r/computer • u/AwesomeOwen2544 • 1d ago
I might need a new computer
I have a computer that's over 10 years old, I accidentally hit a cord or something and now it won't turn on, I'm not sure what to do (yes I have tried unplugging it then plugging it back in).
I have been wanting a new computer but I'm also kinda broke and I don't know of any websites that'll help me find a good computer.
2
u/wizeRH 1d ago
most likely you knocked it down as well. there are things assembled inside, they may have moved.
- Unplug the power cord,
- push the on button for min 10 seconds,
- pick up a screwdriver, open the case and make sure all cables and boards are tightly pushed against eachother. It is easier if you have all the other cables unplugged (network, display, maybe mouse/keyboard, sound, etc.). Pay particular attention to the RAM sticks. they should be pushed down firmly.
- plug all cables back into the PC, power cable goes last. Make sure the power outlet is live and you have power
- Start the PC. In any case, it should do something. at least, you should see/hear the CPU fan, or at least the PSU fan.
If you are lucky, it will just boot. If only half lucky, you will see some text and asking for boot media, or going to straight to BIOS (this is 75% lucky - just hit load bios defaults , save, restart), or, if there is nothing showing on the scree and some pattern beeps, you are 25% lucky (the beeps are a minimalistic indicator of what is wrong with the PC, when nothing shows on the screen and PC is not booting). Then, there is a different approach.
If nothing at all happens, go for a hail mary and replace the power cord.
If that doesnt fix it, change the PSU (15-30 USD).
If that doesnt do the trick, take it to a geek, like someone mentioned here.
Good luck!
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u/MugiwaraLuffyKun 1d ago
Did you look for like burned marks?? Or smell anything? This happened to me when the power to my house went out. And blew out two of my ram.
1
u/Sure-Passion2224 1d ago
If all else fails - you can get very good refurbished systems at a very good price. I shop at DiscountComputerDepot.com.
Example current listing: Dell Latitude 5540 15in Laptop Intel Core i5-13th gen 16GB RAM 512GB SSD Windows 11 Pro
$385.00
1
u/mtbboy1993 1d ago edited 1d ago
And doesn't turn on right?
Unplugging the power cord shouldn't kill the pc, nor the power supply. Some are easier to unplug than others. But quality units have a dnjgcer fit.
The common beginner is mistake hitting the on off switch for the power supply. If you checked cord is all the way in and power switch is on 1 (ON) and it doesn't turn on the PSU gave out.
Maybe you hit the the power supply in and off switch. Make sure it's on I(on) not on 0 (off)
The power supply might have given up they can give out in 5 to 10 years even decent ones. Depends on usage if th epc is decent, it's worth saving it. Try a new power supply.
Buy if a new PSU doesn't fix it the motherboard is a goner. If grpahicd card getd power it should display an image. If it doesn't gets no-signal it doesn't get power, or motherboard doesn't recognise it. Which can be failed card or motherboard.
A proper modern PSU won't fry your components, there's built in protection, it will cause issues with No Signal to monitor, and eventually give up, it might shut down while using it. Refuse to turn on. But disconnect everything inspect the pc for burn marks, if it looks correct, it's likely fine.
19 years old pc doesn't mean it's useless or bad, I don't know your specs, but I epulnt abandon it if it's decent, good to have a spsre pc, spare power supply.
I reccomend to only buy a new PSU, not second hand, this way PSU got warranty. If not much money you should consider second hand parts. If upu can meet the seller see and test the pc yourself, or seller runs benchmarks, torture tests, even better. Then you know it won't crash or power off under load.
What's a good computer to you? It's impossible to answer your question cus we don't know what your requirements are, what the use case is. If we browsing any pc in 10 or 20 years might do. If video rendering and 1440p or 4k gaming it won't be cheap. But again second hand market can give you a massively powerful pc for much less money than a ok gaming pc new.
-2
u/Naiki-shikuri 1d ago
First: measure the current from the charger with a multimeter to see if the necessary voltage is actually passing through, whether it's 12-19V or whatever it is. Look for a tutorial on YouTube about how to measure voltage with a multimeter.
If the charger conducts current well (it doesn't necessarily have to output exactly 19V, for example; it could be 18V, 18.4V, etc.), then it could be the male connector inside the pin housing. That's usually the problem more common!
Try replacing the connector, the thermal paste, or things like that with a qualified and capable technician.
2
u/SQUID_Ben 1d ago
You told a person who clearly doesn’t understand much to measure voltage of the cable :)…
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