PSU Fan stopped... Crap!

[Schot 407]

Yeah instead of beer, send him for PSU parts. there you go, back on topic. Sorry I have become a Addict for buddy play time. I take it any way I can. On a server with dragon brother atm.

 

Haha, good call. ^^ Fetch me a PSU gogo!

 

You can always send me an email Phone would be a bit expensive!

 

What? No 1-800 number? Sheesh! Though if something like this ever happens again I think I WILL email you, haha.

 

Well I'm off to go pick up a new fan now. Woohoo! Never thought I'd be so excited to pick out a fan, haha.

[Dragon Brother 619]

Yeah instead of beer, send him for PSU parts. there you go, back on topic. Sorry I have become a Addict for buddy play time. I take it any way I can. On a server with dragon brother atm.

 

Haha, good call. ^^ Fetch me a PSU gogo!

 

You can always send me an email Phone would be a bit expensive!

 

What? No 1-800 number? Sheesh! Though if something like this ever happens again I think I WILL email you, haha.

 

Well I'm off to go pick up a new fan now. Woohoo! Never thought I'd be so excited to pick out a fan, haha.

You're only excited cos it's saving you money...but then there are worse reasons to be excited

[Schot 407]

You're only excited cos it's saving you money...but then there are worse reasons to be excited

 

This is true. ^^ Or at least it was... I'm back to a state of desparation. I got all the parts in order and now my pc won't boot. I turn the pc on and all I get is a blank screen. Doesn't even go to Bios. Argh! I hate this... According to the LEDs on my motherboard "...the processor is damaged or not installed properly." Bleh. Time to check if it's seated properly.

 

Needless to say I won't be in game or on the forum much until this is fixed.

[Dragon Brother 619]

You're only excited cos it's saving you money...but then there are worse reasons to be excited

 

This is true. ^^ Or at least it was... I'm back to a state of desparation. I got all the parts in order and now my pc won't boot. I turn the pc on and all I get is a blank screen. Doesn't even go to Bios. Argh! I hate this... According to the LEDs on my motherboard "...the processor is damaged or not installed properly." Bleh. Time to check if it's seated properly.

 

Needless to say I won't be in game or on the forum much until this is fixed.

Bummer. I hope you get it fixed, especially in time for kami. If not...time to show that comp who's boss

[stubbie 21]

My guess.

When the PSU fan stopped working the PSU overheated. It has burnt out some of its wiring or circuitry.

Your PSU is now supplying incorrect voltages to your pc.

 

If you cannot check the voltages using a volt meter I suggest you throw it out before you destroy whats left of your computer.

 

You should at the very least pull the PSU apart again and have a good sniff. If something smells burnt......... then it is.

[Timotheus 416]

With Stubbs here. The most likely problem would be overheating.

If you haven't touched your pc other than pulling the PSU out, the proc should be fine, it's just not getting enough power I think.

[Knuckles 904]

I agree with stubbs and Timo.

 

If you can't verify performance with a volt/amp meter (I'm assuming an oscilloscope isn't readily available) then investing in a new psu makes the most sense. If the fan itself didn't fail, but instead is a symptom of something else failing, you're playing russian roulette with your pc if you continue to use it.

 

More than likely the psu fan is fed off a voltage regulator. I can think of several reasons a fan could fail. If it's just the fan itself then it's an easy fix (and should be replaced before you continue to use pc). Otherwise you have a current, resistance, impedance and/or voltage issue.

 

I wouldn't turn on the pc again until you replace the psu. Been doing electronics for 25 years and seen a lot of power supplies fail in my time. A faulty one could easily ruin the rest of the electronics in your pc.

[Schot 407]

Thanx for all the great suggestions guys. If I interpret all of your advice to point to one cause it would be that I probably just killed my cpu by dabbling with my faulty psu. Crap!

 

At the start of this whole thing I figured it only the psu fan that was faulty because the fan had a lot of resistance when trying to turn it manually. Now that I'm beginning to come full circle I'm starting to think that the fan was only a sign of a weakened psu. Of which I tested, removed and re-installed a number of times during all this.

 

To recount what happened exaclty it went like this:

 

Yesterday:

• PSU fan made lots of noise for a few days
  
• Removed PSU to inspect fan and found the fan was stiff
  
• re-installed PSU and ran pc for a couple days
  
• removed PSU to prepare to replace fan later that day
  
• Removed Video Card to blow off dust with compressed air
  
• Used compressed air to dust off inside of Case as well
  
• Re-installed Video Card
  
• Went to buy new fan
  
• Returned home with new fan hours later (At this point my PC was functional just hours ago)
  
• Removed old fan from PSU and attached new fan
  
• re-installed PSU
  
• Pushed Power button on case
  
• PC powered LEDs turned on but no Boot or POST (No change on LCD)
  

 

Today:

• Tested LCD - works
  
• Tested PSU on spare PC - works
  
• Tested spare PSU on my PC - no Boot or POST
  
• Tested spare Video Card on my PC - no Boot or POST
  
• Cleared CMOS several times during different tests - No change
  

 

I think the only thing left to test is the CPU. Sadly that is an option unless I bring my pc in to see a tech. At this point it's probably a very good idea so that's what I'm going to do. At least that way I can be absolutely certain of what's causing the problem.

