Ever Hotwired A Computer?

Invader_Scoot

<div class="IPBDescription">I tried.</div> So I had been playing on my 1337 gaming computer recently and I had noticed that the fan in my computer had been getting really loud recently. But as I have a 9800 Pro, an Audigy 2 sound card, 2 hard drives, 1 CD-RW drive, 1 DVD Drive, and 1 floppy drive, I was thinking that I needed to do something about the heat in my computer. The floppy drive doesn't work, and I had some empty PCI slot openings on the case, so I decided that would be a good place to start to try to vent out some heat. So I open up my computer, start taking out the floppy drive and everything is going ok when, <i>pop</i>, a small ribbon type cord popped out of the slot that it was in. Now first I'm thinking <i>oh sh*t</i>, because no one wants some random cords just breaking themselves inside of your computer. But then I saw that it was not connected to nothing important, <b>or so I believed</b>, I thought nothing of it.

So I close my computer, with my newly opened vent openings to let out some heat. I hit the power button, and... nothing.

I'm just thinking well I'll hit it again. Nothing.

Again. Nothing.

Again. Nothing.

Ok so I'm thinking that I didn't plug in my main power cord right or just some other stupid mistake, like how I once didn't plug my RAM back in all the way. So all plugs in the back of the computer seem normal, so I try again. Nothing.

Ok so I open my computer again, and then that broken cord really starts me thinking. Then I see another small ribbon connected to this little mini board in the front of my computer case, this miniboard is also what the broken ribbon <i>used</i> to be connected too. (this miniboard in the front had two USB ports and a HeadPhone plugin going to the front of my computer) I'm looking at this small ribbon, and it seemed to go into the front of my case, near the power button. Then I realize that this small ribbon is actually the cord that my power button plugs into! So I then find out that the other broken ribbon connects from the miniboard, onto my motherboard. And so I realize that when I hit the power button, it sends a signal along the first nonbroken mini ribbon, then to the mini board, then through the broken ribbon onto the mother board to turn on the computer. So all I can think is sh*t, how am I supposed to turn on my computer now??

I find myself 10 minutes later with the end of this broken ribbon trying to plug it into the socket, kinda like hotwiring a car. A couple times there were sparks, and then even once the computer actually booted up for a few seconds, then died.

Now the broken end of the ribbon is mauled from so many tries to make it work, and I'm gonna have to order a brand new ribbon, which is gonna be tough to find. Until then, my gaming computer is dead, with no way to power up, so it's just laying upstairs next to my desk with the case wide open waiting for the cord...

I'm sad...

ThE_HeRo

Awww, 'tis a sad tale. It would have been funny if you got it to work though. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->

antifreeze

I have done it before. Shorted the connection with a scredriver because the power button was broken on my old case. Although i had no problem doing it.

AllUrHiveRblong2us

So you unplugged the wires to your power switch? Just plug them back in or short em together or buy an instance switch at home depot and attach em to that. What's so hard about that?

Mantrid

Yeah, have you tried, you know, plugging them back into the switch?

john_sheu

Just strip the wires and twist them together, and patch up with vinyl electrical tape. Or do it with a soldering iron for a really well-done job.

Or maybe you're saying that your connector is broken off or something. I can't tell from you description exactly what is broken, or even the type of connector, but I would think that it's the usual 0.1-inch spacing connectors. Those things should be ridiculously easy to find; just scrounge up some wire and make a ribbon yourself.

BlackPlague

use a silver solder with a solder iron, and connect the ribbon together <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> easy.

Xyth

All you need to do to turn on a computer where the switch is broken, is to locate the two pins that the button initially connected onto (They are usually little pins sticking out of the board along with a bunch of other pins that connect to other buttons, like the reset button). To locate which ones are the right pins just follow the wires from your power switch to where they were initially hooked up. Then all you need to do is find a way to hook them together for a split second and that should cause the computer to boot. Also, in general any kind of a spark inside of a computer is not a good thing...

Invader_Scoot

It really is hard for me to explain the problem.

Ok think of it this way: take a cord, cut it at the very end, <b>before</b> the socket. Leave the socket in the power outlet. Now shrink everything 10 times and you've got a winner.

