Re: Starting up your PC
"w_tom" <w_tom1@usa.net> wrote in message
news:085bdaa7-444b-48fe-96dd-ae62c429f2d1@e39g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
On May 8, 7:22 pm, attilathehun1
<attilatheh...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> Ok I see the green wire. It's on the P1 connector to the motherboard. So
> stick a paperclip into the green wire socket and then to the black wire
> socket? Ok, I'll give it a shot. Should I wait for your reply? Am I
correct
> or getting warm to the area that I should be using the paperclip? If I am
or
> not, please tell me. I'll wait before using the paperclip.
First, even if shorting wrong wires, no damage to power supply or
computer will occur. That is an industry standard requirement.
A computer good power supply can work in one machine and yet be
completely defective in another. And a defective power can boot a
computer. Just a few of many problems with shotgunning. It provides
nothing but a speculative answer.
A meter (less than $20 even in Kmart) could have answered all your
questions quickly or meant the next reply here 1) solved your problem
and 2) taught something useful.
Is a wire loose on the switch? Meter measuring voltage on that
green wire and on purple wire (both before and when power switch is
pressed) means my next response could have answered that.
Overal procedure is "When your computer dies without warning....."
starting 6 Feb 2007 in the newsgroup alt.windows-xp at:
http://tinyurl.com/yvf9vh
Connector chart to locate each color:
http://www.hardwarebook.net/connector/power/atxpower.html
In your case, the important numbers were from purple and green
wires. If those numbers were correct, then numbers from any one of
orange, red, and yellow wires are important. Is it the power supply,
or power supply controller, or loose switch, or ... the list of
suspects is long. Numbers from a less than two minute procedure would
have answered for everything almost immediately.
One accused Dell for using nonstandard connections. A problem from
most computer so cheap as to never intended for upgrade. Standard
computers (not constructed to cut costs) don't have this problem.
Dell got blamed here for the same thing that Gateway and so many
others also did - only because a human did not know the difference
between a standard computer and one designed to never be upgraded.
Standard pinouts are provided to alleviate any confusion.
When all done with the paper clip short, a useful answer still does
not exist - only speculation. Only definitive answer means numbers
from a meter - a tool so complex as to only be sold where people can
also use a hammer. Get numbers from a meter so that the better
informed here can acutally provide a useful reply.
------------------------------------------------------------
And there you have a textbook example of superciliousness
(and yes, those not getting my point will rail about either the
hypocrisy or irony they perceive to reside in my next remarks).
Problems of the sort that the OP is having make it probable
that he wouldn't be a good candidate for explaining concepts
such as power factor, root mean square, wave form types,
alternating, fully rectified or pulsed DC current and probably
doesn't possess a quality meter (let alone oscilloscope) nor
would he likely be versed in its usage, so such an approach
is likely to be less than efficacious.
In that he described that the power supply had formerly been
functioning adequately and continued to do so after installing
into another computer (after the first experienced an issue), the
problem is very much less likely to be the PSU. His approach
would not have been mine but I was only attempting to respond
to his specific requests for how to "start your PC by touching
2 points". But in any case, to test voltages, he's going to first
have to somehow "turn on the power supply". If he still desires
additional info on power supplies, I suggest these primers:
http://www.motherboards.org/articles/guides/1487_1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_power_supply
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switched-mode_power_supply