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Question

Bad PSU might have damaged all hardware

Sep 9, 2017 11:30AM PDT

Hello, everyone!
I'm in need of some help, so I thank you all in advance.

I have a computer with the following hardware:

Intel i7 3770k
GTX 1070
16gb ram
Corsair CX750

So what happened is that the PSU went bad (apparently) and the computer stopped turning on. At first, it would turn off randomly even with light use and eventually it stopped working. It would still power the lights of the motherboard but wouldn't even turn on the fans.

So I ordered a new PSU, EVGA 550 G3, and what happened is that when I first installed it and tried to power the computer it smelled like burnt. I immediately turned it off and found out that it was the SSD. I was happy that it wasn't the CPU or the VGA, right?
So what I thought is that the old PSU probably had damaged the SSD and trying to turn it on with the new one finished the job?

I installed windows on a spare HDD and gave it another try, this time everything works. The problem is that I am getting extremely bad performance on a new Windows install. I even tried on another HDD with another fresh Windows just to be sure. On both I'm getting things like closing a control panel window takes 4 or 5 seconds. I can't install or do anything. Task manager won't update, it is just frozen on the CPU usage and processes tabs.

So now I'm thinking that the CPU or the motherboard might be damaged as well? What do you guys think?

I'm not sure how can I troubleshoot this.

Thank you!

Discussion is locked

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Clarification Request
Or it's just as you wrote.
Sep 9, 2017 11:38AM PDT

If I make a fresh Windows install I don't expect top performance. I'll get to why in a moment.

Next you are so used to SSD performance that you might think you did something wrong or there is more burnt hardware. I'm going with "NOPE" for now.

OK, a clean Windows install does not get you all the drivers for max performance. It never has. It only gets me Windows up and running so I can go get the motherboard, audio, video drivers and apps installed later.

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I might not have been clear to how bad the performance is
Sep 9, 2017 11:54AM PDT

Hello R. Proffitt, thank for your reply!

I understand your point, but I can't do anything, I mean it.
I am not able to install any driver or application, it will just hang or eventually fail or ignore my inputs. I am not able to know what is taking CPU or Disk usage because Task manager won't update.

I don't expect top performance, but right now the computer is in an unusable state. Even if I was to install a sata 2 5400 rpm HDD it shouldn't take 3 to 4 minutes to open Edge. I mean, I am not even able to install Chrome.

I've never seen anything like that to continue after a clean Windows install.

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Yes it can. I have SATA 2 drives that are from hell.
Sep 9, 2017 12:06PM PDT

They do run W7 to W10 but for reasons I won't get into are deathly slow. The reason we pulled them was because we traced the host PC's laggard performance to the HDD. To really upset the owner they pass all maker diagnostics but fail transfer rate tests we did from a Linux boot.

W10 also has this setting that kills you at times (turn it off.)
https://www.howtogeek.com/224981/how-to-stop-windows-10-from-uploading-updates-to-other-pcs-over-the-internet/

As to what you are seeing now, could be a bum drive. What else can you try?

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Answer
You are correct
Sep 9, 2017 11:05PM PDT

When the psu went bad it could have damaged anything and everything.

Make it smaller.
You don't need a gpu or more than one stick of ram.
One monitor plugged into the mobo.
Unplug the hdd.
Boot up a copy of memtest 86.
Let it fly for an hour or two.
No lockups or errors allowed.

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Answer
Ok, weird update
Sep 10, 2017 7:14PM PDT

So, in the past hours I've been trying to use the computer as best as I can.

First of all, my computer has this "state" where all the weird things happen. The weird things include:
- Task manager not updating any of its tabs
- Resource monitor graphs not accurate and displaying this weird pattern with gaps
http://i.imgur.com/3Vymsgi.png
- Core functions of Windows do not work, like the Network and Sharing screen, they just stay blank
http://i.imgur.com/l7Ay3G9.png
- This weird blinking close button



And I found out, by accident, what is causing this "state". I was using my Android device as wifi adapter, through USB tether, as I always have. But, as soon as I disable USB tether, everything just goes back to normal performance and behavior.

http://i.imgur.com/09Q4YND.png

In the picture you can see Resource monitor, Task manager and Network screen working. I had just disabled tether, we can see all Resource Monitor's graphs going up and running together.

You might be thinking how didn't I test the computer without the USB tether before... I don't know. It was something natural to use to me, as I need it to have an internet connection right now, and to search for solutions. And I would never imagine that it could be the reason of all this funky stuff.

So I'm not sure if the USB controller of the motherboard is damaged or if we have a bug in a Windows or Android driver or something like that. But I guess it doesn't really matter to me.

So, for this thread to be of any use to anyone: I'm using the motherboard Asus P8Z77-V Deluxe with bios version 2104. The smartphone is a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 with Android 7.1.2 Slim. Connecting the phone to the computer does nothing, enabling USB tether makes everything brake.

I thank you for your answers!
Kisses.

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I'm missing some detail here.
Sep 10, 2017 9:58PM PDT

I see you did the fresh Windows install but can't find which Windows and what you install for drivers after the OS install. It's far from automatic.