'Lo

I'm having a nightmare this morning, I tried turning my main PC on and the led light flickered quickly and then died and it wont turn on at all!!!!
I've tried unplugging everything and plugging everything back in- still nowt, it seems the power is not going to the PC.

I have tried a new PC power cable- nothing, still the same.

So I'm guessing its the power supply on the PC itself or is there something else that I can try to sort it.

If it is the power supply- can anyone come and fix me this today if possible as I need my PC backup and running as soon as I can :)
And how much would you charge?

Please help.... somebody.... ANYBODY!!!

If the PSU has died, then this will obviously need replacing. You need to be able to identify what wattage the power supply is, and then this will give you an indication of how much it will cost.

The best (and quickest way) would be to take it to a nearby computer shop, they should sort it out pretty quickly.

Its max-output power 250w
Any ideas anyone how much it will cost?

And can anyone recommend a decent/cheap PC shop near Hackenthorpe that I can take it too?

Thanks again!!

Just found this on the internet which seems to be what it could be:

The most likely fault to occur to power supplies is the Schottky Barrier Rectifier to blow. This effectively means no voltage is coming out of the PSU, so the computer will not turn on, or the power LEDs on the front will briefly illuminate for about half a second and then go out. They'll be no fan activity also

Gets better and better :(

As I only have a basic knowledge of hardware- would this be replaced if I replace the power supply unit? Or is it something else that needs fixing- and how much is this likely to cost as well, thanks all.

Are you sure its a 250W? I can only find a 300W PSU on Ebuyer!>

older PCs had less powerful PSUs,

Angelus.
This is what you should do. Disconnect all the connectors between the psu and all the bits inside your pc. Unscrew the PSU and take it to one of the local computer shops, where they will sell you a new PSU with the same connectors for between 15 and 25 quid. This new PSU will be 350 watts at least, and should be more reliable than your last one, and better for your pc.
Take it home the screw holes will be in the same place and the connectors will fit, although you will probably have some spare ones, best to tywrap these to the case or something more solid so they are tidy.
Then you should be up and running again.

older PCs had less powerful PSUs,



PSUs arent my strongpoint! Wont a 350W blow up the mainboard?

If you drive take it to Bscomputers on darnall next to the pelican crossing not far from old morrisons they will replace it cheaply

PSUs arent my strongpoint! Wont a 350W blow up the mainboard?

No.

the wattage is the maximum available. Not the amount which will be dissipated in the computer.

The voltages which are provided by a PC's PSU are always exactly the same in the same plug types, therefore there is no problem in using different power supplies with different power capacities.

The only issue is sometimes more powerful PSUs have more fans and sometimes the case may not be suitable. And very old PSUs from PCs over a decade old sometimes have built in wiring for an electrical on off switch.
All PSUs these days are ATX type and have a standby mode so they can be started by a tiny electronic signal or a Lan or modem wake up call.

I once saw a Dell machine with a PentiumII 233mhz processor that had an extra plug and a custom PSU which I couldn't buy a replacement PSU for.

If you drive take it to Bscomputers on darnall next to the pelican crossing not far from old morrisons they will replace it cheaply

I will be popping down there in the next 20 mins as they have a 350w PSU for £18... cheers for the post and the help!!

Thanks all for your help - have a top weekend everyone :hihi:

If this works- I will personally kiss you all as I could not imagine a couple of days without my PC- it would be a nightmare.

My desktop is a 2.4 Pentium 4 Packard Bell (boo hiss!!)
Have had no problems before now with it as well :(

My desktop is a 2.4 Pentium 4 Packard Bell (boo hiss!!)
Have had no problems before now with it as well :( Nowt wrong with that, mines a 2.5ghz P4 Compaq :(

If it's ok for what you want then why waste money on something better when you don't really need it.

Id rather spend £400-500 on a new system every 3-4 years than be constantly updating my system.

My PC is now working again-- yay!!!

Went to BS Computers which were excellent and quite close to us in driving distance which was even better.

Have now got a 550w PSU installed into my PC and it seems a LOT faster running, a lot quieter and a lot cooler as well.

So thanks everyone for the help - you have all been ab fab!
:thumbsup:

Just out of interest- could this PSU problem that I've solved today have been causing my DVD writers to start acting up as well??

didnt really do that much, but hey no probs!

Just out of interest- could this PSU problem that I've solved today have been causing my DVD writers to start acting up as well??
Yes.

Often when a PSU is on it's way out, it starts to affect drives, sometimes the disk drive doesn't start or you get cd writing problems.

Just out of interest- could this PSU problem that I've solved today have been causing my DVD writers to start acting up as well??

if they now work properly yes

a failing psu can cause all sorts of intermittent faults, even when theres still current going through

Running DVD writers off a 250watt PSU is probably what nackered it in the first place. Branded PCs tend to have a PSU which is just suitable for the original config.If you add drives etc you should upgrade the PSU first to something like you have now.
regards Mick.

Running DVD writers off a 250watt PSU is probably what nackered it in the first place. Branded PCs tend to have a PSU which is just suitable for the original config.If you add drives etc you should upgrade the PSU first to something like you have now.
regards Mick.

I think you might be right you know-
I have 2x Pioneer DVD Writers in my PC at the moment and the case was getting very hot with the 250w PSU installed... I think I might have overloaded it then- guess I should have known

Silly me eh! :)

With the new 550w in.. the PC is running like a dream, is whisper quiet and is cold as ice at the minute even with me burning a DVD at 16x which I was surprised to find!

I'm surprised- well not really- the model I have came with a 250w PSU especially being a P4 2.4ghz + 8x DVD Re-Writer in it as well.

Cheap gets... springs to mind.

A slight power failure shouldn't really affect your disc drives unless your replacement PSU hasn't been connected up to them correctly.

DVD writers are odd things, mine packed in the other day (on a new pc I might add) for no apparent reason whatsoever. I got a free replacement though so all's well again.

Oops, sorry about that - didn't realise there was a second page to this.

The bigger your psu the better ;)

I've got an Antec 480w True Blue.

Build my own stuff, so I know what I'm doing.

Didn't have time to respond to your thread when I read it. Sorry. Really wanted to help.

Glad you got sorted and glad you went big. You will see the difference!

As you have already!