[ale] two sata drives fail at the same time?

[David Ritchie]

Another suggestion - invest in a power supply tester box (Ultra makes
a decent one for not much money) - available at Fry's and MIcroCenter
and eBay - make certain you get one that supports 20/24 pin supplies
and SATA connectors.

See http://cgi.ebay.com/ULTRA-POWER-SUPPLY-TESTER-NEW_W0QQitemZ300372099254QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item45ef9280b6
as an example
 - this is the one I use. These have go/no go lights for each power
supply voltage, and will enable turnon of the power supply with
jumpering.

Also, another handy gadget to have is a POST code reader. See
http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-PC-Notebook-Laptop-Analyzer-Diagnostic-POST-Card_W0QQitemZ150326824659QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotherboards?hash=item23002d4ed3

This is used to see what step the BIOS thinks it is at during boot.
<$15 - these appear to be only available cheaply via eBay.
There are also PCI bus versions of these devices available. The USB
device is useful for laptop repair, so I recommend it.

Good hunting!


Dave Ritchie
-- Dave