Hi Guys, still having problems with my new case, my mobo is an ASRock core 4 dual sata 2, ion the case I have fitted spacers into every hole and my mobo has a screw slot to fit every spacer, but if I fit more than one screw, the computer will not do anything like it has no power, if I leave just one coner screw in, then it boots ok and runs ok, except for 2 vital things, sometimes my second hdd drive is in the my computer list, sometimes its not, but its always in the device manager, and the most annoying one is my dvd drive, most of the time its recognised as a cd drive and not a dvd, but when i insert any disc either cd or dvd, it starts up and runs but wont open or play, I am presuming the mobo is shorting somewhere ?, on the base of the case where the spacers go, there are letters, i think E and F, what do they mean are they in some relation to fitting the mobo, and if so how do i find which is the right ones. phew, sorry to be so long winded, any help please guys, thanks
motherboard shorting
- Thread starter swanmark
- Start date
Silverhazesurfer
Master of Logic
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2008
- Messages
- 1,068
- Reaction score
- 42
two words. Paper Washers.
Back in the day, there was a need for paper washers between the mounting points of the system board and the mounts/screws. This insulated the board from shorting with the case and protected the boards.
Also sounds like you may have a faulty power supply. Perhaps it is shorting to ground and causing the issue you are having. If you have issues with parts showing up and then not, they may also have an issue. I would suggest pulling everything out of the case and insulating it from ground. The HD is screwed to the case? Take it out and pad it to keep it from grounding to the case or table. Pull the optical drive, connect it as another load to the power supply. Pull the system board out and set it on cardboard or something. Insulate it from ground.
I would start there. With items showing and then not showing, perhaps you have a load power issue. Remove devices to see if it resolves your HD recognizing issue. If it does, bad supply. If not, maybe something else. keep trying.
Back in the day, there was a need for paper washers between the mounting points of the system board and the mounts/screws. This insulated the board from shorting with the case and protected the boards.
Also sounds like you may have a faulty power supply. Perhaps it is shorting to ground and causing the issue you are having. If you have issues with parts showing up and then not, they may also have an issue. I would suggest pulling everything out of the case and insulating it from ground. The HD is screwed to the case? Take it out and pad it to keep it from grounding to the case or table. Pull the optical drive, connect it as another load to the power supply. Pull the system board out and set it on cardboard or something. Insulate it from ground.
I would start there. With items showing and then not showing, perhaps you have a load power issue. Remove devices to see if it resolves your HD recognizing issue. If it does, bad supply. If not, maybe something else. keep trying.
Hi thanks for the help,can you clarify a little more, do the paper washers go under the mobo or above under the screws,what if i were to put a sheet of cardboard under the mobo, would that help or cause heat problems, thanks
Silverhazesurfer
Master of Logic
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2008
- Messages
- 1,068
- Reaction score
- 42
The cardboard is for external testing only. It is to keep the board from shorting to a table or other source.
The paper washers typically go between the screws and the board on the top side. You have to be fairly skilled to get them under the board as well.
I would test the board and configuration outside of the case before trying to put the paper washers on the bottom of the board. That would yield a more clear result and end up being less work.
The paper washers typically go between the screws and the board on the top side. You have to be fairly skilled to get them under the board as well.
I would test the board and configuration outside of the case before trying to put the paper washers on the bottom of the board. That would yield a more clear result and end up being less work.
Ok, managed to find the short, I put 2 spacers where they shouldnt be DOH, and the 2nd HDD is now working fine, the only problem I still have is the dvd player, I changed the ide lead for a new one so its not that, but in my computer it recognises the dvd drive as a cd drive, then after about 10 mins, it recognises it has a dvd drive with the content of the dvd running, but when I try to load the dvd, it starts up ok and I can hear it spinning at high speed, but it takes forever to tr and open and when it does it says application nt found ?, so i cant even load a copy of win 7 to try and fix it, I have looked in the device manager and it says the dvd is running properly and the best driver is installed ?, thanks forgot to say the dvd light is on all the time and even though it cant find the application the dvd is constanty running.
Last edited:
Silverhazesurfer
Master of Logic
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2008
- Messages
- 1,068
- Reaction score
- 42
i find that what you describe is indicative of a failing drive. I would just replace it. It could be the disc. Try it with a few and see what happens. DVD movies, data (both CD and DVD if you have it), audio. if you find failure with all types, bad drive. One type, check the type of drive and evaluate as necessary. if a DVDRW shows up as anything other than, it's probably bad. Verify that you have the correct cable as well.
as far as the short, good job. glad to be of assistance.
as far as the short, good job. glad to be of assistance.
Hi thanks for the contiued help, regarding the dvd player, I am not convinced its faulty, my gut feeling is the os is faulty, because there are other wierd and wonderful things going on with my os, the trouble is how do i install a new os with the dvd player not working its a bit of a dlemma any ideas please. i have tried installing from the os and from the boot but it wont.
Silverhazesurfer
Master of Logic
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2008
- Messages
- 1,068
- Reaction score
- 42
well, that is one way to test the player's function. Your PC should boot to the OS cd without a problem. However, that only really says that it is functioning on a reasonable level.
I suppose it depends on what you mean by "weird and wonderful things" happening in the OS. You could be the victim of malware. Or, worst case scenario, your shorting issues are not yet fully sorted. Computers are logic gates that are flipped on and off depending on the desired function. Mostly, they are still mechanical in function even though they are very, very small. With that logic, one could speculate that your voltage fluctuations are such that they are causing issues with RAM or CPU processing.
In the end, if you question the OS installation, reinstall it if you can. Perhaps you will be clued in on something else that could be the issue. At least, you will figure out if your drive is working properly. A faulty install after attempting to install is the result, I would replace the drive and try again.
I suppose it depends on what you mean by "weird and wonderful things" happening in the OS. You could be the victim of malware. Or, worst case scenario, your shorting issues are not yet fully sorted. Computers are logic gates that are flipped on and off depending on the desired function. Mostly, they are still mechanical in function even though they are very, very small. With that logic, one could speculate that your voltage fluctuations are such that they are causing issues with RAM or CPU processing.
In the end, if you question the OS installation, reinstall it if you can. Perhaps you will be clued in on something else that could be the issue. At least, you will figure out if your drive is working properly. A faulty install after attempting to install is the result, I would replace the drive and try again.