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So early this morning I hear a big bang, get up look around and my computer is off, and like power was reset. I go check the rest of the house, and everything is fine. So I deside, hmmm maybe just some weird power serge. I click the power button, and another big bang, and a bunch of sparks coming from my power supply, and the circuit from my room is dead. I then fixed the circuit and tryed it one more time, this time same thing, but circuit didn't get fried.

I don't know what to do now. Well, get a new one I guess. What happened. I didn't even know powersupplys could spark like that, and nothing was added or changed, so how could it all of a sudden do this. I'm very puzzled.

Please help me explain this.

*edit, i didn't mean to post this in the Vista section....please change.
 
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Do you have a surge protector? Did you check that to see if the light is blinking indicating there was a surge and it failed?
 
This happened to me one. I turned my computer off at the switch on the back of the power supply and went out the pub. When I got back I turned this switch on but didn't turn my PC on. After a few minutes there was a huge bang and a flash from my computer. After assuring my startled parents that I wasn't messing with firearms, I took out the PSU which was burnt out and replaced it with a new one. Everything worked fine from then on with no other problems.

What's strange is that I didn't try to boot the PC up or anything, it was just the mains power going in to the PSU that did it. No idea why though!
 
PC's these day draw standby current. The PSU is working even when its "off". Those in the USA should get a better bang and lightshow due to the higher ampage of the current.

Generally if your pc goes bang and flashes you do *not* try turning it on a few more times unless you are trying to set your house on fire.

I must admit I was a little suprised at how quiet a psu I fried was recently. 240V into a psu set to 110V - silent death.
 
This is a 620W powersupply, and yes I had a serge protector, it wasent flashing so I dont know
 
Probably a capacitor inside went "pop". Then when ya tried to power up again another capacitor or two went "pop" due to the now shorted out and very dead first capacitor.

Rule of thumb on any electrical apparatus is, once ya let the smoke out ya can't put it back in, and it ain't gonna work no more, ain't gonna work no more. The sound and light show shoulda been yer clue as to not flip the switch again. :p
 
I suppose it could have been worse - it could have started a fire in the whole house :)

I've never seen a fatal power supply blowout (for the user) so far in 15 years of PC experience and 5 years of Pro experience :)
 
-Quit turning it back on!
-Assume nothing! Though if you tripped the breaker to your room that indicates the PSU is toast.
-The failed components could be MB capacitors!

1) Unplug the PSU and open the PC case.
2) Pull the PSU and save it.
3) Physically examine the MB and look for bulging capacitors with goo pushing out of them. If none are visible go back to the PSU.
4) Take the PSU and the cord out to the patio and plug it in out there. It will probably pop again. If it does it is lost, but save it for warantee claims.
If the PSU fried the rest of the PC and you bought a reputable brand they will warantee the collateral damage to other components. If the PSU does not pop take a metal paper clip and jumper the green and black wires on the MB connector. The PSU fans may spin up. If they do the problem may not have been the PSU. Leave the PSU in the garage or in a covered area out doors.

5) Now you need to start checking out the PC. That requires a known good PSU.
-Strip it down to bare bones before starting (MB,CPU, minimal RAM) to avoid anymore risk of collateral damage.
-See if it posts (kybd lights flash) if it doesn't the CPU and/or MB is toast. If it won't boot further checkout of the MB or CPU is very risky since you could damage other new components. I keep a crappy old MB and CPU around for days like this.
-If it posted then try adding a video card to see if it will boot. From there add back in HD and optical drives, second video cardsetc.

Now please tell me if it was an Antec or Enermax. If its another brand I want to gloat about how screwed you are in front of the people who keep posting how great their $20 PSUs are.... (I'm having surgery tomorrow and am in a nasty mood.)

PS The worst is when it just pours out smoke (yes, heavy metal contamination and lots of toxic other materials). Then you find out how useless insurance companies are when it comes to smoke damage and toxic contamination clean up.
 