 

 

On that note... I'm off to the PC doc.

[locolagarto 15]

The PSU is definitely the main suspect here, but.... I am inclined to think some human intervention may be to blame. I can't remember how many times I was repairing a piece of equipment just to have to disassemble and reassemble 2 and yes sometimes 3 or 4 times because I had inadvertently caused it to stop working. Sometimes creating a new component failure along the way

 

 

Double check everything again Schot, at the diner table with good light if you have to. What GFX card are u using? does it require its own power like my GTX260 (need 2 6in power plugs). but you said it worked on the spare PC. so... Re-seat all the plugs and even the memory chips. sometimes when you blow out a machine with air you lodge crap into sockets that cause you errors.

 

I know u are not a careless type of guy, but I screw stuff up so often..... gives me stuff to fix I guess.

[Schot 407]

You hit it right on the money loco and I couldn't be more happy that it was the case. WHEW! Omg I let out a huge sigh of relief when I was told how simple the problem was. I got back from my fave pc shop, Microbytes, a couple hours ago with my pc in functioning order and without any need to spend even a penny. When I arrived with my broken pc and heart in tow the tech there had a quick look at my pc and saw the problem right away. I had neglected to plug something in. Doh! All this misery over a simple plug, haha. Well I learned my lesson. When this whole thing started I had debated on whether I should take note of what I was unplugging and decided, "Bah! I'm a pro! I don't need no stickin notes." Well you can imagine the sheepish grin on my face when that tech popped the plug in and suddenly everything started working again, eh heh. Though in my defense I did have a hand in getting through the whole troubleshoot. You see after he connected that missing plug the system still didn't boot or post. But! The LEDs on my board were displaying different colour codes this time and it was ME who spotted it. Yay me! ^^

 

 

I had spent so much time reading my manual that I've gotten to know my boards messages fairly well. Genius design on this board. The 4 LEDs you see in the pic below are part of an 8 LED sequence of lights that provide certain colour coded operational messages. Kinda like the old but faithful beep error messages. The great thing about this system is that you can always see the error whereas the audio version requires that you hear the beeping correctly and remeber the beeps for later translation. Awesome feature and it helped a lot in this case.

 

 

 

So this time the lights were "Red Red Green Red" which meant "Memory Detection Test; Testing onboard memory size The D-LED will hang if the memory module is damaged or not installed properly". The tech took all the ram sticks out, then put only one in and restarted the pc. Everything was a go! I haven't felt such relief in a looong time. I was beginning to feel as though some impending doomsday expense was about to hit me. I imagine the feeling is the same for car owners, haha. The tech then replaced all the ram sticks and surprisingly everything still worked. So I actually had two problems going on. First the plug that wasn't connected and then a ram stick that wasn't seated well. Everything appears to be running fine now and I couldn't be happier.

 

 

What a rollercoaster this one was. I was really worried at the start and then when I got closer to the original problem, the PSU fan, I started to calm down and even felt a bit of pleasure in that I was "beating the system" by simply replacing my PSU fan instead of what manufacturers want me to do which is to buy a new PSU. Ultimately manufacturers and resellers make more money if I buy a new PSU. More importantly buyers lose more money by doing it there way. Add to that it seems manufacturers try to force their way by making fans that have a custom plug... I had big plans that this topic would be all about beating the system and saving a buck too but then I ran into this huge problem that threw me for a loop. ^^ Well I'm back on top now and still glad for the way I handled this particular problem. Aaaand I get to say this:

 

 

If the fan on your PSU is dead or dying you don't necessarily have to buy a whole new PSU. It's possible that simply replacing the fan will be perfectly good. As an extra step to ensure that your PSU is providing proper voltage you can verify it using a software called Everest or more accurately by using a multimeter.

 

Oh and uuuuh... You may want to take notes while you troubleshoot your pc or you'll risk overlooking something like I did. ^^

 

 

Thanks a lot guys for all the posts. I gotta admit I was really feeling down and out about the ordeal. It was nice to read the help and made me feel a lot better.

 

 

P.s.

Big cheers to the tech at Microbytes who not only helped me but refused to take any money for the help. It was at least a good 20 minutes of work and even after I insisted he still wouldn't charge me. Microbytes rocks!

[Knuckles 904]

Whew huh ?

 

Glad it all turned out to be something simple.

 

P.s.

Big cheers to the tech at Microbytes who not only helped me but refused to take any money for the help. It was at least a good 20 minutes of work and even after I insisted he still wouldn't charge me. Microbytes rocks!

 

If it would make you feel better you can pay me instead....I insist

[Spunky 16]

Good to hear that's all is in order.

