ok so i got this computer. it was in a burnt house that a family friend bought and we are fixing it up. i noticed it sitting in a corner and i thought that it wouldnt be a bad idea to take it home and try to see if it works. of course my luck it doesnt . but my question is when i opened it up it looked like everything was in there but there are wires with connectors on them that go to nothing? am i just wasting my time on this? i hate to throw out a good computer that has windows xp and a cd burner. because unfortunately i am poor (isnt that quite ironic seeing what my hobby is) and i only have an old computer. sorry for the rant but if anyone could help me it would be greatly appreciated. also what if i got one of those cans of air and gave eveything a once over? John

Could be unused connectors from the power supply. It's very common. Where do those wires go to?

yea there from the powersupply. there just all zip tied together. thought they were maybe to upgrade also

anyone else have other suggestions? thanks John

I got a pc here that also went threw a fire. worked for a few hours then quit. but mine went to a cleaning co. that suposidly cleans it with a solution then lets them dry out.
here a few ?s for you...
when you plug it in and hit the power button does it do anything? do any fans run? how much smoke got in there, is it all covered with that sticky crap? did those firemen hose the thing down?
Ive had a few power buttons on cases go bad. you can follow the 2 wires from the power button to the motherboard, unplug, use something metal (screwdriver) to jump the 2 pins.

there was a little soot on the outside but nothing major on the inside. it does nothing no fans either. i dont believe it got hosed down. if i jump it is it going to electricute me?

no those pins are not high voltage... the power button is a momentary on button. when you hit the power button its connecting those 2 pins for that second to wake the mother board. If that doesnt work you would need a meter to make sure the power suply is working...Silly question. the switch on the back is on correct? l = on o = off

suprisingly there is no switch on the back¿? ill try that. the funniest thing about it is that im currently using the monitor and its works just fine

he means on the back of the power supply.

yes i kno there isnt one on the back of the power supply

that's really weird...
like mx_kevin said, when you plug it in and hit the power button does it do anything? do any fans run?

nope doenst do anything no fans, nothing

make sure the wires from the back of the power supply are there and not cut, and then just go thru it and make sure if everything is ok, if it was an electrical fire it could have shorted the whole thing out in which case not worth replacing