Power from the PC spikes to the keyboard once you change the motherboard slot.
Power from the PC spikes to the keyboard once you change the motherboard slot.
Yesterday I replaced my B350-F with a used X570-Pro and played some games, but today after connecting my powerbank to the front USB port while the PC was off, my girlfriend tried to activate a light switch near the computer. The bulb seemed to burst or smoke. Then the keyboard and speakers began blinking as if trying to turn on. I removed the PSU and monitor, then unplugged the extension cord that powers both. The lights kept flashing, including one red light in the top-left corner of the motherboard, which I’m unsure relates to the CPU 8-pin connector. From what I found online it might be a power surge issue. I’m not sure how to fix this, so I’m considering checking the CMOS battery first before making more changes. Thanks for your help!
What happened is most likely a power surge from the electrical system of the house. Not much can be done about it except call an electrician and contact the power company. As for your PC, it doesn't look good but maybe you can save some parts. Computers have many layers of protection so it is likely something survived despite the light show. If you don't like or want to work on your PC components, you should ask a friend or a repair shop to do the following suggestions in your stead. First, don't plug your PC. That is a safety precaution and to prevent further damage. I'd completely disassemble the PC and remove the parts from the case. Remove all cables and even remove the RAM, the CPU and the GPU from their sockets. Set the motherboard and PSU aside for later. Next step is to test every component one by one in another computer to rule out which one is defective and which one is still working. The PSU can be tested but if I were you I'd simply never use it again. If it is still working, it probably became more unreliable due to the surge it experienced. As for the motherboard, if no other components did burn then you can try assembling the computer again. If other component failed then I'd assume that the motherboard suffered damage too and it may be for the better if you change it. Hope that helps.
It’s really disappointing… Coming from Portugal, we experienced the blackout in Europe on Monday, and now this situation is even worse. Most of the parts were purchased in November, so it’s a bit concerning. The GPU, PSU, and CPU are covered under warranty, but I’m worried about damage if my home suddenly failed. Another thing to note is that touching the case before switching the PSU gave me mild shocks—likely because the outlet wasn’t properly grounded, and this could have happened eventually. Since the new PSU didn’t cause any shocks, I thought it might have been fixed. Thanks for the advice; I’ll try setting up my old PC in a different area with better outlets to test everything.
It's worth testing it out. Inform the maker that your part(s) are no longer functioning. You don't have to mention a power surge unless they request it. Were you using a surge protector? They usually cover devices connected to them. Good luck!
I recently watched a YouTube video by Anton Petrov about a nationwide power surge caused by mysterious reasons. I’m not sure how other countries handle such situations, but you might be able to argue for some natural disaster assistance. Best of luck!
Discussions suggested seeking reimbursement from power companies for appliance failures, but it’s unclear if this ever occurred since companies might argue they couldn’t help. Since everything was under warranty and the PC was off at the time, I decided to proceed and connected it to a grounded outlet. I had to adjust bootdrives in the BIOS because Windows appeared to be searching for missing files—now it works! I also purchased a surge protector for the ungrounded socket until a professional can repair the outlets. Thank you all for your assistance! For anyone reading this later, always verify components carefully; I didn’t have thermal paste on hand.