Did a Power Surge Kill It?

[gwcowling323]

Last night we had a power outage that lasted a fraction of a second. When the power came back on I heard a sound I hadn't noticed before when power came back on. When I press the power button on the PC now it does not power up. However, the green light on the back is still lit. Is it possible that it isn't fried and there is some way to get it started again?

[old_geekster]

@gwcowling323, welcome back to the forum.

If you didn't have a surge surpressor it could be that the surge damaged the power supply unit (PSU).  I suggest unplugging the power cord for several minutes.  Then, plug it in again to see if that helps.  Also. you should Clear the CMOS (prn. see-moss).  Here is the Motherboard Specifications page.  At the bottom in the section titled "Jumpers" it shows how to do it.

In the future, you should buy a quality Surge Surpressor.  This will at least give you a chance of preventing failures.

Please click the Thumbs up + button if I have helped you and click Accept as Solution if your problem is solved.

[gwcowling323]

Is there a way to check if the motherboard was damaged in addition to the power supply unit? How may watts power supply should I get for this model PC?

[old_geekster]

Thank you for the additional information, @gwcowling323.

I would normally check the capacitors to see if they are bulging.  They should have a slight concave shape.  If they are bulging the slightest, they are most likely damaged.  I wouldn't expect the motherboard to be damaged in most instances, however.

Here is a guide to help you troubleshoot the problem further.  Read through it carefully to see if it has any information pertinent to your situation.  Also, there are numerous guides on the Internet to help you test your PSU.  Here is just one example of a guide.

As for a new PSU, the current one is 500W.  I believe that will be plenty for the existing components.  I like Corsair products.

[gwcowling323]

How can I tell if a particular model of Corsair PSU will work with my PC? Do you need additionl information about the PC?

[gwcowling323]

I guess I should have read your reply closer regarding Corsair. I went to the HP parts store on-line to search for the same PSU as the original. It was not available, but a chat window popped up. Through the course of that chat the agent identified another HP PSU that he assured me would work. Just one problem: no cable to connect to the DVD/CD drive. Now I can't find a way to find out how to make arrangements to return it and I would also like to send an e-mail with photos showing how it doesn't work. Perhaps a phone number to call would be a start. Can you help with that? I can send a copy of the chat transcript if that would help.

[old_geekster]

The best way to handle your situation would be to contact HP Customer Support for help with the return of the PSU.