possible psu problem

hi,
one of my housemates has encountered a problem with her computer.
when we came back to university after christmas, it just didnt seem to work. we tried it with a different power cable because the fuse in her original one had blown, and it sparked a bit and blew the fuse again.
my friend says this is almost definitely a psu problem. it is a 230 watt atx power supply.
is he right? and if so, could someone please point me towards a replacement, noise and stuff arent that important, just needs to be reasonably cheap.
thanks
matt

 

Just when one thinks they've heard it all - I've never seen or heard of a fused power cord - please enlighten me.

What fuse is blowing? Whats the system? Make, model etc. There are several different types of power supplies and depending on your system manufacturer, it may or may not be a standardized ATX. Install the wrong one and you can do some real serious damage.

Your friend could be right on the money, but he/she will probably also tell you that some ancillary damage could have been done when this mystical fused power cord produced all of the sparks.

Sounds like you are living with an electrifying "housemate ", be she a roomie or a bunkie.

 

I asssume Rockster that they live the UK as all power leads connected to the mains electricity (for any electrical appliance) in the UK have a fuse in the plug of the lead. Provides an extra source of protection rather than the main house fuses. Usually either 3, 5 or 13 amps depending on the equipment.

 

Thanks for the wisdom - had no idea re: fused power cords. Seen a lot of in-line DC fusing but didn't have a clue.

Some Dell's and some HP's used non-traditional wiring re: ATX MoBo power connector - check it out if this machine is either.

 

thanks very much guys, suppose she had just better hope that it hasn't damaged anything inside the computer then. the computer is an old fujitsu myrica, (before fujitsu became fujitsu-siemens) it used to belong to me, and i sold it to he (hence it tends to be me always trying to sort out the problems with it, out of guilt!) the only thing is, her psu at the moment has two power plugs, an input AND an output, the output supplied power to her monitor and speakers, any chance of gettin another like this? if you like i can post a picture of it.

she just isn't very good with her computer, she doesn't see what is wrong with it being constantly full of dust, and the need to not open too much as it is an old system and prone to crashing.