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Hardware Troubleshooting Guide
Troubleshooting Tips for Cases and Power Supplies
The
most important part of a computer case is its power supply.
Unfortunately, it's also the part that has most of the
problems for a case. There are two situations when a new
power supply may appear dead on arrival (DOA) when they are
actually working as described below:
Most cases and power supplies these days are made and tested
in China and other Asian countries where 220V electricity is
used. Desktop computer power supplies do not switch the
power voltage automatically. (Most notebook computers do!)
If the factory forgets to turn the manual switch back to
110V for the North American market after testing, the power
supply would appear DEAD if you use on a 110V-outlet.
Therefore, always check the voltage setting on the
back of a new power supply FIRST if it appears dead.
Do
not expect an ATX power supply to work by simply plugging
the power and turning on the switch. ATX power supplies are
soft-switched on and off by the motherboard and BIOS.
Therefore, you must plug it to a working motherboard with a
working microprocessor, memory and video card to work. If
your computer does not turn on after you turn on the power
switch, it may not necessarily mean a dead power supply.
The problem might be with the motherboard,
microprocessor, memory or video card instead. You
must examine all these components to isolate the problem.
The
most effective technique to tell if a power supply is
causing any problem is to use a different one to see if it
solves the problem. If everything works with a different
power supply, then the new power supply is most likely the
troublemaker. Alternatively, you can plug the new power
supply to an existing, working computer to see if it works
there.
Computer cases are highly modular. If your computer case is
still under warranty, you don't have to send the entire case
back if only one part of it is defective. For instance, send
only the power supply back for exchange if only power supply
is dead. The same is true for the face panel and cover. This
would save you quite a bit of shipping and sometimes
downtime.
More than 70% of all computer problems are related to
cabling and connections. Ensure that you all the power plugs
are connected firmly, including power connections to your
motherboard and all the drives.
Make sure the cooling fan inside the power supply is working
all the time. Reach out to feel the fan behind your case
often. Clean the fan if necessary. If your case feels warmer
than room temperature, check the power supply fan first.
Most power supply fans are difficult to replace. You are
better off to replace the entire power supply since the new
one comes with a brand-new warranty.
Before ATX form factor became popular, the compatibility
between a power supply and a specific motherboard could be
problematic. However, this problem nowadays does not happen
very often any more.
The
rest of a case is mostly mechanical. You should be able to
find a way to get around most of the problems if you are
mechanically inclined.
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