On Sunday 17 December 2006 20:50, John Meyer wrote:
Hi, I just got back from trying to help a friend with a computer. She says that she moved it, and now it won't supply any power to the computer. The computer itself is 2 years old, so is that about the time when a power supply fails? If it's not that, what else could it be?
Note: I looked at all the cables (power and IDE) and they were all on tight.
The first thing to look for: is there AC coming out of the wall outlet? If there is, then is there an UPS, and is there power coming out of that-- under load? Try changing the power cord to the computer. Is there a fuse in the computer that you can access? (Probably not.) Is the connection from the power switch on the computer to the MOBO connected? If you measure with an ohmmeter across the power switch wires (with them disconnected from the MOBO) does the switch work? Is the connection to the MOBO on the right pins? If all of this is copacetic, try disconnecting everything but the MOBO-- the disk drives, etc. and any plug-in cards, including the memory. See if the MOBO powers up now. If so, connect things one at a time until you don't power up. Whatever was the last thing is apparently defective. If you have a spare power supply, try substituting it and see if things work. You can then take the defective power supply apart, and see if it has an internal fuse that you could replace. (Probably not, but doesn't hurt to look.) Make sure your friend has not changed anything inside the computer during the move. Modern video cards come in at least 3 voltage ranges, and if you have the wrong one for your MOBO, the computer will probably not power up. If it does, you will let the smoke out of something! This may seem obvious, but is it possible that the computer is powering up, but the monitor is not responding? Then you have to troubleshoot the monitor, and its connection to the computer, and to the wall. Can't think of anything else. Good luck! --doug -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org