On 8/14/2011 2:44 PM, Michael Lanspa wrote:
> We took a 2-3 second power surge last night, and as a result, our Dell
> desktop computer (XPS Dimension, running XP) will not power up.  No lights
> on the CPU anywhere, front or back, not sound of motors running - nothing.
> It was plugged into a power surge protected strip, and the wireless router
> and cable modem plugged into the same strip were unaffected.
> I contacted DELL and they said it's most likely the motherboard and the
> power source.  Naturally, they suggested buying a new computer.
> I'm just wondering if any of you would concur with DELL's diagnosis, and if
> it is the motherboard and power source, would any of you have a ballpark
> estimate on how much to replace them and whether our data on the hard drive
> is still intact?
>
>          The NOSPIN Group has added a new feature on our website,
>             web based bulletinboard for questions and answers:
>                Visit our sister website at http://nospin.com
>
>

My condolences about the power surge.  I had one about two weeks ago and 
lost a few things myself.

I don't concur with Dell.  I would say, "the power supply OR the 
motherboard."  Of course, it could be both, or it could be something else.

On home-built computers, I would suggest buying a new power supply and 
seeing if that fixed the problem.  (A spare power supply can always be 
used in the future if it isn't needed now.  Just get one big enough.)  I 
don't know if your Dell uses a proprietary power supply or not.  You 
could remove it and take it into Best Buy or a similar store and see if 
the generic power supplies will fit.  The size and screw hole locations 
are critical.  Another thing that you can do first is to take the case 
off of the power supply and see if there are any parts that look brown 
from burning up.  Then you know for sure that it is shot.  Be careful, 
as there may be some residual charge trapped in the power supply, so you 
don't want to touch anything in there.  Just look for burned-looking spots.

The motherboard is another matter.  I upgrade my computers every two 
years or so, so I probably wouldn't replace the motherboard with the 
same one.  I would get a new motherboard/CPU/memory set.

It can get expensive replacing things one piece at a time.  It is easier 
on a home-built, though.  A power supply can probably cost about $100 
for a decent one, but you can spend $30 or $40 and maybe get by, 
especially on an older computer.  Motherboards can be expensive, 
especially a proprietary motherboard, and you still don't know if the 
CPU might have been blown, too, or even the memory, etc.

Now, if your computer is running XP, it must be several years old.  You 
might check out the prices of new computers, or even consider building 
your own.

I doubt that your hard drive was harmed, but there is no sure thing.  If 
a zap came through and got  your mb, then it might have got  your hard 
drive.  The nice thing about a hard drive is that you can easily put it 
into another computer to see if it still works.

I hope this helps.

Dean Kukral

        The NOSPIN Group has added a new feature on our website,
           web based bulletinboard for questions and answers:
              Visit our sister website at http://nospin.com