Help, my comp is dying or dead
 

My computer is not turning on.

The case fan is turning on and the usb is getting power, however the hard dives do not spin, and the BIOS does not load.

Any idea my fellow cellar dwellers.

Ours was doing that a couple of months ago. It was a dying power supply.

How can I test my power supply with out getting a new one just yet?

Toran....where you tinkering inside the caseing?

Easiest way to is get a tool sold where screwdrivers are sold - in Kmart, Sears, Radio Shack, Lowes, etc. A $20 meter will identify a failure without doubt. If a new power supply is required, the meter is necessary to confirm that new supply as OK. Even a defective power supply can boot a computer.

A second option sometimes can report a power supply either defective or unknown. Unplug wall power. Disconnect supply from motherboard. Reconnect to wall power. Using a paper clip or wire, jumper the green wire to a black wire. If fan does not spin even an eight turn, then power supply might be defective. If fan does spin, it says nothing useful about the supply. And still other parts of the power 'system' are unknown. Digital meter is the only way to get a useful answer, to identify other 'system' components as good or bad, and is required if a new supply is purchased.

As shown here.

Power supplies can be had pretty damn cheaply anyway...

That is a power supply tester. It cannot report a good power supply. It is at best what is called Go-Nogo tester. Even in quality as taught by Deming, that would be an undesireable device. It can identify some defective power supplies - not all. Required is a device that reports good or bad with no doubts.

That tester provides no numbers. To properly load a power supply, a tester must be as hot as four light bulbs in one package - way to hot to handle. Obvously, the tester applies no such load. That power supply tester even has no other useful purposes. A power supply tester for maybe $10 will never accomplish what a $20 3.5 digit multimeter can accomplish. Most obvious difference: a useful diagnostic tool provides numbers.

Avoid the power supply tester as if it was a disease. It does only slightly more than the paper clip described earlier. Defined was a defective power supply that can still boot a computer. Power supply tester would declare that defective supply as good.

The recommended 3.5 digit meter for $20 is sold in Lowes, Radio Shack, Sears, Home Depot, Tru Value Hardware, K-mart, and Ace Hardware. Last time I looked, it sold for $16 in Walmart. The tool is that universal and has numerous other useful functions.

Power supply must cost about $60 retail. Critical functions are often missing in supplies selling for less. Last time I looked, every replacement supply selling in CompUSA did not meet minimum requirements. The power supply market is ripe with dumping because a power supply manufacturer need not meet industry standards. The computer assembler must know of and is responsible for meeting those standards at the system level. Why bother including all functions when the customer assumes all power supplies are identical? Ironically, profit margins on some cheaper supplies may even be higher. That much is sometimes missing inside a supply.

Thank you for explaining supply-side economics to us ;)

Economics discusses profits on a large scale. Why would a profit on one $40 power supply be larger than the profit of a $60 supply?

ahem, ;) ;) ;)
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Seriously, if you don't know what you're doing, as in, don't have or know the right tools, I reckon you should not be playing around inside the computer. Take it to a pro and shell out a few bucks extra. You risk zapping yourself, setting up a fire hazard, or most likely, just overloading and frying some important components.
A mate of mine had a similar problem, his laptop was just not starting (OS compromised) and so had the great idea to connect the laptop hard disk to his desktop computer. Ooops. Different voltages. Sizzlesizzlezipppffftt. Imagine watching 15,000 words of your thesis - about 2 months of work - climbing to the ceiling on a thin wisp of smoke. ooohhhh dear. :(

I hope Toran responds to my question if he can.....This happened to me very recently. I had that issue and it was a very easy fix......We thought motherboard...power supply...etc. etc...and it was actually very easy to fix.

Voltages inside the car are higher and more dangerous than inside a computer. Computers are so easy that almost anyone can be a professional computer repair person. Even every connector is different or keyed so that one cannot connect wrong things together.

There are two complex rules in computer repair. Disconnect the power cord before removing or installing anything. Touch the case before touching anything else to discharge static electricity.

How complex is an Ipod? If the Ipod is too complex, then suggestions for computer analysis posted here are also too complex. An Ipod is more difficult than the meter. Yes, that is how little some 'geek squad' techs learn to become 'experts'.

Meanwhile a power supply selling for less that $60 full retail is computer failure just waiting to happen.

No,\

tw, you have posted about power supplies in the past. Can you link to a power supply that you would buy, and explain what it has that makes it different?