2 PSU deaths in 1 night!!!!!!

[Lord Moreira]

As i turned my head to the TV the computer i was working on turned off... (350w Cheap PSU)
I hit the power switch and NADA
After trying a couple of basic things it just wouldn't turn on
So i got the PSU off my other rig and installed it on the just deceased rig. (300w Cheap PSU)
It booted up just fine until it got to the desktop.
Then it turned off also .
After trying both the PSU's on my other machine i came to the conclusion that they were dead, couldn't power up neither of my machines with either PSU's.
So i got my old PSU (AOpen 235w) and tried it on my first dead rig and it worked.
I only connected the floppy 1 hardrive and the cpu fan, since it is only 235w.
OK so... right now my Duron 1.3(the 1 that had the 300w PSU) is running fine with the 235w.
While i wait for a new PSU (Antec TRUE430w) i can't stop thinking about what could of caused this dilema...
Is there possibly a virus that targets PSU's?????????
By the way i'm a certified Tech (A+) and i know that normally PSU's are our biggest nightmare, because they can only die in 2 diferent ways .
The easy way and the hard way.
I admit that i had a couple lock ups on my rig w\the 300w PSU (hard way)but as far as my other rig no signs of weakness what so ever.(easy way?)
There was no power spike or sag since my surge supressor didn't go off ,and both PSU's died on the same Rig

After u guys are done with the LOL's leave ur 2 cents here please
No more cheap *** PSU's for me .....
I'm still in shock ....
Sorry i made it so long , peace !!

 

[Crazy Jayhawk]

They might be overheating. I had a cheap 250W PSU that would spontaneously shut off like you described. I turned its exhaust fan around so that it sucked in cool air and the problem went away.

 

[Lord Moreira]

Maybe i didn't make myself clear
They are dead... like ..... dead even jumping the green and black wires dead
That type of dead
Thanks

 

[Crazy Jayhawk]

You'll have to void the warranty for this step, since it involves opening the cover. Check the fuses. There should be one on the PCB near the AC power connection.

 

[Lord Moreira]

since i'm hoping to return 1 of them i opened the older 300W PS (second to die)
and the fuse is intact
sometimes i think machines have a mind of their own
1 thing i noticed was a darker shade on the board of the PS but it's not like a burnt mark just darker , like heating over the years (2)
i'm ordering the Antec TRUE430 Low Noise tomorow it was awarded a lot.
thanks again

 

[larrymoencurly]

Why can't you just ohm the diodes and transistors and salvage some from one PSU to fix the other? Even a bad mobo can be a source of parts for the low voltage side.

I had some cheap PSUs where transistors burned up in normal use, probably because of sloppy assembly -- every transistor and diode was loose and didn't firmly seat against its heatsink.

 

[Lord Moreira]

I know nottin about PS's i wouldn't know where to start
Could i sell them somewhere non working as they are?
1 was practicly new had 1 year of usage there was no smoke or fireworks comming out of them when they shut down.
so i'm thinking u could make 1 good out of 2 bad.
But not me

 

[peppy]

Hey Lord Moreira I am 16 and I want to be come a+ certified, and I was wondering, if I become a+ certifeid and have a little programming experience and some networking skills, would it be easy for me to get a job after high school? or would you reccomend me goin to a tech school after hs. I am in a tech/vocational school right now and regular school.

 

[Lord Moreira]

Well the honest truth is that guys like us are the money makers but we are always the first to get laid off as soon as something bad happens to the economy.
I'm praticly done with my MCSE|MCSA|MCP (whatever u wanna call them) next it's CNA CCNA but i still got like 6 months to become certified in all those fields.
lil backup on the tests..
Taking my time
As for jobs after getting ur certs , u , like everybody else needs to get a job as a helpdesk\tech (for A+) for a while anyway so u can add that experience to ur resume.
So u can make the big bucks down the road.
But it's not easy!
Just like lawyers have to study all there lifes cause laws are always changing so will u cause software|hardware will always come out more complex and improved and u will have to be up to date if u wanna stay in the race.
Right now i'm looking for a job as a tech or something thanks to the Talibans it hasn't been easy since we just went in to resession once again this week
And 100.000 ppl got laid off already since monday.
Hope i answered ur question ...

 

[aftermath]

Is there possibly a virus that targets PSU's?????????

no

 

[SmellyDraws]

Sorry to here that you lost 2 PSU but it is good to here that you have learned your leason and decided to buy a quality PSU. I have the TRUE430 and love it. Hope it works out good for you.

 

[wildfrogman]

It looks like the cheaper psu's you had that died were overloaded,overheated and or damaged traces from overloading. Chances are the cheap psu's didnt have overload protection or that it was cheap and didnt work fast enough to save the psu from death but fast enough to keep your components alive. Basically sacrificing its self. A+ cert and most others dont even consider psu problems nearly as much as they should. And most of the time the fix is just to get another one as in the industry you probably will be working more along the lines of company computer support/help desk first. The computers they use have been tested in configurations used and made sure everything is compatible and works without trouble. So, it still is important and overheating etc if its a small company that doesnt understand the need of air conditioning in a computer filled room...that can get toasty. Anyways, higher quality equipment usually is worth it in the long run and most all the time in the short run also.