HP Pavilion a6040n PC -power supply failure/ replacement -

[sammy26ntn]

I have a clients (MY AUNT) HP Pavilion a6040n PC she claimed there was a storm at her home and ever since the computer would not turn on.. The only thing that would happen is the green light on the back of the power supply would constantly blink green. I went to her home checked it out and sure enough the pc would not turn on but the green light on the back of the computer would blink constantly.. Keep in mind when I was inspecting the pc it was in a closed up desk with dust and wood shavings... So I bring her pc back to my home office I work from, i plug it in and hit the POWER button and it power light came on green, the fan came on for 2-3 seconds and shut off, I looked at the power supply and it was still constantly blinking.

So I unplug the computer and inspect the fans and the vents and they are caked with dust and wood shavings from where the tower had been stored inside a closed in area. I totally clean the inside from all dust and such disconnected the cables from the power supply and I literally see burn marks on the metal vents from the actual power supply. I order her a new power supply I get it home plug it upto the computer, re-attach all the cables. I go back and look at it to make sure all the cables are plugged in and they are so i connect the mouse keyboard and monitor and then last the power chord and nothing happens.... no fans, no power indicator light on the front of the computer and this power supply does not have a light in the rear like the old power supply. So here I am stumped..... Please help.....thank you

 

[Tech in SC]

Assuming the PSU is good and you have it installed correctly... the MOBO could be fried, especially if there were burn marks on the PSU. There is likely more damaged than just the PSU. Good rule of thumb on a suspected PSU problem is unhook it from everything and don't try to turn the PC on. If the PC wasn't already fried, trying to turn it on with a damaged PSU can certainly do some damage. Get a PSU tester, its a good investment for your toolkit.

 

[sammy26ntn]

thank you i will remember that...... Thats what I was affraid of but will keep my options open for more answers.. no disrespect my aunt does not have the money for me to keep throwing parts at it...lol

 

[Metanis]

More or less just start over.

Take a flashlight and thoroughly inspect the motherboard looking for any bulging or blown capacitors. Look for any obvious evidence of burnt components. Use your nose too because there can be residual smells even if you can't see any damage.

Make sure the power supply has the correct connectors for the motherboard and the CPU and Video power if necessary. Disconnect and verify with a flashlight again that they are plugged in correctly. It's easy working in tight areas and little visibility to plug things in wrong.

 

[brandonkick]

On the new power supply, short out the green and black wires by unwinding a paperclip and inserting it into the green and any of the black wires.

This should fire up the power supply assuming it's connected to the power cable and I believe the harness needs to be unplugged from the motherboard.

Check the voltages with a digital volt meter.

Orange is 3.3V
Red is 5V
Yellow is 12V

Try reseating the memory and processor, as well as removing everything except for processor, memory, power supply and processor (add on video card if the motherboard doesn't have integrated graphics).

If you meter the supply and it checks out, as well as strip the hardware down to the bare essentials and it still won't fire then I'd say you have a motherboard/cpu problem.