Computer Shutoff

[sloan448]

Is it possible for a power supply to burn out from getting too hot? I just got my main computer back from the computer repair place. The North bridge cooling fan had an issue and when I tried to fix it (had to take out the PCI Express video card out to get the fan off to fix, oil, it) I put the video card back but the computer wouldn't recognize it. I tried to solve the problem but it was beyond me. So I took it in for the free diagnostics of the card and the computer. Both were OK, I don't know why it didn't work for me. Any way the tech said some thing about having a case fan or two hooked up weird and I should change them. He also said he unhooked on because it was hooked up wrong. Well I get the computer home and it's running fine. I am installing some software that's taking a while so I go to the store for a minute. I get back and the computer isn't running and I smell that awful melting plastic/burning electrical smell. I think oh no. I had the case cover off when I set it up so I smelled around and it's the power supply. I put my hand on the supply case and it's really hot. I try to restart the computer and nothing happens.
Just a bit ago I decided to take the power supply out and see if I can find a reset button. I noticed the wire to the power supply fan isn't hooked up to any thing. I think this is the fan the tech unplugged. I couldn't find any where to plug it in so I unplugged one of the case fans and put it back together. It still won't start.

[DaveLembke]

The North bridge cooling fan had an issue and when I tried to fix it (had to take out the PCI Express video card out to get the fan off to fix, oil, it)

Generally when fans fail in computers, if you have to add oil, you might buy some time, but the fan is likely not going to last very long. Oil likes to collect dust, and it may spin free now, but in a few months it may seize up again and burn up the north bridge when this goes unnoticed. I'd find a replacement fan and replace it with new. Even if its an odd size fan, I have always been able to find an exact or close enough replacement with voltage and mounting dimensions being the most important details, and RPM's being the lesser important unless it was a roaster chip to begin with and needs high RPM's for max airflow.

Just a bit ago I decided to take the power supply out and see if I can find a reset button. I noticed the wire to the power supply fan isn't hooked up to any thing. I think this is the fan the tech unplugged. I couldn't find any where to plug it in so I unplugged one of the case fans and put it back together. It still won't start.

I have yet to find a PC power supply with a thermal overload reset. Also if you have a cooked electronic stench then something has been damaged. Even if it did boot up after this smell, I'd make sure my home insurance is up to date for fire coverage. Any power supply that has a smell like that needs to get tossed out.

As far as a tech unplugging a power supply fan which is internal to the power supply itself   . I would seriously never bring anything else to that guy to work on!!! If this is what he truly did!

A good tech would have either replaced the power supply or replaced the fan that had an issue to have to become disconnected to get the computer to boot, with swapping out the power supply as the best method, but replacing a troubled fan being the cheap way out if the PSU was healthy still and a new fan was available that could install into it, or another good used fan could be extracted from an older power supply and placed in place of the original troubled fan that could fix this cheaply and properly.

Right now your looking at installing a new Power supply, and hopefully nothing else is cooked. 

[sloan448]

I decided that this computer, because of the NB fan and that it's over 5 years old, is not worth trying to patch up and keep. I just wanted it to run long enough to get the important files off it. I have ordered a new MB/CPU to build a new, up to date, computer. I figured the NB fan could fail at any time and that would be it. I am using my back-up computer until the new stuff gets here. I also ordered a new PSU because the one in my old computer doesn't have a 20+4 pin main connector so I couldn't use that. When I get the power supply I will put it in, run the computer in it long enough to get the files then build the new one. I don't think the computer got fried. I took the memory out of it and put it in my back-up and it's fine. The only parts I want off this computer is the PCIE graphics card. 
Thanks for the help.

[sloan448]

The irony of it is, that the tech guy said I had a virus on my computer (sales pitch?, for $### he could fix it) so anti virus software was what I was installing when the computer went kaput. "Behind every cloud there is a silver lining", because of this problem I have learned a lot and am getting a new computer. This one seemed slow but I wasn't ready to build a new one.

[sloan448]

I couldn't wait. Since it's a rainy day and I can't go hiking I decided to take the main hard drive out of the ailing computer and hook it up to the back-up to see if it's OK. It is. I have an anti virus program scanning it. All looks well. I can also take the time to get the files off it later.
I was looking at some stats on my two older computers and the new one on it's way, the old SATAs have a 1.5 Gb/s rate, the new one has 6.0 Gb/s. Think I'll notice a difference?

[patio]

Yes...milliseconds...but overall yes.

[sloan448]

The new computer (MB, CPU, RAM, and PSU) got here today. I pulled the old PSU out and put in the new one on the main computer, the one I'm going to replace, and the computer works fine. I ran it just long enough to check it. Now I can pull out the old MB and and put the new one in. But that's a weekend project.

[sloan448]

The new computer is set up, with the old graphics card, and all is well. The USB3 on this thing cranks. I hooked up my external drive it and it's really fast. Now comes the fun of reinstalling all the software/programs. It's nice to have a clean install to work with.

[patio]

Always is...