We had a power outage last night - Tree fell on a wire down the street - power went on and off four or five times in in just a few seconds. After power came back, PC does nothing - no lights, sounds, fans - nothing.

I checked the basics - I have 120 volts to the unit.

I suspected the power supply got zapped. I opened the case and the green led that is normally on on the motherboard was out. I got a NEW 500 watt power supply (Antec EA-500D) and installed it. When I plugged it in, green light came back on on the motherboard - figured I would be all SET.

Nope. Still does nothing.

Is it possible the new power supply is defective? Is there any way to test it?

Also, the new power supply has a 24 pin atx connector - my board has a 20 pin connector. I followed the instructions with the power supply - basically abandoned the seperate 4 pin portion. Any chance there is a compatability problem?

My PC is an e-machines, maybe 4 or 5 years old (From reading around the site I KNOW you guys have these). I have already changed the power supply once before, and it's got a newer motherboard (an ASUS X-Series installed by a guy at a local shop).

Anything else I can try before I bring it to the shop again?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

MikeThe power surge could have taken the board out. Invest in a surge protector .Do you mean a whole-house style surge protector, or one dedicated to the computer? I have a power strip style surge protector for the computer - it didn't trip. All other equip on the surge protector (printer, modem, router) are ok. Do you think I need a better one?If your surge protector was working @ the time of the power outage i cant see why your pc developed this PBLM. Hope we can get help on this issue from others reading this PBLM.ya sounds like you fried your boardThanks to those who replied. I'm beyond what I can do with this - I think I have to bring it to a shop. I have a Staples with a PC repair service near me that I'm tempted to try. Anybody have any experience with them?

I also have an independent guy a couple of towns away who I have used before and has always done good work for me.

Any thoughts?

Thanks Again,

MIKE SThere are multiple potential causes of failure after power surges. You addressed the most likely, the PSU. Could also be hard drive or motherboard.

I would take the system to the person I had the most confidence in.

BTW, I would invest in a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) (this has nothing to do with the power supply inside the computer ) instead of a surge protector. APC is probably the leading manufacturer - your Staples will most likely have them. A UPS maintains power to the computer and monitor during a power outage for a short period of time allowing you to close programs and shut down normally. The amount of time is variable depending on the power CONSUMPTION of the computer and monitor and the size of the UPS. Usually, 15 minutes is plenty. There is also provision for automatic, unattended shutdown.

Best of luck!