Fried mobo?

[TE]

Hi all, I just received my A7N8X-X mobo w/AMD athlon 2200+ in the mail.
When I tried to install it, I got nothing. Power is flowing to the board
becuase the fans spin and the power light is lit, but no beep codes and
video. Tried removing various components and still nothing. Video and
RAM are fine as I've tested them in another system. Also tried starting
while on a cardboard box (to eliminate grounding issues). Is the
mobo..*sniff*...dead???? I'm hoping its something really basic I've
overlooked, but I can't think of anything else... what do you guys think????

 

[Wayne Morgan]

I'd try another power supply just to be sure, even though this one appears
to be working. All it would take is one bad lead to the motherboard to keep
things from running.

--
Wayne Morgan

Hi all, I just received my A7N8X-X mobo w/AMD athlon 2200+ in the mail.
When I tried to install it, I got nothing. Power is flowing to the board
becuase the fans spin and the power light is lit, but no beep codes and
video. Tried removing various components and still nothing. Video and
RAM are fine as I've tested them in another system. Also tried starting
while on a cardboard box (to eliminate grounding issues). Is the
mobo..*sniff*...dead???? I'm hoping its something really basic I've
overlooked, but I can't think of anything else... what do you guys

think????

 

[philo]

Hi all, I just received my A7N8X-X mobo w/AMD athlon 2200+ in the mail.
When I tried to install it, I got nothing. Power is flowing to the board
becuase the fans spin and the power light is lit, but no beep codes and
video. Tried removing various components and still nothing. Video and
RAM are fine as I've tested them in another system. Also tried starting
while on a cardboard box (to eliminate grounding issues). Is the
mobo..*sniff*...dead???? I'm hoping its something really basic I've
overlooked, but I can't think of anything else... what do you guys

think????


try resetting the bios
there is often a jumper near it...that you can move over the the other
position
then back again

 

[John]

Hi all, I just received my A7N8X-X mobo w/AMD athlon 2200+ in the mail.
When I tried to install it, I got nothing. Power is flowing to the board
becuase the fans spin and the power light is lit, but no beep codes and
video. Tried removing various components and still nothing. Video and
RAM are fine as I've tested them in another system. Also tried starting
while on a cardboard box (to eliminate grounding issues). Is the
mobo..*sniff*...dead???? I'm hoping its something really basic I've
overlooked, but I can't think of anything else... what do you guys think????

Ive seen tons of posts similar to this about 6 months ago you dont see
it as much now.

Ive had weird problems with the older refurbs I had and though my
newer Asus refurb doesnt have as major problems I do see some
weirdness.

I think theres a good chance your board is OK. My recent bout with my
ABIT was like that. Seemed totally dead - tested everything and tried
running it out of the case and reset the CMOS. Nothing. Then suddenly
a few days later I reinstalled it and it worked.

 

[w_tom]

Do not wildly suspect or replace things. Procedure should
be step by step to first obtain basic information. The
foundation of a computer is its power supply. Anything can
act flaky or not work if PSU 'system' (not just PSU) is not
first confirmed good. Procedure is found in a previous
discussion:
"Computer doesn't start at all" in alt.comp.hardware on 10
Jan 2004 or
http://tinyurl.com/2t69q
Chart for limits and wire colors:
Voltage Wire Color Min V Max V
+5 V Red 4.75 V 5.25 V
-5 V White -4.75 V -5.25 V
+12 V Yellow 11.4 V 12.6 V
-12 V Blue -11.4 V -12.6 V
+3.3 V Orange 3.135 V 3.465 V
+5VSB Purple 4.75 5.25
!Power On Green 0.8 2.0
Power OK Gray >2.4 when power is good

Nothing posted yet says power supply works properly which is
why the few minutes required by this procedure is so
important. Least expensive and most reliable procedure also
teaches how a PSU 'system' works. Once a PSU is confirmed
good, only then are you ready to investigate the other usual
suspects.

 

[Noozer]

Is it just me, or does w_tom have stock in some multimeter companies?

