A7N8X Deluxe no POST

[M.V.]

Hi,

I have an A7n8X Deluxe with an Athlon XP 2700 which worked fine until
I decided to dust off the motherboard and components using one of
those high pressure air cans.
After doing that, the computer never woke up.
The fans start, hard drives move but there is no beeps, no video,
nada.

I thought I killed the CPU and/or motherboard, since I also tinkered
with the heatsink, so I went and bought a new XP 3000 and an A7n8X-E
Deluxe. I tried the old CPU on the new motherboard, the new CPU in the
old motherboard and the new cpu with the new motherboard and I get the
same behavior - No beeps, video, nada.

At this point I am thinking this might be the power supply.

Can a motherboard behave like this due to a power supply problem?

The other components I have are

Corsair 1 CMX512-2700
Ati Radeon 9700 pro

Any other hints, ideas?

Thanks

Marcelo

 

[rstlne]

Hi,

I have an A7n8X Deluxe with an Athlon XP 2700 which worked fine until
I decided to dust off the motherboard and components using one of
those high pressure air cans.
After doing that, the computer never woke up.
The fans start, hard drives move but there is no beeps, no video,
nada.

I thought I killed the CPU and/or motherboard, since I also tinkered
with the heatsink, so I went and bought a new XP 3000 and an A7n8X-E
Deluxe. I tried the old CPU on the new motherboard, the new CPU in the
old motherboard and the new cpu with the new motherboard and I get the
same behavior - No beeps, video, nada.

At this point I am thinking this might be the power supply.

Can a motherboard behave like this due to a power supply problem?

The other components I have are

Corsair 1 CMX512-2700
Ati Radeon 9700 pro

Any other hints, ideas?

Thanks

Marcelo

Power supply problem.. Probably not..
The a7n8x uses a vocal POST error system (did you try it)..

What do you mean "Tinkering" with the heatsink/fan..
did you build it in the first place (nice way of asking if you fully
understand what your doing)..

The motherboard and psu both do voltage checks.. when you hit the power
button and the fans start spinning then it should mean that the psu is
good..

The "High Pressure Air Can"... Was it made for pc cleaning or not?.. Cause
some of those cans are not good to use..

Check the Vocal Post thing before you do anything else.

 

[Paul]

Hi,

I have an A7n8X Deluxe with an Athlon XP 2700 which worked fine until
I decided to dust off the motherboard and components using one of
those high pressure air cans.
After doing that, the computer never woke up.
The fans start, hard drives move but there is no beeps, no video,
nada.

I thought I killed the CPU and/or motherboard, since I also tinkered
with the heatsink, so I went and bought a new XP 3000 and an A7n8X-E
Deluxe. I tried the old CPU on the new motherboard, the new CPU in the
old motherboard and the new cpu with the new motherboard and I get the
same behavior - No beeps, video, nada.

At this point I am thinking this might be the power supply.

Can a motherboard behave like this due to a power supply problem?

The other components I have are

Corsair 1 CMX512-2700
Ati Radeon 9700 pro

Any other hints, ideas?

Thanks

Marcelo

Yes, a bad power supply could do it. It would require a failure
of either the +3.3V or the +5.0V, as to make the fans spin requires
+12V.

Both of your motherboards have Voice POST. To use it, try plugging
amplified speakers into the lime colored Lineout jack on the
back of the computer. Use that jack, even if you have added a
sound card to the computer, as the Voice POST messages are
permanently wired to the Lineout signal. If you don't hear
anything, check that the two jumpers are on the FP_AUDIO header,
as they provide continuity of the audio signals.

Maybe a Voice POST message will give you a hint if there is
some other kind of problem.

If you have a voltmeter, you can check a couple of the voltages,
using the left over connectors on the PSU. A drive connector will
allow you to probe +5V and +12V with the voltmeter. Some ATX
PSUs have a six pin AUX power connector, and it has +3.3V pins
on it. You know the +5VSB is working, if you see the green
LED light on the motherboard. While a bit of -12V might be
used on the motherboard, I don't know if that would stop the
board from POSTing or not.