OttoDestruct

This is why I miss the days of old school cases and the Big Frickin Red I/O switch©. I used to mess with those in high school to use them (usually old 486's) as file servers.

Marik_Steele

If you've got a recent network card and motherboard, look up how to take advantage of the "Wake up on LAN request" feature, and get one of the other computers on your home network to nag the thing into booting itself.

Unfortunately, this won't work unless you a) have the little cable required to go from the network card to the motherboard and b) have "wake on lan" enabled in your motherboard settings.
However, meeting both of these preconditions is plenty easier than the other option, which I have done on accident before: get lucky and short the two solder bits on the backside of the network card that perform the same function. It happened to me when I dropped a small metal thing inside my computer case -- and it wasn't just a screw, it was the BIOS battery, which I was trying to put back in after taking it out to clear the bios settings.

Let me tell you, having both hands inside a computer that you're damn sure can't turn on and finding it suddenly turn on is more scary than any in-game situation where you think "ah, that monster can't get to me, he's too big for this doorway" and see him bust through.
[edit]And in case you're wondering: no I don't know whether it would have booted properly without the bios battery in place. The moment I saw/heard stuff moving/blinking, I got my hands the hell out of the case and unplugged it faster than you can call MonsE a nipplemonster.

Strabismo

Be happy, it could have been worse. If the powersupply had broken, he would've taken all your computer with him, it hapened to me once when I installed a hard drive that had a manufacturing defect. It caused my powersupply to break and then you know what... <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->

douchebagatron

i spend an hour at school every day working on computer, and it seems that sometimes a computer can randomly be turned on in a weird way. we had a shipment of old computers (win95 machines) come in from who knows where, and they were all the same model and everything, but even after we formatted and redid everything some of them would turn on when you plugged in the power cable, and we had one that had the weirdest thing ive ever seen. it would be completely turned off, shut down whatever. then you move the mouse, and it decides to turn on. it wasnt on standby, i made sure many times, it was completely shut off, no lights blinking anywhere. theres a good chance your computer has a random way to turn on, try different things and one might work.

OttoDestruct

<!--QuoteBegin-6john6doe6+Sep 11 2004, 09:30 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (6john6doe6 @ Sep 11 2004, 09:30 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> i spend an hour at school every day working on computer, and it seems that sometimes a computer can randomly be turned on in a weird way. we had a shipment of old computers (win95 machines) come in from who knows where, and they were all the same model and everything, but even after we formatted and redid everything some of them would turn on when you plugged in the power cable, and we had one that had the weirdest thing ive ever seen. it would be completely turned off, shut down whatever. then you move the mouse, and it decides to turn on. it wasnt on standby, i made sure many times, it was completely shut off, no lights blinking anywhere. theres a good chance your computer has a random way to turn on, try different things and one might work. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
One of my friends computers turned itself back on exactly 15 minutes after being shut off.

UnderDOG

Couldnt you just stick a jumper peice (not sure what its called, the thing that connects jumper pins) where the cord would usally connect and just use the powersupply swtich.

Jefe

Tools needed:
1 Flathead screwdriver
1 Phillips screwdriver (if applicable)

Step 1: Open your case. Make sure the computer is plugged in and the power supply is on. (It shouldn't short anything if you're careful)
Step 2: Unplug the power button cable from your motherboard
Step 3: Use the flathead screwdriver to bridge the connection between the 2 power button pins on your motherboard. Your computer should turn on.

The power button on my case doesn't work. I just use the power supply to turn it off and on. To turn it off safely, log out all the way (if you have windows xp) and then flip the switch on your power supply. Flip it again to turn it back on. NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE GO TO SHUT DOWN IN WINDOWS UNLESS YOU ARE SURE THE POWER BUTTON WORKS.

Swiftspear

Just cut a little bit of the broken wires off and strip them and they are once again non mauled wires. That being done, do the same thing you did last time (hot wire the comp) just do it with the power off, and make sure your connection is good and tight. Seal her all off with a bit of electrical tape or something, and your set, pretty much as good as new.

All we're talking about is a basic one way electrical connection, there is no reason just repairing the connection shouldn't work.