Have a Dell XPS 200. Computer was on overnight when our power went out and then came back on. It was plugged into a power strip with surge protector. Now it will not turn on, no power, no lights, no fan comes on. It's just dead. Unplugged it, plugged directly into wall, turned the switch on the back of & on. NOTHING. What could cause this? Power supply, mobo? Could the bios battery cause this? Thanks!
Computers & Internet
Answers & Comments
Most probably, the fuse in the power supply has been burnt out when the power came back. Surge protectors only protect against voltage surges, not against rise in electric current (Amperes). The fuse inside your computer's power supply protects against rise in electric current only. Together, the surge protector & the power supply's fuse provide total protection against power surges.
I believe what has happened is that when the power returned back, the electric current was high enough to burn out the power supply's fuse, opening the circuit & protecting the rest of the power supply's circuitry.
To fix the problem, you need to disassemble the power supply, replace the burnt out fuse, & also check the bridge rectifier section for burnt out rectifying diodes (these usually get burnt out if the high current gets the chance to leak past the fuse, which could sometimes happen). If you find burnt out rectifying diodes, you will need to replace them as well, as they could burn out the fuse again when you try to use the power supply while they are still there.