ZAP! Ouch! Computer has a charge...

[KosmicKitty]

 ???My computer hard drive casing has a strong electric charge every time I turn it on. Does the computer still work? Yes, but this can't be good for it. I'm afraid to turn it on.
What's wrong here??? has anyone ever heard of this?
I checked to be sure the case is properly screwed on and in place - it is. By the way, it hurts to touch the screws. I'm tired of getting zapped.

[patio]

This symptom can only do damage if left as is...do you have the means to take it to a shop or have someone do some troubleshooting on it ? ?
The 2 most common causes of this are a failing/bad PSU and or a MBoard short...
At any rate i would not leave it like this for long as you could wind up damaging any or all of the components.

patio.  

[KosmicKitty]

 I don't have much faith in my local computer repair shops - in the past I have wasted huge amounts of money on other computers only to have the problems go unfixed. I ended up fixing some of them myself!

Can you explain how this could be a MBoard short or failing PSU? Other than this the power supply works-I hear the fan going and the computer's not registering any problems in diagnostic tests. Are there any diagnostics you can recommend?

-Static Shocker

[merlin_2]

http://www.computerhope.com/esd.htm

[Fed]

After you get the initial zap (OUCH ) if you touch the case a second time do you get zapped again?
The zap may well be coming from you.

[patio]

A MBoard short is usually caused by a standoff ( Grommet) getting unseated and or physical movement from installing new components...
Just because the PSU has a fan running does not exclude it from being the culprit...