Best Answer: sounds like maybe not enough power maybe?
or your 20+4 and your 12V connections not right?
Re:Scorpio – Thanx for input – Just to explain. I had not ever had the computer running after I had moved the HSF. When I first did that was AFTER the puter refused to boot. The removal of the HSF was the lastthing I did in trying to resolve my booting up issues. The mobo ? or would it be PSU, had sensed the heat conducting abilities had been highly reduced and had refused to boot. The heat conducting abilities had been reduced 'cos there was no thermal pad/paste left and the plate was crusted over and had to be scraped clean. I think what got it in that state was a combination of a 235w PSU and heavy use of a flight sim:)
cheers
Re:It seems to me that your problem has been overheating, caused by the HSF not touching the processor completely (there is the possibility that in one of your tries to relocate the CPU you didn't install correctly the HSF).
There is no way that the bad memory could cause the overheat. Bad memory causes only crashes.
You have been very lucky that you haven't fried the CPU. Athlons are famous for being destroyed if the HSF doesn't touch correctly the chip core.
Re:I am happy to report an apparent successful
outcome, in fact, a small misfortune led me to the solution.
Taking advice,I had resolved to
1.re- locate the processor.
2. Strip the whole shooting match including mobo and ?build? from scratch and see
what happens.
2. Have my PSU tested to see if I had a ?duff? new one ( about par for my luck -lol)
3. Only then would I consider a new mobo and processor- Not a tragedy as I could
upgrade and justify it to the wife !!:)
So, I did number one and re-tried the switch – No change.
Did number two and – no change.
When I had re-located the processor I noticed that the small rectangular metal plate on
top of the processor was about two thirds discoloured with a dark deposit.I went to
have another look at that and on putting the heatsink and fan back I snapped the spring
spur against which you push to get the second clip in. A trip to the local shop got me a
Coolmaster HSF . I scraped the deposit off the processor, re-located it with the new
HSF, which naturally had a brand new thermal pad, and when I switched on – IT
WORKS!!
So it seems that upon trying to switch on it IMMEDIATELY went to overheat and the
PSU wouldn?t complete the boot ??? Much as a defunct CPU fan would cause the
same effect?
It appears that my trouble from the outset has been overheating,( but the system is not
overclocked- I wouldn?t know how)
But you may recall in my earlier tome ( sorry these messages are so long- but I find
brevity leads to misunderstanding) that I commented on the irony of the ?puter failing
the same day I had ?discovered? Norton Utilities gems, and that I had run a hardware
test which reported a fault in my memory!! Notwithstanding that the system was
repoting that I had 512 mbs of SDRAM (133).
I have now removed one of the 256 DIMMS- The one left in the 'puter gets a clean bill of health
from Norton.
Could this bad memory have led to overheating ( by making the processor work
unduly hard etc? ) and therefore be the author of most of my recent problems.-
Crashes etc?.
Still – It has been a good learning experience.
Anyone who can?t boot up should obviously consider the state of their processor plate
- is it fully clean? and try a new HSF( for what they cost ). and
Have a utility that can check the health of your memory.!!
cheers and Thanks again to all
Re:guy S! – No problems lining up. However, that's the least of my worries at the moment
The mobo has the screwholes on top of mounds ( like little volcanoes is the best way to describe them ) Does this keep the important part of the mobo off the case ; or is it meant to be insulated in terms of metal to metal . In view of the fact that none used, someone , manufacturuers or vendors must reckon insultion isn't necessary!! So, is it ??
Re:You should have standoffs to attach the board to the case – small brass or plastic standoffs – you don't want the board to touch the case. These come with many motherboards but none came with my K7S5A. Fortunately I had a set. Did you have problems getting the serial port, parallel port, mouse and keyboard socets, etc., to align with the holes in the back panel of the case?
Re:Thanks to Tsnyder and Doh. I appreciate your replies. The tale gets curioser- You may be interested. !
This immediate problem under discussion was solved, thanks to your and other suggestions, particularly Scott mueller's book which told me what the three bleeps in my Ami bios meant. It was memory, so when I re seated the memory everything then worked. So that meant that the Original problem was the PSU and then the memory had become loose when fitting the new PSU , Yes ???- DONT KNOW, READ ON!!!
Everything was fine for four days, then the 'puter stopped again in a flight sim.
The important thing now with this not booting is the same as before i bought the new PSU in that THERE ARE NOW NO BEEPS !
I have since several times re seated the memory, the vid card the PSU plug.
I have swapped vid card, monitor cables – all which work with my other computer. Still no go.
I have today re located the processor and heatsink assembly. No go.
So I then ( a first for me ) completely stripped the 'puter. I took out the mobo ( still with memory and processor on) and relocated it.
No Change.
I think there are still three possibilities, about which I would like opinions please.
1. The mobo has packed up . However, I am surprised that it could pack up Twice!! But I noticed a strange thing when taking the mobo off the case. I expected some plastic washers to insulate the mobo from the case?? There were none . Only "raised bumps" in the case into which to screw the mobo! Have I got this all wrong (that the mobo should be insulated) ? Or should the washers be there and there has been a mistake or reliance on the mobos paint (sic ) to insulate?? I might have this all to cock, but if this is the case it could explain the intermittent, and now apparently permanent, shorting ?? No doubt i will be enlightened:)
2. The second PSU has packed up. – TSnyder – it isn't necessarily true that because there is power to the fans etc on mobo, that the PSU is OK. It seems, according to Scott mueller's book, that the Power_Good signal could still be absent in those circumstances, and it is that signal that boots you up!!
3. The processor has packed up- It seemed pristine (the pins etc ) when i took it off, the white heatsink had traces of browning but no signs of anything burnt out?
What about the switch? On the case ? If that comes on, then it is OK is it? Or are there "stages" it uses and could one of those "stages " be not happening? – This is pure speculation by a desperate man:)
I think next step before ordering a new mobo is to check PSU ( What's the odds on a duff new PSU ) in another system and if possible the processor( easier said than done)
Suggestions please??
The only good thing about this is I'm learning , I'm learning – ( Education is a bugger sometimes !:))
Re:As stated above, you don't have to do anything with the AUX and 12V plugs. As far as your problem is concerned, try reinstalling the RAM (or if you have more than one stick, try one at a time). You're not going to like this but I have a feeling that it's probably a dead cpu (repeating beeps while all other components are powered on and no post).
Re:Oh by the way… the large plug coming from your PS is all that's needed to power your motherboard. With a P4 there's an additional plug that goes into your board as well (so I've heard). It is important you plug all the components you're using in first, then plug in the main power connector.
Re:It doesn't sound like your issue ever was the Power Supply. The key here is to eliminate as many variables as possible, such as unplugging the IDE devices, removing all the PCI cards and so on. To boot all you need is CPU, memory, video card plugged, it also helps to plug the monitor and keyboard in =) It is very possible your board has gone bad. If you can swap out parts such as your memory and video card to see if each one of those work in another system it will help narrow down what the problem is. If it worked before and all of a sudden your computer stopped running properly I would think it's because a component burned out… but I'm no expert. What I do know though is if your Power Supply went bad you computer wouldn't even power on. You do have juice, and you are getting error codes (reasonable sign your board is functioning fine but a component plugged into it is not working properly). I dont' know what else to say.
Good luck
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