BIG AC PROBLEM

[SpeedGeek]

I'm trying to fix this computer, its in a serious mess...
i built it for a friend like, 5 months ago, a pretty nice system... AMD Athlon XP 2600+, 1GB DDR Ram, 160GB Serial ATA Drive, DVD/CDRW Drive, now he brought it back to me.
said it wouldnt boot, and when it does boot it makes a lot of noise.
so i hook it up, found out the noise came from a broken fan in the front of the case, so i fixed that, reinstalled windows OVER the existing installation, reinstalled all the drivers, and then he brought me he's wireless logitech keyboard, said it was giving him so problems,
the minute i hook it up, the computer shuts down instantly!
and would NOT boot again.

now the SCARY Part is, that when i plug in the AC Power Cord, i hear this high tone screeching noise and the computer won't budge.. cant power it on. and that noise is fricking me out. what is that??
does anybody know?
please answer me ASAP.. this is kind of urgent

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!


~ forgive my stupid questions ~

 

[fishmahn]

Based on the 'screeching noise' you described, it sounds like the power supply went. What brand, model and capacity was it?

Mike.

 

[SpeedGeek]

It was a CWT (Channel Well Technology) ATX-300W MAX
how can a powersupply just "go" ?
and why when i connected the keyboard?
does that mean the keyboard is also messed up?

~ forgive my stupid questions ~

 

[mozzartusm]

PSU's depending on the quality can go up in a NEW YORK minute. I had an OKIA 400W go up in smoke in under 3 hrs. I dont know anything about that particular brand, but a 300W PSU in todays system would be getting a serious workout.

To save us both time, assume I know EVERYTHING :tongue:

 

[fishmahn]

I don't know anything about Channel Well Tech PSU's but for a newer processer like a 2600+, 300w is really cutting it slim. My 1ghz Athlon needs a 300w, and your CPU alone needs more juice than mine. If CWT makes CPUs' as good as Fortron Source or the quality versions of Antec or Thermaltake (possible but dont' hold your breath), then it MIGHT be able to handle the load, otherwise, 5-6 mos is about what Id' give it before the overload overloads the PSU.

Also, wireless keyboards draw add'l juice over a wired one, so that may have just been 'the straw the broke the camel's back' on that PSU. The Keyboard might be messed up, although I wouldn't assume that at first. Many PSU's (even cheap ones) are designed by someone intelligent enough to make it die before killing your equipment.

Get him at least a 350watt quality PSU. If you have a powerful video card (something like a Radeon 9800 or the newer x800's or nVidia 6800, then go up another notch to 400+ and getting a quality one becomes more important.

Mike.

 

[SpeedGeek]

ok!
i get what you're saying.. you're probably right.
but hear this!
after reading what you guys wrote, i unplugged my personal PSU (working fine on my PC), which is a great little Thermaltake 480w Silent PurePower supply, and hooked it up with my freinds motherboard.
it worked nicely, but the minute i connected the keyboard (or more pricessly, the wireless hub that connects to the keyboard) my Power supply went off and started making that wierd noise too!!
so i paniced, unplugged everything, and put my PSU back to its rightful location in my own pc. after waiting a few minutes, i plugged it in, and it went back to work (to my releif).

so i thought, well, i guess we have a messed up keyboard hub, so i tried to connect the keyboard directly to my computer, and it WORKED
so.
now i'm really confused.

is the Motherboard screwed up?
i dont know what to think anymore...

~ forgive my stupid questions ~

 

[mozzartusm]

Sounds like your shorting something out. Why and what are you plugging up after the computer is on? Did you say that your plugging a keyboard in while the computer is running?

To save us both time, assume I know EVERYTHING :tongue:

 

[fishmahn]

Well, if your system isn't any more power hungry than his, you could test his PSU in your system.

You could also try a different keyboard on his system.

Is the wireless keyboard USB or PS/2? If its USB, try a different USB port - maybe just that one is blown out. If its PS/2, then it may be the mobo that's dead.

Mike.

 

[Crashman]

CWT makes Antec's power supplies, the one in question is probably identicle to one of Antec's budget units, which are junk from my experience.

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