HTH,
Paul

 

[BK24]

I have had 2 instances like yours. Power supply and video card were the
culprits. If you have a spare psu handy it would eliminate one. Try removing
everything and reseating it one at a time attempting t rebopot between each
piece of hardware.

 

[M.V.]

Thanks for your replies.

I bought a new PS (I needed one anyway) and still have the same issue.
I followed your advice about listening to the voice message when
removing everything and I got the "NO CPU INSTALLED" message.
Next I installed the CPU with the heatsink and got no message.
I tried both CPUs, the old one and the new one and both had the same
issue... no voice message.

Could it be that my old motherboard screwed the new CPU? or maybe the
new CPU wasn't good to begin with... this is too weird.

Any other ideas?


Thanks

-M

 

[Paul]

Thanks for your replies.

I bought a new PS (I needed one anyway) and still have the same issue.
I followed your advice about listening to the voice message when
removing everything and I got the "NO CPU INSTALLED" message.
Next I installed the CPU with the heatsink and got no message.
I tried both CPUs, the old one and the new one and both had the same
issue... no voice message.

Could it be that my old motherboard screwed the new CPU? or maybe the
new CPU wasn't good to begin with... this is too weird.

Any other ideas?


Thanks

Does the new motherboard work with the new CPU ? It would be good
to salvage something from this mess.

If the old motherboard failed, say, producing too high a Vcore
voltage, then any CPU plugged in would be killed. The real question
then is, if moving either of the CPUs to the new board, could
kill the new board as well. I suppose there is no way to know
without trying the test. You can always return the new motherboard,
but I don't know what warranty comes with AMD CPUs. Presumably
there is a difference between an OEM and a retail unit.

The "No CPU Installed", I believe, is detected by the motherboard
checking to see if a single pin on the ZIF socket is grounded or
not. Some of the other messages, require the CPU to be minimally
operational. I'm afraid the facilities on the motherboard
don't allow for fine grained resolution of what the problem is.
It helps in cases like this, if there is some visible damage,
because then at least, you have a small extra bit of info to
go on.

Paul

 

[M.V.]

Does the new motherboard work with the new CPU ? It would be good
to salvage something from this mess.

If the old motherboard failed, say, producing too high a Vcore
voltage, then any CPU plugged in would be killed. The real question
then is, if moving either of the CPUs to the new board, could
kill the new board as well. I suppose there is no way to know
without trying the test. You can always return the new motherboard,
but I don't know what warranty comes with AMD CPUs. Presumably
there is a difference between an OEM and a retail unit.

The "No CPU Installed", I believe, is detected by the motherboard
checking to see if a single pin on the ZIF socket is grounded or
not. Some of the other messages, require the CPU to be minimally
operational. I'm afraid the facilities on the motherboard
don't allow for fine grained resolution of what the problem is.
It helps in cases like this, if there is some visible damage,
because then at least, you have a small extra bit of info to
go on.

Paul

Thanks for your reply Paul.

I ended up going back to the store to return the MB and CPU but the
guy tested it and it worked!
It was so weird. He did exactly what I did, testing the MB outside the
case and all that, and he got the voice asking for memory and then for
video.

I came back with the board and CPU again (at least I knew they were
Ok) and I was able to make the system work!

As for the old CPU and MB.... I didn't even try to mix stuff this
time.

I still have a small annoyance. When I add the screw next to the wifi
slot, the computer won't start, same issues as before.. no sound,
post, nothing.
I must have some ground issue going on but I can't figure out what
exactly. If I don't put a screw in that area, everything works fine.

Maybe I need to change the case..... hmmmm
How do you normally solve the grounding issues?

thx

Marcelo

 

[BK24]

Sounds like your grounding the mobo out. Not all holes on the mobo are
necessary to be used. Just need them around any point of the mobo where you
will be installing and removing cards and memory.

