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Rofel Meights
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Posted - 2006.05.02 20:04:00 -
[1]
Ok,
So i boot up the computer as usual, nothings new no new hardware or software or updates of any kind. But something is different... yes theres a funny smell.. and its getting stronger. Whats that? Burning? Well that cant be good i thought to myself.. must be a bbq next door. I shut the window, but the smells getting stronger. A few minutes pass, im in the middle of loading up EVE and i begin to realise im almost choking on the burning rubbery smell. Then it hit me, something inside my computer was on the brink of exploding.
So i opened it up, had a sniff inside, and ive come to the conclusion that my Power Supply (black box at the top) is the culprit. Question is, what should i do? The smell is very strong, but i cant see any signs of scarring. The computer seems no more sluggish than usual, and it boosts up just fine. Obviously im hesitant about keeping it up and running for too long, so for now its safely unplugged from the mains.
My question is whats going on? I've never had any problems like this before, and i suppose its something to do with my power supply coming of age and fiddly bits inside falling apart. Although its only a year or so old, so should it really be giving up on life so soon?
Anyway i was hoping to get some insight on what to do. Ive no experiance in building computer systems on my own, ive no idea how to take it apart and someone advised me not to try and fix it by myself (yea that would have ended well )
Anyone had similiar problems? How did you guys fix it? And is there any chance the thing could go boom if i pushed my luck and loaded it up one more time?
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Lardarz B'stard
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Posted - 2006.05.02 20:07:00 -
[2]
My power supplies tend to break every few months. They can be temperamental little buggers.
Check the ATX connection on your motherboard. If there are little burnt bits around 2 of the connection pins then you may have a more sinister problem.
If not, I would suggest taking the power supply out and hoovering it - you may have some trapped dust. Then shake it and put it back in. If this doesnt fix it I would suggest buying a new one.
Exiles Recruitment |
Raven Aure
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Posted - 2006.05.02 20:09:00 -
[3]
Switch the computer off and unplug it from the mains.
Take it to an experienced computer engineer and describe the problem - I would imagine that a new power supply will be in order. ______________________
Originally by: Jim McGregor Most people are in write-mode only in these forums
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Jenny Spitfire
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Posted - 2006.05.02 20:12:00 -
[4]
Popped capacitors?
Cap problems. Check for leaks. Leaked caps smell very funny. ---------------- Official -V- Forum Wanderer. I only PvP on forums. :( RecruitMe@NOINT! |
Raven Aure
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Posted - 2006.05.02 20:16:00 -
[5]
Originally by: Jenny Spitfire Popped capacitors?
Cap problems. Check for leaks. Leaked caps smell very funny.
Ahh, I remember those Electronics lessons well ______________________
Originally by: Jim McGregor Most people are in write-mode only in these forums
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Tar Ecthelion
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Posted - 2006.05.02 20:47:00 -
[6]
Originally by: Jenny Spitfire Popped capacitors?
Cap problems. Check for leaks. Leaked caps smell very funny.
I have cap problems, but thats cause the Tech II ones cost too much. .....
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Kurren
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Posted - 2006.05.02 21:36:00 -
[7]
Edited by: Kurren on 02/05/2006 21:37:24 Have you checked the motherboard for any signs of burning? My experiences have been that if the power supply goes... the computer generally just doesn't start up, and the power supply generally has no effect on how well your computer performs as well. I would say, check the RAM, move to the processor and give it a sniff. Common sense will tell you that the smell will get stronger the closer you get to the burnt hardware.
A power supply smells, and this will sound rediculous but its true, like pennies when it fries. If it smells like burnt hair then it's probably something else. Also, a power supply is supposed to stop giving power if something in it screws up to keep from surging the rest of the computer.
My guess, depending on the smell, would be either your CPU or your motherboard... and if it's either one of those... its usually both. --- --- --- ---
SobaKai.com
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Rofel Meights
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Posted - 2006.05.02 21:57:00 -
[8]
Well i thought it was the power supply, im going to boot it back up and have another sniff about. As i said, it boots up as normal, runs no slower, and i cant see any visible scarring or burnts areas, nor any obvious defects on the motherboard.. as far as i can tell.
