Resolved Only PSU fan goes on

I can't truly say if this is a hardware or software problem, but I'll post it here to at least get started. I got a call from my sister who told me our 95-year-old mother's Windows XP computer wasn't working. It was challenging to get her to identify the actual problem, but I sense it comes down to the PSU fan goes on when she presses the start button on the computer's case, but the monitor stays black (though the power light to the monitor is lit) and she hears no other startup sounds. Pressing the start button again won't turn off the PSU. She said she had to use the switch on the PSU to shut it off.

My mother lives over 100 miles from me, and she doesn't do well with changes of any kind. I understand replacing the computer would be ideal, but she doesn't want to start over with something different. Most weeks she calls me telling me her computer won’t work when she means she is having trouble accessing her email. I use Team Viewer to fix whatever mess she got herself into. I'll be driving down there this weekend. I'd appreciate any help you can offer, so at least I know what to bring with me. Any suggestions of tools or supplies to bring or tests to run would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

I would wonder why she suspects only the PSU fan is working. There typically are at least the CPU fan and 1 case fan in most computers too. Often more fans (graphics card, chipset, and more case fans).

There is just not near enough information to suggest a fix. When you go down there, you need to take a spare monitor and a spare power supply with you. If you have a spare graphics card, that would be good too.

If true and only the PSU fan is spinning, then I would suspect the PSU because the CPU and case fans should be spinning too. But note a PSU needs to output 3 voltages (+12VDC, 5VDC, and 3.3VDC) for a computer to work properly. Fans alone spinning does not indicate the PSU is outputting all 3 voltages.

I keep a PSU Tester in my tool bag for house calls. While these cannot conclusively show a PSU is good, if a voltage is missing or out of tolerance, they will show that. The ATX Form Factor standard allows for no more than ±5% variance. So,

12VDC ±5% = 11.4 to 12.6VDC
5VDC ±5% = 4.75 to 5.25VDC
3.3VDC ±5% = 3.14 to 3.47VDC​

So if you don't have a known good PSU to swap in, a tester is the next best thing.

I have to add that XP is just unsafe. I have several senior clients and relatives so I fully understand their unwillingness to change. I'm no spring chicken myself. But bad guys are targeting XP systems. And the problem is, these systems, once compromised, become weapons used against the rest of us. And the malware is designed to function without the user of the infected system being aware their system has been compromised.

Also, this being an XP era computer indicates the rest of the hardware is getting long in the tooth as well. A new computer is really the way to go. To minimize there fear of a new and steep learning curve, there are a few programs to make Windows 10 look and feel exactly like Windows 7. I use and recommend Start10 which brings back the familiar W7 Start menu and desktop and for just $5 (after a decent 30 day trial period) is well worth it. Or there is Classic Shell which many like too, and it is totally free, and it is able to bring back more (but NOT all) of the XP start menu features. StartIsBack is a third alternative that many like and it is just $3.

With these programs, she will see a pretty familiar desktop. And if you create a shortcut to her email program and put it on the desktop where she can easily see it, once the email program starts, she will be in totally familiar territory. But the main thing is, Windows 10 is much more secure. As a bonus, the computer will be much faster and consume less energy too.

This will be tricky because seniors get frustrated with change. And taking away their email (link to the outside) can be as dramatic as taking away the car keys. My fear is with this aging hardware, you will fix this then next week something else will fail, and so on. And each time, she will have nothing and perhaps feel totally isolated.

 

I'll do my best to talk her into a new computer, but till then your suggestion of a faulty PSU makes sense. I'll take a PSU and graphics card with me and see if I can get this dinosaur working again (at least for this week).

 

A spare monitor too would be good. If none, note that most modern TVs support computer inputs. So taking an assortment of spare cables (DVI, HDMI, VGA) would be good.

 

Her LCD flat screen monitor is actually newer than her computer. All I have sitting around here are large CRT monitors, but I may drag one down there.

 

If you have a notebook, it might be easier to take it and test her monitor on it instead of lugging a CRT monitor down there.

 

All I have is an Asus ME173X

 

I don't see a video out port on that. Lugging around a CRT monitor is no fun. Transporting is worse. If her TV is less than 5 years old, it probably has some video inputs.

 

I think I'll gamble on this and assume her monitor is fine. I'm still trying to talk her into a Win 10 computer.

 

I have been successful with a couple senior clients (and other XP hold-outs) by setting up a W10 computers at my house (with Start10 installed), then taking it over to them and showing them how easy it is to use. Certainly more of a hassle for me, but worth it in the long run.

