Power supply keeps burning up.

[glc]

No, all the repair reinstall does is reload the system files. However, you can TRY booting it up as is first - if it gets into Windows without a bluescreen you lucked out.

[bearcreek]

Sorry for all the dumb questions, it has been a while since I have done all of this.

Thanks for your time and help.

[Panama Red]

Originally Posted by bearcreek

When I do the Windows repair, I wont loose any data will I ?

If done correctly, a Repair install will not change/damage any personal files or installed programs. However, it is always a good practice to attach the hard drive to a different machine first and save all the files just to be protected. It's never fun telling the customer their files are gone.

[systempat]

Not if it goes okay. If possible the hard drive should be attached to another PC first and all data files backed up. Also install disks for the applications should be located (just in case). I just did a re-install of XP pro on my development machine and it went fine. I was prepared in case I had to go to a full install but there was no problem.

PR, did not see your reply when I was answering. We were on the same wavelength.

[bearcreek]

Thanks guys.

[bearcreek]

Got the new motherboard tonight and that did not fix the computer. Did the barebones and no video. The monitor does not try to come on and no beeps from the board. The light on the motherboard is green and the 4 sec. shut down works. Is it possible that it fried the cpu also? Any suggestions?

The thermal paste was like powder when I removed the cpu.

[Panama Red]

Did you remove the old pad/paste, clean the surfaces thoroughly and apply new paste? Did you check the to be sure all 4 heat sink retainers are protruding thru the mobo and locked?

[bearcreek]

Sorry, I thought that all of that was a given, I should have stated that. I have never seen thermal paste that dry and was giving this info as part of the facts. The old motherboard is pretty black where it fried and that is maybe an inch or so away from the cpu socket.

Like I said, I did the barebones (out of the case), no hd, no dvd, no peripherals, just power and the power switch, cpu, onboard video, and ram. I get no bios screen.

I am pretty sure it is the cpu, I just want confirmation from someone else. Maybe I will get lucky and it is something I missed or messed up.

[Panama Red]

Yeah, it's a "given" but surprisingly quite a few folks have had startup issues that were traced to one retainer of the heat sink having popped up. Another possiblity is the ram took a hit from the surge. If you remove the ram sticks and attempt a start, the mobo should beep (as long as you have a speaker attached). The only other thing besides the cpu would be to try another known good power supply just to rule that out. You could also substitute some other ram if your mobo doesn't have a speaker option.

[systempat]

After that description of the damage to the motherboard, it sounds like pretty good odds that the other components could be dead too. The question is - is it the CPU or the RAM or both.
Although if only the RAM is bad, you should be getting a beep code from the POST test. Try the no-RAM test as recommended to see if you can eliminate that component.
This PC sounds like it went thru torture.

[glc]

If it's the CPU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116074

[bearcreek]

Thanks for the replies. I thought about the ram test after I posted but it was too late(bedtime). I am at work right now but I will try this when I get home. I will also try the power supply, although it is brand new.

My friend is not going to be happy with this news. I never would have thought it would do this much damage. I dont like this method of buying parts and hoping that fixes it, but what else can you do in this situation, I dont have compatible parts to check with.

I forgot to mention, when I opened the package the motherboard was in, the motherboard box was on top of all the peanuts, no peanuts between the two boxes. Very poor packaging.

[bearcreek]

Finally got the computer running. Everything was fried, the psu, cpu, ram, and motherboard. Hopefully the hd will be ok, it seems to be running fine for now. We will be backing up.

Thanks for all of your time and help. We used all the parts that were suggested.

Oh, only had to install the drivers, no windows repair. Got lucky.

[larrymoencurly]

Make sure the circuit is wired correctly, and it will probably help if a separate circuit is run, directly from the main circuit breaker box to the wall outlet for the computer.

The computer and all the equipment connected to it should be on that separate circuit and plugged into a good line filter, which consists of capacitors across the AC lines and chokes in series with them. Regular surge filters aren't enough because they let through all the line noise whose voltage isn't high enough to make the MOV protectors crowbar.

It's possible that the arcs themselves are crashing the computer without going through the AC lines, so try plugging all the computer equipment, including monitor (disconnect printer) into a battery backup supply, and disconnect that supply from the AC. If the computer still crashes, then it's the welding arcs, and you need to move the computer farther away or put a metal shield between it and the welders.

[bearcreek]

They ran a new wire from a subpanel box to the computer. The subpanel box has had a computer on it since they opened years ago and this computer has not had an issue yet. The computer with issues was on the main panel box on a seperate circuit than the welder.

The computer never crashed, it would just stop working after a power failure outside of their building. This would take 7 to 8 months or I guess the right amount of power failures before it would kill the psu. The computer showed no signs of failure untill the psu died. I believe it is multiple reasons the psu keeps dying and one is the constant power failures. The other reason is I believe the arcs are coming through the AC line.

I think running it from the subpanel box should fix the issues, hopefully.

[glc]

If you are having constant power failures, you need to try to wake these people up and buy some battery backups for the computers as I indicated way back on the first page! Restoring the power very frequently causes a surge. Cutting power unexpectedly frequently crashes or corrupts a hard drive.

[bearcreek]

The owners have read all of our posts, there is only so much you can do. The hard drive seems to be fine (no issues), I put it in one of my computers so he could work until we fixed his computer. I will let him know about the battery backup again.

I will say this, their other computer has had zero issues yet. The key word being YET. It is a Dell.

[SARGE]

Originally Posted by glc

Good chance the monitor is zapped too. If it's off warranty, the repair cost may not be worth it.

Here is a top quality surge suppressor - I would NOT use anything less in this situation:

TRIPP LITE ISOBAR6ULTRA 6 feet 6 Outlets 2350 joules Isobar Surge Suppressor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812120524

Sounds like a great product for that price. Thanks for the link