I hate computers :(

[darin]

Power Supply arrived to replace the old unit which powered off every few minutes. Got it plugged in....Nothing. Not a blip. Not a buzz. Nothing. (sigh)

[jimnyc]

Do you have a meter you can pop into the end of the power supply and see for sure if any power is coming out? I had what I thought was a DOA power supply last year sometime only to find out after much troubleshooting that I had blown up my motherboard. No motherboard and it will likely appear as if you have no power.

Did you buy it locally or online? Maybe they can ship you another one ASAP while you prepare to ship the crap one back to them?

P.S. - And this is just a guess!....

A PC randomly turning off can be a sign of overheating. When a CPU gets too hot it has built in protection and will just power down. So there's a random chance that you could have blown your CPU - but if that were the case, and you had a good power supply, you would still see a few lights and the fan would turn on.

I finally got pissed enough last year and bought a MB/CPU/PS combo. Then a few months later I ended up buying the machine you mentioned the other day. Is this machine you're working on just a replacement until you get the new one?

[Gaffer]

My machine has been powering down as well. I opened the top of it and leaned a fan into the opening and let it run that way. Keeps the whole inside cool and I can use the puter without any problems. I'll eventually need a new puter myself. Probably get a frankenputer.

[NightTrain]

Yep, overheating!

Take your vacuum hose from your household vacuum and suck all the dust out of the power supply on both ends of it. If you can, play with the angle of the hose to get that fan inside the unit to turn, it helps get the dust off those blades and behind them, too.

Of course, you have your power unplugged to your machine as you're doing this....

Some canned air will help, try not to get at an angle with the can so you don't end up spraying liquid into the power supply, but do this as you're vacuuming the other end.

It's been my experience that when a power supply goes bad, it goes out all the way - either shooting as much power as it can or none at all. In the former, you have a fried motherboard.

Blow out your original power supply and see if your machine powers up again.

[BoogyMan]

Power Supply arrived to replace the old unit which powered off every few minutes. Got it plugged in....Nothing. Not a blip. Not a buzz. Nothing. (sigh)

Is there a 110/220 volt switch on the back of the new PSU and is it set to 110?

[NightTrain]

BTW, whenever my machine(s) have overheated it was due to dust buildup in the CPU. Cleaning that always fixed the problem for me. Getting all the dust out of the cooling fins under the fan can be a pain in the ass, but using something like a toothpick in conjunction with your vacuum will get it clean.

You might want to try that, Gaffer, since you already have your case open.

[darin]

thanks guys - was over heating, so I vacuumed it - next week I smelled burn-plastic-smell from power supply for about 12 hours. Then, shut down. Pulled the power-supply - still seemed the source of the odor, so I ordered a new one.

back to square one. Will try again tonite.

[Mr. P]

thanks guys - was over heating, so I vacuumed it - next week I smelled burn-plastic-smell from power supply for about 12 hours. Then, shut down. Pulled the power-supply - still seemed the source of the odor, so I ordered a new one.

back to square one. Will try again tonite.

By chance did it trip a circuit breaker? I'm sure you checked that, right?

[namvet]

I assume the new one comes with a line fuse????

[namvet]

here's how i keep mine cool. all the dirt falls out of it

[NightTrain]

here's how i keep mine cool. all the dirt falls out of it

LOL, look at all that dust beside your computer, man! Better give that another good canned-air spraying with a vacuum and then work that desk over!

Just screwing with ya, bud!

[NightTrain]

I assume the new one comes with a line fuse????

I can't think of any in-line fuse I've seen with a power supply... which is odd, really, it makes sense to have one of those.

Other than the fact that you'd sell less power supply units by doing so.

[NightTrain]

By chance did it trip a circuit breaker? I'm sure you checked that, right?

That's a good point, Mr. P..... I have a rocker switch on the back of my tower and it usually gets turned off accidently when I'm manhandling my tower around while working on it.

I've had a couple of tense moments after installing components and not seeing anything happen when I try to fire it up before discovering I'd turned off that damn rocker.

The first thought that races through my head after hitting the power button and nothing happening is "Oh my god, I fried the motherboard!"

The only time I've ever fried a motherboard is by installing a power supply I suspected MIGHT be bad into an obsolete but functioning tower. Turns out my suspicions were correct when it promptly blew up the motherboard. That was the last time I listened to my brother when troubleshooting computers and drinking.

[namvet]

I can't think of any in-line fuse I've seen with a power supply... which is odd, really, it makes sense to have one of those.

Other than the fact that you'd sell less power supply units by doing so.

they have the glass fuse right near the AC line in. a lotta boards i replaced did not come with one.

[namvet]

LOL, look at all that dust beside your computer, man! Better give that another good canned-air spraying with a vacuum and then work that desk over!

Just screwing with ya, bud!

its not due to be cleaned till july