Replacing Your Computer’s Power Supply

Computers are an essential tool in my household. All of our children home school and they use computers as part of their curriculum. Dad and I both work from home via Internet businesses; we need our computers up and running at all times. In fact, we have back up computers and parts "just in case" because we cannot afford to be unexpectedly without a computer. With proper maintenance, your computer can last you a very long time. However, there have been several small repair and maintenance projects we have had to do to keep our machines operating in tip-top fashion.

If these DIY computer projects, one of the easiest I had to do was to replace my power supply. There is no reason you need to take the computer in to an expert and spend a lot of money or even worse, call out one who does house calls because this is a repair you can do yourself at home. If your power supply burns out and you're certain that is what the problem is, you can just buy a new one and then install it yourself.

Here's how:

Unplug the power source- Once you do this, allow it to sit for a few minutes to allow the capacitors to discharge and make sure you do not get shocked. Never try to work on any part of your computer while it is still plugged in.

Mark the connections- I used masking tape and a pen to mark all the connections to the components. This made it easier for me to plug everything back in to the new power supply. Some ribbon cables will have connectors that don't go to anything and there is no reason to plug these in to the new power supply.

Disconnect the power supply cables- Once your connectors are marked, remove the power supply cables from the components.

Unscrew the power supply- Now from the back of your computer, unscrew the screws that are holding the power supply in place. Save these screws, even if you plan to recycle or throw out the old power supply. Your power supply should slid right out once the screws are removed. Be careful not to rip it out if it gets jammed on something inside the computer.

Put the new power supply in- Now when you have your new power supply, you will place it back inside the computer case where you just removed the old one.

Tighten the screws- When the power supply is in place, screw it into the case of the computer for security.

Reconnect- Then reconnect all the connectors and cables from the components to the new power supply.

Now you are ready to close the case, plug it in and turn it on. Your computer should run smoothly with your new power supply. It's that easy!