A computer components & hardware forum. HardwareBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » HardwareBanter forum » General Hardware & Peripherals » Homebuilt PC's
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Dead computer?



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #11  
Old January 29th 05, 04:16 PM
Patty
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 03:55:53 -0500, w_tom wrote:

Doors don't close. So they kept replacing doors. No one
noticed the foundation had collapsed. Does this sounds like
your computer problem?

Start at step one. We must first verify the foundation.
This requires an inexpensive and ubiquitous 3.5 digit
multimeter. No cheaper way around this solution. We must
determine which of three power supply system components is
dead OR determine the entire 'foundation' (power supply
system) is working. Again, we need that meter so that this is
verification is accomplished in but a few minutes (reading how
to do it takes many time longer than the actual measuring
task).

Information in these previous posts report where to measure
and what numbers to expect. In short, measure voltages on the
red, yellow, orange, and purple wires. Those voltages must be
within upper 3/4 limits of table. Purple wire voltage must be
there always - power on or off (which is why you must always
unplug a computer from wall before changing it). When
computer powers on, voltages then appear on red, yellow, and
orange wires - again in the upper 3/4 limits of those specs.

Any power supply can spin fans and hard disk, light LEDs,
and still be 100% defective. Without numbers, no one can say
whether power supply is good or bad. Previous discussion that
provides details on where to measure, what those limits are
(you must measure in upper 3/4 of those limits), and define
what is a good power supply:
"Computer doesnt start at all" in alt.comp.hardware on 10
Jan 2004 at
http://tinyurl.com/2t69q and
"I think my power supply is dead" in alt.comp.hardware on 5
Feb 2004 at
http://www.tinyurl.com/2musa

Even if you don't understand what those numbers report,
those numbers provide powerful facts so that others (with more
knowledge) can immediately provide help. Currently you
provide only enough facts to wildly speculate.

Once we have established the power supply system as
functional, only then can we move on to other suspects. Power
supply system (which is more than just a power supply) is the
foundation. First we must confirm the foundation is intact
before ever considering any other possible problem.


I have a multimeter, but I don't know what kind it is. I know it's a
Digital Multimeter, I know it does DC voltage measurement, DC 10 Amp
measurement as well as AC voltage measurement. I don't know much about
this and I'm not sure how to use it or set it to use it. The book is not
helpful to my "non-electrical knowledge" brain. ;o) All I know is it's a
GB Instruments GDT-11 Digital Multimeter. Maybe I'll do a Google search
and see if I can find some info on it to try to understand more how to use
it and how it works and if I can use it to check the power supply, which I
am confident that works as it should.

Patty
  #12  
Old January 29th 05, 06:33 PM
w_tom
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Power on digital multimeter. Turn selector switch to DC volts -
preferably the 20 volt range. Touch leads to points. Read voltage
number from display. When done, turn meter power off.

Patty wrote:
On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 03:55:53 -0500, w_tom wrote:
I have a multimeter, but I don't know what kind it is. I know it's a
Digital Multimeter, I know it does DC voltage measurement, DC 10 Amp
measurement as well as AC voltage measurement. I don't know much

about
this and I'm not sure how to use it or set it to use it. The book is

not
helpful to my "non-electrical knowledge" brain. ;o) All I know is

it's a
GB Instruments GDT-11 Digital Multimeter. Maybe I'll do a Google

search
and see if I can find some info on it to try to understand more how

to use
it and how it works and if I can use it to check the power supply,

which I
am confident that works as it should.

Patty


  #13  
Old January 29th 05, 07:07 PM
Patty
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On 29 Jan 2005 09:33:11 -0800, w_tom wrote:

Power on digital multimeter. Turn selector switch to DC volts -
preferably the 20 volt range. Touch leads to points. Read voltage
number from display. When done, turn meter power off.


Do you have the computer and power supply turned on when you do this?
Thanks so much. I'm learning something new here.

Patty
  #14  
Old January 29th 05, 07:51 PM
Sam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Sometime on, or about Fri, 28 Jan 2005 23:45:51 -0800, johns wrote:

I learned the hard way to stop taking these old flakers
to raise. If you build her up a junker, it will fail too,
and no doubt take down her tax records and retirement
account, and she will blame you and haul the thing to
the XBOX PRO-TEENS who will charge her $300
just to recover her data onto a floppy. You will be in
to this for the rest of your life, plus lose a friend while
trying to do her a favor. Tell her to buy a DELL, and
get it going for her. If she says she is starving to death,
and will have to go raise camels in the desert, just
smile and say, "That sounds like fun, and you can
send me an email about it on your new DELL." If
she needs someone to complain too, she can call DELL
tech-support. They specialize in little-old-lady ( LOL)
Psycho-lology, and you can get your life back.

johns


Any computer can die, whether old or new. That's what backups are for.

Sam
--
To mail me, please get rid of the BS first
  #15  
Old January 29th 05, 08:08 PM
Patty
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On 29 Jan 2005 09:33:11 -0800, w_tom wrote:

Power on digital multimeter. Turn selector switch to DC volts -
preferably the 20 volt range. Touch leads to points. Read voltage
number from display. When done, turn meter power off.


I'm sorry, I hate to sound terribly blond here, but I don't understand how
this works. If I'm supposed to get a reading of 12.0 here, how can I when
the display is only 0.00? I think that perhaps this is the wrong kind of
multimeter. Can someone please explain this to me clearly? How does this
work? What am I supposed to touch the red and black leads on the
multimeter to? Am I supposed to have the power supply plugged in, turned
on and the computer turned on as well? Or, just the power supply turned on
or none of the above? I understand that the big plastic connectors on the
power supply that connect to the drives are supposed to be the 12v, right?
But which are the -12v? Which are the 3.3? I am so confused here. I've
never done this before. Thanks so much. I'm just thinking I should stick
this power supply in another box and see if it works, that to me would be
much simpler.

