Computer won't turn on after Power Outage

[Jkillaz98]

I was sitting at home enjoying myself one day and then I suddenly hear a thunderstorm outside. First the monitor flashes and seconds later everything in my room turns off and back on immediately, everything except my computer. The monitor and everything was working perfectly but the computer itself was showing no signs of power at all, no blinking lights/LEDs on the front, Back, inside the case, no fans spinning, no beeps, no nothing. I tried taking my PSU out to test it with the paper clip trick, but my DVD/CD Drive is preventing me from taking out the cords. What do I do?

 

[archer]

Hi Jkillaz98, Welcome to Sevenforums

Check if the PSU fan is moving at all or not, if not try to install a spare PSU (which is working) and check if motherboard is getting power or not. You can remove your DVD/CD drive and then take out the PSU.

If the PSU is failing, you can always buy a new one. But, (may god forbids) your motherboard is fried......you can get that repaired as well...not to worry. But, first we need to find out what is causing the issue.

 

[mitchell65]

Have you checked that you still have power to the socket where the PC is plugged in? If you have then have you checked that the fuse is OK?

 

[mitchell65]

Sould have said in my earlier post NEVER poke around in a PSU even if it is disconnected from the power supply. The capacitors in a PSU can hold enough power to cause serious harm!

 

[Jkillaz98]

Hi Jkillaz98, Welcome to Sevenforums

Check if the PSU fan is moving at all or not, if not try to install a spare PSU (which is working) and check if motherboard is getting power or not. You can remove your DVD/CD drive and then take out the PSU.

If the PSU is failing, you can always buy a new one. But, (may god forbids) your motherboard is fried......you can get that repaired as well...not to worry. But, first we need to find out what is causing the issue.

the PSU fan isnt moving at all and the motherboard doesnt seem to be getting any power, there is absolutely no sign of power in the computer at all. sadly, i dont have a spare PSU to test it with, but i will try to remove the CD drive to test the PSU with the paperclip trick.

 

[Jkillaz98]

Have you checked that you still have power to the socket where the PC is plugged in? If you have then have you checked that the fuse is OK?

Yes, the socket was actually the first thing i checked. but i have no idea what a fuse is. ( i have very little knowledge about PCs )

 

[Ranger4]

You have probably suffered a high voltage spike in the power line as a result of the lightning. Computers are sensitive to these are are most other electronic items like TV's. You will have to go through a process of elimination to find what has failed, or get someone to check your computer for damaged components that has the necessary test equipment.
Having your computer plugged in to a surge protector will help with most power line surges, but it will not give protection in the case of a lightning strike on or near the power line. The only protection in that case is to have the computer completely unplugged from the power outlet.

 

[smarteyeball]

Yes, the socket was actually the first thing i checked. but i have no idea what a fuse is. ( i have very little knowledge about PCs )

I believe the fuse was referring to the mains power panel. If the sockets good, then so is the fuse.

There's no actual fuses in the PC per se.

As mentioned above you'll have to do an elimination process. From the sounds of it, your Power Supply blew with the spike.

If you don't have any spares or know anybody locally who does - it may be worthwhile taking it to a shop where they can test the components for you. Plus they can replace the PSU for you if you aren't comfortable doing it yourself.

Otherwise you can buy a PSU and install it yourself. It may appear daunting, but it's actually quite easy.

Quality power supplies with over voltage protection typically sacrifice themselves to avoid voltage spikes traveling through the rest of the PC thus preventing damage to other components like the motherboard.

Lower quality PSU's that don't have, or have poor overvoltage protection sometimes 'allow' the excess current to travel through the PC damaging other components.

Hopefully it's just the PSU.

 

[mitchell65]

Sorry I was forgetting the different electrical systems that there are in the world. Here in the UK we have square 3 pin plugs with removable fuses that are easily replaced. These fuse protect the cable (lead) that connects the wall socket to the appliance, in this case the PSU. In the UK the fuse would be the first thing to check if there appeared to be no power getting to the ppliance. So, Patrick, when you say:

I believe the fuse was referring to the mains power panel. If the sockets good, then so is the fuse.

that is not quite correct, The wall socket may be fine but the fuse in the plug could be blown.
Don't know how the Australian or US systems works though. Be interested to hear!

 

[mitchell65]

Hi Jkillaz98, Welcome to Sevenforums

Check if the PSU fan is moving at all or not, if not try to install a spare PSU (which is working) and check if motherboard is getting power or not. You can remove your DVD/CD drive and then take out the PSU.

If the PSU is failing, you can always buy a new one. But, (may god forbids) your motherboard is fried......you can get that repaired as well...not to worry. But, first we need to find out what is causing the issue.

the PSU fan isnt moving at all and the motherboard doesnt seem to be getting any power, there is absolutely no sign of power in the computer at all. sadly, i dont have a spare PSU to test it with, but i will try to remove the CD drive to test the PSU with the paperclip trick.

PLEASE read my post #4. Poking around the PSU is dangerous!!!

 

[madcratebuilder]

Sorry I was forgetting the different electrical systems that there are in the world. Here in the UK we have square 3 pin plugs with removable fuses that are easily replaced. These fuse protect the cable (lead) that connects the wall socket to the appliance, in this case the PSU. In the UK the fuse would be the first thing to check if there appeared to be no power getting to the ppliance. So, Patrick, when you say:

I believe the fuse was referring to the mains power panel. If the sockets good, then so is the fuse.

that is not quite correct, The wall socket may be fine but the fuse in the plug could be blown.
Don't know how the Australian or US systems works though. Be interested to hear!

In the USA a computers power cord is a three prong plug, 120 V + and - and the third is earth or ground. The main feed enters the home to a panel the has circuit breakers that are resettable, most wall outlets are controlled by a 120V 15amp breaker. There is no fuse in the cords. If you use a power/surge strip it may have a resettable fuse as part of the device. You can upgrade wall receptacle with a hospital grade receptacle that filters the power, is fused and build to a much higher standard that standard receptacles. I use the hospital grade receptacles for all my electronic devices.

If you have a large investment in your system I would recommend you buy a Power Conditioner. I use these on my stereo system and home entrainment system, computer has a APS so a conditioner is not really needed.

 

[Jkillaz98]

i'll try taking it to a professional today to get him to test the PSU, im pretty confident that its only the PSU though.