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Dead PC!!!!

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by hafiz_70

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my PC an HP pavilion 8555c shut down by itself few days ago. I tried all possible solutions to get it back to run again without success. There is no power at all? What is the problem? I assume the power supply gone bad!!! Is it easy to replace itand get it back to an operational situation? How would the cost be?

11 replies

by still_learning

The answer may not be that simple. Unplug your PC. When you plug it back in, observe the cooling fan. Does it start to turn? If so, your power supply is probably fine. That means the problem lies with either your Motherboard or processor. If you have not been inside your case recently, you may want to clean out the dust that collects inside. Reseat the processor and all other components, check all cables, etc and boot. If you can, try the processor in another system or another processor in your system. Hope this helps.

by cg it

The first answer about covers it. Dead PC's are a pain to diagnose unless one has a POST card and a voltage meter. The POST card to isolate where in the initialization sequence the problem is and the voltage meter to make sure there is power output to the to the connectors.
To answer your question about power supplies, they are easy to replace and depending upon the wattage, costs anywhere from $40.00 on up to over $150.00. [see Fry's Electronics or newegg.com. or any supplier's on line web site].Computers generally don't shut themselves off. If the cpu fan stopped functioning while the computer was running then the cpu would overheat and cause such a shutdown. In that case you would have to install a new cpu and cpu fan [at not so smalla cost]. You can try replacing the power supply but if that doesn't work, you might just as well purchase or build another system. BYO machines where you use your own HD's memory, CDRoms and graphics cards etc. is an inexpensive way to replace a dead pc instead of paying out the nose for tech's to tell you your pc is toasted.

by fenaikh

Hi

An indecatiton of a failure of a PC power supply is a burning smell just before the computer shuts down. None moving cooling fan is another indecatiton of a power supply failure which a result of overheated components. There have been many standard power supplies for PC's since the first PC. The standard power supply these days is ATX which compply with the physical and electrical pecification standards of the ATX case and motherboard. Depending on your power supply type (ATX,AT ..) and how mutch wattage is and not mentioning which area you are in, it is hard to give estimation. I would check the local market for that. If you had removed or add an adapter card or memory in your PC then you can change a power supply, but first disconnected from the source first and do not try to open it since it may have store a high voltage in it. my suggestion is to take it to a place where i bout it and see if i have a warrnty is still runing or give me an of how mutch will cost fixing it, it could be some thing else who knows?.

Notes

A Power surge or a wrong voltage such as your PC set to 220 V and the source is 110 V could damage your PC.

If your monitor gets its power from PC then check to see if there is power coming from the pc.

Check the source of power by hooking the monitor directly to see that their is a power comming from the source.

if you do not ahve a voltage meter i would buy one (cheaper than a power supply) and check the power supply if it is giving a power to the motherboard.

Good luck

Mohamed

by fenaikh

The manuales that came with your PC may help you determine which is the cause of the power supply failure. It could be that the wattage of the hooked total in devices in your system is equale or more than the wattage of yoyr supply. if you used a slot to add an addapter on the motherboard or a drive bay in the PC lately you are consuming wattage of your supply not mentining the monitor and other devices.

by rcom

Allways start at the source.
Plug the computer directly into the wall outlet. Try something else in the wall outlet or try a different outlet. This eliminates the power source as the problem.

Unplug the power cord and inspect it for damage. Try a different power cord from the monitor or something. Don't worry about the screen at this point your trying to see if the power supply will start. The indicator lights and fans will be how you can tell if it's starting.

With the power cord removed, flip the red voltage selector switch to the opposite position. Wait about 5-10 seconds, and then switch it back.

Verify that the red voltage selector switch is switched to 115V for North America
.
While still unplugged, press and hold thefront power button for 60 seconds. This fully drains the large capacitors in the power supply.

Plug back into the wall, try turning the unit on again.

If a component was added, such as memory or a hard drive, then remove the component and test for power. If this fixes the problem, then the maximum load for the power supply has probably been exceeded and should be upgraded to a higher wattage.
If an electrical storm or power surge was known to have happened, then it is highly likely at this point that the power supply is truly damaged and requires replacement.

Once you've completed these basic steps then start worrying about the MB, CPU and all that.

Normally the power supply is an easy replacement. but with proprietary systems like HP, Compaq etc some of the cases are hard to get into. They rivot the power supply in and things like that.

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