Computer gone.....

noel_w · December 18, 2012, 10:50:03 AM

From that testing showing no 5V rail then I would assume that it could be the Power Supply. PC shop should be able to swap one over for less than a hundred or you could get one & swap it over yourself. Just need to swap cable for cable. A reasonable quality PS is about $70-$100 for a 430 watt.
Newer model PS's have sata connectors whereas older style had molex to sata converters for your hard drives. They all have the same connectors, some just have more.
There will be two connectors to your motherboard (one large one and a smaller one that will have a connector somewhere near your processor), one each to your HDD's & DVD and possibly others to the case fans.

Estelle · December 18, 2012, 06:35:42 PM

Unfortunately, the 5V rail may be shut down by a failure on a daughter board or disk drive etc. Not as common as the Power Supply rolling over.

D4D · December 18, 2012, 06:39:23 PM

Given it happened when a USB stick was inserted, pretty good chance the 5V rail is dead.

WilSurf · December 18, 2012, 06:43:53 PM

What is the relation between both?

D4D · December 18, 2012, 06:56:21 PM

USB uses the 5V rail

Estelle · December 18, 2012, 07:06:12 PM

I try not to jump to conclusions. Still do, but rarely with technical stuff.

SteveandViv · December 19, 2012, 08:30:04 AM

Quote from: D4D on December 18, 2012, 06:39:23 PM
Given it happened when a USB stick was inserted, pretty good chance the 5V rail is dead.

I'm with you. Some of the cheaper USB sticks have a bad regulation issue and draw to much. I've seen 3 this year at work.

WilSurf · December 19, 2012, 09:47:28 AM

It was a cheap USB which I have been using for 3 years.

WilSurf · December 21, 2012, 10:11:28 AM

Had another go yesterday with the multimeter and a paperclip.
Measured the 4-pin to the hard drive again and the 20-pin to the mobo.
All voltages are as they should be, only the 12V is a bit low: 11.6V
The other are all there: 3.3V, 5V and 0V.

Bird · December 21, 2012, 10:14:33 AM

could have been using your new computer by now

D4D · December 21, 2012, 10:22:41 AM

Are you saying you now have 5V at the hard disk on the red wires?

WilSurf · December 21, 2012, 11:46:15 AM

Yep, I couldn't measure it correctly last time.

Lost, I am not willing to spent another $1000 within 2 years on a computer.
I am using the laptop although it is slow.

D4D · December 21, 2012, 11:49:51 AM

OK then I'd take it to a PC shop

noel_w · December 21, 2012, 12:01:13 PM

Ditto

Trex_s4m1 · December 23, 2012, 01:08:07 AM

I have a few spare pcs around the place. Ill check em out tomorrow and repostO0

SteveandViv · December 23, 2012, 10:59:39 AM

Quote from: WilSurf on December 21, 2012, 11:46:15 AM
Yep, I couldn't measure it correctly last time.

Lost, I am not willing to spent another $1000 within 2 years on a computer.
I am using the laptop although it is slow.

OK, I'll give you an old one for work (A Year Old). You just have to come and get it

WilSurf · December 23, 2012, 09:59:11 PM

Luckily I tested the harddrive in another computer.
All data is still there.
I have it copied to my external harddrive.
It is now less a problem, more an inconvenience.

However still would like to have it done.
When we are back from holiday I look further into it.

WilSurf · May 14, 2013, 10:10:20 AM

Finally, I dropped off the computer at a repair shop.
But I am not happy.
The motherboard was gone so they replaced it.
When starting up and running fr awhile it was shutting down again; CPU gone as well.
The repairshop reckons it has been a power surge.
So they are replacing the CPU as well, with a better one.
Sweet.

Now the not happy part.
They will replace the X2 260 chip what came out of it with a X2 270 chip.
Hang on, I bought the computer with a X4 640 chip.

So:
1. they messed up with the chip they took out of my computer
2. the guy who sold and built me the computer ripped me off.

Bird · May 14, 2013, 10:12:08 AM

Quote from: WilSurf on May 14, 2013, 10:10:20 AM
Finally, I dropped off the computer at a repair shop.
But I am not happy.
The motherboard was gone so they replaced it.
When starting up and running fr awhile it was shutting down again; CPU gone as well.
The repairshop reckons it has been a power surge.
So they are replacing the CPU as well, with a better one.
Sweet.

Now the not happy part.
They will replace the X2 260 chip what came out of it with a X2 270 chip.
Hang on, I bought the computer with a X4 640 chip.

So:
1. they messed up with the chip they took out of my computer
2. the guy who sold and built me the computer ripped me off.

Somethign to be said for building your own..
or as we recommend to staff now here at work, buy a Dell... The home warranty is worth it for teh non computer person.

noel_w · May 14, 2013, 10:30:17 AM

X2

Plus, make sure the warranty is long enough to cover how long you want to keep it for. If a Dell mobo dies then it is costly to replace out of warranty as they are usually not an off the shelf PC shop replacement.

rocket327s · May 14, 2013, 03:44:28 PM

No one suggested the memory??? Maybe it sh*t itself.... maybe pull the sticks out & run them vigorously over an eraser to clean them?? Check them for damage.

GraemeL · May 14, 2013, 03:55:11 PM

That was my first thought as well, memory.

Taking it to a PC repair shop is risky, if you know nothing about them, some can and will tell you anything to increase the dollar count.
It may very well turn out to be a bad memory stick, but they tell you they have to replace this and that, but only really replace the ram.

Jon · May 14, 2013, 07:51:35 PM

did you check the power supplies?

News:

Computer gone.....