PC Issues

[RedOctober]

Haven't been around too much, but with Paska and having some PC issues...well...

Going to give a rundown as to what happened in case this happens to you.

My PC would not turn off. Or more technically...power down. Windows would shut down as normal, but some of the hardware components just kept running and and didn't want to stop. Most notable, my fans. I knew they were running since they ALL have LED lights on them plus I have a clear side panel that allowed me to look inside. Also my two LED light strips in the front of the PC didn't shut down either. Who knew that all these bells and whistles would actualy me to discover some of my PC issues.

Did a bit of research, tried all theusual stuff(updating the BIOS, etc.) that doesnt cost $$$

Came down to two posibilities 1) Motherboard (I would have cried) or 2) The Power Supply.

I was suspicious of the power supply (source) since it came with the Case and it is over two years old. Replaced it (PowerMagic 500 watt) with the Antec Smartpower 2.0 (also 500 watt) and everthing now runs smooth...and much more quiter.

So if Microsoft shuts down but all your components inside your PC rebel...the PSU may be the culprit.

[estevino]

If your mainboard is getting old, or is of questionable quality, it is
sometimes the *interaction* between the PS and the mainboard that's the
problem. I've had cases where I've removed a PS and put it in
another machine, and it works perfectly, and the same for the mainboard.

Another issue is the power rating for the PS. If the PS doesn't
quite provide enough power, then the computer may tend to have some
funny behavior. A 200 watt PS sitting inside a machine with a
P-IV, a couple of hard drives, and various doo-dads might not be
sufficient, and you'll get all sorts of strange problems: windows will
crash, you may have memory errors, the computer will reboot itself, etc.

I'll echo Red's point: if your computer is acting *really* weird, the
PS may be at fault. But if you're not tech-savvy, leave the
replacement to someone with the know-how to do it; you can destroy your
computer otherwise.

estevino

[RedOctober]

Here's a calculator to determine if you got enough power. If you know what you have now power wise and know what you got running, you can pretty much tell if you need to upgrade.

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp

Also, as Estevino said...don't do anything to your PC unless you know what your doing. Sort of like working on a car, you may know how to change the oil or replace the battery yourself, but replacing the radiator or altenator should be left to someone who knows what thier doing. Otherwise....IV may end up charging you more because you worked on it first

[IV]