Dream Machine

[lostcowboy]

Hi all, I just read this on the Langalist today. http://langa.com/index.html I think someone on here may have the same problem.

3) Boot Failure From Power Supply Problem

Hi Fred, Just thought I'd share this in case someone else is
having a similar problem.

A friend's computer was restarting on its own and on the
restart it would not boot and asked for a boot disc to be
inserted. Bottom line is it would not boot until it had ample
time to cool down, usually over night. On Boot-up it would only
run for a few minutes before restarting and asking for the boot
disc again.

When I got over there I managed to get the cpu temp just before
it restarted thinking it was an overheat issue but the temp
reported was only 45 degrees C. While it was running I noticed
that the case fan was rather loud so when it did shut down I
unplugged the fan and the computer rebooted without a hitch. I
replaced the fan and the computer has been running fine ever
since.

Have you ever heard of a case fan crashing a computer? Could
the fan, if it was seizing up draw enough current to "fail" the
power supply? That's my theory. Cheers, Steve

It could indeed be that, Steve; perhaps the stalled fan drew enough power
to prevent the hard drive from spinning up. I'd say replacing the fan was
the right first step: They're cheap and easy to swap out.

But I'd also suggest looking at the power supply. If it's running that
close to the edge, it may be worth replacing too. (In fact, it might even
be the real source of the problem, rather than the fan.)

Most power supplies are held in place with just four screws, so they're
very easy to remove. If you've never done it before, the rats' nest of
wires makes it look complicated, but if you work slowly and carefully,
it's not bad at all.

Most cables are keyed so they can't be plugged in the wrong way, but if
there's a possibility of confusion, use a Sharpie or similar permanent-
ink marker: As you unplug the old cables, put a small dot or arrow on the
plastic of the sockets to remind you which way the original cable was
plugged in. You can also make basic sketches of what goes where, or, if
you have a digital camera, you can use that to easily record where each
plug goes.

Changing the power supply would also give your friend a *great*
opportunity to make his system quieter. see:
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=21401323