Solved: tried hot swap...uh-oh...computer dead..any help?

[rambelmont]

UH-OH is right. I tried a hot swap and the computer went completely dead. Is there anything I can do to bring it back to life? And did I damage the stuff saved on my hard drive?

Help!

 

[-Fabez-]

So to clarify, you tried to swap an internal hard drive while your computer was running ?

 

[rambelmont]

I tried to swap the A drive/3.5" 1.44 floppy. And as soon as I plugged the red-black-black-yellow plug in, it died. Can it be resurrected?

 

[rambelmont]

to clarify, with the computer on, I unplugged the red-black-black-yellow plug. the computer was still working. Then I thought that I would turn it off (what I should have done to begin with). But instead of shutting it down with the drive unplugged, i plugged the red-black-black-yellow back in to the orginal drive. That is when it died. Can you help?

 

[-Fabez-]

Depends what you define as dead if it wont turn on them the power supply is dead.

 

[rambelmont]

I can see a small light on the motherboard -- nothing else.

 

[-Fabez-]

Try disconnecting components one by one and see if the computer will start, but replace them afterwards. Also take out whatever you tried to hotswap untill the problem is fixed. If no combination of hardware works and your computer does not beep when the power button is pressed, it is well and truely dead and you will need to get some new components.

 

[rambelmont]

Will replacing the power supply bring it back to life?

 

[TheOutcaste]

The light on the MB means it's getting the +5V standby voltage, so the PS is not totally dead.

Definitely unplug both power and data cables from the floppy -- if it got fried by the "hotswap" it could be shorting the power supply enough to prevent it from turning on.

Double check that you didn't accidentally unplug the power switch lead that comes from the front panel.

Unplug the PC from the mains, push in the power switch (or just wait) until the light on the MB goes out. Give it another minute or two, then plug it back in and test. The logic circuit for the power switch/power good signal may just be stuck. Or if you happened to short the 5V or 12V pins to ground the protection circuit may have kicked in. Some power supplies won't reset until they are unplugged from the mains and allowed to discharge.

If it is the supply that is defective, replacing it might be all that is needed; but other components could have been damaged when the power supply died as well, so there is no way to tell without testing.

HTH

Jerry

 

[rambelmont]

Outcast/Jerry,
Thank you so much!! It's alive! I unplugged the power and data cables as you instructed. I had already unplugged the computer power cable last night, so the MB light was already out. I crossed my fingers, pushed the on button -- and the fan started right up. Everything is back!! I still need to add a new floppy drive, but I will never again try to save time by not shutting the computer off.

I had to cancel the order for a new power supply -- saved me $30.

Again, thank you, thank you, thank you.
rambelmont

 

[TheOutcaste]

Your Welcome!. Glad it's working.

Have to give -Fabez- the credit though, he did suggest that in post 7

... Also take out whatever you tried to hotswap untill the problem is fixed...

I just repeated it a bit more specifically in case you'd missed that part.

 

[rambelmont]

I had missed it -- thank you both for your help

 

[-Fabez-]

Thanks TheOutcaste and glad its working for you rambelmont