In desktop computers the PSU (Power Supply Unit) is a critical component and it does a job of providing DC voltage to all other components in computer. This PSU is basically a SMPS (switching mode power supply) and it can fail after few years of use. PSU fail more often if there are voltage fluctuations. What we mostly do is buy a new PSU and discard the old one. Did you know that this PSU can still work like new by just changing few components inside it! And good thing is that not many parts fail in SMPS and it can be repaired easily. So here is a DIY post on repairing the PSU. Before we begin please note that high voltage maybe present even when the PSU is disconnected from main power supply, so do not touch anything inside before removing all the stored charge. We will tell you how to do this when we reach that point of DIY.

Removing the PSU from cabinet

First of all we need to take out the faulty PSU from the computer cabinet. To do so, first of all disconnect all the connections from computer and open up the cabinet. Now you should see the PSU with bunch of wires coming out and connecting to motherboard, drives and all. Remove all these connectors one by one. These are made in such a way that they cannot be fitted in incorrect direction so you don’t need to worry about which wire goes where when re-fitting them. So just pull them out one by one.
Once all the wires are removed, look at the back side and you should see four mounting screws which are holding the PSU in the cabinet. Unscrew all of them one by one and before removing the last two screws, hold the PSU by hand so that it does not fall below and break something. At this point if you find dust on PSU and in the cabinet, you might want to clean it with soft dry cloth and a paint brush. Take the PSU apart. Put the computer cabinet cover back and forget it for a while.

Opening the PSU

Look at the PSU and on top you will find screws, unscrew them using a Philips screwdriver and keep the screws at a safe place. Now try to remove the PSU cover apart, if it doesn’t come, search for more screws. Sometimes there maybe some screws hidden behind stickers.  Once you have opened the PSU cover, clear the dust with blower. Do not touch any part inside right now but do have a good look on any burnt sign on any part of PCB or parts. Look at the fuse if you can spot one, if its blown, make sure you have a spare one ready but do not replace it yet.

We will continue this DIY in part 2

One must have noticed the computers we see in factories and several other places like operation theatre of hospital etc look different than the computers we use at home. One example of such computer that we use frequently is the ATM machine which uses the same operating system that we use at home yet it’s totally different in function and looks as well. These are custom computers built for specific purpose. A friend of mine has a shop which deals in purchase of scrap and he often complained of computer shutting down due to overheat. His office was near his scrap yard and the dust would enter the computer and required frequent cleaning. Even his laptop used to fail very early. On my suggestion he switched to Industrial pc and since then all his computer problems are gone. Industrial computers are rugged enough to handle the harsh conditions and perform even under extreme conditions. These are also very reliable, for example when used for critical applications like heart-lung machine in operation theatre we just cannot let computer stop working even for a second. When getting Industrial computers, we also have a choice for custom built computer in which we can get the hardware added that we use in our industry. A good example of custom industrial computer that we see working everyday is at petrol pump fitted in the fuel dispensing machine. It is custom built to calculate fuel amount according to amount entered and have features like auto-cutoff when tank is full to avoid spilling of fuel.

Not everyone uses old desktop these days as now new desktop PC’s are quite cheap to own now and we are upgrading hardware more frequently. Still one thing which annoys some people like me who are always in a hurry is the booting time. When we upgrade to new PC with better and faster processor, we do it because either we have already started or plan to use heavy software applications. Let’s take example of Adobe Photoshop 7 in days of Pentium 3. This would have run slow on a P3 and when upgrading to Pentium 4 most upgraded to Photoshop CS range which was more resource hungry than its older versions. This made even Pentium 4 slower and then came multiple core processors. Booting time is effected with the number of software’s installed as every software make entries in registry and some even need services to be started when windows start, all these increase the booting time. Booting time here means the time from system power on till the desktop becomes ready for use (means all notification area icons appeared and antivirus software loaded). Booting time depends on applications installed on the system and nothing to do with the age of your PC. Here are some tips to cut down on booting time and shutting time as well:

1. Install a SSD hard disk and install operating system on it. If space is left, you can also install frequently used application. I would suggest antivirus software because it is running all time right from the boot till shut down. SSD drives have high read and write speed enabling your system to boot faster.