[Dragon Brother 619]

Great that its working.

[locolagarto 15]

You hit it right on the money loco and I couldn't be more happy that it was the case. WHEW! Omg I let out a huge sigh of relief when I was told how simple the problem was.

 

Hey, What does the Dryad say in game? "even a blind man hits his target once in a while!"

[Schot 407]

Thanx guys.

 

 

 

Whew huh ?

 

Glad it all turned out to be something simple.

 

P.s.

Big cheers to the tech at Microbytes who not only helped me but refused to take any money for the help. It was at least a good 20 minutes of work and even after I insisted he still wouldn't charge me. Microbytes rocks!

 

If it would make you feel better you can pay me instead....I insist

 

It would. It really really would. In fact... I want to give you soooo much Knuckles that I've gone ahead and picked you up the highest standard gold credit card in aaaaaall the land.

 

 

 

You hit it right on the money loco and I couldn't be more happy that it was the case. WHEW! Omg I let out a huge sigh of relief when I was told how simple the problem was.

 

Hey, What does the Dryad say in game? "even a blind man hits his target once in a while!"

 

Something tells me that this blind man she speaks of sees better than he lets on. ^^ That's cheating btw.

[locolagarto 15]

On the topic of ooops! Crap! I have a recent blunder that I had all written up and ready to hit Add Reply and I locked up or something lost the whole post. I'll get it re-written the morning. You'll be feeling really good about our slight over site when I tell you what I did, and what it cost me!

[Schot 407]

On the topic of ooops! Crap! I have a recent blunder that I had all written up and ready to hit Add Reply and I locked up or something lost the whole post. I'll get it re-written the morning. You'll be feeling really good about our slight over site when I tell you what I did, and what it cost me!

 

Doh. I hate it when that happens. I'm getting more and more into the habit of keeping a notepad open while typing a post. Especially if it's a long post.

Looking forward to feeling less sheepish after that post of yours loco. ^^

[locolagarto 15]

Thanx guys.

 

 

 

How cool it that?. Perfect for a forum signature! I want one, where do I get the credit app? Do I have to be employee to qualify?

[Schot 407]

lol, too funny. I was just going to make that image and then toss the project until it occured to me that someone might want it as a sig. So I saved the project as a psd, hehe. Not problem at all loco. Toss a request in our AV/Sig Requests Forum and I'll have it done in tha morn right after I've gone over your credit history. ^^

[Spunky 16]

Haha, hilarious

 

It seems that the Shadow Warrior is sleeping on the picture, genious

Edited December 18, 2009 by Spunky

[Dragon Brother 619]

!

Thats awesome!

[stubbie 21]

I don't believe it!

 

Guess what started making a noise today...........yep, my PSU fan.

 

I will be ripping the psu apart tomorrow and then off to the pc shop for a new fan.

 

Got any advice schot?

[gogoblender 3,070]

 

wow...now that's Fan Art

Does it come in different classes?

 

 

gogo

[Knuckles 904]

Oh man. I gotta watch what I say around Schot. Or things like this happen lol

[locolagarto 15]

Well as promised, here is my Oops! Crap! moment! Since Schot is a hunble enough guy to admit his errors and share his Oops! I will man up and do the same.

 

I have posted recently about my new PC and most recently about the new CPU cooler I installed. What I failed to mention was the FUBAR I did that went with all that.

 

When I originally built this rig I thought I would save $7.99 and just use a generic thermal compound, from my tool box, that I have bought last year when I had to repair my Sony 46" TV. the Convergence Circuit went out ( fairly common I guess) Talk about sticking' it to the Manufacturer, I saved $1000 repair with $50 in parts and a steady Soldering hand.

 

Anyway I digress. the cheap compound, when I removed the stock heat sink to install my new one, I see that this junk is run all over the CPU. no problem I will try cleaning up this mess. All is going well until is see it looks like it has run off the edges of the CPU and into the socket. Now keep in mind that everything is functional, I just want better cooling! So I decide to remove the CPU and do a better job if cleaning it. All is going well as the CPU is easy to clean. before reinstalling it, I see that some of the goo has run or dripped into the socket. Well.... with one effortless, unplanned, mindless, stupid!, move I swipe my cleaning rag across the pins in the socket and......Crap! it looks lit I dragged a stick across the back of a window air conditioner( yes I know what that looks like, but I was like 9 years old when I did that!) Well to bring this little story to and end. I spent a little while trying to straighten the pins back to normal. Without the right tools, and a lit magnifier I was not able to fix this. Well after a few unmentionable words that sent the boys off to the other end of the house. I had to get on Newegg.com and order a new MB. $129 and 3 days later I was back up and running with my new cooler and Arctic Silver 5 thermal goo this time.

 

So Schot feel good that yours only cost you some time, and ego. And you didn't have to weather a Kami on the backup computer. Like I did last weekend.

 

Patience is a virtue that I am doomed to never learn.