Computer doesnt turn on.

[Tokar]

Here is the complete run down:

About two weeks ago the computer wouldnt reboot. NTLDR message showed. I tried reinstalling windows, but even after it formatted and copied the setup files it still NTLDR'd on me. It was definitely the HD. Replaced the hard drive and all was good...until...

The graphics card was causing problems. It would constantly stay that the card wasnt connected to the computer...very weird. I would just jiggle the computer and it would work again.
Finally though the screen when all white on me. I checked inside the computer and a piece from the graphics card (a RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB) was hanging off the card, and eventually fell off.
The card was sent in for RMA, and an old busted AGP card was obtained from the IT guy at word to hold the computer over for general windows use until the card came back from ATI, which obviously won't happen for another 2 weeks or so.
Everything worked fine...until...

The computer made some LOUD knocking noises on the speakers then shut off. And now the computer won't turn back on. If one turns off the switch on the PSU and turns it back on, the presses the power button on the computer, the power LED flickers for a moment, and the CPU fan runs for a little under a second, but everything stops and does nothing.
An old 300W PSU was obtained from the IT guy to test for a bad PSU. The PSU was connected but did nothing as well.
The PSU which came with the case, which is the one in question, continues to have the same results...flickers power LED, revolves CPU fan for a second at most.

I disconnected everything...cables from the back, IDE cables, power cables from the HD's, the RAM was removed. All that is left is the motherboard and the CPU...and still no success.


I am running the following:

The following components in the computer were purchased mid-august 2005:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Codegen Briza-63CA case which comes with a 350W Power Supply.
A Chaintech VNF3-250 socket 754 motherboard, running the most recent BIOS.
A Sempron64 3000+.
2 sticks of 512MB PC-3200 DDR-SDRAM, one from Rosewell (bought from NewEgg), the other from Patriot (bought from Microcenter).

A 160GB Hitachi ATA133 hard drive purchased 2 weeks ago...which replaced the bad Quantum Fireball 60GB that was over 4 years old.
A 200GB Maxtor ATA133 hard drive purchased probably 1.5 years ago.
A 30GB Maxtor ATA133 hard drive purchased probably 2 or so years ago.
A NEC DVD+-RW drive purchased 2 years and 3 months ago.
A ATi Radeon 9800 PRO 128MB purchased 2 years and 3 months ago, which is now being RMA'd to ATi.


My best guess right now is the motherboard...since i read some reviews on Newegg that the thing goes bad pretty fast...as well as having a friend experience the same.


Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[edmundoab]

Sounds like PSU giving trouble, as you said, you have stripped it to the bare minimum of CPU and Motherboard

 

[Tokar]

Yeah...i thats the last thing i said before i listed off my hardware .

Id like to note that my sister is the user of this computer, she is 300 miles away from me, so its not like home where i can do some trial and error analysis and stuff...but my sister has been very patient over the phone.
She said she doesn't feel comfortable removing the motherboard from the chasis, however she has removed everything except it...well that and the CPU .



Its also worth noting that reviewers on Newegg have reported this motherboard dying within a year.
My friend also used this board and had his die on him within a year as well...

 

[Zim Hosein]

Clear the CMOS via a jumper if possible, then try to boot up your rig w/ the bare minimum like edmundoab suggested w/ 1 stick of RAM, not both and let us know what happens, I hope this helps a bit Tokar

 

[Tokar]

hmm cmos eh?

hehe...

i actually had to use that jumper when i updated the BIOS. I installed it using the Award Bios tool on the chip. After i installed it the computer just beeped when i turned it on...after i cleared the CMOS it turned on fine and BIOS reported the new version...

I'll tell my sister to give the CMOS a try and report back what my sister says.

 

[Tokar]

OK I tried the CMOS switch on the motherboard.

NO improvements were seen.


My sister tried just switching the jumper, and switching the jumper pushing the power button a few times. Neither had any effect.

 

[Cooler]

is it pluged in?

 

[Tokar]

yeah...she is good with getting all that.

she keeps telling me that if she just keeps pushing the power button, nothing happens.
But if she resets the master power switch on the back of the power supply, then pushes the power button, it will show those things i described in the first post...flickering LED and 1 second worth of rotation of the CPU fan.
She can only get that to happen after doing a reset of the master power switch on the power supply...the original power supply. She cannot get that to go with the secondary test 300W power supply the IT guy gave her.

 

[Nathelion]

Umm.... If you can, try a third PSU. If you can, try moving the CPU to a different mobo, then you'd know for sure where the problem lies. Sounds like the likely the mobo or possibly the pcu is gone though.

 

[Tokar]

I do agree...

However, while I agree with your suggestion completely, my sister has no way of testing the CPU in another computer to determine which is working or not.

While assuming its the motherboard that is bad is generally a safe assumption, nothing says te CPU is still good. But I have no way of testing either...nor does she.

I dont have any other Athlon64 CPU's or Socket754 boards to lend my sister.

 

[Tokar]

Question:
Assuming the power supply is fine:
If the CPU is bad, but the Mobo is good, should the computer be able to supply power to the fans and such? My friend said that logically the BIOS should post and complain of no CPU.

 

[allanon1965]

no, you wont even get a post without a cpu......

 

[Sharam]

Have you fixed this yet?

Would be helpful telling us the spec on the first power supply.
That case is full of components, if you have anywhere from 15A to 18A on the +12V rail and only around 20A on the +3.3V rail, the chances are your motherboard been hurt somewhat.

A 9800XT consumes 16.5A off the +3.3V rail the pro should be close.
You got at least 6A off of the +12V rail for your drives plus the fans excluding the CPU.

I like to know what the sticker said on the first power supply (all the info including combined max W. for the +3.3V, +5.0V and +12.0V).

If you can have her read to you the values from the old power supply, we can at the least say with some certainty whether the power supply started it all or look elsewhere.

When talking power supplies, please state make and model, there are some Antec 350W PSUs that outperform some Thermaltake 480W, so a plain 350W or 450W PSU does not really mean much specially these days.

Sharam