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Manyof the cheaper supplies provide noisy or unstable power, which can causenumerous problems with the system. Cheappower supplies might in fact put out the rated power, but what about noise anddistortion? Some of the supplies are under-engineered to just barely meet theirspecifications, whereas others might greatly exceed their specifications. People familiar with high-end audio systems knowthat some watts are better than others. Not all 300-wattsupplies are created the same. The wattage rating can sometimes be very misleading. Some systems have inadequate powersupplies from the start, however, and cannot adequately service the power-hungryoptions you might want to add. Most desktopor tower systems are built in this manner.
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Some systems are designed with beefy power supplies, as if toanticipate a great deal of system add-ons and expansion components. Overloaded Power SuppliesĪ weak or inadequate power supply can put a damper on your ideas for systemexpansion. Becausethe power supply literally powers everything else in the system, everything fromdisk drive problems to memory problems to motherboard problems can often betraced back to the power supply as the root cause. Many types of symptoms can indicate problems with the power supply. The last item added before the failure returns is likelydefective. If it works, add back in items one at a time until the system failsagain. Remove all boards and drives and retest thesystem. If it's below spec, replace the power supply.Ĭheck installed peripherals. Use a digital multimeter to check for propervoltages. Check for loosescrews.Ĭheck DC power output. Make sure the motherboard and disk drivepower connectors are firmly seated and making good contact. Try a different cord.Ĭheck DC power connections. Make sure the cord is firmly seated in the wallsocket and in the power supply socket. If the symptoms and problems disappear when a knowngood spare unit is installed, you have found the source of your problem.įollowing is a simple flowchart to help you zero in on common powersupplyrelated problems:Ĭheck AC power input. Because these measurements might notdetect some intermittent failures, you might have to use a spare power supplyfor a long-term evaluation. If you suspect a power supply problem, some of the simple measurements andthe more sophisticated tests outlined in this section can help you determinewhether the power supply is at fault. System is completely dead (no fan, no cursor) Of course, the following fairly obvious symptoms point right to thepower supply as a possible cause: I always suspect the supply when flaky system operation is asymptom. In fact, just about any intermittent system problem can be caused by thepower supply.
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Slight static discharges disrupt system operation. Small brownouts cause the system to reset.Įlectric shocks felt on the system case or connectors. Hard disk and fan simultaneously failing to spin (no +12v). Intermittent parity check or other memory-type errors. Spontaneous rebooting or intermittent lockups during normaloperation.
#Remove apower from pc Pc#
The following is a list of PC problems that often arerelated to the power supply:Īny power-on or system startup failures or lockups. However, if the problem seems random, or if the memory location theerror message cites as having failed seems random, I would suspect improperpower as the culprit. Ifthe parity check message (or other problem) appears frequently and identifiesthe same memory location each time, I would suspect that defective memory is theproblem. One clue is the repeatability of the problem. It takes some experience to know when this type of failure is power relatedand not caused by the memory. The connection is thatthe power supply powers the memory, and memory with inadequate power fails. This might seem strange because the parity checkmessage specifically refers to memory that has failed. This can sometimes be difficult for an inexperienced technician to seebecause, at times little connection seems to exist between the symptom and thecausethe power supply.įor example, in many cases a parity check error message can indicate aproblem with the power supply. Many symptoms lead me to suspect that the power supply in a system isfailing. Such internal repairs are beyond the scope ofthis book and are specifically not recommended unless the technician knows whathe is doing. Even whenunplugged, power supplies can retain dangerous voltage and must be discharged(like a monitor) before service. It is rarely recommended that an inexperienced user open a power supply tomake repairs because of the dangerous high voltages present.