Loud crackling-Smell of Burning-Dead PC

[Takshaka]

I was merrily preparing dinner downstairs when I heard a kind of loud crackling noise coming from upstairs which startled the cat sitting on the wall outside. Thinking maybe a magpie was trying to get in through the open window I rushed upstairs to be greeted by the smell of burning .

After checking that the house wasn't on fire I noticed that my computer had shut down and realised that was the source of the burning smell. I tried to switch it back on and nothing happened.

I opened the case but couldn't see any visual signs of damaged components or tell where the smell was coming from, actually there wasn't as much smell in the case as out.

So I'm thinking the power supply has blown.

But I've noticed that when the front power switch is pressed the RAM LED on the motherboard comes on and power is going out to USB devices and the KVM switch. There's also a faint high pitched sound.

There's no other signs of power or bootup, no fans, no hard-drives, no beeps, no front power indicator.

Does this sound like a blown PSU or could it be the motherboard or something else?

Thanks in advance for any advice, suggestions or sympathy.

[mjc]

Sounds like it could very well be a blown power supply...

[azzey]

Yay! Fireworks! (It's a joke)

I agree with mjc, sounds like a power supply that's headed south. Let's hope that in this case, the explosion didn't blow up anything else in your computer.

Sometimes power supplies die peacefully, some blow up with fireworks and smoke (like yours) and sometimes they blow up with fireworks and smoke and also decide to wreck other components at the same time.

[Whyzman]

Thanks in advance for any advice, suggestions or sympathy.I would agree, definitely sounds like your PSU...

There are different rails or voltage lines that are separated within the PSU. It would appear that a portion of the unit is toasted and yet it is still capable of producing something. I would be cautious at this point and try a known working PSU to protect your motherboard from harm. Hopefully, it is not also a party to the mishap.

And definitely, sorry this happened! :(

Also, welcome tohttp://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif Forums!

[Takshaka]

Thanks for all the input.

I'll go & buy a new PSU tomorrow.

I removed my main harddrive and powered it up in a USB enclosure, it powered up without problem so hopefully the data's all in tact...I'll happily replace every other component as long as my harddrives are ok!

[azzey]

Data is usually most valuable, especially if you don't have a full backup handy. I know that for me, backing up 40gb of my stuff (no movies, by the way) is a pain, and this system isn't RAID compatible. But I did find a solution for that (see my sig http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif)

Glad to hear the drive lives...

[Paul Komski]

azzey - xcopy cant be compared to RAID since it is not a dynamic mirror and as long as you have a spare PCI slot you should be able to set up a RAID (possibly not bootable however) on a PCI controller card.

Takshaka - azzey has the right idea - if you have important data ALWAYS keep it backed up OFF THE PC. There are too many horror stories of lost data around and DVDs only cost dimes. Even removable hard drives have become very affordable.

[azzey]

Actually, Paul, I just put that in my sig for kicks! http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

IMHO, that would not be the smartest way to handle data backup... I dunno of you've been to www.afrotechmods.com, but he has some pretty funy-stupid stuff on there!

[Takshaka]

Good news, I fitted a new power supply and everything is now fully functional, nothing else was damaged and most importantly no data loss.

Thanks for all the help and support.

[saphalline]

Keep an eye on it, and check the mobo for any bulging or leaking capacitors (http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=25482). I've seen some components get fried from a blown-out PSU like yours but not show any signs for up to 6 months. Just keep an eye on it and back up your data ASAP.

[Takshaka]

Thanks for that info, I hadn't considered the possibility of problems revealing themselves later. I'll check the capacitors tomorrow.

[Whyzman]

And, back up all important data! ;)