Is my computer FRIED?!

by **shockwave203** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 8:15 pm

I own two computers, the one I'm having a problem with is a PIII 1 Ghz on a futurepower mobo.

The mobo was in a box for a while, about a year, so yesterday I decided to set it up. The power supply fan died, so I bought a new one. I plugged in the hardrive, mobo, CD rom etc to the power supply, then turned everything on. (yes, i was grounded) the next thing I know, the power supply starts GLOWING red inside and smells like fire, so I turn everything off right away. I take it back to the store, exchange it for a new one, install it, and now nothing happens when I turn on the PC.

The screen stays black, and nothing comes up. Did my mobo fry? The CPU fan still runs, the video card fan runs, and the LED lights on the front of the case light up, but NOTHING shows up on the screen, even though the monitor is hooked up.

I've double and triple checked all the connections, and everything seems correct. Please, PLEASE tell me i didn't fry the damn board or the CPU! Or did I just fry the BIOS?

It kind of smells like burning whenever it's running...I dont know...can anyone suggest anythign?

by **AnimalCracka** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 8:34 pm

It has been my experience that when you dont get a POST (Power On Self Test) the mobo is fried. I am not the most knowledgable around here but I have put together quite a few computers. The only other thing I can think of is no power which you said you already took care of. Even if your cpu is out, you should still get a post. Maybe some of our resident nerds can shed more light on the subject.

by **Edogg** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 9:05 pm

well you have a new power supply now right? so thats not the problem anymore.

when you try to power it up do you get any beeping sounds?

If yes, then those are error codes and you need to check your motherboards manual to see what they mean.

Have you tried clearing the cmos? (resets the bios to default)

I cant remember how it wroked with a p3 board, but it will require you to unplug the computer, then either slide a jumper over, or take a battery out. Again refer to your motherboard manual for exactly how to do this.

is it a problem with your ram?

if you have more than one stick of memory, try booting with just one. If it doesnt work, swap the sticks and try again. If that doesnt work, try taking one stick and booting in it a different ram slot each time. Try all different possibilities.

is it a problem with your video card?

the only real way to solve this problem is to swap it with a known working video card, and see if your system will boot.
also make sure it is seated properly.

did you have your heat sink and fan on properly?

speaks for itself.

is it your sound card?

pull the sound card out and try booting without it.

is it your hard drive?

check the cables again and make sure they are secure and in the right way. if you have another hard drive sitting around, try swapping the drives.

if none of this works then it is either the motherboard or your processor that is dead. (or both)

by **shockwave203** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 9:41 pm

I get no beeping sounds. I will try taking the battery out, to see if the bios resets. I don't think the ram is bad (i have one stick of 512) because the system is suppose to BEEP if the ram is damaged or not present, and there is no beeping. I have tried booting with an Nvidia TNT2 model 64 video card, a Geforce3 and a Geforce 4 (all which work) and the problem doesn't go away, so it's not video. I don't have a soundcard in that PC, so that takes care of that lol.

I have checked the hardrive connetions many times, and it still doesn't work. Perhaps the system won't boot because XP is on the disk? or the disk is partitioned with a file system the mobo doesn't use or somethign along those lines?

But even if the HD is the problem, the PC should still post, and just say there is no HD present.

So, I'll try removing the battery. If that doesnt work...perhaps I'll be able to find a cheap mobo and CPU, because the family needs this PC.

Thanks for the help, hopefully resetting bios will do the trick

by **shockwave203** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 9:52 pm

took out battery, no luck. so i guess the mobo is fried?

anyone know the possibility of the CPU being fried as well?

by **Edogg** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 10:11 pm

Originally posted by shockwave203
:(

took out battery, no luck. so i guess the mobo is fried?

anyone know the possibility of the CPU being fried as well?

well you took it out for 30 seconds or so right , and then put it back in?

it wont boot without the battery in I dont think.

You should also really test to see if your stick of memory is bad.

Other than that, it sounds like its your motherboard or processor.

oh and it wouldnt matter what is on your hard drive, as long as it is functioning your system should boot and show something on your screen at least.(assuming everything else is working of course)

by **shockwave203** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 11:09 pm

well i took the battery out for about 2 minutes, replaced it, and still no post. I took OUT the stick of ram, still no post, tried a diff stick of ram, and nothing...so it's gotta be the mobo or the CPU. How can I tell which is screwed?

by **Edogg** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 11:18 pm

Originally posted by shockwave203
well i took the battery out for about 2 minutes, replaced it, and still no post. I took OUT the stick of ram, still no post, tried a diff stick of ram, and nothing...so it's gotta be the mobo or the CPU. How can I tell which is screwed?

it isnt showing any signs of life. you arent getting any beeping signals(btw do you have the little system speaker hooked up? that might be the reason for no beeps). Is there any lights on the actual motherboard that light up when you power up?

I dont know man its really hard to diagnose these sort of problems.

by **shockwave203** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 11:42 pm

yup the speaker is hooked up, i can tell because when i hit the reset button, I can hear the speaker make a clicking sound.

There are no actual lights on the mobo that are on. however the case lights on the front are on, and all the fans are on.

ahhhh I can't tell which one is dead. the cpu or the mobo. this is frustrating.

I can't fit a P4 on a P3 mobo or vice versa, so I can't tell which is dead. I think my only option is to take the PC into a repair shop, and ask them to tell me which one is dead. Or I could just buy a new mobo and CPU, they're both dirt cheap because they're outdated anyway.

well thanks for the help Edogg

by **Edogg** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 11:52 pm

Originally posted by shockwave203
yup the speaker is hooked up, i can tell because when i hit the reset button, I can hear the speaker make a clicking sound.

There are no actual lights on the mobo that are on. however the case lights on the front are on, and all the fans are on.

ahhhh I can't tell which one is dead. the cpu or the mobo. this is frustrating.

I can't fit a P4 on a P3 mobo or vice versa, so I can't tell which is dead. I think my only option is to take the PC into a repair shop, and ask them to tell me which one is dead. Or I could just buy a new mobo and CPU, they're both dirt cheap because they're outdated anyway.

well thanks for the help Edogg

No problem. ALL I can tell you is that if your procesor was dead but your motherboard worked, you wouldnt be able to tell the diference anways. Without the procesor, the board wont do anything(ie beep).

by **Wairudo Enjin** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 12:06 am

Considering the age of the parts in question, it will probably be cheaper to replace the parts than to take the PC to a repair shop.

by **shockwave203** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 12:12 am

yeah thats probably true

by **MMmmGood** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 1:07 am

Its fried. You went through all the proper steps to diagnose it, and the only step left is to get another board and try the CPU, and vice versa.

Since that isnt an option, i'd just replace.

by **shockwave203** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 4:27 pm

yup, i just finished buying the cpu and the mobo. it's a 1.3 ghz celeron and some type of msi mobo. feel the power! THE POWER!! Muwahahahaha!

Ahh, all it's gonna be used for is internet anyway.

Is my computer FRIED?!

Is my computer FRIED?!

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