Get a multi-meter to read the volyage outputs. Take the PSU out, short a couple of pins as described here: http://www.pcdoctor-guide.com/wordpress/?p=3091 Then you can start to take readings on the outputs. Other than that you are very limited with choices.
@BigDK i will look into that. @ddp and elokito i got ahold to another working psu but when i pluged it into the computer that is not working. i know that the other psu works because i took it out of working computer. i also double checked the one that did not work from the other computer in the computer that does work and it did not power on. so i'm now leaning towards it be being the motherboard.
disconnect all drives & cards from psu & motherboard to see if motherboard powers up even without videocard. are any of the can shaped objects that are capacitors on the motherboard domed as they are supposed to be flat topped??
scruw all these people this happened to mine wat ever you do dont call out a qualifyed person they charge you a bomb about $40 a hr but i know your prob its the power suply and/or the motherboard it will cost bout $400/£300 to repair but i just bought a new comp thats what i recomend but if you do buy a new computer REMOVE THE HARDDRIVE and then either get a pro in or read some forms on it its not rocket science after all
old psu dosen't work on a working computer. working psu doesn't work on sick computer with nothing connected so both old psu & board are dead. hopefully cpu & ram are not.
well maybe just maybe the working power supply had lower watts than the power supply u had so maybe thats the reason it didnt turn on if I were u I would test it with another psu a 400watts or higher psu
@ddp well ddp as you know the computer was given to me. so i may just use it for parts because the cd-rom ,cd burner and hard drive all work. i'm not sure about anything else. also is there away that i can tell what type of memory the computer has in it?
take the ram out & see if has 1 notch for ddr or 2 notches for sdram. speed & ram amount might be marked by a label
The first and perhaps most obvious is the socket difference. The normal DDR DIMM has 184 contacts. The new DDR2 module has a total of 240 contact and the notch is different, so you shouldn't have a problem determining which type of memory you have (or if you have the wrong memory for your motherboard). The second is the packaging used for the chips. While most of the DDR modules used the older TSOP method of chip packaging, the newer DDR2 uses FBGA. The other improvements to DDR2 include On-Die Termination and Off-Chip Driver calibration. While JEDEC says that DDR can go up to 1GB per module, DDR2 can go up to 4GB. And, normally, DDR memory runs at 2.5V while the newer DDR2 runs at 1.8V Laptop users rejoice!
is sdram probably pc66 or 100. they have 2 notches on bottom for keying purposes. could be 32, 64 or maybe 128meg sticks. unlikely is 256meg but you never know. can't use that memory at all on new boards as they use ddr or ddr2 ram. # of pins are different besides the key notches.
