Computer won't boot after taking apart PSU. EDIT: Now with pics!

[Maluno]

I was running off of an old Gateway Athlon Thunderbird rig when I noticed one day that the fan mounted on the outside of my powersupply was dead. I decided to take off the bottom cover of the PSU to see if I could replace the fan with a new one, as my computer was having problems with heat dissipation.

Today I did that, and checked out the fan, but decided to leave it go for now. I put the PSU back together again, and locked it into place in the case. When I plugged in the power cord, a loud, high-pitched ringing noise immediately started coming from the PSU.

I waited a minute, and when it didn't stop, I pushed the power button on the computer. Nothing happened, except the status indicator light on the power button turned orange, as it often does when the computer goes into hibernation, or just before it shuts down. I unplugged the power supply, took out the battery to clear cmos, and then set stuff up again, but with the same results.

HDD doesn't spin up or anything. No signal to the monitor. No bios beep code.

When I put my ear up to the mobo, however, I heard a soft sound that sounded something like the heads of a hard drive moving back and forth across a platter. It DIDN'T originate from the HDD, though.

I am completely confused as to what I have done. What does the ringing when you plug in the power cord to the PSU normally indicate?

PS. I noticed some white crust across some of the components inside the psu. It seemed to be some sort of corrosion, possibly originating from the bottom of some of the capacitors..

EDIT: PICS!

Inside PSU 01
Inside PSU 02
Inside PSU 03
Inside PSU 04
Inside PSU 05

 

[Fardringle]

Well, you've got leaking capacitors and a dead cooling fan in the PSU. The fact that it failed after you opened the PSU might be a coincidence (it just happened to pick now to die) or you did something to finally push it over the edge. Either way, I'd say you have a dead PSU that needs to be replaced...

 

[stevty2889]

Yeah, like he said the white crusty stuff means the capacitors in the power supply are leaking. It's probably a good thing it didn't power back up, because every PSU I have seen in that state ended up taking out other components as well. The PSU is done for.

 

[Maluno]

The fan was dead before I took the PSU cover off. That was the reason that I took it off, to see if I could replace the fan or not. So basically the psu is junk, and I need to buy a new one? The weird part is, that the computer was working fine for a few months before this... I guess I was just hoping that there was some simple fix I could do to get it back on its feet.

BTW, I have _tried_ to power back up, but the computer wouldn't do it. I guess I'll head over to FS/FT and check out some of the old power supplies people are selling. :\

 

[Maluno]

Check out the pics to see what I mean by the white crusty stuff...

What power supply would you guys recommend for a replacement??? I don't wanna spend much money at all on one, so probably get another 200watt generic for about 20 bucks? The faulty unit is a 200 watt.

EDIT: what about THIS one?

 

[stevty2889]

Hmm, that white crust doesn't look like leaky capacitors. Looks pretty dusty in there though. Try blowing out all the dust, and then try to boot with the bare minimums(1 stick of ram, cpu/heatsink and fan, video card(or onboard graphics if it has that)). Unplug all hard drives, cd drives, and PCI cards.

 

[Maluno]

I tried that and I still got the same results. The powersupply is still my main suspect. What _does_ it mean, when the power supply rings really loud and high-pitched when you plug it into the wall? I don't even have to turn the PC on, just plugging it in is enough to make it start ringing. I think I am going to purchase that cheapo powersupply I linked to unless you think I should do otherwise.

 

[mchammer]

That's an AT power supply you linked to, those are the old kind. Your gateway should be ATX style, you need to get an ATX style PSU. Also, gateway uses an unusual size PSU, so you may to drill holes in the case to mount it if they don't line up. And many OEM computers use the powwersuply fan to cool the processor as well. Since you will use a different style unit, make sure everything is well cooled and add fans if necessary.

 

[FlyingPenguin]

That white stuff is epoxy. It's supposed to be there. Holds the capacitors in place.

Leaking caps usually ooze brown. Examples:
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=195

 

[Maluno]

So I should go ahead and order an old ATX style PSU, then? That most likely is the culprit, since it is "ringing," so loudly when I plug it in. What does the ringing noise normally mean? That it is dead?

EDIT: I've decided on this one: Here

 

[Bassyhead]

That white stuff is a glue that holds components into place, not leaking capacitors. If you had leaking capacitors, the ooze would be brown, like FlyingPenguin said. Also, the ooze would be around the base or on the top of the capacitor, not all around it. You'd might also notice that the capacitor is bloated.

Can you test a known working good power supply to test with the computer? Unfortunately, there's a good chance that when a power supply goes out, it often takes other components with it.