Question re: power supply

[DMan]

This question is with regards to my earlier post about my failing ide devices. At first I thought my motherboard was failing but a couple of replies have told me to upgrade my power supply because that's pretty much the only big thing I haven't upgraded since upgrading my motherboard, cpu, HDD, and cdrom.

Is it possible that a comp with an improper power supply can cause damage to ide devices? I've been having consistent failures with my cdroms and hard drives, and even after replacing them they still seem to break down with the exact same problems. The hard drives begin to have bad sectors until they fail altogether and the cdroms stop recognizing cd's until they burn out completely.

Is a new power supply/computer case the answer?

[kwai]

yah, if the ps is not regulating the voltage levels correctly, then it could cause damage like you describe. try and get a good 250W or 300W ps. its at least worth the peace of mind.

[ANTONIO E GUERRA]

Yes, a defective power supply may cause overheating in the ide devices and burn them. In addition, if the cpu is overheating or misconfigured it will cause errors in the hard drive and other devices. If you have to replace a video card or a cdrom or you can't explain bad sectors, replace the power supply unit. Good luck!

[Vladimir]

Anything that you plug into your computer that has is screwed up and has the wrong voltage running through it has the potential to do some serious damage. I fried a motherboard with a keyboard one time cause it was screwed up and not working properly. And all I did was plug it in. Then again I have actually caused sparks to fly out of my case while I was moving stuff around with the power still on and didnt cause any damage. (hehe...dont try that at home kids) So really it all depends on how lucky you are feeling. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[DMan]

Thanks for the help with the ps. I bought a new case w/ a 250W ps and so far so good (keeping fingers crossed). My old ps was 200W and was 3 yrs old.

I never thought that a $50-80 investment could literally destroy several $100+ components during the whole time I've been upgrading. An oversight that's a definite no-no for us new upgraders.

I owe everyone on this message board for bailing me out many a situation.

[kwai]

if we're going for doh! bragging rights, i finally discovered it was my $25 floppy drive causing the shorts in my system (changed power supplies three times) -- death toll so far: 2 hd's, 1 graphics card, 1 ps, and finally the culprit floppy drive. rest in peace.