Do not wildly suspect or replace things. Procedure should
be step by step to first obtain basic information. The
foundation of a computer is its power supply. Anything can
act flaky or not work if PSU 'system' (not just PSU) is not
first confirmed good. Procedure is found in a previous
discussion:

<snip>

 

[George]

One thing in your posting troubles me: you say you "ALSO tried starting
while on a cardboard box (to eliminate grounding issues)".
Did you initially have the motherboard somewhere else? If so, where?

(One does not put the motherboard on a cardboard box "to eliminate grounding
issues"...one does that to keep from shorting everything together...laying
the board on the case could randomly fry stuff and even the ESD bag is
conductive to an extent that could be destructive with a powered MB
(typically, something like 10k ohms to 1M ohms per inch).)

Hi all, I just received my A7N8X-X mobo w/AMD athlon 2200+ in the mail.
When I tried to install it, I got nothing. Power is flowing to the board
becuase the fans spin and the power light is lit, but no beep codes and
video. Tried removing various components and still nothing. Video and
RAM are fine as I've tested them in another system. Also tried starting
while on a cardboard box (to eliminate grounding issues). Is the
mobo..*sniff*...dead???? I'm hoping its something really basic I've
overlooked, but I can't think of anything else... what do you guys

think????

 

[kony]

Is it just me, or does w_tom have stock in some multimeter companies?

Naw, it's a pretty much essential piece of equipment if you're not
SURE the power supply is not only working, but fit for the applied
load, and even then, provides hints of shorted boards/wires/etc....
sometimes it's even the more experienced builders that make casual
mistakes, or overlook some simple things like the power supply input
voltage switch.

 

[kony]

One thing in your posting troubles me: you say you "ALSO tried starting
while on a cardboard box (to eliminate grounding issues)".
Did you initially have the motherboard somewhere else? If so, where?

(One does not put the motherboard on a cardboard box "to eliminate grounding
issues"...one does that to keep from shorting everything together...laying
the board on the case could randomly fry stuff and even the ESD bag is
conductive to an extent that could be destructive with a powered MB
(typically, something like 10k ohms to 1M ohms per inch).)

Good point... I recall having a board that failed to post because it
was lying on an ESD bag.

 

[kony]

Hi all, I just received my A7N8X-X mobo w/AMD athlon 2200+ in the mail.
When I tried to install it, I got nothing. Power is flowing to the board
becuase the fans spin and the power light is lit, but no beep codes and
video. Tried removing various components and still nothing. Video and
RAM are fine as I've tested them in another system. Also tried starting
while on a cardboard box (to eliminate grounding issues). Is the
mobo..*sniff*...dead???? I'm hoping its something really basic I've
overlooked, but I can't think of anything else... what do you guys think????

Are these parts, memory and video, confirmed compatible with that
board? Sometimes there are odd, unforseen incompatibilities... for
example I once had an Asus A7V333 that wouldn't post with a GF3TI500
video card, even though a GF3TI200 and GF4 4600 both worked (power
supply was also plenty beefy, several were tried).

nForce boards are known to be pickier about memory that some... if
it's PC2100 memory, I'd be wondering about it.

You might try testing the power supply as w_tom mentioned, and
double-checking the jumpers on the board. You might try unplugging
the CPU fan, but be sure to turn off system within a couple dozen
seconds when running (or in it's seemingly dead, no-POST state)
without the fan.

What make/model/wattage is the power supply?
A brief description of the other components might be helpful (or might
not, but couldn't hurt).

You might double-check the jumpers, and if they were all correct, try
the jumpered mode, manually setting the board to 100MHz FSB & Memory,
see if that works.

Also as philo suggested, clear the CMOS.

 

[CBFalconer]

<snip>

Is it just me, or does w_tom have stock in some multimeter companies?

It is just you displaying abysmal ignorance. It is obviously more
efficient to rant, rave, scream and shout while ripping components
in and out.

 

[TE]

One thing in your posting troubles me: you say you "ALSO tried starting
while on a cardboard box (to eliminate grounding issues)".
Did you initially have the motherboard somewhere else? If so, where?

