Help - Computer Won't Turn On

[trickynick]

Hi,

Hopefully someone can try & help me out. After playing games on my computer, I had went to bed. I layed down and I heard a loud pop. I didn't think nothing of it, as my cell phone was on vibrate and I figured it was my cell phone dropping on the floor hitting something. I wake up to my computer being off. I figured that was weird, I don't remember turning it off. I pushed the power button. Nothing happened. I'm like, alright, maybe the power cord came loose like last time this happened. Took the cord out, plugged it back in. Nothing. Alright, let me try the cord hooked to my 2nd PC. It turned on, so I moved that cord to the PC with the problem. Nothing happened.

So, I'm thinking it's the PSU that popped and that is causing my computer from not turning on. Is this the case? Could it be something else?
I'm currently at work right now so unable to do any checking until 0630. I will be taking notes & trying what you guys suggest. I will call OCZ Monday morning when they open to get the PSU swapped out.

Please Help!

EDIT: I didn't smell anything after I woke up. The noise happened some 6-8 hours before I woke up, so if there was a smell it was gone. Only thing I heard was the pop.

Side note: Not sure if this is relevant, but my computer's speakers does make noises on occasion. Some kind of a "pop" but not like the ones I heard. The one I heard was much louder.

Another note: My computer takes about 30-60 seconds for it to start the bootup process after pushing the power button. The digital display would turn on, and if I listen closely, I could hear a fan whirr up, then down several times before it finally starts the bootup process.

I have no idea if the above information is helpful, but wanted to add it just in case it is.

EDIT 2:
This is the PSU I have: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010
I have a DELL PC INspiron 531s (guts were migrated to a regular mid tower)
ATI Radeon 5770 HD
Rest of parts are original parts from the 531s

 

[visa]

Offhand it does sound like your PSU went kaput. One thing to check for is if there are any lights on your mobo while your PSU is plugged in (usually there's something there). Ideally you might have another PSU to test with but it really does sound like something popped in the PSU. If it's not in the power supply it has to be in the motherboard.

 

[trickynick]

Is there a way to test it and find out? I don't have a backup PSU to test as the older computer's PSU isn't combatible since it's IDE and my current one is SATA.

 

[jsc]

You have worked through our standard checklist and troubleshooting thread:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-read-posting-boot-problems
yes?

I mean work through, not just read over it.

Breadboard - that isolates any kind of case problem.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/262730-31-breadboarding
Breadboard with just motherboard, CPU & HSF, case speaker, and PSU.
You do have a case speaker installed, right? If not, you really, really need one. If you case or motherboard didn't come with a system speaker you can buy one here:
http://www.cwc-group.com/casp.html

You can turn on the PC by momentarily shorting the two pins that the case power switch goes to.

You should hear a series of long, single beeps indicating memory problems.
Silence indicates a problem with (in most likely order) the PSU, motherboard, or CPU.

So, the best bet is to replace the PSU with a known good one of similar power capacity. Brand new, out of the box, untested does not count as a known good PSU.

Next best thing is to get (or borrow) a digital multimeter and check the PSU.

Yellow wires should be 12 volts. Red wires: +5 volts, orange wires: +3.3 volts, blue wire : -12 volts, violet wire: 5 volts always on. The gray wire is really important. It should go from 0 to +5 volts when you turn the PSU on with the case switch. CPU needs this signal to boot.

You can turn on the PSU by completely disconnecting the PSU and using a paperclip or jumper wire to short the green wire to one of the neighboring black wires.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWXgQSokF4&feature=youtube_gdata

This checks the PSU under no load conditions, so it is not completely reliable. But if it can not pass this, it is dead. Then repeat the checks with the PSU plugged into the computer to put a load on the PSU.

 

[daship]

Either a capacitor on the motherboard or PSU went boom.

 

[trickynick]

How can I test the PSU? I get nothing on the computer, no LED lights on the front, nada, nothing. So I'm thinking it's the PSU that went bad, hopefully it protected the mobo. But I'd like to get it tested, should I just wait until computer shops open on Monday? (I live in a small-ish town, none were open today)

 

[shovenose]

You have worked through our standard checklist and troubleshooting thread:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-read-posting-boot-problems
yes?

I mean work through, not just read over it.

Breadboard - that isolates any kind of case problem.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/262730-31-breadboarding
Breadboard with just motherboard, CPU & HSF, case speaker, and PSU.
You do have a case speaker installed, right? If not, you really, really need one. If you case or motherboard didn't come with a system speaker you can buy one here:
http://www.cwc-group.com/casp.html

You can turn on the PC by momentarily shorting the two pins that the case power switch goes to.

You should hear a series of long, single beeps indicating memory problems.
Silence indicates a problem with (in most likely order) the PSU, motherboard, or CPU.

So, the best bet is to replace the PSU with a known good one of similar power capacity. Brand new, out of the box, untested does not count as a known good PSU.

Next best thing is to get (or borrow) a digital multimeter and check the PSU.

Yellow wires should be 12 volts. Red wires: +5 volts, orange wires: +3.3 volts, blue wire : -12 volts, violet wire: 5 volts always on. The gray wire is really important. It should go from 0 to +5 volts when you turn the PSU on with the case switch. CPU needs this signal to boot.

You can turn on the PSU by completely disconnecting the PSU and using a paperclip or jumper wire to short the green wire to one of the neighboring black wires.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWXgQSokF4&feature=youtube_gdata

This checks the PSU under no load conditions, so it is not completely reliable. But if it can not pass this, it is dead. Then repeat the checks with the PSU plugged into the computer to put a load on the PSU.

if the pc has worked fine for an extended peiod of time i dont see why the op should boher with bread boarding

 

[trickynick]

The computer worked for 4 months, no problems with the new PSU, Vid Card and NEw Case. The other parts have worked for 2 years.

 

[pjmelect]

This is almost certainly the power supply, even if the power supply is not responsible for it not booting up it is responsible for the long delay at start-up and is a sign of a failing power supply so it needs changing anyway.

 

[FunSurfer]

You CAN test the PC with the old PSU if the Mobo and CPU connectors will fit, just don't connect the HDD. If you will see the POST screen than it is the PSU that died, if not than it is probably the MoBo.

 

[trickynick]

Just took the computer to a local computer shop. They tested 3 different cables, the 24pin, the 4 pin, and one other, and they recieved no power on any of them. Time to exchage the PSU.

 

[trickynick]

Best answer selected by trickynick.