How to tell if a motherboard is dead or not?!

[Anonymous Joe]

Had a motherboard, Abit KT7-RAID, setup in a box w/ an Athlon 1.3GHz (which
was removed and put into another PC and works flawlessly). Also had 512MB
RAM which was giving problems, but was put into another PC and memory tested
and turned out perfect.

What I then assumed, after numerous trials of turning on & off, that since
it would not POST or beep, the board was dead.

Since, I have taken the 900MHz Athlon that was in the other PC (which
received the 1.3GHz) and put it into the KT7-RAID. I also added 320MB
(128/128/64) of RAM that was just around. I also added in a 3dfx Voodoo3
2000 PCI video card. I also have the 300W PSU from the case which I
removed. So, I have all these parts on the floor, and I connect them. I
then use a screwdriver to bridge the two jumpers which go to the "on"
button, and it boots up.

Sometimes nothing happens except a bunch of spinning fans. Other times, it
POSTS (no beeps, since there is no speaker), and displays 327680KB RAM, and
goes through until it tries to boot and then stops (no drives...).

So, is the board dead? Since there are no beeps, since there are no
speakers, I can't tell if it is trying to boot every time or not. Sometimes
moving the video card (which does work) to a different slot helps, other
times, just turning off the PSU and re-trying it in 5 minutes helps. I
really can't tell what is going on here...

What I'd like to do is just get a cheap case for it, connect a DVD-ROM &
60GB hard drive I have around, and put it next to my TV for a little
divx/xvid/dvd player, but I don't want to waste any time if the board is
dead.

 

[Triffid]

Had a motherboard, Abit KT7-RAID, setup in a box w/ an Athlon 1.3GHz (which
was removed and put into another PC and works flawlessly). Also had 512MB
RAM which was giving problems, but was put into another PC and memory tested
and turned out perfect.

What I then assumed, after numerous trials of turning on & off, that since
it would not POST or beep, the board was dead.

Since, I have taken the 900MHz Athlon that was in the other PC (which
received the 1.3GHz) and put it into the KT7-RAID. I also added 320MB
(128/128/64) of RAM that was just around. I also added in a 3dfx Voodoo3
2000 PCI video card. I also have the 300W PSU from the case which I
removed. So, I have all these parts on the floor, and I connect them. I
then use a screwdriver to bridge the two jumpers which go to the "on"
button, and it boots up.

Sometimes nothing happens except a bunch of spinning fans. Other times, it
POSTS (no beeps, since there is no speaker), and displays 327680KB RAM, and
goes through until it tries to boot and then stops (no drives...).

So, is the board dead? Since there are no beeps, since there are no
speakers, I can't tell if it is trying to boot every time or not. Sometimes
moving the video card (which does work) to a different slot helps, other
times, just turning off the PSU and re-trying it in 5 minutes helps. I
really can't tell what is going on here...

What I'd like to do is just get a cheap case for it, connect a DVD-ROM &
60GB hard drive I have around, and put it next to my TV for a little
divx/xvid/dvd player, but I don't want to waste any time if the board is
dead.

The boards POSTs (sometimes), therefore it is not dead - but it may be
dying, possibly due to bad capacitors.

I would examine the board carefully for any evidence of leaking or
bulging capacitors. If any are found, either toss it or replace them
all. If not, give it a HDD and an OS, find out if it runs reliably once
booted, and decide it's future from there...

 

[Allan Parent]

I know this sounds crazy but change out the mobo battery. I just read an
article how this is one of the most common problems that produce symptoms of
a dying mobo. Hey, it is cheaper than a new mobo.

Allan

 

[Triffid]

I know this sounds crazy but change out the mobo battery. I just read an
article how this is one of the most common problems that produce symptoms of
a dying mobo. Hey, it is cheaper than a new mobo.

Allan

Good point - and testing the battery is free if you have a meter. They
rarely fail IME, but can certainly cause the OP's symptoms when they do.

 

[Allan Parent]

Here is the link to the article:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/tech/weekly/2458356

Allan

 

[Anonymous Joe]

Wow, that sounds similar. When I attach a HD and it does boot, the HD has
XP on it, and it will get to the "Welcome" screen. I have it to auto-login,
but it doesn't, and no inputs work, so it is just hanging there.

After I had the motherboard disconnected for about a week, since I did go
out and get a new board/cpu/ram (was worth it though), I tried it again, and
it gave a CMOS settings reset message.

I would have never thought of this....now I have to go out and find one of
these batteries.....maybe then I can have another PC (3rd for myself, 6th
for the house).