Wirehead Studios

Want to know what I hate?  Sure you do, because I said so - and because you're reading this page.  Here's one thing I hate.  Replacing a failed mainboard, running a test install of Windows, having everything work fine.  Then, attempting to migrate a previously installed Windows 2000 hard drive to that computer, and having it not boot into Windows.  Then, running the repair function to take the system files back to factory so it can boot, and having the power supply short out.  As in, ZAP.  DEAD.  Dead as a discharge into the water kind of dead.

Could it have done this when I was initially setting up the test drive?  NO.  It had to wait until I had a drive with Important Data™ on it, like financial records, legal information, and many other things I won't discuss but suffice it to stay, stuff that, if lost, would adversely affect several people's lives in a serious manner.  So I spend several hours working on making the drive bootable again, which, fortunately, Microsoft (omgwtfbbq!) did something right in making the Windows 2000 repair function act the way it does.  It took a few tries but I got the Windows install bootable, installed Service Pack 4 from my security CD, and got the drive the way it was before the attempted migration, as if nothing had ever happened.

This leaves the computer with the blown power supply in question.  Of course plugging a new power supply into the board is the appropriate course of action, which I do, but as anyone might expect, the system will not POST.  It won't even beep in protest.

So I'm left with a BRAND NEW MSI MAINBOARD THAT'S DEAD.  Beautiful board.  Ran like a dream.  Then, ZAP.  POOF.  GONE.   Now I have to test the RAM and the CPU to see if they got fried along with the board.  Fortunately the video card still works, so it may only be the mainboard that's toast, but then again it could be 1 GB of RAM, a Barton 3000+, and a mainboard all gone.  I'll know when I'm able to test the RAM and CPU.  Since it won't POST, logic dictates the mainboard is shot.  Even if the RAM or CPU tests bad the mainboard is shot because the power surge had to go through the mainboard to get to it.

So this individual, who has a tendency for having electronics break around her for absolutely no reason at all, is out yet another system board and possibly other components, as well as a power supply, and this time it happened right under my beak so I know it wasn't her being inept with the hardware, and I did everything "by the book" so I know I didn't screw up either.  And people say there's no such thing as a curse...

So there, I've ranted about it.  Once all is said and done, I'm either going to examine the effects of gravity on a power supply dropped from 1,000 feet up, or give it to my trigger-happy friend and let him blast it repeatedly with his AK-47 the next time he goes out to the firing range.  It may not bring back any dead components, but it will offer some sick satisfaction at least.   :evil:

What I *love* is bringing dead things back to life.  The system is working again, with only the power supply replaced, and is currently installing Windows.  I guess I still have a little magic left in me after all, so this story has a happy ending - and a rather tired bird.  ;)

My son luke_Nucum tried to plug a usb joypad (don't know if thats what its called, the controlers that ps2 and x-box use, that kind of thing) into the usb port on the back of his pc. While trying, he managed to flip the switch over from 230 volts to 110 volts. that fried the powersupply, and the entire computer was not very reliable afterwards.

PSU can be a real bitch, and trust me my friends don't buy cheap shit, you'll regret it!

Aye.  My new PSU for my main system (have to install it yet) is a 535 watt Enermax.  It's SLI approved by AMD, has connectors for everything you can think of, and plenty of cable length (perhaps a bit TOO much, but I'm good at cable hiding).  My old 460 watt PSU is going into Idlebot 2.  That's right, I said Idlebot 2.  I have a spare mainboard that a squirrel happened to donate to me which is actually a bit faster and fits an ATX case, which means I can rebuild him.  I can rebuilt him faster, better, and stronger than before - well, if the mainboard and CPU hold up.  I usually don't like second-hand components, but not much choice there!   :D

This means I'll be future-proofed in my main system for jumping to an SLI-capable Athlon 64-based mainboard eventually.  Emphasis on the eventually part... -_-

Shambler:  Yeah, that voltage switch is a "do not touch ever".  A lot of the newer high-end power supplies have an autosensing circuit that automatically adjusts to the voltage so you just plug it in and forget it.

I always glue that switch these days. superglue does the job.

looks more like your powersupply wasn't powerfull enough , I had the same problem.
and I rcently had a same kind of motherboard problem you had .
the computer would say BEEP. and thats it , no screen , no HDDled , no post. and after a minut , the comp would just jump of.

since it never was a good motherboard and socket A motherboards are hard to find these days , I bought myself an MSI motherboard with AMD 64bit 3200+ processor.
havent had a problem since .
I also  changed my powersupply  since the last 1 had burned pins on the 3.3V lines on the ATX connector. ( aint to healthy )


about that button , I once hited it while the comp was on .
some nice fireworks came out of that PSU. afterwards i fixed the damn thing again and it still works like a charm in my das celeron 500 .

My PSU is just awsome. Its a 520W OCZ PowerStream. It is SLi compatiable and BTX compatiable. I wonder what is so great about BTX boards... Anyway it has adjustabe power rails which is useful for overclocking, which I have now hit 2898.5MHz. It really keeps the voltages extremely stable. Varies by .01v every half hour or so. It was not cheap for a PSU, it costed $120. And since I got WIN x64 I can finally use my 4gb of RAM. 64 bit processing is noticably faster. I can load the OS in 6 seconds.

BTW if a squirrel gave me a nice ATX mainboard, I would get a CAT scan and check myself into Bellview. ;)