The power supply is shot on my Dell PC.  I would like to get if fixed, but i would rather have one of those desktop cases (you know horizontal instead of vertical).  I am wondering is this possible?  What kind of expertise do you need to do this?  What supplies will I need?  Can you identify a reputable vendor where I might purchase them? Thanks
119758
Most of what everyone suggested so far is practical, and economically sound. A power unit replacement may be the only measure you need to be concerned of, but if you are quite intent on replacing the tower for a desktop, and has money to burn; I would suggest to pay attention on the motherboard's dimensional makeup, and rear connection layout. Make sure that the motherboard will rest inside the new case with space and clearance for your other devices. New PC cases may be optioned not to have a power supply unit (PSU) for cost, but many has it preinstalled, look for one that has 450 watts, or higher. It could be a possibility that you may need to use a newer motherboard as an added option, Barebones (case, motherboard, PSU combo) gets a good deal, better than buying them separately, just make sure it will support your CPU and the memory chips(RAMs), and legacy boards (ISA) if any. The tools you need will be, the service/tech manual of DELL PC to manipulate their hardware, a screwdriver (Phillips/Flathead), a pair of long nose (needle nose) pliers, an anti-static wrist band for grounding to your PC case, a digital camera (optional) just to take pictures, and angle shots of the motherboard rear connection and ports layout, and other areas of concern, to help in looking for a case replacement, before and while disassembling the old PC into the new one. Pen and paper to take down notes on cable markings and plug/connection orientation and location. If you've done this before then I am giving you too much information already. Most importantly, have a lot of patience, don't rush it, and double check your work.\n\nWord of caution: some of DELL's motherboards are proprietory, that the PSU cables are designed for that type and purpose only. Compliant aftermarket units by other brands may be hard to find, you may want to consider calling DELL for information or any compatibility concerns, or parts replacement, for that matter.\n~meow
663508
you need to describe what you mean by "small" better.\nis it too small vertically, horizontally, or both?\nAlso, how good is your electronics background?\nDo you know how to discharge the CRT and large capacitors so you don't get zapped with 330 to 10,000 volts while attempting to repair it?\nYou also need to define "wavy" better.\nWith the tin amount of information you have given though, it sounds like the power supply is failing, but in which part is impossible to say.
360914
i cant see there being a problem with that,the only problem may be the motherboard screws,they might not be in a standard pattern so as with normal boards they are all compatible,you may find dell have there fixing screws located in different positions,however you wont know this until you investigate further\n             the only time i did a desktop to tower conversion was about 3 years ago when i transfered a compaq deskpro en to a tower case,this was,nt too much of a problem but the pci slots were on a riser card so a bit of adjustment was needed\n              with a tower case,like you have mentioned,cooling will be possible,i have a rear and front chassis fan,these can be picked up for around £8 but look at cooling forums on the web and they will show you were and how to place them for the most effective air flow for optimal cooling\n             the larger the case you buy the better aswell,as this will give you more room to work,theres nothing worse than trying to insert a memory module ,but having to work your way round a couple of ide cables\n              finally the advantage of having a tower case is the addition of a extra optical drive,this will make dvd/cd copying much easier and also you can add a second hard drive or even consider using r.a.i.d(reduntant array of inexpensive disks),this is were you can mirror or stripe your hard drives to make access times quicker,however you will need to re-install your operating system and invest in a new hard drive,but if you are going to be making it into a gaming machine you should be looking at using raid,and investing in a new graphics card,sound card and more ram\n          anyway i think its a great idea,so go for it mate,and if you need any advice with your build,let me know\n                     good luck!
599723
You may try www.ebay.com in the search box put in "Laptop Power Supply" from that page you keep refining until ya get what you want or you can try "Want it Now" but the price will be higher!
627902
First check if the power supply is working (see if the mother board led is on). If the power supply is okay then check if the cord of the power button (which is at front of the case) is plugged with the mother board . The socket for the pwer botton is used to be at the bottom right of the mother board. There will be some spike like stuff ( those are the sockets). Now check the mother board mannual for details for those sockets ( cuz every mother board used to be different)\n\nNeo
16286
Good one.  I realize that not all people have much (if any) experience with computers but my answer is, myself.  If you build your own PC, you know what is in it, you know what can go wrong and if something does go wrong you can fix it, sometimes in minutes, depending on the severity.  I have built two desktops so far and not one of them has had a problem yet.  I also ordered one from Dell, don't know why, it was a good price at the time and cheaper than one I could have built (irony...), anyway, I had a few problems with it but I fixed them all myself.  So I can't comment either on quality or value or even customer support because I do it all myself.\n\nI also have three laptops which have had hard drive failures and the like but I fixed those too, so again, can't comment on support there either.  The only thing I can't fix is a broken LCD display.\n\nBut if you want a chart on who is best read this article, http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,123409,pg,1,00.asp from PC World.  The comparison chart is here, http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,123409,pg,8,00.asp\n\nIf you want it done right (provided you know what you are doing), do it yourself.  Computers are the only thing I know when it comes to cars (turn key car comes on is all I know), plumbing or electrical, I am completely clueless.
371156
No, the power supply is made to accomodate both newer and older motherbaords.
433252
Doesnt power on....The video is bad even when you have stuck in a already working card from a different computer. If it powers on something goes crappy. Like one minute the CD Drive is working then the next time its not and then sometimes all the drives are working (floppy CD and HDD) then another none of them work.\n\nAdded\nIts nothing rare about it. I refurbish computers on a daily basis. Yes most of the problems are power supply related but motherboard issues are common. Newer computers you shouldnt run in to many motherboard problems but older ones you will.
