Computer Crashed...

[d3n00b]

Hey guys, this is my first time posting, and I'm sorry for posting it in this thread if it doesn't belong. This is my story...

2 months ago, my exhaust fan was making noise, so I noticed that it was bent a bit? So i had to cut off a part of the fan. And it was ok until another fan was bent a little too. So i took something and pushed it, while the ciomputer was running so that it would keep on going to cool my computer. But after i pushed the fan, something broke. And now my exhaust fan doesn't work. it was stupid I know. :suprised:

So I have been using a normal fan pointed at my exhaust fan for about 2 months now. Recently, it has been restarting by itself. Today, it turned off... but it didn't restart. I tried to turn it back on and stuff, but nothing. I opened to see if anything on the inside was wrong, but it seemed normal.

I know the computer can't be completly broken, cause the back of the computer has lights, I think the green lgiht from the motherboard? So, if anyone can help, please help me fix this!

Well, I am VERY sorry if I posted in the wrong section. but I'm not too sure where it's suppose to go. Any help is welcome. Thanks alot before hand!

 

[Mastershakes]

Take it to the shop, get them to make sure you didn't fry your processor, and then get them to install a new exhaust fan and such.

and for future reference ... Never touch any part inside the case unless you are powered down, and unplugged. Put one hand on the metal chassis of the case when touching anything inside.

Welcome to OSNN

 

[d3n00b]

Ok, thanks! I was going to do that eventually, but I thought if there was anything I could do first, I would do so. But I guess there isn't much, so I'll do that. Thanks Mastershakes =)

 

[Son Goku]

Well a few things:

- It's hardware related, doesn't really fit in with gfx cards are motherboards, and it's your own thread; you can't really be OT here. It's the right forum.

- It's best not to start chopping away at your fan. That (when unplugged) would have been a good time to try to see if it could be bent back into shape. However, watch the force exerted, as it probably won't take much to break one of these fans (especially given plastic blades) as you had noticed.

- Best not to try to do something to the fan when the computer is running. I do hope you didn't use your fingers. Those fan blades don't spin that slow.

- Not sure the size of your fan, but fans don't tend to be that expensive. The 120 mm fan I bought last night to replace one that died in my comp was only $16. If your fan is smaller, you could have probably got a replacement for cheaper. If you find another fan die at some time, it's probably best to replace the thing, rather then try to fix it.

- However, having let this sit there for so long, you probably do want to get the comp tested, as it was previously suggested to make sure something didn't suffer damage from over-heating.

Take it to the shop, get them to make sure you didn't fry your processor, and then get them to install a new exhaust fan and such.

and for future reference ... Never touch any part inside the case unless you are powered down, and unplugged. Put one hand on the metal chassis of the case when touching anything inside.

Welcome to OSNN

Just to be clear on something (sorry Mastershakes, and grounding is important except for one thing). If you ever open the power supply, do not ground yourself when dealing with the high voltages that can go through there. Better yet, if you're not sure what a capacitor is, or about working in PSUs, best not to open that part up. Above all (in the PSU, and actually also the CRT, though that's not really in the computer), one doesn't want that current passing through one's heart, and capacitors will hold charge even when powered off.

For everything else in the computer, Mastershakes advise is spot on. You can ruin your hardware through static discharge, however static discharge will not harm you.

 

[d3n00b]

kk, thanks for tips Son Gokuo, but the static discharge, may i ask what that is? Cause for a few days, while my fan was there, there has been staticy sounds coming from it. might that be the cause of my problem too? I'm not exactly sure it it''s static, it might be alot of dust or something.

so yea, thanks again =)

btw, you've posted 1337 times. =p

 

[mlakrid]

kk, thanks for tips Son Gokuo, but the static discharge, may i ask what that is? Cause for a few days, while my fan was there, there has been staticy sounds coming from it. might that be the cause of my problem too? I'm not exactly sure it it''s static, it might be alot of dust or something.

so yea, thanks again =)

btw, you've posted 1337 times. =p

NO hes reffering to ESD or Electro Static Discharge

its everywhere its all around us, and we transfer these potentials everyday and dont know it.. unless the potential is very large, like right when you walk through your living room (provided you have a rug) and then touch the door knob and get a zap... when you see the zap... you are talking about tens of thousands volts... see HERE

Welcome to OSNN!!

 

[Son Goku]

Yes, it's ESD, and has nothing to do with the current running through your PC. It's also the reason to ground yourself, as the sort of voltage we can transfer (when there's a voltage differintial between us and the computer components) is enough to damage or destroy them.

It's not harmful to us, despite the voltage in question, as static discharge holds no current, though yes rubbing the feet on the rug and touching something, one can get a jolt that will feel a tad painful.

