Power but no power

Hi

Need some advice please, I have a power problem with my computer, I was running some programs and had left the computer on last week for a couple of days, I did the same yesterday left the computer on for a few hours and when I came home found the computer powered down, I tried to turn it back on to no avail, I changed the fuse in the plug as I could not see nor hear anything when attempting to turn it on, usually very noisy, anyway I removed the side panel and I could see a tiny amber/yellowish light on, in, I think the motherboard (the main electronic panel in the computer) and I also saw the fan attached to a heat sink also attached to the same board move ever so slightly, but that was it, it never moved again unless I turned the computer off and on again, I checked the capacitors and none of them are blown, this information I found on the internet, is there anything else that can be causing this. Not to sure about the model of motherboard, I know its a Gigabit about 6/7 years old, the CPU is an Athlon, obviously cannot access the system to find out this particular inforrmation. Any advice would be appreciated, I am waiting for a new PC but still need the use of tthis one until it arrives.

 

Hello,

This sounds like either a dead power supply or a dead motherboard.

Can you please provide the following information? If you are having trouble finding it, don't worry, just post back and I will give more detailed instructions.

1. What make and wattage is your power supply? This is a large box located at the top of the computer, just above the top of the motherboard (the board with the heatsink and fan like you mentioned in your last post), with lots of wires coming out of it going everywhere in the case. There should be a sticker on the side with a name and a wattage on it.

2. What make and model is the motherboard, and what revision is it (if any)? The information should be stamped on the board somewhere, but it varies from maker to maker. The revision should be in the lower right corner, as you look at the case standing on it's feet.

3. What make and model is the overall computer? It should be written on the front somewhere.

Thank you,
collinsl

 

Hi Collins1

Ok, to answer your third question first, no make or model, it was built by a old work colleague of mine, so cannot really help there.

The power pack has the following information; Premier model LC-B350ATX AC input 115V & AC 230V, Current 8A & 4A, Frequency 60-50Hz, Max 200W & 330W.

The only info I can see on the motherboard is the backup bios is Gigabyte dual bios, main bios is Amibios 1999 GE46 7322. Sorry I cannot be of any help here.

Regards

Pozz.

 

When you try to boot up do the lights on your keyboard come on ... if you have leds on your keyboard that is ... did you get a beep when the machine ran normally? Do you get that when you try to boot up?

I would recommend using a power supply calculator like this one and find out if you have enough power to run your computer ... if you have a keyboard with led lights on it and it lights up when the machine starts to boot then that will eliminate your mobo as the problem. Then I would look at getting a new power supply and making sure you have plenty of watts to run your system ... :wave

 

Hi Spiritoo

There are no lights on the keyboard, nor any noise, there seems to be some sort of power as there is a light, that is, an extremely small amber coloured light (LED) inside the computer on the motherboard, the only other indication of power is that the fan attached to a heat sink on the motherboard for want of a better word, shakes just the once, or at least attempts to move, but thats it, then nothing at all, although the light remains on.

 

So you are saying you don't have any led lights on your keyboard? You have a usb wireless keyboard? You wouldn't have an old ps2 keyboard lying around somewhere do you? A keyboard with the led light could help confirm if the mobo is bad.

From what you are telling us it sounds like the mobo is bad. The green light indicates to me the power supply is working but the mobo isn't.

Look for a PM from me ... :wave

 

Hi,

Okay, I thought as much. You have a low rated power supply (by today's standards) made by a company that I have never heard of, maybe meaning that it is poor quality, although I cannot determine that.

Bearing in mind that the system is 6 or 7 years old now, it is likely that whatever the problem is is non-fixable. However, your data is most likely still intact on the hard drive, and we can still try and fix this.

The next step is for you to take a look at the motherboard around the heatsink, where you should see a lot of capacitors. These look like little tubes sticking out of the board, normally with black sides and silver tops. What you need to do is have a look at the top of these capacitors to see if any of them are bulging or have burst. If they are exhibiting bulging or have burst, do not touch them as they may (I am not sure about this) contain acidic compounds that might damage your skin.

If any of these capacitors have burst, it is likely that no power, or the wrong power is getting to your processor, making it unusable.

Please post back with any questions or your results.

Here is an image to help you in your search:
http://www.thenakedpc.com/dan/Bulging_Capacitors/close-up.jpg

BTW, it is collinsl (L at the end not 1)

 

CollinsL / Spirittoo

My apologies for the wrong names, should have worn my glasses, (no pun) anyway, firstly no capacitors blown, keyboard is a PS2, never changed it, so it certainly sounds like the motherboard after receiving the inforrmation the both of you's have given me, as for the hard drives, I was thinking of buying a caddy to retrieve the information, then maybe either rebuild the PC using more upto date parts or just scrap it, will have to wait and see, thanks forr everything guys, really appreciate your help.

 

It might well be worth your while putting the old hard drive into the new PC to retrieve your data. This is a simple process. If you want instructions post back here.