Need help urgently. PSU or motherboard? Or both? Or hard drive!!! Read on

[dolf77]

Hi there, i need some urgent help from someone who knows their stuff.

 

I recently fitted my quad core, 8gb ram computer with a new hard drive. An extra 500 gb SATA drive which i unplugged the DVD drive inside so i had the connectors [dont use the DVD drive and just needed to power the extra HDD]

 

So i put it in, formatted it and for 48 - 72 hours everything was working fine. Put info on the new drive and, if anything, i noticed that shifting 500 gbs from my primary drive to this new one was making my comp work more quickly.

 

 

I noticed that there was a fair amount of heat coming from the computer. Not loads but hotter than usual.

 

 

Then the strangest 60 seconds of my computing life occured.

 

The temperature emanating from the rear of the computer soared. The fan started to make a louder noise than usual. I panicked and thought i needed to shut this thing down. As i was in the process, the music i was listening to started to slow down. Actually slow down. After 15 seconds of this the computer died.

 

I sat in shock and left it 10 minutes. Being a novice [and idiot] i thought it may have been a sporadic temperature fault that would just need some cooling.

I put the machine back on which started up for five second, crackled a little and died again. This time for good.

 

It hasnt started again since.

 

I smelt trhe smell of something in the air. Whether it was a fried power supply or motherboard i dont know but something was really hot and smelling like burnt.

 

 

So here i am, looking at the machine and it doesnt work.

 

The conclusions i have come to are thus

 

- The power supply packed up just because thats what they do sometimes

- The power supply packed up because the extra energy needed for the new hard drive was too much for the 450 watt psu.

- Due to the slowing of the music, i cant help but think that the motherboard just died.

 

 

I cannot see anything on the motherboard or components to suggest huge damage. The psu smells like burnt plastic. The computer is only 6 months old so this is a real concern.

 

Can anyone help me?

 

Does a new hard drive [in SATA form] require a larger power supply?

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Cheers

[Jelly Bean]

Hello and welcome.

 

Sounds like ypour PSU is gone.

 

But a burned out PSU could cause damage to a mainboard.Do you have or can you borrow a PSU to test the system?

[dolf77]

Hello and welcome.

 

Sounds like ypour PSU is gone.

 

But a burned out PSU could cause damage to a mainboard.Do you have or can you borrow a PSU to test the system?

 

 

 

ive managed to order one for 15 quid so its not too bad

 

 

im **** scared i have frazzled the motherboard

[Jelly Bean]

Test the system being very carefull once the new PSU has arrived.

 

Best not to panic at this moment.Often enough its just the PSU that has failed and you maybe ok.

[dolf77]

Test the system being very carefull once the new PSU has arrived.

 

Best not to panic at this moment.Often enough its just the PSU that has failed and you maybe ok.

 

 

 

do you know what will happen if the motherboard is cooked?

 

will it just not load?

[Jelly Bean]

If the maiboard is dead it will just not boot up.

 

But a failed PSU may of done no damage at all.

[dolf77]

If the maiboard is dead it will just not boot up.

 

But a failed PSU may of done no damage at all.

 

 

 

Are there any signs to a damaged motherboard?

 

Could the smell of burning come from there?

[Plastic Nev]

Hi, if there are no signs of anything burnt on the top of the motherboard and no components blackened, there is very little can be achieved until the new PSU is connected. If there is a problem with the MB then as Jelly Bean says, it just won't boot up. However if no sign of any problem, you stand a good chance of things being OK.

Nev.

[KenB]

Hi,

 

The power supply packed up just because thats what they do sometimes

- The power supply packed up because the extra energy needed for the new hard drive was too much for the 450 watt psu.

- Due to the slowing of the music, i cant help but think that the motherboard just died.

 

As already suggested it does sound as if the PSU is the problem.

 

You are correct when you say that this is what they do sometimes.

 

The 450W PSU would not burn out due to the addition of a second hard drive.

 

The slow music can be explained by the PSU failing.

The voltage to the DVD/CD drive could have dropped drastically ( due to failing PSU ) and, not having enough voltage to run the CD drive the unit runs at a much slower r/m - result .....slow music.

 

The extra heat could also be linked to the failing PSU.

There is a coil inside and if this fails it can generate the type of heat and burning smell you mention.

 

Hopefully this will be as simple as replacing just the PSU.

 

If you need to replace the motherboard too this comes with its own problems.

Post back before you go down this route.

 

Sometimes a failing PSU does take out a section of the motherboard and, as already suggested, you will only know this when you replace the PSU and test.

[dolf77]

OH DEAR

 

Just like to satart by saying thanks for all the advice

 

 

I got my new PSU and my computer now has power but it is not booting up.

 

The hard drive is clicking as though it is processing, it sounds like it did before the blackout but there is nothing on the screen and no boot up.

 

 

What do i do?

[KenB]

The hard drive is clicking

This doesn't sound good.

A clicking hard drive is usually a failing or failed hard drive.

 

It is difficult to describe "clicking" but hard drives usually "whirr" not click.

 

There are "clicking" sounds recorded here:

Failing hard drive sounds - Datacent.com - Datacent

 

Click on the arrow.

 

Does yours sound like any of these?

[dolf77]

This doesn't sound good.

A clicking hard drive is usually a failing or failed hard drive.

 

It is difficult to describe "clicking" but hard drives usually "whirr" not click.

 

There are "clicking" sounds recorded here:

Failing hard drive sounds - Datacent.com - Datacent

 

Click on the arrow.

 

Does yours sound like any of these?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, its whirring. Its definetly whirring. I have become accustomed to the sounds it makes when it boots and i can say with somecertainty it has loaded windows and is just sitting there.

 

No picture though.

 

 

I think i may have part baked my motherboard and i think my graphics card has been a victim

[KenB]

i can say with somecertainty it has loaded windows

Do you get the Windows Chimes from your speakers?

 

Do you get any POST beeps after switching on?

One is normal - other combinations indicate a problem.

If you get more than one post the sequence here.