is a 500 watt one, so i'll have to get one with the same specs, right?

Stick with a 500W PSU.

Will i be taking the risk of damaging a new Power Supply?

Possibly. From what you have described something shorted and caused the power lead to melt. So what ever was connected to that power lead could be suspect. In this case leave the old CD/DVD drive disconnected. Post up a picture if you can then we can be sure.

(Just for curiosity, do you mean that older PSU are more reliable?)

Thanks you !

What I meant was newer PSU's can withstand shorts, over power, under power, surges etc, with built-in protection. The older PSU's were more prone to such torture and wouldn't last long under these conditions.

Let me know how you get on.

:)
 
1 - Ok, i'll get a 500W PS to replace, right ?

2 - I just disconnected the cd/dvd drive. My priority is to get te machine going, it can go without this drive for the mean time, right ?

3 - I am still not quite clear about the possibility of damaging a new power supply!

4 - With the cd/dvd drive removed, as it seems to be burned , and a fine working Power Supply connected to a safe mains power socket it shouldn't cause a problem to the PS itself or any of the computer components even if these components are allready damage, RIGHT ? (i wanna make sure i am not under any risk of damaging my mate's PS or do more damage to the machine )

5 - My next step is to get the PS of the case to replace, and i might as well check it for damage, right ? any idea on how to to this ?)

Thanks alot guys
 
Ok, i'll try and get a 500W PS.

I just disconnected the cd/dvd drive; i can leave this for last can't i?, my priority is to get te machine going, it can go without this for the mean time, right ?

Your computer won't need the CD/DVD drive to function. So you'll be fine to leave it disconnected.

my next step is to get the PS of the case, and check it. ok ?


After you disconnect the suspect CD/DVD drive try powering up the computer. It's a very long shot but just to be sure that the PSU is bad.
 
Ok my friend, but isn't trying to switch the computer on with the current PS a very risky thing to do ?

I say that because there is a big possibility that the PS is the responsible for possibly damaging the cd/dvd drive. Following this idea it can very well damage more components as it might overload these. does it make sense ?
 
I don't think it's risky at all. From previous experience PSU's that are failing/failed usually take a few attempts to power up or just don't power up at all.

The PSU won't fry it's own power lines, unless theres a short on the molex or another plug. Only a suspect component will cause the PSU to fry it's leads.
 
Is it possible to switch the power supply on it's own, by unplugging it's cables from all the components it serves ?
So, if it is a component that is causing it to fail would be evident here; if it is the unit that is falty would also be evident here.

So no part causes risk to another . just playing safe

are you with me ?
 
Yea sure. Unplug everything that the PSU serves.

See the big, 20 or 24 pin, ATX connector?

There'll be one green wire there. Short the green wire to any black wire. It should fire up straight away, you'll hear/see the fan spinning. If you have a multimeter handy you can also check the voltages present. Use a paper clip if you wish. And don't worry about shock. It's a very small current.
 
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