Dateline May 20th, 2012 and a 2 hour power failure had left my desktop computer unable to restart. Purchased back in 2002 just moments ahead of the competitive curve, this baby was the cat’s meow. This computer was the hub of my intranet through which other computers (3 laptops) had access to printers and a large external HD for backups and shared files. I was not ready to say goodbye.
The following Monday a complete cleaning and examination was performed. I don’t know who cleans the insides of their computers these days, but it is something that I have done a couple of times a year since way before Al Gore invented the internet. Nothing collects dust like the inside of a computer.
All cleaned up and on to the diagnostics and as J. Giles once said; First I look at the purse, the first thing I look at after the power cable is the on/off switch. A continuity test showed that it was not making good contact. Do I buy a new or used one or fix the one I have? Thirty minutes later after a little micro-surgery the old one was working as good as new.
An attempted restart and my desktop is still languishing unable to produce that notable spool-up sound and the flashing lights on the various components of a computer coming back to life.
NOOOOOOO,,, after all these years, my baby is showing all the indications of a non-responsive power supply or worse, the mother of mothers of the worst scenario, the bad motherboard. Well the power supply is the next logical and easiest component to test and if you are curious as to how that is done, here is a short explanation. Bottom line, green to go, who knew that? The other bottom line was that mine failed the test and my power supply was DOA.
A suitable new replacement was found at my favorite parts supplier www.Newegg.com for $40 (including S&H) with a 2 year warranty and would be here Friday around 11:00AM. SWEET!!!
The following pictorial shows what all was involved in the replacement of that 400W power supply.
Friday May 25, 2012 10:30AM My Dear Desktop is on it's side and anesthetized (unplugged) ready to begin the power supply transplant that is needed to save its life.
This computer case opens like a book without tools by pressing 2 buttons (top and bottom). The Power Supply (with the bundle of wires coming out) is at the top left of the case.
Image 1 shows the Power supply on the left with green CPU fan shroud to the right.
Image 2 shows 2 screws that hold the Power Supply in place that need to be removed.
In image 1 the power cables are disconnected from the motherboard, CD, DVD, Floppy and HDD components. Pushing the Green Button releases the PS case and allows it to be removed.
Image 2 shows the old PS ready for donation to the Smithsonian.
The time is now 10:35AM and my desktop has been on the table for 5 minutes now and it is ready for the new PS that will be arriving shortly. The image shows the CPU heat sink, fan and shroud (green, which folds up out of the way for access). There is lots of room in a tower which is extremely beneficial for cooling and other goodies.
Just after 11:00AM UPS arrives with the new Power Supply and from the looks of things it is raring to go and a perfect match. I was out taking pictures of some water lilies in the meantime and hope to get those posted as well. (oh,,, a shameless plug)
The new PS fits like a glove in the chassis and the 2 screws line up with the existing holes and are installed. The power cables are plugged into their various components and tie wraps are used to keep it neat. The extra power cables are tucked under the ribbon cable where there is plenty of room and they will be out of the way in Image 1.
Image 2 shows the CPU fan shroud closed and the computer case is ready to be closed slowly to make sure nothing is going to be pinched. Time to install the new PS was about 10 minutes.
Back on its feet and ready to go, the operation was a complete success.
Back in the saddle again and my Dear Desktop Computer is purring away as it should be. It is never fun in this day and age when the trusty computer just decides one day, usually at the worst time, that it doesn’t want to play anymore. Since I am right at home with doing this kind of repair and had mentioned my problem earlier in the week I thought it might be fun to document just what it took to get this one running again.
This was not meant to be too technical and hopefully not boring, but instead just a look inside of a real problem.
Final cost of the repair was $40 and a little time, well worth it for me and all the information on my HDD that needs to be secure stayed that way. I would never hand a stranger my wallet, and the same goes for my PC.
Best of all I got to exclaim loudly - It's Alive!!!
