[infected????]

hi guys.
my sister's computer (p4 with windows xp 32bit)
the above pc started acting weird a few weeks ago, and by weird i mean taking forever to load something the other times taking no time at all and then the time kept changing. At the same time emitting a slight smell.
i opened the pc up and noticed dust clogging the cpu and the fans.
i cleaned the dust out removed the heat sink and put new thermal paste taking care to ground my self.
the next day when i turned it on the motherboard didn't make the beep its supposed to and only the fans including the stock heat sinks were working.
note* while no beeping sound was heard i did hear some weird noises coming from the pc.
i reset the BIOS to try and fix the time problem and that worked.
after few restarts the pc loaded and worked fine for ten minutes then it crashed. i restarted then a very strong smell coming from the psu flooded the room.


is my only likely problem a burnt out psu, is there more to it?
is it worth getting a new psu on a fairly old computer?

thanks for taking your time to read about my problem xD

[Advertisements]

Hi infected????

is my only likely problem a burnt out psu, is there more to it?

Hopefully it is only a PSU problem but unfortunately until you are able to try a known good replacement then the answer is unknown, checking everything else is correctly attached first is priority.

is it worth getting a new psu on a fairly old computer?

This is a matter that only the person/s that are affected by the issue can decide, this is why borrowing a PSU for testing is the most practical answer, I would not recommend purchasing a PSU without doing this or if the cost would be more than what the computer itself was worth, provide us with as much detail as you can so that we can see how old the computer is likely to be.

[phillpower2]

Hi infected????

is my only likely problem a burnt out psu, is there more to it?

Hopefully it is only a PSU problem but unfortunately until you are able to try a known good replacement then the answer is unknown, checking everything else is correctly attached first is priority.

is it worth getting a new psu on a fairly old computer?

This is a matter that only the person/s that are affected by the issue can decide, this is why borrowing a PSU for testing is the most practical answer, I would not recommend purchasing a PSU without doing this or if the cost would be more than what the computer itself was worth, provide us with as much detail as you can so that we can see how old the computer is likely to be.

[infected????]

its is a p4 3.0ghz
ati 9550
250 gb hd
windows xp 32bit 240 wat psu i believe.

i have only one other psu in the house and that's in my "good pc"
an interesting note is that when i reset the bios it thought we were in 2002

thanks for replying

[phillpower2]

Thanks for the system details they are helpful
Clues to how old the system is;
its is a p4 3.0ghz
ati 9550 an AGP type graphics card that was manufactured between 1999 and 2004
250 gb hd
windows xp 32bit
240 wat psu i believe. Suggests that the PC may be a brand name such as Dell or HP etc, this is important as named brands and certainly older ones used non propriety components such as smaller PSUs which also had different PSU connectors meaning that standard ATX PSUs are not compatible, if this is a named brand computer the brand and model name or number (not serial) will be required to find the correct PSU.

i have only one other psu in the house and that's in my "good pc

It may not fit in any event and it is your choice whether to use it for testing or not.

an interesting note is that when i reset the bios it thought we were in 2002

This occurs when the CMOS battery needs to be replaced, when the power that maintains the BIOS chip is lost the MB is restored back to the factory default settings, this tells us that the MB was manufactured in 2002, if the PC is to be retained the CMOS battery must be replaced.
.jpeg courtesy of rshaffer61

EDIT: Additional info included.

Edited by phillpower2, 28 August 2011 - 09:15 AM.

[infected????]

so i have rechecked the cabling and it is as it was.
the psu is 240v but 330 wats "total". i gogled the number and they didn't have the answer o.O

[phillpower2]

Ok, swapping in a known good PSU or having the present one tested professionally is all I can suggest.
From post #4

if this is a named brand computer the brand and model name or number (not serial) will be required to find the correct PSU.

Is it a brand name such as Dell or HP? If it is provide the details and we can find a PSU if required.

[infected????]

i have a friend who has a friend in an i.t. business and has taken it to see what he can do. thanks for the help

[phillpower2]

You are welcome good luck and let us know how it goes or if we can assist in any way.