2. Install maximum possible RAM. If there is an empty slot in your motherboard for RAM then do get a RAM and fill that slot! When your system is short of RAM space (many time it is), it uses hard disk space as RAM (virtual memory) and you know hard disk can never be as fast as RAM. RAM is the fastest memory you can provide your computer with. Cache and registers are even faster but they cannot be upgraded as they are inbuilt in CPU.

3. Remove unnecessary programs from startup. Type “msconfig” in the RUN box (works for Windows XP Pro and later OS) and a window will open where you can deselect the applications that you don’t need at startup. If you are unsure of some, leave them checked or Google their name and you will find info about them.

4. Remove unnecessary fonts. Each and every font gets initialized when system boots up, so if you have a large number of fonts that you downloaded and used for any project that you will no longer work on then its good idea to remove them. In case you need them again in a rare occasion, you can install them again. To remove fonts, open control panel and double click on the folder icon named “fonts”. You will see many fonts icon and to delete any font, just right click on its icon and click “delete”.

Virus, Trojans, those autorun.inf files which always get copied in your pen drive as soon as you plug them in an infected system are a big headache. And when you return home and plug this pen drive in your system, it gets infected too. If you have good antivirus software then you can be safe but not always. Prevention is better than cure so why not prevent your system from facing these pen drive related virus problem. Here I give you a good solution which will in some cases help you saving your system from getting infected and also stop spreading for virus from one system to another.

Suppose I have to carry some files which I have in my PC so I just copy them in my pen drive, this is most people do. Now I suggest leaving your pen drive and using memory card instead. Grab your digital camera and take out its memory card. Buy a memory card reader if you don’t have one (which comes very cheap). Get a portable card reader for convenience of carrying which don’t need USB cable. Now carry your digital files in memory card and without worrying plug it in any computer with any amount of virus infection! Enjoy the freedom from the worry of virus.

When you reach home, you know your memory card has lots of virus in it and you will not like it plugging in your PC. Plug it in your digital camera instead and switch on your camera. Go to the setup and you should find format option, select it and format your memory card! Boom boom.. all viruses gone! Since those viruses were made for Windows operating system so it will not affect your digital camera in any way. Now you can safely plug this memory card again in your computer for carrying more digital files to your workplace.

You cannot use this trick if you have to take some digital files back to home because formatting will wipe all the data on card.

I was at a PC shop few days back and I saw a laptop which I got tempted to buy. I asked the price and found it on a bit higher side. For that price I could get more features, one of my techie friend suggested standing beside me looking at more gadgets in that shop. Shop owner popped in the scene and started to convince me by telling benefits of that laptop which he failed to do. On the way I asked my techie friend how to find the best possible laptop for my budget and he promptly suggested me ConsumerMate.com website. At first I thought it may be just a review website which will only confuse me with Hot Deals but I was surprised to see how useful a website can be in simplifying buying decisions.

The very first page of ConsumerMate.com has a widget which has sliders to Compare Laptops on price, weight, screen size and check boxes for brands. These few things are the most important and on these factors we make our buying decision. Once we slide it according to our requirements we get to know how many laptops are available which satisfy our requirements. On clicking the button we get a list of all these laptops with full description, test reports and even personal reviews by people who have actually bought and used that laptop. If you are getting all this at one place at ConsumerMate.com, then it’s the ultimate website to browse when you need to buy a laptop.

New computer hardware’s come in market everyday and if you are bitten by the upgrade bug then you must have found yourself spending lots of time in computer hardware store. Upgrading hardware is good because you keep your computer up to date and you can obviously brag about it between friends. Buy Computer Equipment from online store instead and save time. You can browser large variety of latest hardware’s at the comfort of your home and buy after comparing easily with other similar hardware’s of different brands. While if you are at a shop, you have no option but to buy what is available at the store at that time. So shop smart and buy computer hardware’s online.