The reason the power supply is a difference, is because in that case one is dealing with higher voltage (then what goes through computer components) at the 110/120 volt side which draws power in from the electrical outlet. Capacitors also tend to store charge, and to release it. Unlike ESD, what goes through the power supply does has current. Higher voltage + current (unlike the case of static discharge), can be bad when one doesn't take necessary precautions in working around it.

Also true to form, the color codes in computers is not the same that's used by electricians and the like, and again this can come into play in the PSU. The color for ground in one case, isn't the color for ground in the other

 

[Mastershakes]

Just to be clear on something (sorry Mastershakes, and grounding is important except for one thing). If you ever open the power supply, do not ground yourself when dealing with the high voltages that can go through there. Better yet, if you're not sure what a capacitor is, or about working in PSUs, best not to open that part up. Above all (in the PSU, and actually also the CRT, though that's not really in the computer), one doesn't want that current passing through one's heart, and capacitors will hold charge even when powered off.
For everything else in the computer, Mastershakes advise is spot on. You can ruin your hardware through static discharge, however static discharge will not harm you.

No worries Son Goku !

I learned something new today reading your post. Thanks. I will not be opening a power supply ever (shakes crosses fingers) - if I do I'm a gonna get a thread going on it, to make sure everybody weighs in and gives me advice on how to proceed. I have a follow up question for you.

How long does it take for the capacitors to lose their charge? An hour? A day?

 

[Son Goku]

I'm not sure I could give a ballpark figure for all capacitors. There might be some figures out there, though I'd have to check. There are methods to discharge capacitors, though one does want to be careful not to discharge them in such a manner that a circuit path is found through one's own body.

LOL, this brings back memories of when in this one computer engineering class I was taking, the teacher had this big arse capacitor. I'm not talking the sort one would tend to find in electronics here But rather one that stood more then a foot tall, perhaps about 2... Man that thing gave off one hell of a spark :laugh: Discharging a CRT can also give off something similar...

Anyhow, a little info

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor

Capacitors may retain a charge long after power is removed from a circuit; this charge can cause shocks (up to and including electrocution) or damage to connected equipment. Since capacitors have such low equivalent series resistances (ESRs), they have the capacity to deliver large currents into short circuits; this can be dangerous. Care must be taken to ensure that any large or high-voltage capacitor is properly discharged before servicing the containing equipment. For safety purposes, all large capacitors should be discharged before handling. For board-level capacitors, this is done by placing a bleeder resistor across the terminals, whose resistance is large enough that the leakage current will not affect the circuit, but small enough to discharge the capacitor shortly after power is removed. High voltage capacitors should be stored with the terminals shorted to dissipate any stored charge.

The page itself goes into a lot more detail on what capacitors are and how they work, as well as some of what they're used for.

 

[Mastershakes]

Wicked, will expand knowledge

 

[d3n00b]

hey guys, I have a noobie qquestion.. what's a PSU. lol. And if my problem is that that is burnt, how much does it cost to fix? My mom asked a friend of hers, and she said, it's better off to buy a nother computer then

 

[-seek-]

PSU = Power supply unit

 

[Son Goku]

It's the power supply unit. It basically looks something like this

It takes power from the electrical outlet (where you plug the power cord into) and converts it into a useable form (aka 3.3, 5, and 12 v DC) which the computer can use. The power comming from the outlet (in the US) is 110/120 v AC, which switches polarity/direction at the rate of 60 Hz. You'll probably want to do a little searching if you want to know more, as there's a lot of detail here (and more then is necessary to upgrade a computer). But basically, in a given circuit you have a positive and a negative poll (much as you have a + and a - poll in a battery), and electricity flows from one to the other. In actuallity (electron flow) it goes from the negative poll to the positive, but conventional flow is still used, which assumes the electricity flows out of the positive poll (which in reality it doesn't), and flows to the negative. The charge of the electron (which is negative) is what's responsible for this.

But in the case of DC, the polarity, and hence the polls are always fixed. There's a positive side, and a negative. In the case of AC (which is what comes out your wall outlet), the polls reverse/oscilate where first one side is positive, then it is negative for a time, and back...

Europe uses a slightly different power setup with 220 v from the outlet as I'm remembering, though no doubt one of the posters from over-seas can say what they get out their outlet.

Needless to say, you want to set the PSU to the right mode (if it supports both) based on where you live; though all the PSUs I've bought locally have been pre-set for the electrical system as it exists here in the US, aka 120 v. A computer you bought in your locality would have been set for you (if needed), so don't have to worry there. If uncertain, and it does go, you might want a shop to do this, or someone to show you how, as it would require re-wiring your PC largely...

 

[Steevo]

I'm not sure I could give a ballpark figure for all capacitors. There might be some figures out there, though I'd have to check. There are methods to discharge capacitors, though one does want to be careful not to discharge them in such a manner that a circuit path is found through one's own body.

