Check my troubleshooting?

[DesignDawg]

Hey all,

Got a problem. Well, 2 problems. I had two identical duron systems. One died yesterday. Fans would turn on, but no post. No nothing. No beeps of any kind. Because of a dim light on my CDROM drive and the way my num lock key would dim, I thought maybe it was the powere supply. So I put that power supply in my other computer. It ran fine. Not the power supply. So, knowing my power supply was fine, I took the CPU out of my running computer and put it on my broken one. Same story. Not the CPU, not the power supply? Motherboard? Well, when I put the CPU back in the working computer, it won't post either. ---With any combination of CPU or power supply. So now I have two computers that will turn on, but do nothing. Not one beep.

So, here is my conclusion:

My CPU was messed on my broken one. When I took the good CPU out of the running computer and put it in the broken one, I broke it as well. --Leaving me with 2 broken CPUs. Now, I should mention, there ARE small chips on the cores of both of these durons. --But there have been from day one, on at least one of them. --And it has run quite solidly for about a year. Never crashed. I think every time I have taken the hSF off, I have chipped away at each of them a little more. Think so? What else could be the cause of this problem with the computers turning on but doing nothing? It's definitely not the mounting job of the motherboards. So...CPUs?¿

Thanks for your time.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[Cuular]

Try reseating your memory just for fun. Similiar problems happened to me last weekend while upgrading my second system. Turned out to be memory in bank 2 was improperly seated. So reseat your memory and see if that helps.

 

[DesignDawg]

Thanks..

But it's not the memory. I've rebuilt both systems completely at least twice, and I've checked all 6 sticks of RAM one by one... Also, for what it's worth, with or without any memory in the machine, it does the exact same thing... --And it also does the exact same thing with or without a CPU in it. Without memory, it should beep the "Hey, put some RAM in fool" beep. Nothing.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[Jen]

clear the bios maybe?...........


Jen

 

[r0tt3n1]

Something is wrong with the cpu socket or traces to it on the mobo(likely a short, which fried cpu's). (EDIT: this should have been a ? instead of a period) The pressure needed to seat hsf or mem may have cracked the pcb?? When POST starts it checks the pwr supply 1st, which indicates good, you get power to fans etc.. next it looks for cpu release signal which it doesnt seem to get, therefor POST does not continue so no other beeps...... dead mobo(and cpu's now unforunately)

 

[DesignDawg]

Jen,

I've cleared the BIOs at least 100 time. Thanks though..

Rott3n1,

As for the messed mobo... Both? No way. Why would you assume that's the problem and not the CPU? The problem is now the exact same on the two motherboards. To your knowledge, what is the telltale sign that it's the mobo and not the CPU? Should it do something else if it's just the CPU?

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[r0tt3n1]

Without the items to check firsthand........ The 1st dead system to crash MAYBE has a bad mobo which fried cpu. Using the cpu from 2nd running system in 1st dead system fried it too (again maybe). Putting it back in 2nd system would cause similar symptoms because that cpu is now dead also. The chipped core theory has a lot of weight tho, a new cpu in the 2nd running system to check would most likely verify this. Then, if daring, put a new cpu in the 1st dead system and try your luck......
Just thoughts on the subject, nothing set in stone.....
edit: the 2nd running system mobo is probably just fine, maybe a problem with 1st dead system mobo.....

 

[Jen]

sounds like your going to need a diagnostic pci card to tell more about what is happening. they are not to expensive around 30 dollars. i ran into something like this awhile back . i bought another processor and found out one motherboard was DOA and one 1.4 mhz bird was the same.


Jen

 

[WarCon]

Short of building the system outside the case, I think you have done everything. It sounds like the first bad system ended up with a bad mobo (probably in the voltage regulator section) that fried your first duron. Its pretty obvious a chip in the core didn't kill the first one, because it died after running some amount of time. Then you put your good processor in the bad mobo, which then killed it. I would look on the bright side, at least you can have some confidence that your mobo is bad, since you already checked the powersupply. Unfortunately, it also means you have two dead durons.

Good luck on the rebuild.

............edit..........
You could verify that it wasn't any peripheral that was loading down your powersupply (the dimming cdrom light and keyboard light) by disconnecting the mobo and shorting the powersupply on signal and see if everything else powers up just fine.