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Computer Failure and the Repair Thereof
templewulf
The Team ChumpUSARegistered User regular
The Team ChumpUSARegistered User regular
The situation: I have two Athlon XP / Socket A PCs that I'm trying to get in working order to act as LAMP servers. Both of them seem to be having the same problem; there is no video getting to my monitor, and there are no motherboard beeps during POST (assuming that's happening at all, since I can't see anything). However, power gets to all the LEDs and fans.
I tried swapping my CPU, GPU and RAM into a friend's computer, and they all work. The only thing I haven't swapped out are the PSUs, but I have difficulty believing both of them are broken.
One caveat is that I have both of them opened up on my desk with only the PSU, HSF, case fan, and power switch hooked up in each. All of the other case cables are left unplugged, and no cables are plugged into IDE or SATA slots.
Any ideas on what I can try to get at least one of these working?
I tried swapping my CPU, GPU and RAM into a friend's computer, and they all work. The only thing I haven't swapped out are the PSUs, but I have difficulty believing both of them are broken.
One caveat is that I have both of them opened up on my desk with only the PSU, HSF, case fan, and power switch hooked up in each. All of the other case cables are left unplugged, and no cables are plugged into IDE or SATA slots.
Any ideas on what I can try to get at least one of these working?
templewulf on
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If that fails, next step is to try both motherboards with a known working power supply.
Worst case scenario is both motherboards are blown, as it's gonna be tough to find decent working socket A motherboards these days, whereas replacement power supplies are cheap and easily available.
I had a friend try his power supply in one of my PCs, and it didn't help. This is depressing, because I have 0 PCs between four cases.
What's weird is that these aren't identical motherboards, so I'm a little suspicious of an identical failure on both. I was hoping for a hail mary mircle change-the-jumper solution, but it seems like both motherboards are broken.
Oh also make sure you didn't do something goofy like leave the BIOS reset jumper in the reset position...on both.
Steam Username:Glirk_Dient
Yes, I have tried the monitor. I actually have a third PC whose video works, but for some reason it won't install any flavor of Linux. I might put a floppy drive in it and try DSL.
I suspect that while the motherboards are socket a's, they don't support the Athlon XP chips you have since I believe the XP was the fastest and last chip to come out for that socket type and not all motherboards support it.
If you could tell us what kind of mobo they are and what the XP chip was, that would help.
Hmm...I'd never heard that. Though, one combination did work for some time, an Athlon XP 3200+ (I think) on a Soyo Dragon 2 mobo.
I'll revisit the hardware as it exists now and try to get some model numbers.
I forgot to ask.
also, do you have the spacers in there for the mobo/is the mobo touching the case?
might as well get those out of the way first.
then I'd say BIOS error or 2 fried motherboards.
I picked up some new CR2032 batteries, and everything is as good as new. As someone who deals with computers and troubleshooting every day, this is a little embarrassing! I guess the lesson is always check the plug. The answers may be simpler than you think!