My computer died.

[Necronopticous]

Um, okay so although my life revolves around computers I still am not very skilled in putting them together physically or working on them. Last night I was using my computer and all of the sudden it just died, literally. Screen went black, music stopped, dead. It won't even power on at all, I mean the lights won't even come on. I'm guessing it's probably something to do with the power supply because it literally will not even respond to turning it on. (YES I checked if it got unplugged, everything is plugged in)

Anyone with computer engineering and fixing skills know what this could be? My computer is my life, I NEED to get it back up and running, any intelligent response is greatly, greatly appreciated.

I'm on my work computer now, in case you're wondering.

[crono_logical]

If you're certain it's plugged into a power supply correctly that's switched on, the switch on the back of the power supply unit in the computer is also on, if there is such a switch (some supplies don't have one), the cable to the motherboard from the power supply box is still connected firmly (it's the huge connector with I think 2x10 wires coming out of it), and then the switch on the front of your PC still doesn't do anything, then it sounds like you'd need to replace the power supply unit in the PC.

If you notice anything else unusual with the power supply box when you connect it to the mains, then that probably confirms something is wrong with it and it needs replacing, at least for safety if anything. When my last power supply unit broke, it would make a really loud high pitch sound if I plugged it into the mains, then the pitch would change very much like a discharging capacitor when I removed power

[Necronopticous]

Hmm, yeah it's probably the power supply, how much $ does a new one run usually?

[crono_logical]

I got a 300 watt ATX one for £28, so I'd estimate maybe $45 give or take a bit.

[Necronopticous]

Is there some concrete way to test my power supply to figure out if it's actually broken?

[Sepho]

It likely is the power supply. If any other specific component was fried (ie. motherboard, cpu, etc.), your computer should still attempt to power on. Is the power supply fan(s) coming on?

If you're going to buy a new power supply, keep brand recognition in mind. Antec and Enermax are both highly recommended manufacturers, with Enermax more cost effective and still a high quality product.

[Necronopticous]

Is the power supply fan(s) coming on?

When I push my power button, nothing happens. I mean nothing, it's as if I didn't even push it.

[Sepho]

Yeah, it's a power supply issue. If it is indeed dead, newegg.com has good prices. You should be able to get a quality Enermax power supply for $50-60.