Processor- Motherboard Issues

[jdk]

I'm the guy who asked about upgrading the Compaq a few days ago.. The
reason I'm using it in the first place is that the computer I replaced
with the Presario, stopped working. Like an idiot, thinking that I
could test to see if it was the motherboard, I took the Athlon XP 2000
processor out of the broken computer and put it into another working
computer that had an Athlon XP 2800... The processor seemed to be dead.


So then I put the good Athlon XP 2800 into the board of the broken
computer.. same deal, fans moved, lights went on on the board, hard
drive spun, but no post to the bios. This told me the problem was
either in the board, the processor, the memory or the psu or a
combination thereof.. in other words I was clueless!

I got a real sick feeling in my stomach when I put the 2800 back in
it's original board and it wouldn't post to the bios. the fans worked,
the light on the board came on, and the hard drive light came on.

Obviously, the broken computer completely fried my good 2800 and
possibly the dead 2800 killed my other motherboard or disabled the bios
permanently, since all the lights are on, but no one is home, so to
speak. I tried re-setting the CMOS a dozen or so times on both boards
as well as switching out memory and power supplies with other spare
parts to no avail.

So all of this explanation is in preparation to ask if I should try to
put a working processor in the board that formerly held the 2800? Or is
the motherboard damaged now to the point that it will kill any
processor I put into it?

JDK

 

[Mike T.]

I'm the guy who asked about upgrading the Compaq a few days ago.. The
reason I'm using it in the first place is that the computer I replaced
with the Presario, stopped working. Like an idiot, thinking that I
could test to see if it was the motherboard, I took the Athlon XP 2000
processor out of the broken computer and put it into another working
computer that had an Athlon XP 2800... The processor seemed to be dead.


So then I put the good Athlon XP 2800 into the board of the broken
computer.. same deal, fans moved, lights went on on the board, hard
drive spun, but no post to the bios. This told me the problem was
either in the board, the processor, the memory or the psu or a
combination thereof.. in other words I was clueless!

I got a real sick feeling in my stomach when I put the 2800 back in
it's original board and it wouldn't post to the bios. the fans worked,
the light on the board came on, and the hard drive light came on.

Obviously, the broken computer completely fried my good 2800 and
possibly the dead 2800 killed my other motherboard or disabled the bios
permanently, since all the lights are on, but no one is home, so to
speak. I tried re-setting the CMOS a dozen or so times on both boards
as well as switching out memory and power supplies with other spare
parts to no avail.

So all of this explanation is in preparation to ask if I should try to
put a working processor in the board that formerly held the 2800? Or is
the motherboard damaged now to the point that it will kill any
processor I put into it?

JDK

Yikes. Drop everything. Take 10 steps backward. About face. Forward
March.

This post is why you do not allow people who don't know what they are doing
to swap parts.

From what you've written, it seems most likely that the system that
originally held the 2000 processor experienced some kind of voltage
regulation irregularity that damaged the CPU. This could be a bad
motherboard or a bad power supply, or BOTH, but it turned into a bad CPU as
well.

So then you put the 2800 CPU into the CPU-killing system. Now the 2800 CPU
is dead.

The best advice anybody could give you at this point is to DESTROY the
original power supply that was used with the 2000 CPU and DESTROY the
original mainboard that was used with the 2000 CPU. One or both of those
components is bad, but to figure out WHAT is bad, you will need to risk
destroying another CPU. So the safest bet is to destroy both the original
PSU and the original mainboard that were used with the 2000CPU.

If your mainboard that originally had the 2800 CPU in it is bad, then that
would be coincidental (likely damaged during the CPU swap, not damaged by
the CPU). It's highly unlikely that a bad CPU would damage a mainboard.
I'm not saying it can't happen, just that the odds of it actually happening
are so miniscule as to not be considered as a possible factor.

It should be safe to put a working processor into the system that originally
had the 2800 CPU in it.

BUT, at this point, I would suggest you find a professional or someone who
really knows what they are doing to sort out this mess. You've already got
4 bad components, that YOU know of. You are in way over your head. It's
time to swallow your pride and turn over this project to someone
lse. -Dave

 

[Paul]

I'm the guy who asked about upgrading the Compaq a few days ago.. The
reason I'm using it in the first place is that the computer I replaced
with the Presario, stopped working. Like an idiot, thinking that I
could test to see if it was the motherboard, I took the Athlon XP 2000
processor out of the broken computer and put it into another working
computer that had an Athlon XP 2800... The processor seemed to be dead.


So then I put the good Athlon XP 2800 into the board of the broken
computer.. same deal, fans moved, lights went on on the board, hard
drive spun, but no post to the bios. This told me the problem was
either in the board, the processor, the memory or the psu or a
combination thereof.. in other words I was clueless!

I got a real sick feeling in my stomach when I put the 2800 back in
it's original board and it wouldn't post to the bios. the fans worked,
the light on the board came on, and the hard drive light came on.

Obviously, the broken computer completely fried my good 2800 and
possibly the dead 2800 killed my other motherboard or disabled the bios
permanently, since all the lights are on, but no one is home, so to
speak. I tried re-setting the CMOS a dozen or so times on both boards
as well as switching out memory and power supplies with other spare
parts to no avail.

So all of this explanation is in preparation to ask if I should try to
put a working processor in the board that formerly held the 2800? Or is
the motherboard damaged now to the point that it will kill any
processor I put into it?

JDK

You should be able to put a new processor in the XP 2800 motherboard.
Since the XP 2000 motherboard killed a known good processor, I would
treat that motherboard with suspicion. You may be able to find
replacement CPUs here:

http://www.pricewatch.com/cpu/

Paul

 

[jdk]

Thanks to both of you for the suggestions and pointing out what to be
aware of... I kind of knew better, but wasn't thinking at the time.. Oh
well, an expensive lesson, to be sure. At this point, I'd be in the
market for a second hand CPU for the Asus board. (the supposedly good
one)
The bad PSU is going in the trash right now.. the bad mobo is in last
weeks garbage.

Thanks again
JDK