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What’s wrong with my computer?

greenmonster

greenmonster

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 7, 2013
Location
Pleasanton
Moto(s)
2022 Suzuki Hayabusa
Name
Ed
I have an HP all-in-one windows desktop computer. I was reading an online article last night, heard a click, poof - nothing.

It won’t turn on now.

Ideas? There’s a computer repair shop in town and the guy is open tomorrow but WTF?

Can I get this repaired or is the computer toast?
 
The click you heard might have been a capacitor popping. If you're lucky it's just the power supply that's failed.
 
Do you have a multimeter? You can test the PSU to see if it's failed and order a replacement from HPE if so.

 
Is the socket still live?
Best case is you tripped a circuit in the outlet in your bathroom.
 
greenmonster said:
yeah, it’s like someone pulled the plug out of the wall.
Weird
Click to expand...
You can call HPE Support and open a case and see if they have any other troubleshooting steps, and if not have them send you the appropriate PSU for the system. They can bill credit cards for replacement parts.
 
Make sure you get power from whatever socket your computer is plugged into.
 
HP AIO has no serviceable power supply inside. If AC power plugs straight into the back of the computer then verify that the wall plug or power strip it goes into is hot. Some power strips have a circuit breaker that can spurious trip if old.

If it has an external power supply (like a laptop) then get a voltmeter and test to see what, if anything, it is outputing. There should be a label on the power supply listing output volts and amps. If it stopped working or the output voltage is different/lower than the label then go to ebay and find a used one with the same voltage, same or higher amp rating and same connector size (internal and external dimension) or shop by model number of the original.
 
Sorry, I was busy with family stuff yesterday.

My computer is plugged in to the same power strip as my desk lamp and printer.
Those things are working fine so there’s power going to the computer.

There’s a computer repair place open today a few miles from where I live so I’ll take it there and see what he says.

I’m hoping it can be repaired vs buying a new one.
Since I have an extra keyboard, mouse and monitor my son suggested getting a mini computer.
I never heard of those but Best Buy sells them for a lot less than a full blown system.

The problem is none of my stuff is saved to the cloud so it would have to be pulled off the hard drive somehow.

To be continued…
 
Last edited:
Ok so the verdict is that the power supply is part of the motherboard and can’t be easily replaced. The repair guy says there’s too much of a chance he’d break the screen in the process ( it’s an all-in-one style).

So…the repair guy recommended a mini computer if I don’t want a laptop, which I don’t.

He says a mini computer will do just fine. I have a full sized keyboard which I’m used too. I don’t like the smaller keyboards on laptops.
And I never learned to use a touchpad so that’s out too. Gotta have a mouse.

And I have a nice big screen which will surpass anything a laptop can offer.

I just need a new “brain”.

Any suggestions or recommendations before I go to Best Buy?
 
greenmonster said:
Ok so the verdict is that the power supply is part of the motherboard and can’t be easily replaced. The repair guy says there’s too much of a chance he’d break the screen in the process ( it’s an all-in-one style).

So…the repair guy recommended a mini computer if I don’t want a laptop, which I don’t.

He says a mini computer will do just fine. I have a full sized keyboard which I’m used too. I don’t like the smaller keyboards on laptops.
And I never learned to use a touchpad so that’s out too. Gotta have a mouse.

And I have a nice big screen which will surpass anything a laptop can offer.

I just need a new “brain”.

Any suggestions or recommendations before I go to Best Buy?
Click to expand...

One note before you dismiss a laptop- I use my laptops with external displays and keyboards almost exclusively, except when I'm flying somewhere (even have a docking station with a 34" monitor set up in the camper.) The ability to snatch it up and take it with me is pretty powerful even if I almost never use it. If you don't have a _need_ for a desktop-style computer and already have a keyboard/mouse/etc. you could use a laptop, buy a monitor to use with it, leave the screen closed, and plug it in where your all-in-one was.

Just a thought. Other than that what to buy is entirely based on what you plan to do with it- if you just want another AIO, those are abundant, or you can get something like a mid-tower desktop if you want some upgradeability (like adding graphics cards or extra storage.) From your past use pattern any major manufacturer's AIO is likely to meet your needs. If you want faster, look for higher clock speeds on the CPU (3ghz+) and bigger RAM (16GB minimum, 32GB is desirable if you're going to watch a lot of video.)
 
The last corporate job I had gave me a laptop which I connected to a separate screen, keyboard and mouse and it worked out great for me.

Being a cheapskate at heart I’m trying to save a few bucks but a new laptop isn’t completely off the table.
I rarely travel so portability isn’t a need.

We’ll see.
 
You can find great deals on refurb laptops. I've bought a few and never had an issue. Though first thing I always do with a refurb is a fresh install of the OS, just to get rid of anything that might have been snuck in there.
 
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