Well I had it in my sink at first but then I remember that water is a
conducter and might be causing some difficulties... No seriously, I had in
my case to begin with. I bolted it in just like a regular one (secured by
screws) then turned it on - or at least tried to. I later read that
sometimes a motherboard may refuse to start because of grounding issues in
the case. It was recommended to take it out of the case and place it on
some cardboard to rule that out... Apparently grounding is no the issue
here =(

 

[TE]

Do not wildly suspect or replace things. Procedure should
be step by step to first obtain basic information. The
foundation of a computer is its power supply. Anything can
act flaky or not work if PSU 'system' (not just PSU) is not
first confirmed good. Procedure is found in a previous
discussion:
"Computer doesn't start at all" in alt.comp.hardware on 10
Jan 2004 or
http://tinyurl.com/2t69q
Chart for limits and wire colors:
Voltage Wire Color Min V Max V
+5 V Red 4.75 V 5.25 V
-5 V White -4.75 V -5.25 V
+12 V Yellow 11.4 V 12.6 V
-12 V Blue -11.4 V -12.6 V
+3.3 V Orange 3.135 V 3.465 V
+5VSB Purple 4.75 5.25
!Power On Green 0.8 2.0
Power OK Gray >2.4 when power is good

Nothing posted yet says power supply works properly which is
why the few minutes required by this procedure is so
important. Least expensive and most reliable procedure also
teaches how a PSU 'system' works. Once a PSU is confirmed
good, only then are you ready to investigate the other usual
suspects.

I'll have to look into getting a multimeter I guess... The PSU works great
with my current system (1.4Ghz AMD, 256MB RAM). But it sounds like the
PSU is more complex then simply "good or bad". I've had no issues with
it, but perhaps the newer hardware is placing a greater demand. It is a
300W PS and in a Antec case - not sure on more specifics at the moment....

 

[TE]

try resetting the bios

there is often a jumper near it...that you can move over the the other
position
then back again

Yeah I tried that - no luck. Actually had to take the battery out and
unplug it before moving the jumper... still nothing...

 

[TE]

nForce boards are known to be pickier about memory that some... if

it's PC2100 memory, I'd be wondering about it.

Yes, I am suspicious of the memory too and here's why: I have to DIMMS
one is an ECC chip and one is not. As far as I know, they are both PC2100
DDR... When I put my old hardware (mobo/cpu) back in it didn't start! It
behaved just like the new mobo/cpu with power going to the fans but
nothing else. Then I realized the ECC DIMM was in - I swapped it with the
other and it started great! Of course I had to double check to see if
this non-ECC DIMM would fix the problem in the new cpu/mobo. It didn't,
but it still left me wondering...

What make/model/wattage is the power supply?
A brief description of the other components might be helpful (or might
not, but couldn't hurt).

Not sure of to many specifics at the moment. But it did come with my
Antec case and is 300W - that much I do know...

You might double-check the jumpers, and if they were all correct, try
the jumpered mode, manually setting the board to 100MHz FSB & Memory,
see if that works.

Very few jumpers on the board... I don't think the FSB goes to 100MHz -
only 200Mhz... but 200 is not the default, perhaps I should try that...

Also as philo suggested, clear the CMOS.

Did try that - no luck

 

[kony]

Very few jumpers on the board... I don't think the FSB goes to 100MHz -
only 200Mhz... but 200 is not the default, perhaps I should try that...

Try setting the USB jumpers to +5V, not +5VSB.
Do the same for keyboard power, set to +5V, not 5VSB.
In fact you might as well keep everything, including keyboard, mouse,
floppy, etc, disconnected until you get it POSTing.. only 1 memory
module, cpu, heatsink fan, video card, (and power switch) are needed.
This also means unplugging any other front panel plugs, USB ports,
etc.

Set the FSB jumper to "200", that is DDR200, the "100MHz" I meant.

 

[w_tom]

It is obviously more efficient to rant, rave, scream and shout
while ripping components in and out.

As I do about the 'stupid human' when I forget to bring my
multimeter. A tongue then becomes a "poor man's multimeter".
With practice, I can ballpark a voltage measurement based upon
the pain; leaving the reader to speculate how serious this
post may be.

 

[TE]

Try setting the USB jumpers to +5V, not +5VSB.
Do the same for keyboard power, set to +5V, not 5VSB.
In fact you might as well keep everything, including keyboard, mouse,
floppy, etc, disconnected until you get it POSTing.. only 1 memory
module, cpu, heatsink fan, video card, (and power switch) are needed.
This also means unplugging any other front panel plugs, USB ports,
etc.

