[uncleo]

Greeting...I have an older Dell home computer with Pentium 3 and running XP Pro...was doing fine and then poof!...have power to my printer but not to hard drive or track ball mouse..try to turn on by pushing on button, but nada...am currently hooked to Comcast cable modem...any thoughts? Thanks

[Advertisements]

The first step in power supply diagnostics is determining whether or not the power comes on. Can you hear fans turning and drives motors spinning up, see little lights on the front of the CPU case or hear any beeps? If the system case is hot (if you get a shock) pull the plug immediately - you have a ground failure and a short. Once you are sure it's a bad power supply and not just a loose connection or something, then replacing it is easy.

You probably have the standard ATX PSU. Figure out what wattage you need and check out newegg.com for some great prices. Not knowing your system, I'd say to at least go for a 300W or 350W...but this does depend on your system also.

I'd check connections and look for shorts first, then replace the PSU if you cannot get it to work.

[katkat92]

The first step in power supply diagnostics is determining whether or not the power comes on. Can you hear fans turning and drives motors spinning up, see little lights on the front of the CPU case or hear any beeps? If the system case is hot (if you get a shock) pull the plug immediately - you have a ground failure and a short. Once you are sure it's a bad power supply and not just a loose connection or something, then replacing it is easy.

You probably have the standard ATX PSU. Figure out what wattage you need and check out newegg.com for some great prices. Not knowing your system, I'd say to at least go for a 300W or 350W...but this does depend on your system also.

I'd check connections and look for shorts first, then replace the PSU if you cannot get it to work.

[uncleo]

Thanks lots...but had it checked and seems that it is motherboard...and power supply?...anyway, getting both replaced and next big crash will probably bight the bullet and build all new...Thanks