LOL, this brings back memories of when in this one computer engineering class I was taking, the teacher had this big arse capacitor. I'm not talking the sort one would tend to find in electronics here But rather one that stood more then a foot tall, perhaps about 2... Man that thing gave off one hell of a spark :laugh: Discharging a CRT can also give off something similar...

Anyhow, a little info

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor



The page itself goes into a lot more detail on what capacitors are and how they work, as well as some of what they're used for.

I have two that are 3" diamater and 9" long for dampening the voltage variation caused by 2 12" Subs and a 600RMS Watt amp in the trunk. Very nice.

 

[d3n00b]

Oh ok, well that's the fan thing that I broke. Thanks for the info again =)

 

[gonaads]

Oh ok, well that's the fan thing that I broke. Thanks for the info again =)

O.K. d3n00b

Let me get this straight. You broke the exaust fan from the computer case or the one of the PSU (Power Supply Unit)? :suprised:

If PSU then did you disassemble/remove the fan grill to cut the bent fan blade? And did the static sounds come from the PSU?

Now all these questions are null and void if the exaust fan in question is a computer case fan and not from the PSU.

If it is from the PSU and you messed with the fan while it was running then the PSU could be bad/damaged/burnt due to over heating for lack of cooling by the fan in question. You did say though that the power light on the mother board was on.

Hmmmmm, One other possibility than hasn't been touched on is the HDD (Hard Drive). If it is shutting down at odd times and just restarting then what could be happening is that you are developing bad sectors/clusters (sections/blocks on the hard drive where data is write to and read from by the Operating System) on the hard drive and when the computer tries to read data from these clusters it chokes and reboots. What you could do is a "scan disk" on the hard drive and see if it finds any bad sectors/clusters.

I had a drive begin to do this just out of the blue. It became more frequent, so I had to get a new hard drive.

 

[d3n00b]

well, I recently found out that the PSU is the thing i messed aroudn with. The fan in the PSU. It was stuck, so i tried pushing it so that it would start runnign again, but that was my mistake. By doing that, it broke. Powers went off in my room. My dad went to the basement to put electrcity back in my room, and the computer could still run, just the PSU fan was broken.

 

[Son Goku]

well, I recently found out that the PSU is the thing i messed aroudn with. The fan in the PSU. It was stuck, so i tried pushing it so that it would start runnign again, but that was my mistake. By doing that, it broke. Powers went off in my room. My dad went to the basement to put electrcity back in my room, and the computer could still run, just the PSU fan was broken.

Well, I know it's a little late in the saying, but you shouldn't have done that. It is possible to replace the fan, if one knows what they're doing and takes the necessary precautions, but at this point your PSU is likely shot.

That the circuit breaker tripped in the basement is also no good sign, neither are the static like sounds you reported comming from that thing. My recommendation. Don't try to fix that PSU, don't try to do anything with it. Get that comp down to a computer shop prompto, and have them replace the PSU. A bad PSU can also mess up the rest of your system and cause some pretty hefty repairs. I would not recommend running that system continually on that PSU anymore.

Also, make sure to get a good data backup before you take it down. Depending on how much data you have and the means you have to store it, copy it to a CD-RW (if it will fit), a DVD-RW (again same), of course in both cases depending on whether you have a CD or DVD burner. If you have an external HD, copy it there. Any data you can't replace, you want to get moved to some storage off that computer just in case somthing happens.

Once done, shut that thing down, take it to a shop and get that PSU replaced, prompto. Also explain to them what happened. The guys might laugh, but it's important you get this taken care of. Having them perform a full system diagnostic/test all your hardware, after this has happened to your power supply might also be prudent...

 

[gonaads]

well, I recently found out that the PSU is the thing i messed aroudn with. The fan in the PSU. It was stuck, so i tried pushing it so that it would start runnign again, but that was my mistake. By doing that, it broke. Powers went off in my room. My dad went to the basement to put electrcity back in my room, and the computer could still run, just the PSU fan was broken.

Oooooooo Kaaaaaaaaaaaaay




Did you use to put paper clips in electrical outlets? Just kidding.

Make sure that you get a good name brand PSU. Such as an Antec, Vantec or an Enermax.

Small question. What type/brand of computer do you have? Is it a generic put together at computer store/shop type. Or is it a Dell, Gateway or other brand name type?

And just for the next time (you hope there isn't a next time ), make sure that when you post your problem you post the specs of your computer. Well, if you know them. It will make it easier for any of us to try and help with solutions and such.

And welcome.

 

[d3n00b]

lol, yea, thanks for info. And Gokuo, I can't do any of that. My computer won't turn on, thats my problem

And trust me, I won't be doing anything stupid like this one again :S

So yea, I am going to be taking the computer to the computer store this weekend. Right now, i took out my old computer.

7.85 GB
35.0 MB of RAM

lol very slow

K, thanks again for help once again! =)