Set the FSB jumper to "200", that is DDR200, the "100MHz" I meant.

Yes. I have been attempting with nothing connected. The only things
connected are the video, and memory. Should I still bother switching all
those jumpers even if the items are not connected?? And the memory,
should the 200 or 266 be printed on the module? I'm not sure how to
determine what type it is...

 

[kony]

Yes. I have been attempting with nothing connected. The only things
connected are the video, and memory. Should I still bother switching all
those jumpers even if the items are not connected??

At this point, what do you have to lose? The jumpers should've been
set to 5V, not 5VSB, by default from the factory... essentially I'm
telling you to return the board to the state it was in when it left
the factory, except underclocking it to reduce the effect of weak
components like memory or power supply.

And the memory,
should the 200 or 266 be printed on the module? I'm not sure how to
determine what type it is...

The memory is definitely "at least" DDR200, PC1600, but more likely
PC2100 or higher. Memory is backwards compatible, that is, can be ran
at the lower bus speed. It will be more likely to work at DDR200 than
the higher speed, regardless of what's printed on the label.

Why are you now questioning the module, it's spec? Was the source of
this module questionable? "In general" you can look at the markings
on the chip to get a ballpark idea of it's spec, if the numbers on the
chip end in "-75" or "-7", it's PC2100. "-8" would be PC1600, and
lower numbers being higher than needed for your CPU. If the above
numbers don't appear then you can go to the respective memory chip
manufacturer's website (not the entire module manufacturer) and read
the spec sheet, or with modules of unknown manufacturer (often found
on the likes of generic memory or remarked for names like Kingston),
you might have to contact the module manufacturer.

Unless the memory is hopelessly defective, which would make it
completely inoperable in any other system, it should function well
enough to get a POST on your new board at the DDR200 jumper setting.
The odds of just a minor part of the memory being bad, preventing the
BIOS from being decompressed, is such a tiny, unlikely situation that
it must be ignored, is not worth consideration.

 

[TE]

At this point, what do you have to lose? The jumpers should've been
set to 5V, not 5VSB, by default from the factory... essentially I'm
telling you to return the board to the state it was in when it left
the factory, except underclocking it to reduce the effect of weak
components like memory or power supply.


The memory is definitely "at least" DDR200, PC1600, but more likely
PC2100 or higher. Memory is backwards compatible, that is, can be ran
at the lower bus speed. It will be more likely to work at DDR200 than
the higher speed, regardless of what's printed on the label.

Why are you now questioning the module, it's spec? Was the source of
this module questionable? "In general" you can look at the markings
on the chip to get a ballpark idea of it's spec, if the numbers on the
chip end in "-75" or "-7", it's PC2100. "-8" would be PC1600, and
lower numbers being higher than needed for your CPU. If the above
numbers don't appear then you can go to the respective memory chip
manufacturer's website (not the entire module manufacturer) and read
the spec sheet, or with modules of unknown manufacturer (often found
on the likes of generic memory or remarked for names like Kingston),
you might have to contact the module manufacturer.

Unless the memory is hopelessly defective, which would make it
completely inoperable in any other system, it should function well
enough to get a POST on your new board at the DDR200 jumper setting.
The odds of just a minor part of the memory being bad, preventing the
BIOS from being decompressed, is such a tiny, unlikely situation that
it must be ignored, is not worth consideration.

Darn it, I was really hoping those things would work. I didn't change the
USB jumpers becuase it looked like they were already set for 5+... or is
it possible that they weren't??

I did try chaning the FSB to 200 - still nothing.

Tried putting in different PSU - nothing

The RAM and video both work fine in my other system so it's gotta be
either the mobo or the cpu. I did notice some thermal paste on the CPU
leads (!!) which I scraped off with my finger nail, but that didn't help.

I've tried booting w/just single compenents in like just the RAM, or just
the CPU or just the video... shouldn't I have gotten at least some kind of
beep with these setups??? I wish I had a different system to isolate if
it's the mobo or the cpu. One thing I did notice is that the ASUS board
says it's for an Athlon 3000+ or higher. I know my CPU is lower then
that. But would the company actually ship a mobo/cpu combo that isn't
compatible??