 

[Paul]

(e-mail address removed) (Paul) wrote in message
Thanks for your reply Paul.

I ended up going back to the store to return the MB and CPU but the
guy tested it and it worked!
It was so weird. He did exactly what I did, testing the MB outside the
case and all that, and he got the voice asking for memory and then for
video.

I came back with the board and CPU again (at least I knew they were
Ok) and I was able to make the system work!

As for the old CPU and MB.... I didn't even try to mix stuff this
time.

I still have a small annoyance. When I add the screw next to the wifi
slot, the computer won't start, same issues as before.. no sound,
post, nothing.
I must have some ground issue going on but I can't figure out what
exactly. If I don't put a screw in that area, everything works fine.

Maybe I need to change the case..... hmmmm
How do you normally solve the grounding issues?

thx

Marcelo

The mounting holes are plated and are connected to ground. They are
meant to touch the brass standoffs on your motherboard tray. Having
multiple ground contacts is supposed to help suppress EMI (interference
with your TV set etc). If the screw you use to hold down the board,
has a big head, and if the screw is not centered in the hole, then
sometimes the screw can touch something it is not supposed to.

If you really think it is the standoff underneath the motherboard
that is making contact, then try placing a piece of paper between the
motherboard and the standoff. Push the screw through the paper,
until it engages the standoff. See if that stops the problem.

Normally, you don't want to add anything thick between the standoff
and the motherboard. If you think about the PCI and AGP cards for
a moment, the datum they start at is such, that the PCI and AGP
cards should line up nicely with the holes on the back of the
computer for the faceplates to poke out. If the motherboard is
elevated above the tray a bit more, this forces the PCI and AGP
cards to be installed on a slant, and this tends to make them
jam up, hard to insert and remove. So, while some people would
suggest the use of fiber washers, you run the risk of spoiling
the mechanical alignment. You should try to use the standoffs
that came with your computer case, as different manufacturers use
different length standoffs, and they aren't interchangable.

A second way for the printed circuit board to become intermittent
(works some times, not others), is if the board gets bent or
torqued while being handled or installed. The large BGA packages
cannot take too much deviation from planarity, before one of the
balls might crack. Then, as the board gets a slight twist, the
contact can open, and later close again, if there is say a slight
vibration. On the motherboards I have here, I sometimes wish they
had been designed with more support in the DIMM area, because
it deflects quite a bit when inserting a DIMM. So, while that kind
of fault isn't likely, it is another way that boards can get damaged.
Even a cold solder joint can do this, but the manufacturing quality
of motherboards seems to be excellent, so again that isn't something
to worry about too much.

So, try a scrap of paper, and see if it stops.

Glad to hear you've got a working system again. I guess you won't be
using compressed air for cleaning again We were warned at work,
by our ESD (electrostatic discharge) Nazis, not to use compressed
air for cleaning assemblies, and now I see their point.

HTH,
Paul

 

[Gordon Scott]

Hi,

I have an A7n8X Deluxe with an Athlon XP 2700 which worked fine until
I decided to dust off the motherboard and components using one of
those high pressure air cans.
After doing that, the computer never woke up.
The fans start, hard drives move but there is no beeps, no video,
nada.

I thought I killed the CPU and/or motherboard, since I also tinkered
with the heatsink, so I went and bought a new XP 3000 and an A7n8X-E
Deluxe. I tried the old CPU on the new motherboard, the new CPU in the
old motherboard and the new cpu with the new motherboard and I get the
same behavior - No beeps, video, nada.

At this point I am thinking this might be the power supply.

Can a motherboard behave like this due to a power supply problem?

The other components I have are

Corsair 1 CMX512-2700
Ati Radeon 9700 pro

Any other hints, ideas?

Thanks

Marcelo

never tilt the cans when spraying always have the can upright, otherwise
you spray the fluids inside the can