HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT A PC POWER SUPPLY

HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT A PC POWER SUPPLY

When a PC suddenly goes on the fritz for no apparent reason, checking the PC power supply first may save a lot of time troubleshooting the system. A faulty PC power supply belies many intermittent computer problems. This is why experienced PC technicians often look first at the PSU when diagnosing PC hardware issues

• System failures during the boot-up process.
• The PC doesn’t power on at all
• Spontaneous restarts or lockouts when trying to use the machine
• Case fans and hard drives that do not spin
• An overheating system due to heat sink and fan failure
• Errors related to system memory
• Recurring Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)

The symptoms for caused pc power failure

• Any power-on or system startup failures or lockups
• Spontaneous rebooting or intermittent lockups during normal operation
• Intermittent parity check or other memory-type errors
• HDD and fan simultaneously failing to spin (no +12V)
• Overheating due to fan failure
• Small brownouts that cause the system to restart
• Electric shocks that are felt when the case is touched

          Using a paper clip to test a power supply

The paper clip test, alternatively called the jumper test, allows you to verify PSU functionality when it is disconnected from the components inside a PC. This test will identify some common issues:

• Short circuits inside the power supply
• Failed components
• A live power connection

First you want to turn the power switch at the rear of the power supply to the off position. (O should be ‘down’)

Locate the 20+4P (24-pin) connector. Bend the paperclip and insert one end into the green pin (PS_ON) and the other into any of the black pins (Ground)

Flip the switch at the rear of the PSU, and listen for the internal fan. If you can hear the fan, this should verify the power supply is turned on