Hi all.
I have purchased a new power supply for my computer and was wondering if
anyone knew of a resource on the 'Net that lays out the steps involved in
removing the old supply and installing the new one. Alternately, if someone
wants to list out the steps involved that would be appreciated too.
TIA.
Yeah its really easy.
First take the cover off your PC.
Second youll see a bunch of power cords - not the flat gray cords -
those are the IDE cables. The power ones are small and round and a
raindow of colors bundled in all kinds of ways. Many end in white
plastic slightly transparent plugs that are plugged into your drives.
Plug each one out - all the wires that come out of the PS going to the
drives.
Hard disks, CD drives - all use the same flattish rectangular whitish
plastic plugs about an inch wide and have several wires to each .
Sometimes they are beige plastic. Sometimes the plugs can be very
difficult almost impossible to pull out. Be careful not to rip the
wires out of the sockets or rock them back and forth too much and
break the plastic plug in to the drive.
The corners on one side are at an angle so you can plug it in only one
way.
Then theres a really small plug about a 1/4" that plugs into your
floppy drive. They all just plug out. This ines different from the
rest. SMall flattish plug. This is also shaped a certain way so it
plugs in only one way unless you force it.
Note how they are plugged in as you plug each out so you can plug
them back in.
After that all thats left is a HUGE bundle of colored wires going
from the PS to the Motherboard. You see it terminating into the MB in
a large 2-3 inch white socket right on the MB surface. Theres a
lever/hook on one side of the socket that you press to lift the hook
up so you can pull the plug out of the socket.
Aftrer checking to see if all the plugs are out unscrew the PS.
There are four screws in the back usually of tower cases that hold the
PS onto the backplate of the case.
Note that theres a cutout - rectangular on the back upper part of thr
case where the plug is. Unscrew the the screw outlining the cutout -
on the outer edge holdfing the PS to the bac plate. Usually 4 screws
at each corner. Not inside the cutout because thats the actual PS
itself - whrre the power socket and switch etc is.
As you loosen the screws youll feel the PS start to come off the back
plate. Some have a shelf below the PS to hold it when you unloosen -
others dont so it could fall if you unloosen all the screws. Just hold
it underneath if you have it upright while you loosen the last two
screws. If you have it on the side - preferable , it wont matter.
The crucial thing here is how your case is laid out.
I have one case and heres were a roomy case comes in handy again. If
its like the roomy mid tower - the relatively larger ones or a full or
a well designed smaller one - it just slides out. Some are so tight -
you might have to take the drives out crammed in front of the PS -
usually CD drives. Or at least slide them forward.
And in REALLY tight cases you might have to take the motherboard out !
Hope you dont have to do this. I have one case that slides below but
is very tight - since below is where the motherboard is - usually the
CPU sits below the PS on the motherboard. Well on this case the space
inbetween is so tight if you dont take the motherboard out - it bangs
into the top of the CPU,heatsink/fan which can push the heatshink at
an angle which can chip , criush one of the corners of the Athlon CPU
on which it sits.
You just slide it out.
Then you do the reverse. Slide the new one in. Screw it in.
Plug it in the motherboard making sure its the right way - youll know
because one side the corners are anglesd like the other power plugs
and theres a hook/lever on one side that hooks onto oneside of the
socket.
SAme with the drives -plug each one in - CD, burner, HDs, DVD drives
and finally floppy.
Then put the case together.
