Can blackout blow the power supply?

[ssoni223]

A friend says her PC no longer turns on....But All the peripherals do,
Could it be a blown power supply?
Is there an easy way to tell ?

If so, I'd prefer to just pop in a new power supply (assuming it's a trivial swap)
b/c I do not want to swap cases, b/c that it too much hassle. (even though it maybe cheaper)

Thanks!

This will fit her PC: (HP Pavillion 8655c)
http://www.usereasy.com/components/sfx-2020.htm


200W microATX PS3 Power Supply w/P4 12V Connector (Upgrade for HP-146SSC, with P4 support and higher power capacity) PN: SFX-2020 (Includes $7 instant rebate - normally $55)

 

[amdskip]

You can test your power supply but running a wire on the large atx power supply connector that connects the green wire(there is only one) to a black ground wire (there are multiple of these). The power supply fan will turn off if the power supply is still working but it could be that it isn't working fully correctly.

 

[ssoni223]

Is it an easy swap?

 

[Slappy00]

Quote: "Is it an easy swap?"

Yah but that depends a lot on the case its in... I have a chieftec case that lets me remove the powersupply with everything still in the comp. Some cases you might have to remove the cpu heatsink and such... take a look inside the case, it shoudl be quite obvios whether you can take it out or not..

 

[Zepper]

The surges that happen when the power comes back on are what usually blows things. Never turn stuff back on until you have observed steady power for at least 10-15 minutes. PSU swaps are usually an easy project, but those micro cases can sometimes make it a PITA.
.bh.
:moon:

 

[degeester]

PSU swaps I agree are usually easy. But the big name boxes (Dell, HP, Compaq) can be a pain in the rear. You just have to crack it open and look.

 

[User1001]

sometimes brand name desktop have their motherboards so that only their PS will work.

 

[ssoni223]

The PS was indeed the culprit.
And The HP allows the entire drive cage to be slid forward, so it was simple to swap the PS's

Well, ....there was ONE tiny thing... ;-)
The replacement PS didn't have a wire that plugged into the "PS Fan" prongs on the MB.
but I made sure the PS and CPU fans were both spinning...
so unless her apartment burns down, I think the swap was successful.
Thanks for the tips!

 

[SpeedFreak03]

I did that swap to an old pavilon of mine (it was actually given to me because it didn't work). I bought a regular size ATX PSU, and the drive cage kept hitting it, so I ended up buying a whole new case for it. Then 2 months later I sold the system for $200 .