I keep reading about problems with boards dying once in a while. Here's my
question: How can you tell if it's the board, CPU or other components? If
you can't boot and have no spare parts available your stuck it seems. I have
a situation now which I posted a couple days ago and I am gambling that it
is the CPU. Sent for a new one. If wrong I'll have an extra on the shelf.

Rudy

On Fri, 4 Feb 2005 14:03:39 -0500, "Rudy Kazuti"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I keep reading about problems with boards dying once in a while. Here's my
>question: How can you tell if it's the board, CPU or other components? If
>you can't boot and have no spare parts available your stuck it seems. I have
>a situation now which I posted a couple days ago and I am gambling that it
>is the CPU. Sent for a new one. If wrong I'll have an extra on the shelf.
>
>Rudy
>

Usually CPU's don't die unless the board power circuit was
faulty, overheat condition, or physical damage from heatsink
installation. With no other parts you could probe around
the board for voltage levels and examine it visually but
beyond stripping system down, removing board from case and
trying with minimum-to-POST, only known-good parts, there's
little other remedy except a POST card, which tells you
where it stopped but not why (can be inferred but not always
correctly).

The reason I'm leaning toward the CPU is because I can not access the bios
no mater what I try. It will not boot at all, blank screen, and I know the
video cards used are good. PS I tried booting with just CPU, V-card and ram,
nothing.
"kony" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Fri, 4 Feb 2005 14:03:39 -0500, "Rudy Kazuti"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> >I keep reading about problems with boards dying once in a while. Here's
my
> >question: How can you tell if it's the board, CPU or other components? If
> >you can't boot and have no spare parts available your stuck it seems. I
have
> >a situation now which I posted a couple days ago and I am gambling that
it
> >is the CPU. Sent for a new one. If wrong I'll have an extra on the shelf.
> >
> >Rudy
> >
>
> Usually CPU's don't die unless the board power circuit was
> faulty, overheat condition, or physical damage from heatsink
> installation. With no other parts you could probe around
> the board for voltage levels and examine it visually but
> beyond stripping system down, removing board from case and
> trying with minimum-to-POST, only known-good parts, there's
> little other remedy except a POST card, which tells you
> where it stopped but not why (can be inferred but not always
> correctly).

On Fri, 4 Feb 2005 23:16:09 -0500, "Rudy Kazuti"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>The reason I'm leaning toward the CPU is because I can not access the bios
>no mater what I try. It will not boot at all, blank screen, and I know the
>video cards used are good. PS I tried booting with just CPU, V-card and ram,
>nothing.

It is very rare for CPU to be the problem except the
aforementioned power or overheating. The cause is "usually"
power supply or motherboard when system does as you
describe.