Patty
  #16  
Old January 29th 05, 08:37 PM
JAD
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Dear Patty,
Put the multimeter away and have a cup of tea. Although someone here
will be more than happy to type the play by play of the how to's, you
should not mess around with electricity of a higher voltage. Start out
with a battery 'D' cell or AA, and practice, not a potentially
dangerous piece of equipment.


"Patty" wrote in message
.. .
On 29 Jan 2005 09:33:11 -0800, w_tom wrote:

Power on digital multimeter. Turn selector switch to DC volts -
preferably the 20 volt range. Touch leads to points. Read

voltage
number from display. When done, turn meter power off.


I'm sorry, I hate to sound terribly blond here, but I don't

understand how
this works. If I'm supposed to get a reading of 12.0 here, how can

I when
the display is only 0.00? I think that perhaps this is the wrong

kind of
multimeter. Can someone please explain this to me clearly? How

does this
work? What am I supposed to touch the red and black leads on the
multimeter to? Am I supposed to have the power supply plugged in,

turned
on and the computer turned on as well? Or, just the power supply

turned on
or none of the above? I understand that the big plastic connectors

on the
power supply that connect to the drives are supposed to be the 12v,

right?
But which are the -12v? Which are the 3.3? I am so confused here.

I've
never done this before. Thanks so much. I'm just thinking I should

stick
this power supply in another box and see if it works, that to me

would be
much simpler.

Patty



  #17  
Old January 29th 05, 08:50 PM
Patty
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 11:37:52 -0800, JAD wrote:

Dear Patty,
Put the multimeter away and have a cup of tea. Although someone here
will be more than happy to type the play by play of the how to's, you
should not mess around with electricity of a higher voltage. Start out
with a battery 'D' cell or AA, and practice, not a potentially
dangerous piece of equipment.



Well, I did a rechargeable AA battery. It tested 1.28v on the multimeter
and the battery should be 1.2v so I guess that's pretty good. And, I don't
drink tea, I'd much rather have an Absolute and Diet Coke. ;o) Besides,
I've already helped my husband re-wire our house so I do understand
something about electricity, I just don't understand how these multimeters
work.

Patty
  #18  
Old January 29th 05, 09:24 PM
JAD
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

as long as you know the dangers.........

ok so then you must realize that the power must be on....only, if you
pull the connector off the mainboard the PSU will not function..... if
you are just testing the 12 v supply to the hard drives...which is
only a small part of what the PSU supplies, then that doesn't apply.
so black is ground and yellow and red are hot, each supplying a
different voltage. black to black red to yellow or red on the
molex connector to the HD's. But once again another 'oddity' both
blacks are not 'common'. Confused yet?


"Patty" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 11:37:52 -0800, JAD wrote:

Dear Patty,
Put the multimeter away and have a cup of tea. Although someone

here
will be more than happy to type the play by play of the how to's,

you
should not mess around with electricity of a higher voltage. Start

out
with a battery 'D' cell or AA, and practice, not a potentially
dangerous piece of equipment.



Well, I did a rechargeable AA battery. It tested 1.28v on the

multimeter
and the battery should be 1.2v so I guess that's pretty good. And,

I don't
drink tea, I'd much rather have an Absolute and Diet Coke. ;o)

Besides,
I've already helped my husband re-wire our house so I do understand
something about electricity, I just don't understand how these

multimeters
work.

Patty



  #19  
Old January 29th 05, 09:36 PM
Patty
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Just came across a neat gizmo called an "Antec Power Supply Tester"
recommended by Tom's Hardware. Have one waiting for me at Circuit City
(ordered online for instore pickup). At $10 (including tax) the price is
right and it's suppose to make testing power supplies much simpler. I'm
still not sure the multimeter I have is the right kind to have, but we'll
see when I get the power supply tester. Thanks everyone for the
suggestions.

Patty
  #20  
Old January 29th 05, 09:39 PM
Patty
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 10:51:58 -0800, Sam wrote:

Sometime on, or about Fri, 28 Jan 2005 23:45:51 -0800, johns wrote:

I learned the hard way to stop taking these old flakers
to raise. If you build her up a junker, it will fail too,
and no doubt take down her tax records and retirement
account, and she will blame you and haul the thing to
the XBOX PRO-TEENS who will charge her $300
just to recover her data onto a floppy. You will be in
to this for the rest of your life, plus lose a friend while
trying to do her a favor. Tell her to buy a DELL, and
get it going for her. If she says she is starving to death,
and will have to go raise camels in the desert, just
smile and say, "That sounds like fun, and you can
send me an email about it on your new DELL." If
she needs someone to complain too, she can call DELL
tech-support. They specialize in little-old-lady ( LOL)
Psycho-lology, and you can get your life back.

johns


Any computer can die, whether old or new. That's what backups are for.

Sam


Yeah, and has anyone called Dell Tech Support in recent years? You get
someone who barely speaks English and the first thing they tell you for any
problem is your Windows is corrupted and you need to reformat and reinstall
Windows. Not something I'd want to leave up to a computer illiterate old
lady.

Patty
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Is it time for a new computer? Travis King Overclocking AMD Processors 12 July 6th 04 06:22 PM
Hewlett-Packard & Circuit City Richard E Sgrignoli General 2 March 17th 04 10:42 AM
Major Computer Problems Toronto Garage Door Company General 20 November 13th 03 10:41 PM
Silent Computer - Advice David Taylor General 49 October 7th 03 11:26 AM
Silent Computer - Advice David Taylor Homebuilt PC's 51 October 7th 03 11:26 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 01:12 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 HardwareBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.