 

I found the LEDs lit on the MOBO when I first looked at the computer. I replaced the PSU. The compuer fans started to start and then everything died except for the LEDs on the MOBO. I guess there is a problem with the MOBO that is shorting out the PSU. I talked my mother into getting a refurbished Win 10 desktop. We narrowed down the search to two computers that had been refurbished by a Microsoft Registered Refurbisher. The insides appear to be basically the same, though the less expensive one is a small form factor case. The refurbisher suggested we get the larger one, as I explained I would be adding the two HDDs from her old computer. It hasn't been shipped yet, so I could still get the small one rather than the large one. I thought I'd run the specs by you and get your opinion. I could take the insides of the SFF case and put them into her old standard tower case. Here are the specs. Please share your thoughts and recommendations.


Dell Optiplex 7010 Tower Computer Intel i3 2120 3.30GHz, 4GB, 250GB SATA, DVD, Windows 10 Home x64

Specifications:

• Condition: Seller Refurbished, Previously Used, Slightly Dented Case
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home x64
• CPU: Intel Core i3 2120 3.30GHz
• Memory: 4GB
• Hard Drive: 250GB SATA
• Optical: DVD ROM Drive
• Video: Integrated Intel
• USB 3.0 Ports: 4
• USB 2.0 Ports: 6
• VGA and Dual Display Port Video Output
• 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet - Gigabit
• Includes: Tower Computer, Power Cord, and one year warranty.

HP Compaq Pro 6300 SFF Desktop Computer Intel i3 2120 3.3GHz, 4GB, 250GB SATA, DVD, Windows 10 Home x64

Specifications:

• Condition: Seller Refurbished, Previously Used, Dented Case, Scratches and Scuffs
• Product Number: B9C31AW#ABA
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home x64
• CPU: Intel Core i3 2120 3.3GHz
• Memory: 4GB
• Hard Drive: 250GB SATA
• Optical: DVD ROM Drive
• Video: Integrated Intel
• USB 3.0 Ports: 4
• USB 2.0 Ports: 6
• VGA and Display Port Video Output
• 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet - Gigabit
• Includes: SFF Desktop Computer, Power Cord, and one year warranty.

 

Well, not much to say - they are very similar. I would prefer to see 8GB of RAM but at least with 64-bit OS, the full 4GB of RAM will be more efficiently utilized.

I agree to get the tower (hopefully mid and not full) case. While it will be heavier and have a bigger footprint, it will also have lots of room for additional fans, if needed. Plus, it most likely have a standard ATX power supply while the SFF case may have a SFF (low profile) PSU, which tend to be more expensive with fewer to choose from. And should you wish to add a graphics card in the future, you won't have to worry about low profile cards either. Finally, I like Dell better than HP - but that's just me.

 

I appreciate your response. With her usage, I'm sure 4GB will be fine. After all, she is used to a very slow Win XP system, so anything will be seen as an improvement for her. I had concerns about SFF limitations, and I appreciate your clarifying them for me. It should arrive in a day or two, and I'll take it down to her Thursday after work.

 

Would you recommend I take the R96XT-SI 128M GPU from the old unit and put it into the new one, or do you think it may have either caused or been harmed by the problem that caused the PSU to burn out? Is there a way to test it?

 

There is no way to test it other than try it. And while rare for a card to cause further damage, it can happen. I would say take it with you but give the integrated a try first. As you noted, this system will likely run circles around the old one anyway.

Hmmm, it may not matter anyway. All my searches for that card point me back to this card. While slightly different model numbers, it is an AGP card and most likely this new computer will not support that old graphics interface.

 

I guess I'll have to wait to see the new mobo to determine if it accepts AGP cards, but I'll see what the integrated graphics can do first. Thanks.

 

Even though refurbished, it is not likely it will support AGP. AGP was phased out in 2003 when it was superseded by PCIe (PCI Express).

 

Her new computer arrived, and I believe she'll like it. It was manufactured exactly 3 years ago so is current technology, even if not the fastest or greatest. The problem I am facing now is recovering her old data. I used my StarTech USB 3.0 to SATA/IDE Converter on her computer and mine, but nothing reads. I can feel the drives spinning, but it shows up on the computers as lacking any media. I used an IDE to SATA adapter to install them in my computer, but it only slowed down my startup and couldn't be seen (not on the computer or using Seagate's File Recovery software, or Easus' Data Recovery). The drives didn't even show up. Do you have any suggestions for recovering the data from her IDE drives?

 

Were the drivers installed for the SATA to IDE adapter?

 

I've been using the same adapter for another IDE HDD in my computer, so I assume the drivers must be installed. I must admit that drive does tend to disappear on me, though it is always there when I start up Windows 10. Let me know how to check it, and I will. I'm surprised my StarTech recorded the drives in disk management, but it was listed with no media. My mother is going to be very unhappy if she loses all her photos. I figured backing it up on a second HDD would be playing it safe, but both appear to have gone out when the computer went out.