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After installing HD, computer wont start

G

Gustaf

2[H]4U
Joined
Jul 10, 2000
Messages
3,408
Hello,
I have a problem, where I opened up the computer to attach an additional sata hd i had on hand, I got it hooked up and now when I press the on button the light flashes for a second, the rear exhaust fan spins for a slit second but that’s as far as it gets.. its just not starting up..
I tried a new power cable but same thing, could the power supply have blown?

the psu is an Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 500W, i bought it in august 2006

Thanks


ps. I have been way way out of touch with computer hardware for a long time, but from what I can remember this is probably an issue with the power supply?
 
It sounds like you have a short somewhere. Have you tried to see if it will post without the new hard drive? If it won´t post then you could test with another PSU or you could completely disconnect yours and try the green to black short test on the PSU to see if it powers on. If it doesn´t you know it is the PSU. If it does power on than something else might of fried, I recently saw a computer with the same problem and in the end it was a blown motherboard.

And please double check all connections you might have simply knocked something loose when plugging the new hard drive in.
 
The above advice is good.
Also check that you havent plugged the molex and SATA power connectors into the drive at the same time.
I've seen a drive ignite due to that!
 
could it be your computer is booting up from the new hd and both of them are set as primary?
 
I thought of that also, but wouldn´t it at least post, if bios was booting from the wrong drive or both set to primary?
 
Yes, its not a drive boot selection problem.
The problem is either the drive is drawing too much power (PSU dieing or faulty drive), exhibiting a fault which is telling the motherboard to shut down or a short circuit somewhere/somehow.

Can you answer the question above (and the other ones), whether the PC boots fine without the drive?
If the PC does work fine without the drive, can you unplug as much as possible (all other DVD/hard drives etc) and try just with that drive alone?
This should help indicate if your PSU is struggling or not.
 
After the fail startup, do you hear a sort of squeal coming from the PSU? If so, RMA that PSU, even it isn't the culprit. Though it would not surprise me if it was since the Smartpower series were well known for above average failure rates due to a poor cooling design.
 
Hey folks,
thanks for all the replies.
The machine wouldnt startup/post without the HD attached.
i hooked up a new psu just to the mobo and started it up. So i ordered a new psu, am working on installing it now.
 
RMA the Smartpower to Antec and have them replace it with a NeoPower 500W so you have a much better quality spare unit, or you could sell it to recoup the cost of the new PSU. Out of curiosity, which new PSU did you buy? (make/model)
 
enginurd said:
RMA the Smartpower to Antec and have them replace it with a NeoPower 500W so you have a much better quality spare unit, or you could sell it to recoup the cost of the new PSU. Out of curiosity, which new PSU did you buy? (make/model)
Click to expand...

Can I RMA it if I have had it since August 2006?

I got the PSU RAIDMAX | HYBRID2 RX-530SS 530W, it seemed to be the cheapest one on Newegg w/ 4 SATA power jacks, but now in retrospect i see that I only needed 2. oh well.

And I got the new PSU installed and the machine booted up, however my windows install was somehow corrupted so i had to format c: and install windows, but at least the machine is working.
 
Gustaf said:
Can I RMA it if I have had it since August 2006?

I got the PSU RAIDMAX | HYBRID2 RX-530SS 530W, it seemed to be the cheapest one on Newegg w/ 4 SATA power jacks, but now in retrospect i see that I only needed 2. oh well.

And I got the new PSU installed and the machine booted up, however my windows install was somehow corrupted so i had to format c: and install windows, but at least the machine is working.
Click to expand...


You seriously don't want that PSU.
 
Gustaf said:
Can I RMA it if I have had it since August 2006?

I got the PSU RAIDMAX | HYBRID2 RX-530SS 530W, it seemed to be the cheapest one on Newegg w/ 4 SATA power jacks, but now in retrospect i see that I only needed 2. oh well.

And I got the new PSU installed and the machine booted up, however my windows install was somehow corrupted so i had to format c: and install windows, but at least the machine is working.
Click to expand...

Yes, it has a 3yr warranty. The replacement PSU you get is better than that new one you just bought.

lol, that RAIDmax is probably of worse quality than the Smartpower, too. Return that thing before it kills your computer completely. If you need something cheap, get the BFG LS series 550W from buy.com instead.

You can also do a repair installation to save an old install.
 
enginurd said:
Yes, it has a 3yr warranty. The replacement PSU you get is better than that new one you just bought.

lol, that RAIDmax is probably of worse quality than the Smartpower, too. Return that thing before it kills your computer completely. If you need something cheap, get the BFG LS series 550W from buy.com instead.

You can also do a repair installation to save an old install.
Click to expand...

Good to know, I will RMA the antec and use the replacement, in the meantime I will just use the raidmax. I dont really use that computer for anything though, it has my scanner hooked up to it, but weeks will go by without my touching it.
 
Gustaf said:
Good to know, I will RMA the antec and use the replacement, in the meantime I will just use the raidmax
Click to expand...

If you go to the PSU sub-forum, you'll see that Raidmax is on the "PSU's to avoid" list. They are extremely poor quality and can damage your hardware. They're also known to sneak out of your house at night and go slaughtering cows.
 
a bad cuircuit board on the hard drive can also cause the shorting problem you have.
 
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