Tech Trouble Too
A resurrection story.
I have officially raised the dead.
Okay, so that opening hook there is just a touch dramatic, but let me explain. On Saturdays, we usually have the entire immediate family over for dinner and games, and since I just recently discovered the amazing Kahoot!, I wanted to jump online before everyone arrived to create an interactive trivia game for us to play. I sat down in front of the PC, reached down to press the power button, and was met with immediate disaster.
Rather than powering on, the computer made two loud “POP!” sounds and then... Nothing. Then I noticed the scent of something burning. After glancing down to the electrical outlet that the PC's surge protector was plugged into to verify the whole damn house hadn't caught on fire, I tried powering the computer on again. Again, nothing. It wasn't just dead, it was real dead. It was fried.
To the average human, this probably wouldn't be a huge loss. If you were working on something for work or school, it might be hugely disappointing, inconvenient, and frustrating, but for the most part, people have moved on to mobile devices. Tablets and smartphones are what most people use to access the internet now. Some have even pondered whether desktop computers are still relevant. They are, of course, but that's an essay for another day.
For me, this was a tragic loss. I am an introvert, so being a homebody is pretty much built into my DNA. As a result, my desktop, or what I refer to as my “daily driver,” is what I use for almost everything. While I'm still out of work following the recent healthcare job fiasco, I still use my PC to search for and apply to other jobs, most of which are remote and done from home on a PC. I also use this machine for my programming and web development education at freeCodeCamp and other places. I use my PC for entertainment and social purposes. I'm a gamer, a streamer, and pretty much an all-around citizen of the internet. And, of course, I use the PC to publish, manage, and maintain this very website and its accompanying email publication. It might seem sad, but losing my daily driver, especially at a time when I'm unable to come up with the cash to fully replace it, was devastating.
Thankfully, I was able to keep up with social media and a few other items with my phone and the painfully basic laptop that I lovingly call my “craptop.” But the struggle was real, and I was going to need to start brainstorming a solution quickly.
After consulting with the family and some other PC gurus, we came to the conclusion that it was likely the power supply (PSU) that had gone out, and the most economical course of action would likely be replacing it instead of the entire system. Quite frankly, it was not even the first time I've had to have this PC's PSU replaced. I was just fortunate that the first time it went out, it was still under warranty. That little detail convinced me that the “bronze” power supplies they were using weren't cutting it for my PC, and so this time, I opted for what seems to be the gold standard. And since I found a rather affordable GPU that would provide my PC with a little bit of a graphics boost as well, I went ahead and snagged it also. You know, as a treat! So, all things considered, I managed to purchase both the new PSU and GPU for under $350, which honestly seems like a bargain.
After a few quiet days relying on my phone and the craptop, the new parts finally arrived this past Tuesday. Getting to unbox shiny new computer parts is like getting to open presents on Christmas morning! But I was also faced with a grim reality: I have no idea how to replace computer parts. I know, you can go ahead and revoke my nerd status, but as much of a computer enthusiast as I am, I've mostly concentrated on the software and internet side of things. Hardware, on the other hand, is a whole new world for me. Up until this day, I had only ever opened up my PC case to do a little dusting to make sure the fans didn't get clogged up. Even breathing near my motherboard made me nervous! How was I going to DIY this upgrade alone?
Spoiler alert: I didn't!
Once again, I called in my nephew's assistance. As I explained back in my first post about having tech issues, I often refer to him as our “chief engineer.” It's a moniker that I think he might actually be taking to heart since he has recently started considering a career in IT. He has some experience in swapping out parts in his own computer, so he seemed like the right person to recruit. Initially, I wanted to do the actual work in replacing the parts and just wanted him to “supervise” to make sure that I didn't overlook anything important. About a quarter of the way into the process on Tuesday night, though, he had to mostly take over the process, and I mostly held the flashlight and screwdriver like a kid learning to change his own oil for the first time.
Let me be clear: After reading online about how “easy” it is to swap out a power supply, I thought it would 100% be unplugging the box it's housed in, taking it out, and putting the new box in its place, and plugging it back in. I figured we would be completing this entire project in the span of maybe half an hour. Boy, was I wrong. To my credit, the process mostly does involve unplugging the old PSU, inserting the new PSU, and plugging it back in. However, while I thought it was likely just plugged into the CPU or something, it turns out that the PSU needs to be plugged in and provide power to each individual component inside the PC. When we unplugged everything and removed the dead PSU, I am not exaggerating when I describe it as looking like Medusa but with a square-shaped head and various cables in assorted sizes instead of snakes.
It was intimidating, to say the very least. It was going to take us some time, and we were going to have to be very careful so as not to break anything along the way. After a good, long while, we finally managed to get the old PSU out and the new PSU in, with everything plugged in properly. Thankfully, the new GPU was a fairly straightforward hot swap that didn't require a ton of effort. And a little before midnight, we plugged the computer back into the surge protector and turned it on. It was a sight to behold when everything lit up and powered on like normal again. The PC had risen from the dead, and everything still seems to be in order. No memory loss or anything! And it all powered on after the first try, which we were almost certain would not happen.
I'm so grateful to be back in business, even if it is with a zombie PC. Though my nephew handled most of the work himself, he seemed to enjoy doing it, and we both feel a little more confident about prying open the insides of a computer and doing a little bit of work. I still don't really know if I would be able to build a system from scratch, but it has certainly put some new ideas in my head. For example, I'm thinking about upgrading my RAM a little more. Currently, I'm only running about 16GB of RAM on this PC, and I feel like things would be a lot quicker, smoother, and snappier if I bumped it up a little. But that, like most things, will have to wait until I have a little more spendable income.
Jiggy's Journal now has an AMA (Ask Me Anything) page! You got 🔥burning questions🔥 for me? Maybe a comment or suggestion? Check out the page here and submit everything that's on your mind. Afterwards, I'll respond in a future post!