i woke up this morning to a faint plastic smell. i found that the fan in the power supply isnt spinning and its getting quit hot in there.
can i fix this?
get a new heatsink/fan combo, there is no way to fix it.
Well, ok, there is a crappy way involving removing the fan, peeling off the sticker over the bearing, oiling it with 3in1 oil or something similar, replacing the sticker with duct tape, and re-installing the fan. That way only works for a limited time and doesn’t always work.
Buy a combo of newegg, they are pretty cheap.
This is what Radio Shack is all about. They have new fans in all sizes… Or do nothing and Dell will sell you a whole new computer.
No, no. His failing fan is in the power supply; it’s not the CPU fan. So…
You need to get a new power supply. Mine recently failed too. The power supply was really hot and had an electrical burning smell. My machine was acting erratically for a while before I noticed the problem. It would lock up or spontaneously reboot.
What brand of computer do you have? I always put mine together from parts, so I know that an off-the-shelf power supply will fit. Do you have a Dell or something like that? Does anyone know if he can go to CompUSA and buy a standard power supply?
Do NOT attempt to replace the fan in the PS.
The capacitors in there hold enough charge to send you to the hospital, or kill you.
(not that I haven’t opened/modified one before 
)
But, we like you, and we want you here tomorrow
Find out the specs on the sticker on the side.
Then, either order Online or go to RS.
(I recommend NewEgg )
Here’s RS
Or Best Buy too …
Feel free to PM me …
Rather or not you could fix this is dependant on how much knowlege/experience you have with computers/electronics. If you are someone who knows all about building computers AND proper safety practices for dealing with high voltage electical circuits (its not that dangerous, but could potentially kill you) then I would say go ahead and fix it (make sure it has no power when working on it), otherwise DO NOT OPEN THE POWER SUPPLY. A temporary solution might be to put another fan on the ouside of the power supply to help keep it cool until you get a replacement.
Do NOT open the PS at all.
Clearly someone here doesn’t know the charge that the PS capacitor can hold …
(for a VERY LONG TIME)
Unpluging it will NOT make if safe to work on.
Just an additional note from me …
If you smelled something bad comming from the PS, chance are there are burnt components. Fans ‘generally’ dont make smells when they fail. Most likely somthing got too hot, and is in bad condition. Unless your prepared to throw your computer out the window if the PS catches fire, (providing your actually at the PC when this happens) I suggest you replace the PS unit.
I have little story about PS catchin fire … if you want one …
I would say go to Newegg.com and pick up a new PS for $20-30 I dont think your running a top of the line system so you should be fine with a 350W PS. If you have a normal case you shouldnt have any problem installing it. If you have one of thoes odd Sony or Dell Cases you’re most likely going to have to get a PS through them.
I had to replace the power supply in my computer about 2 years ago. Computer makers often skimp on the quality of the power supply. There are good power supplys out ther but they cost more.
My computer is a clone. All standard components. Nothing proprietary like Dell and some other big manufacturers use. I just went to CompUSA, got a new power supply, put it in and plugged all of the connectors back.
Swapping a power supply isn’t all that hard, but there are a lot of power connectors that need to be plugged in and you have to know where they all plug in and which connector goes where.
Anyone know of a good online manual or tutorial on how to swap a power supply? I could Google for a site but I’d need to weed through a lot of bad sites before finding a good one.
A replacement basic power supply will probably be about $20 to $30. Check the wattage of your old power supply. That will give you a baseline for how much power the new power supply should have. You can go with more wattage but it’s not a good idea to go with less.
Oh crap … He’s own a Dell …?
Yeah, he’s only going to be able to get the proper PS from Dell.
Dell (and other PC makers) have proprietary components.
EI: Only thier parts will fit.
(depending on what your replacing)
His PS has ‘special’ connectors I think. Mine did. These ‘custom’ connectors arent found on PS’s sold by OEM.
Dell make great ‘starter’ PC’s. I bought my 1st one from them also.
I also found out that I couldn’t replace parts conventionally.
This is how I entered the ‘overclocking’ hobby.
I now build my own, and my friends, PC’s and servers.
Call Dell. 
I wonder if a local PC recycler type store or PC surplus type store would have used Dell power supplies? Could be an option to find one locally and for less money than Dell would want.
Oh, my! Unless I missed something, we don’t know that he owns a Dell. Somehow, that “fact” suddenly just pooped into existence.
Maybe someone should ask him.
I would love an excuse to throw mine out of the window sometimes
All that proves is that he has a Dell Monitor. We still don’t know what brand (or lack of) of computer he’s using. I use a Dell monitor with my home made computer. That said, i think there’s a fair (read: likely) chance he is using a Dell.
some places sell the adaptor to make standard PSUs work with a dell mobo. yet another reason to build your own computer. Make sure when you take out the PSu to note the power rating on it. it should be a fairly obvious label on it somewhere. it should say something like 300W or 350W, you need at least that big of an output on your replacement. be aware that not all psus are created equal. antec is my brand of choice. thermaltake, cooler master, enermax, and a few others are all quality choices. basically you get what you pay for. you probably don’t need/want lights and stuff in it, so that’ll save you a bit of $$.
check out this link to newegg
Re: help with PC (my fan dont work)
Jagur,
I have to disagree. I’m probably one of your biggest fans and I am gainfully employed. I just don’t know what my Political Character has to do with it.
Bruce
thanx for the help everyone. the pic of my PC is an older one, but it was only a Dell monitor. the PC im using now is pieced together and i dont really know what it is, its got an Atholon thing in there and its way faster than my old one, thats all i know.
so i shot some WD-40 into the fan and it started spinning again.HURRAH! if it craps out again i’ll shurly read this thread over again.
thanx again all.
That’s good news.
(that you don’t have that Dell box)
So, if you have issues again, you can just take the specs off the sticker on the PS, and get a new one.
Replacing it is easier than putting a uni back together. (IMO)
I’m alil worried that you ‘smelled’ something bad thou…
I hope you have homeowners, and don’t leave your PC unattended while its powered on.