Hardware & Technical PC died, won't be playing Elite fo a while

S~P · Sep 17, 2018

Lucky me it's still in warranty so it won't cost me anything to get it fixed but It will still probably be a couple of weeks to I get it back.[mad]
I think with the hot weather we had in summer my PSU just gave up on me. Guess I will know more when they take a look at it and they will have to wipe all my data so I will have a lot to download when I get it back.[woah]

Stealthie · Sep 17, 2018

Umm, if your PC is dead, how're you going to erase all the data off the HDD?

Conversely, if you (and the retailer) are okay with opening it up to gain access to the HDD, why not just remove the HDD to secure all your ~~pr0n~~ data and then get the PC repaired?

Rob At Work · Sep 17, 2018

That doesn't make sense to me. We have to wipe the data to fit a new PSU? Get another opinion would be my advice.

Dural · Sep 17, 2018

Take the drive out before you return it. If it doesn't power on it's almost certainly the board, PSU or switch not the storage device.

S~P · Sep 17, 2018

This is my gaming PC, all my important stuff is on my other PC. So I will only lose my game stuff, lucky my profile is on FDs servers so I won't lose that at least.

Kayweg · Sep 17, 2018

Relax and let them look at it.
You're most likely not going to loose anything at all.
And i'm really bad at handling it when my PC "dies", which very rarely has happened to me...so i know that immediate sense of panic.

PSU is trivial, if it's just that, you'll be fine.

andrak · Sep 17, 2018

This is why you build a PC yourself.

kpmop · Sep 17, 2018

andrak said:
This is why you build a PC yourself.

Yeah you should do it at least once, then you'll discover how easy they are to repair or upgrade parts, and you won't worry about your HDD getting wiped while replacing the PSU...

gooddoc · Sep 17, 2018

Dural said:
Take the drive out before you return it. If it doesn't power on it's almost certainly the board, PSU or switch not the storage device.

Probably not wise....it may invalidate any warranty that you have.

EdzUp · Sep 17, 2018

it's blanked so they can make sure it's working 100% when tested and nothing else is at fault. it's easier to return to factory default than diagnose custom software which could cause a issue.

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead · Sep 17, 2018

This is why I build my own PCs. Lol

Although, having someone else pay for and diagnose problems is nice and lazy. I like that.

Dural · Sep 17, 2018

gooddoc said:
Probably not wise....it may invalidate any warranty that you have.

Not sure why it would to be honest, "normal" PCs are modular and upgradeable so anyone selling them isn't going to be able to offer a warranty on the condition the case is never opened because opening the case is something the owner would be expected to want to do.

All in one machines which aren't designed to be user serviceable are another thing and I agree that it might cause a problem to open one of them. I've never heard of a warranty for a "normal" PC or server being conditional on the case not being opened anyway.

[VR] DDM_Reaper20 · Sep 17, 2018

Building one's own PC is really easy. If an old fart like I can do it, with my weak eyes and clumsy fingers, then anybody can do it.

Plus, building your own tends to be a LOT cheaper than off the shelf (or, worse, custom-built).

dognosh · Sep 17, 2018

DDM_Reaper20 said:
Building one's own PC is really easy. If an old fart like I can do it, with my weak eyes and clumsy fingers, than anybody can do it.

Plus, building your own tends to be a LOT cheaper than off the shelf (or, worse, custom-built).

Been building my own since 94,and not once has it been cheaper than off the self

Luniticisi · Sep 17, 2018

EdzUp said:
it's blanked so they can make sure it's working 100% when tested and nothing else is at fault. it's easier to return to factory default than diagnose custom software which could cause a issue.

Why wouldn't they [the repair people] just just stick a new HDD in to test that, so the OP doesn't lose data on his hard drive.

If some someone told me they had to wipe my HDD to repair something in my PC I'd honestly laugh at them.

[VR] DDM_Reaper20 · Sep 17, 2018

dognosh said:
Been building my own since 94,and not once has it been cheaper than off the self

Be glad you don't live in Germany, where such stuff is swinishly expensive. The last I built was fully 30% cheaper than custom stuff. Same components, mind...

CMDR Asuradice · Sep 17, 2018

+1 to the build it yourself brigade.

With the number of videos and guides online you can teach yourself in no time.

Saves you money, adds "personal narrative" to your gaming PC and when stuff like this goes wrong you can usually figure it out and fix/repair/replace whatever needs it yourself.

Building PCs is just lego, only for marginally autistic adults with too much time and disposable income.

simfan1983 · Sep 17, 2018

I think I read that only 2.8% of gamers build their own pc for Elite.....

MickyG1982 · Sep 17, 2018

dognosh said:
Been building my own since 94,and not once has it been cheaper than off the self

It's not so much that it is cheaper off the shelf, but there is a certain sense of satisfaction knowing that you built it all by yourself.

Plus I can go to the shop, buy the bit that I need and fit it, without having to wait weeks...

gooddoc · Sep 17, 2018

Dural said:
Not sure why it would to be honest, "normal" PCs are modular and upgradeable so anyone selling them isn't going to be able to offer a warranty on the condition the case is never opened because opening the case is something the owner would be expected to want to do.

All in one machines which aren't designed to be user serviceable are another thing and I agree that it might cause a problem to open one of them. I've never heard of a warranty for a "normal" PC or server being conditional on the case not being opened anyway.

In England, companies go out of their way to avoid a claim on a warranty!