When Power Supplies Attack!!

Dead, dead, dead.

That's what this little Medusa is.
I went to restart my PC and all I got were flickering lights and a clicking sound - now that CAN'T be good! I conferred with DH and he agreed after we did multiple plug/unplug cycles that the most likely culprit was the rascal to the left.

He brought me home a nice new (to me) replacement power supply and I replaced it all by myself!! With just a little direction, but on my own! Want to know how I did it? Keep reading...

1. Unplug the PC - kinda basic, but hey, if you are working with the POWER SUPPLY folks, you really can't work plugged in...

2. Open case - anothe given, since you have to get it out. I really liked how easily the case opened on my machine (Dell Optiplex GX270 Series) and how it was hinged. Thumbs up Dell!

3. Remove mounting screws for the power supply - This was fairly simple, and the screws were easily accessible.

4. Unplug the peripherals - I unplugged, in order, so I would remember later: CD-R/DVD, Floppy Drive and the Hard Drive. Still, pretty easy stuff, you just need to follow the cables.

5. Unplug the two Motherboard connections - the big connector (P1) and the small one (P4).

6. Push the green lever to remove power supply - this is a nice feature and was really easy to use.

7. Insert new power supply and push until you hear a click. Mark old power supply as bad - this last one is my own step, just to make sure I didn't confuse them!

8. Plug in DVD-ROM, Floppy andHard Drive.

9. Plug in Motherboard connections - The small latch on the side of the P1 made for easy connection and assured me I was plugging in the right way.

10. Screw power supply to frame and close case. Power up and test!

It works!! One small step for techs, one giant leap for me!

Thanks to my DH for all his supervision and for keeping me in parts :-)