Capacitor question from a newbie

[Nately]

We have a dell XPS 600 with, at a minimum, a bad motherboard. (Don't know if there are other issues, nor how to determine that one way or the other.) As is evident from the pic below, clearly we have some bad caps. We have a family member with some computer experience (a lot more than me) who said he's willing to solder in new caps, but he wants us to do the footwork as far as identifying what needs replacing and obtaining those replacements. Can one tell just by looking at the photos which need replacing, how to identify (ie name) them specifically so they can be ordered, and where's the best place to get them?

We already have a replacement computer so we don't necessarily need to fix this one---mainly we just want the contents of the hard drives. So, if there are any other suggestions as to how to access the information on the hard drives, I'd be interested in hearing about that as well. We believe the system we have is RAID 0.

Apologies if answers to my questions are retrievable via Search. I'm new to all this---I wasn't even sure what to search for specifically..

Thanks.

[jamesbo]

Re: Capacitor question from a newbie

If all want to do is recover the data, then remove the harddrive from the computer and install it in the new computer as a second hard drive, you can then transfer the files to your new computer. You could also use an external adapter on the hard drive and copy them over via USB to the new computer.

The capacitors above the memory slot to the right of the black speaker appear to be bulging. You will need to get the capacitance, working voltage, manufacturer and, ideally, the series (2 or 3 letter) of the capacitors and one of the contributors shouldl be able to recommend a replacement.

[Jade Firehawk]

Re: Capacitor question from a newbie

My husbands XPS 600 blew out the same capacitors 2 weeks ago. There is a distinct brown (burn?) mark around the rolled up thingy next to the caps. i've attached a photo, doesnt really show the burn very well. My question is; Is it repairable considering the burn mark?

[selldoor]

Re: Capacitor question from a newbie

Jade - should be possible - remove the caps keeping a careful record of what goes where
and the burnt item - clean it an the board as much as possible with Isopropyl alcohol then take really clear pics of the damage zone and the component.
Perhaps Nately can help identify it?

[Nately]

Re: Capacitor question from a newbie

If all want to do is recover the data, then remove the harddrive from the computer and install it in the new computer as a second hard drive, you can then transfer the files to your new computer. You could also use an external adapter on the hard drive and copy them over via USB to the new computer.

I may not have been entirely clear. It's a dual hard drive system, and it's my understanding that makes it difficult or impossible to simply install them into the new computer, or to use an external adapter (with it being a RAID O system). Right or wrong?

[sofTest]

Re: Capacitor question from a newbie

You might want to read this thread about chances for successful repair.

[LDSisHere]

Re: Capacitor question from a newbie

I may not have been entirely clear. It's a dual hard drive system, and it's my understanding that makes it difficult or impossible to simply install them into the new computer, or to use an external adapter (with it being a RAID O system). Right or wrong?

You are correct, your best hope of recovery it to revive the old system, even then you may have problems if the raid configuration on the board gets reset. Replacing motherboard caps can be very difficult even for someone experienced in the chore.

You could also contact this sites owner to see what he would charge for a recap as it is his line of business. It really boils down to how bad do you want your data back.

[momaka]

Re: Capacitor question from a newbie

A recap may not fix these. Probably will have to change that burned coil as well. Count number of wire turns on it and measure size. Micrometals -52 material might work okay.