We have two front USB ports that are one on top of the other. My 2 year old daughter yanked the flash drive out of the top one, which seems to have broken the middle piece between the two ports. When I discovered it, the middle piece was tilted down and the top port was missing the little white plastic thing.
I bent the middle piece back into position after shutting down the computer. The top port was a goner, but I could fit a flash drive into the bottom port again. I tried to turn the computer on, but nothing. It was dead. Like what you car does when you find you've left the headlights on all night. Then I noticed a faint, weird, burn smell or something. Hard to describe. Couldn't smell it unless I was right down on the ground near the USB ports.
I disconnected the front ports from the motherboard, still nothing. What in the world happened?? Thanks!!