Stench of Dog Urine (Computer Help)

[Smegma]

Recently, my moms computer will not turn on. All that glows is the "working" light of the motherboard which is steady and orange. I looked into it and tried, with what limiting troubleshooting skills I have, to troubleshoot it. Well, I took my PSU and hooked it up, same problem. Took out the RAM put in another stick which I believe to still work, same problem. Pretty much every component (except MOBO and CPU) were replaced with thought to be working ones.

The problem continues, and the culprit lies with her dog. The faint smell of dog urine lingered in the air as I bent over the computer to look into it. The casing has a slight streak, and a small dry spot can be seen right near the motherboard.

Before I go out and purchase parts to fix, I dont want to waste money on those that dont need it. Any advice on how to test which one is the culprit, so I can promptly replace it.

[FliesLikeABrick]

Sounds like it is either the power supply or the motherboard

[Smegma]

Sounds like it is either the power supply or the motherboard

Well, I hooked up my perfectly working Power Supply and alas, the same problem occurred. The puddle is right near the edge of the motherboard, could this have shorted it out?

[a-4-year-old]

Well, I took my PSU and hooked it up, same problem.

Sounds like it is either the power supply or the motherboard

The problem continues, and the culprit lies with her dog. The faint smell of dog urine lingered in the air as I bent over the computer to look into it. The casing has a slight streak, and a small dry spot can be seen right near the motherboard.

Using my special deducing abilities, I have concluded that her dog must have ruined the motherboard, and it is the thing that should be replaced.

Perhaps the dog hit the motherboard and that puddle is just spash

[FliesLikeABrick]

urine has a lot of "stuff" in it, which enables it to be highly conductive and highly corrosive.  If everything is dry and it still isn't working, then it is likely that the motherboard (or maybe another component) is damaged.

[Psycho]

It's battling the computer for the "man's best friend" title.

[Clawbug]

It's battling the computer for the "man's best friend" title.

Made me laugh, thanks.

[Smegma]

I tested almost every component by using them on my computer. Everything works, so pretty much sure its the Motherboard.

[Chakra]

[17:46] <Chakra> oh jesus, typical linux nerd responds "urine has a lot of "stuff" in it, which enables it to be highly conductive and highly corrosive."
[17:46] <MJ> .........
[17:46] <Tarran> actually.. only a huge amount of urine would conduct electricity
[17:47] <Chakra> what is it with overly techy people always trying to pitch in some kind of know it all educational vibe..
[17:47] <Tarran> like pissing on a train track won't actually electricute you unless you're pissing buckets and have a complete stream of urine....
[17:47] <Tarran> anyway
[17:47] <Tarran> ..
[17:48] <Chakra> ...
[17:49] <MJ> she's right.. the linux guy fails
[17:49] <Tarran> mmhmm
[17:49] <MJ> just like distilled water hardly conducts either
[17:49] <Tarran> i have a high IQ you know? :p

HAH![/size]

[FliesLikeABrick]

they invest a bit too much faith in exactly what mythbusters says on the matter.  We're not talking about the dog getting electrocuted by the computer or anything.... we're talking about urine being able to conduct between solder points on the motherboard (anywhere from 1mm to 2in apart most likely), as well as the corrosive properties of urine.

Tell them to go pee on a sheet of steel and see what happens after a few hours.

[Mangled*]

Woah, can we rewind a bit...

So your mothers dog.... urinated through the back of your PC?....

If that's the case then it serves you right for being one of these people who keep their computers on the carpet in the middle of a filthy room next to their sheetless mattress and a half empty bag of crisps.

And yes on a circuit board almost any liquid can short it out. Including Fanta, Vodka, water, beer, coke... and thus probably dog piss. The ones which stain are the worst culprits, vodka and water aren't that bad.

In short, the dog broke your motherboard by pissing on it.

[.::Blaze::.]

take the dog and throw it outside down the well and get a kitten...works every time.