Checking voltage and condition of a PSU

So, my old PC in our summer house just busted. It goes smoothly until the logging screen, and when you log in, you get a blue screen after 3 or 4 seconds.

So, i thought, the psu and RAM are the parts that get stressed the most during startup. Thing is, i only have one module of RAM so the usual unplug-check if it's working-unplug another one if you havent found the problem approach i took at such problematic times does not work. So i thought i'd start with the PSU

I unplugged it (yes, after discharging myself, i didnt want to accidentally cause any more damage - but seriously, what's the chance?) and i decided to check if it's working. I've got a polymeter which can work as a volt-meter.
I just wanna make sure because i buy a new one.

Thing is, i dont have the slightest idea how to set up the volt-meter with the PSU. Where do i plug the red and black sticks? How can i know it's busted or not? And if i set it up, how can i get the PSU working by itself since without power, there would be no voltage?

All help would be appreciated. I'd really like to help with the PSU number but it's from a 3 year old Dell Pre-made pc my dad had bought at that time. As i remember from the last time i saw the PSU (currently in said summerhouse - gonna be there in some days) it was plain white on the outside, and a lot of inscriptions. Here they are, just as they are on it:

Input: 100-120V ~ 11.4A, 50-60Hz
200-240V ~ 6.1A

Output:+5V [black bar with three lines under it] 22.0A, -12V [black bar] 1.0A, 375W MAX.
+12VA [black bar] 18.0A, +3.3V bar 17.0A, +12VB [black bar] 18.0A, +5VFP bar 2.0A

Note: I live in greece. Plugs here are 220V

 

No sir, unfortunately, it's a standard blue screen. Windows is shutting down to prevent damage to your computer. I dont really remember the name of the file responsiblem (i think it stated something there), i'll look into it if it's of any importance.

Also, it crashes in safe mode too. Now, the bios is a bit tricky. It's a weird dell design but no, i dont remember finding a hardware monitoring utillity.

 

Using a Voltmeter is not a easy or reliable thing to test a PSU there are special PSU meters available that will test all your voltages 12-5-3 coming from the PSU testing your 20 - 24 pin, Molex, SATA, all your connectors can be tested one after the other.
Any good Computer Shop should carry them.
They come in LED or LCD form, LCD being the dearer one.

 

To properly test a power supply unit (PSU), a qualified technician puts the PSU under various realistic "loads" and analyses the voltages for ripple and other anomalies using an oscilloscope or power analyzer.

I keep a FrozenCPU Ultimate PSU Tester in my tool bag when I am "in the field" and don't have a good spare power supply to swap in. While not a certain test, they are better than nothing. The advantage of this model is that it has an LCD readout of the voltage. With an actual voltage readout, you can better detect a "failing" PSU, or one barely within specified tolerances. Lesser models use LEDs to indicate the voltage is just within some "range ". These are less informative, considerably cheaper, but still useful for detecting PSUs that have already "failed ". Newegg has several testers to choose from. All these testers contain a "dummy load" to fool the PSU into thinking it is connected to a motherboard, and therefore allows the PSU to power on, if able, without being attached to a motherboard - great for testing fans, but again, not a true load.

As mentioned, a good alternative test method is to swap in a known good supply (with ample power).

I do not recommend using a multimeter to test power supplies. To do it properly, that is, under a realistic load, the voltages on all the pins must be measured while the PSU is attached to the motherboard and the computer powered on. This then requires poking (with some considerable force) two, hard and sharp, highly conductive, meter probes into the main power connector, deep in the heart of the computer. One tiny slip can destroy the motherboard, and everything plugged into it. It is not worth the risk considering the multimeter, like plug-in testers, do not measure, or reveal any unwanted AC component to the DC voltages.

 

Do you get a BSOD if you don't log in? If not, the fault you describe could be due to one or more corrupted or mutually incompatible operating system files.