How do I know if my HD and motherboard are ok?

[rsuazo]

Hi!

Let's see this case: a blackout rendered my pc useless, that is, now it won't turn on. In this case, I could assume that the power supply is completely broken but, How do I know if my HD or motherboard are in good conditions?

Could I try to install them in other PC without any problems (just to see if they are ok) or this procedure could damage my other PC?

TIA

 

[kestrel1]

Any contact with you have with the internals could potentially damage the components, but if you earth your self (anti-stat strap) you should be okay. I would say the easiest thing to do though would be to swap the PSU from your faulty system with a known good one. That way you will know if it is just the PSU. From then you can decide what next. If you get no life even with a good PSU, you would probably be safe to assume that the mobo has died.

 

[pmonett]

I have to admit that, in some 20 years of building PCs on my own, I have had a number of motherboards, power supplies and hard discs fail on me, but never a single CPU.
Testing the discs is rather easy. First, go to the manufacturer site and find the diagnostic tool for that range of HDD. Serious makers should have one. Then plug your discs into another PC and run the diag tool on them to find out if they are worth keeping or not.
For the motherboard, it is less easy to tell if it is a motherboard problem or a power supply issue. Plugging a faulty power supply into a good motherboard is not without its own risks, but plugging a bad motherboard is generally safe - it just won't start.
Of course, it helps if you have extra power supplies, CPUs and such. Otherwise, it is rather simple to just bring the unit to your nearest dealer and ask him to check it out. Not everybody has a voltmeter at home, or the means to properly tests a PSU. A dealer normally does.

Pascal.


I've got nothing to hide, and I'd very much like to keep that away from prying eyes.

 

[kestrel1]

To test a PSU, get one of these:

http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_1705.html

Not to badly priced & do the trick. I have tested many with mine. If you are in to building or repairing PC's it is a must have.

 

[kestrel1]

Slightly cheaper here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antec-ATX-12V-Supply-Tester/dp/B000BPNWWW

The above are both UK sites, but it should be available else where.