4) Take the PSU and the cord out to the patio and plug it in out there. It will probably pop again. If it does it is lost, but save it for warantee claims.
If the PSU fried the rest of the PC and you bought a reputable brand they will warantee the collateral damage to other components. If the PSU does not pop take a metal paper clip and jumper the green and black wires on the MB connector. The PSU fans may spin up. If they do the problem may not have been the PSU. Leave the PSU in the garage or in a covered area out doors.
Why bother.
I'm pretty sure its extremely dangerous to plug the dead PSU in again...
Especially if the capacitors are screwed.
Just get another one...
Don't risk and damage to yourself or your house...
 
Well, it wont even pop anymore so testing is done either way lol

Going to get a new one tommorow, I was reading that if your powersupply is a certain amount, but your computer is not even pulling out close to that amount its bad for it. Is that true, that might of been the problem and caused it to blow over time.
 
Here we go again...

It depends on whether you buy a good power supply or a ****ty one. A junk power supply may have over voltages on it's outputs if they are too lightly loaded. A good supply is designed to run from 0 to Full load.

The main draw back to buying too big a supply, as long as it's a good one, will be it uses more power from the wall when lightly loaded. Power supplies usually get their best performance when loaded about 75% of rated.

WELL? What brand was the dead body? I'm dying to know.
 
It was a Enermax
I never liked Enermax :p
But that statement about no name verse name brand psus is complete bs btw...
My psu died, the one that came with the case.
I knew it would, it was underpowered.
So I replaced it with a 20 dollar Logysis 550w psu, and it runs perfect.
Been on the logysis for about 1.5 years now.
 
What is a good name, going tommorow to get a new one.

I think I am going to go with a 500W one this time, is there away to tell how much power your computer needs?
 
What is a good name, going tommorow to get a new one.

I think I am going to go with a 500W one this time, is there away to tell how much power your computer needs?
I like Thermaltake and Antec.
But i guess Enermax isn't bad apparently
Why not get it from newegg and save some money?
 
I'm taking it back to where I got it, still on warrenty, but I was going to maybe try to get a different kind, i was thinking about Thermaltake, I have always liked there fans and stuff.
 
I'm taking it back to where I got it, still on warrenty, but I was going to maybe try to get a different kind, i was thinking about Thermaltake, I have always liked there fans and stuff.
Yeah, thermaltake is good.
 
I still think it was very weird, I have never ever! seen a powersupply do that. Hopefully once I get a new one, everything else is alright!
 
Glug... Enermax is one of the good ones. Now the good news is they should be willing to cover any collateral damage to other components. Antec is also good. SAZAR mentioned a while back thermaltake was liscencing Antec designs. I don't know if that is still true. Note with Antec make sure it is aTruepower model. The Neo and Smartpower are actually cheap power supplies with an Antec logo on them. I have a post somewhere around here explaining about that and how to find out. You can't always be sure thePSU you buy was built by the company whose name is on it. Which leads to why your PSU fried:

There has been a major problem in the far east with companies making shoddy electrolytic capacitors. These parts are failing in large quantities and causing even good companies that make the MBs and PSUs to have problems. A popping sound is likely the capacitor electrolyte overheating and rupturing its case. A crackle would be the transformer arcing over. A sudden snap would be the power transistors exploding. Smoke and burning smell would be a fan/cooling failure.

The reason to avoid the no-name brands is that all they use are the cheapo bulk capacitors to save money so they are more susceptible to getting defective peice parts. Yeah, you can get a no-name that will last 20 years, but statistically you are at higher risk of getting crap parts because their supplier chain is not tracked as closely as name companies track theirs.
 
So I ended up getting an Antec Truepower Trio 550W

everything seems to be fine now. Hopefully it was just the PSU, and nothing else is wrong.
 

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Also Hi EP and people. I found this place again while looking through a oooollllllldddd backup. I have filled over 10TB and was looking at my collection of antiques. Any bids on the 500Mhz Win 95 fix?
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Just did some crude math and I apparently joined almost 18yrs ago, how is that possible???
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