502781
See Resources below\n\n***WARNING: When working with power supplies, be sure to read up on power supply safety.  It is quite dangerous (possibly FATAL) to work on power supplies if you do NOT have knowledge about how to SAFELY work with power supplies***
4935
I believe you can 'short' thru a couple of pins and the PSU will operate but I don't know which ones.\n\nI can tell you to check out pimprig.com. They are a computer modding website and I'm sure the question has been answered there recently.
554178
You're not getting anything on the monitor either?  My guess is that the power supply's shot.  With a dell, you may be screwed.  Many, if not all Dells use proprietary (made by Dell, for Dells) hardware.  Power Supplies are one example of that.  \n\nAnd power supplies are like lightbulbs; they don't crap out just at random, but rather right after they're turned on.  You know what I mean, right?\n\nFirst, make sure that all the right cables are in place inside your machine.\n\nCrack open your PC, making sure everything's unplugged beforehand.  Since every PC case is different, it may be screws holding it together, or on dells, it's often kept closed by a couple tabs that click into place when it's closed.  When you have it open, hold onto a metal part of the chassis to discharge any static electricity from your body that could damage your computer.   Anyway, just take a look around the motherboard to see if there are any cables from your power supply that are loose.  If you're not sure about where the other stuff goes, just make sure that nothing's loose.  You can let go of the case now (it's not that crucial when you're messing around with the cables, but it's just another precaution)\n\nIf everything's plugged in, try turning it on again and see if the fan on the power supply is moving.  If it isn't, then your power supply's gone to computer heaven.  So here's what you do now:\nUnplug your power supply from the wall and all of the stuff inside your computer.\nTake a screwdriver and undo the 4 screws on the back of your computer that are holding your power supply in place.  (Make sure you're hanging onto the power supply with your other hand, otherwise your it may come crashing down and send your graphics card, sound card, or network card to computer heaven also)\n\nNow, I'm not sure whether dell still uses proprietary power supplies, but if they do, here's what you do:\n\n Go to your friendly neighbourhood used computer store with your former power supply, and ask whether they have a power supply with the same connectors.  It shouldn't cost that much.\n\nIf they are starting to use standard power supplies, then you're in a far better situation.  When you buy a new power supply, make sure all of the connectors match, just in case.  Also, don't scrimp when it comes to your power supply.  A low end power supply will provide your computer with power.  A good power supply will provide your computer with clean, consistent power.  How to tell which is a good power supply?  2 simple ways:  The price and the weight.  A 25 dollar power supply that weighs only 300g is not what you're looking for.  A 75 dollar power supply that weighs 2 kg is almost certainly better.  I know it seems like a crude method, but still, it works.  Sorry for being long-winded, but I like to be specific.\n\nAlso, if at any point you're not confident that you can do it, by all means take it to a professional.  It may cost more than doing it yourself, but it's still cheaper than if you happen to blow it royally.\n\nGood luck.
24144
Is there any specific reason you want to change the power supply?  Not enough connectors?  Is it failing?  Power supply upgrades usually are only done when a unit fails or if you are adding more hardware into the system than the PS can handle... If neither is the case, you may end up spending alot of cash on a good aftermarket supply and it will do absolutely nothing to make your machine run better.  \n\nPower supplies simply convert AC voltage to the required DC supply lines needed for the machine.  They do not do anything to improve the performance.
299205
Unimportant.  There are power cords (and lots of power) going into the power supply which is much closer to the hard drives.  The monitor, which often sits on top of the computer, generates more interferance than the outlet.\n\nI once saw a problem with a monitor that was up against the circuit breaker panel that had lots of issues.  That panel had a lot of unshielded power going through it.  It took a while to troubleshoot, but basically when we moved it away from the breaker panel it worked fine (so we moved the desk).  The hard drive sat up against that breaker panel for months and months with no problems.
267006
yep white is ground, but for the power (black/red usually) black is ground. I kno because i had the same question putting together my first desktop a few months ago. If any led doesnt work, just switch the plug so that the colored wire goes to ground, in case the case company messed it up. If this is your first time too, you may also want to know:\n\nwhen you set up BIOS, set the ENABLE USB KEYBOARD/MOUSE. This means that if your system shuts down unexpectedly, you start it up again in it gives you choices to choose, you will be able to use ur keyboard arrows to select "reboot using last settings that worked". otherwise you won't be able to select anything.\n\nif you decide to overclock your cpu, and you do it too much so that the computer starts, but nothing is shown on the screen, you have to turn it off, unplug, open, and look for the jumper labeled CMOS. Use a pliers to take the two-prong-plastic cap off of the left and center prong, move it to the right and center for a few seconds, then move it back. Your BIOS settings (including CPU clock) will be restored.\n\nthis is stuff I had to learn the hard way, and if you already knew it, sorry. Hope it helps!
511456
G'day,\n\nUnfortunately because it is a laptop, that has to be done by DELL's authorised repair centre (not just any other repair shop) and will cost you quite alot.  A desktop hardware problems can be done by yourself or just any other computer repair shop.\n\nWhat I would suggest is as follows:\n1. Call Dell, describe the problem and ask for a quote or an estimate on repair cost (inc. labor)\n2. Check the price of a new laptop with the options that suitable for your use.\n3. Compare the cost.  If your current laptop is about 2-3 years old, it may be worth fixing.  However considering the comments that I've read about your laptop model (follow the links below), I think it may be just the tip of the iceberg.\n\nHope this helps you in making a decision.  Good luck.
51733
get an uninterruptible power supply...
457414
Open the case and read the information on your power supply. Windows wont give you any information about your power supply.