So if it is the cpu and/or mobo thats burning up, does that mean they both need to be completely replaced? I mean im running a 1 1/2 year old system which still uses AGP yet has a nifty 6800ultra in it, and if it comes down to replacing more than 2 components im thinking of just going for a completely new SLI system.
Anyway thanks for the replies, im going to get back to LOST and probably just send it off to a specialist for them to fiddle about with.
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Jin Jemai
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Posted - 2006.05.02 22:40:00 -
[9]
Dr. Penfield! I smell burnt toast! (gotta be canadian to get it :P )
I had the exact same thing happen to me Rofel, and I assumed the same as you, that it would be fine because the pc was still running good, assumed it was a bit of cat hair that got sucked in and crisped.
Two days later my PC wouldnt boot up at all, and after opening the power supply I saw that the wires had completely melted to eachother. Had to replace the bloody thing.
If you have any concerns that your power supply is possibly burning up, don't take chances, just spend the $20 replacing it before it goes and has the chance of damaging the rest of your pc. ----- Lighten up a little bit. It's only the end of the world. |
Eternal Fury
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Posted - 2006.05.03 00:21:00 -
[10]
And when you replace your Powersupply, don't just get the cheap 20$ one. buy a good reputable brand name. in the 7 years I worked in Computer repair, over 2/3rd of all computer problems(hardware) were powersupply related. The next highest cuplrit was dust on fans, causeing heat overloads/burned out CPU's/vid cards.
Before posting that you can't connect, look HERE and see if the server is up. |
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Raven Aure
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Posted - 2006.05.03 00:26:00 -
[11]
Originally by: Eternal Fury And when you replace your Powersupply, don't just get the cheap 20$ one. buy a good reputable brand name. in the 7 years I worked in Computer repair, over 2/3rd of all computer problems(hardware) were powersupply related. The next highest cuplrit was dust on fans, causeing heat overloads/burned out CPU's/vid cards.
Our engineers tend to find that it's hard drives first and power supplies second. And they are almost always Maxtor HDDs in Dells that fail. Don't flame me if you're a Dell lover - I'm just presenting the statistics.
OT: As I said - get someone experienced and insured to take a look at it. It will be quicker and easier in the long run if you're unsure as to the cause. ______________________
Originally by: Jim McGregor Most people are in write-mode only in these forums
104 days and still a hijack virgin... |
Lord DeLaRafi
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Posted - 2006.05.03 12:04:00 -
[12]
Since i play EvE.. my GFC start to make the burning smell again... at last i found a mmorpg game that squeeze my gfc to the limit.
Quote: Benar Pun Aku Sik Raget.. tapi lamak lamak kelak..aku raget gik dari korang. raget jak korang dolok puas puas.
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Jin Jemai
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Posted - 2006.05.03 12:39:00 -
[13]
Originally by: Lord DeLaRafi Since i play EvE.. my GFC start to make the burning smell again... at last i found a mmorpg game that squeeze my gfc to the limit.
Yeah, damn those Voodoo 2's! ----- Lighten up a little bit. It's only the end of the world. |
Kurren
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Posted - 2006.05.03 18:37:00 -
[14]
Originally by: Raven Aure
Originally by: Eternal Fury And when you replace your Powersupply, don't just get the cheap 20$ one. buy a good reputable brand name. in the 7 years I worked in Computer repair, over 2/3rd of all computer problems(hardware) were powersupply related. The next highest cuplrit was dust on fans, causeing heat overloads/burned out CPU's/vid cards.
Our engineers tend to find that it's hard drives first and power supplies second. And they are almost always Maxtor HDDs in Dells that fail. Don't flame me if you're a Dell lover - I'm just presenting the statistics.
OT: As I said - get someone experienced and insured to take a look at it. It will be quicker and easier in the long run if you're unsure as to the cause.
Really? My hard drives last forever! I use Western Digital. What do you use? They still corrupt, yes, but I had one for about 5 years before it needed replacing.
And, if the CPU or the motherboard burn out, you don't necessarily have to replace both, but most often times... you do. Buy one and then the other... unfortunately the problem lies in wich to buy first. It's good that you're sending it off to a specialist. --- --- --- ---
SobaKai.com
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