[mythtv-users] Getting OT - Backend PC Powersupply...is it broken?

Steve Gonnella sgonnell at isd.net
Thu Dec 4 03:22:05 UTC 2008


On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 15:50:05 -0500, "Tom Dexter"
<digitalaudiorock at gmail.com> wrote:

>Thanks!  I'll keep that in mind.  In any case, it's apparently no
>surprise I had an issue with the original PSU.  From what I've read,
>the original PSUs that Dell used on the 4600s made around the time
>that was purchased (between 2003 and 2004) apparently failed very
>frequently.

Quick and dirty troubleshooting tips:

To check a PSU, first unplug it from the wall and mobo. Leave the
drives and everything else plugged in. Plug the PSU back into the wall
outlet. Using a paperclip bent in a U shape connect the green wire on
the mobo connector to one of the black (ground) wires next to it. If
the PSU is toast the internal fan and HDs won't spin up. If the fan
and HDs spin up the PSU is _probably_ OK. If you have to replace it be
aware that some Dell PSUs are wired a little differently so make sure
you get the appropriate one if needed.

If the PSU tests OK unplug it from the wall again. Unplug everything
from the mobo including all drive cables, all cards, all fans except
for the CPU fan and pull all memory modules. Pull the power on all
drives (HD, floppy & optical). At this point you should have only the
CPU, its fan and the PSU connector connected. Plug in the PSU and try
turning it on. We're assuming the power switch on the case is
functional here. If you get no beeps the mobo (or less likely the CPU)
is dead. My guess is that if the PSU is good and the flea lite is out
on the mobo, you've got a bad motherboard.

If you get a couple of beeps it that means it started to post until it
found the missing memory. Plug in the mem modules one at a time and
test. Pay attention to the instructions in your mobo manual here. Some
require two modules in certain slots and some require certain slots if
you add them one at a time. Plug in a graphics card if necessary. See
if it does the memory quick test and if you can get into the BIOS
setup to see if the mem is all recognized. Good so far? Pull all mem
except for the minimum number of modules needed to boot this far.

Plug in your boot drive and see what happens. If you got this far and
it craps out you've probably got a dodgy boot drive. You could also
plug in only the optical drive and test with a live CD. Assuming
you've got this far and you've replaced faulty parts start plugging in
additional drives then cards one at a time and test. 

By running each test with the minimum amount of hardware necessary to
do it, the bad hardware should expose itself. Good luck.
 


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