Computer: 1-year-old PC (3 weeks out of warranty), PIII600E, ABIT-BE-6-II, not overclocked.

1. Sunday morning when PC turned on - nothing happens: there is no the
regular one BEEP during POST. CD and DVD lights blink, I can hear hard disk
drive, all 3 fans work (power supply, CPU, VGA). No display (No Signal message/Viewsonic).

2. I took out all cards except VGA and tried to turn it on - didn't work.

3. I checked if cards seat well, cleaned the dust from the fans, CPU -
without success.

4. BTW, monitor works with other PC. Also, problematic PC doesn't work with
other (good) VGA card.

5. I tried again in the afternoon. It started to work OK. Note: I had to
go thru "found new hardware" process for my Network cards.

It worked all afternoon and evening. I turned it on and off several times,
it was working OK. If it didn't boot in the first try - it did in second or
third.

6. Monday morning, it doesn't work again. In the afternoon worked few hours. Then - when I tried to re-boot - it didn't work any more.

7. Today (Tuesday) is the same as Monday: doesn't work in the morning, in the afternoon starts OK.

8. When it does work, CPU is warm. When it doesn't want to work (black screen, all fans work and diodes blink/work) - CPU is cold.


Any takers? I'm out of ideas.
My best guess is Power Supply.
:~(

There's one more thing you could try -- put the suspect video card in another system and see how it acts there. Otherwise, try the PC Guide Troubleshooter (http://www.pcguide.com/ts/index.htm)

1. PC doesn't work with good (old) VGA card. So - it is not the 'bad' VGA card that causes my trouble.

2. I already did it (went to "Troubleshooting Section" before I ever posted).

BTW, I am at home - I don't have a shop: I cannot switch M/B or CPU or video card; my other PC is AT form (PCI VGA card). (problematic one is ATX form, w/ AGP VGA card).

If I could switch to other M/Board/CPU/power supply - I wouldn't ask this forum about my trouble :~(

Swapping components is about the only way you can find out what's actually wrong. Testing the computer with the old video card only proves the machine does not work with it, it does not prove the one currently in use is definitely good. You need to test it on a different machine.

From what you posted I would suspect power supply. Same thing, it needs to be tested, but not on another machine, that could cause problems with the other motherboard if the power supply is actually bad. So another known good power supply needs to be tested on this machine. Your comment about the CPU being cold when it won't boot up makes me strongly suspect power supply.

Ditto for the memory. The current memory should be reseated, try that if you haven't already, and if it does not solve the problem, it needs to be tested on another machine, and known good memory tried in this machine.

If you don't have the facilities or components to do all that, the only suggestion I have is to take it to a shop. You're getting into testing components, so you have to have spare parts to do that with. If you do not have the parts to try, your only alternative is a shop.

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So many idiots, and only six bullets...
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

Hi EZ........I am sure you are frustrated; however, I hope you have the compassion to realize this is a VOLUNTARY Forum....none of us get paid a dime........please take the free advice and use it if you can...but remember, DONT LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH...Sarcasm usually doesn't get you a good deal of help! This is either RAM or Power Supply in all likelyhood. One way or another to determine which (or slight possibility its the mobo or cpu) it is you will have to 1. Get another stick of Ram (its the easiest thing to try first) & 2. Get a good power supply (ATX variety) and try it........If both fail......you have a defective mobo in my opinion. I bet it's the SDRAM that has failed (do you just have one stick in there now?).

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I'm putting a new Fat32 partition in my Head Drive...hope it speeds me up.......

I don't think EZ sounded sarcastic. I think it is just a matter of how we interpret the written language. If we could have a conversation about what we are working on, it would certainly clear up misunderstandings.

Upon reading his posts, it seems to me that EZ really took the time to research the problem and took a very logical steps, but has run out of options and resources to take the troubleshooting to the next step (parts swap).

I had read it over, but can't think of what it might be for certain, but an open circuit or failure of an on-board regulator may be possibilities, since the power supply is running, but the CPU is cool.

The system probably should be tested by a shop.

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reido@my-deja.com

Friends don't let friends install Windows ME

Reid.......you may be right.......I just thought when, "If I could switch to other M/Board/CPU/power supply - I wouldn't ask this forum about my trouble :~(", came out, it was a sarcastic remark towards tjay. If not, I certainly stand corrected and apologise for a quick trigger.


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I'm putting a new Fat32 partition in my Head Drive...hope it speeds me up.......

My dawter sez yu kant ensult mee, becuz Im two stoopid too git it! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

1. The last thing I would like to do is to be sarcastic. That's the reason I always read my messages (all!) before I post/email/send them. Maybe I don't have good enough command in English, so that Randy_tx concluded sarcasm. My point was: If I could swap and test parts, I would probably find the solution by myself, so that I wouldn't have to bother you with my troubles. Sorry again, no harm meant.

2. I am very gratefull that you are helping me with your opinions. This is the best forum I could find on the Internet dealing exactly with the same type of problems I have.

3. I decided to upgrade my other computer (P166) to ATX form M/B (probably w/ some Celeron). That way I will have all the parts needed for swapping/testing (PS, M/B, CPU). I hope that I will be successfull. If not - my last chance is to go to some shop. I will post the results of my tests, in the case that anybody else has the similar trouble in the future.

:~)

Thanks EZ....regret the miscommunication.....I look forward to knowing what the solution turns out to be.....good luck with it!

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I'm putting a new Fat32 partition in my Head Drive...hope it speeds me up.......

The way your desribing it, it sounds like a power problem. What wattage is the power supply currently in the system and what components are your trying to run, beside the CPU/Motherboard? How many hard drives and CDROM drives? What kind of video card is it? The other day I had a similar problem with a customers machine. The power supply ended up being the problem. Random startup failures. No video....etc. The computer was using a VooDoo 5500 and a T-Bird 1000 with two CDROM drives and two hard drives on a dinky 250W PS. Switched it over to a 300W PS and it ran like a champ. If it's at all possible, try a 300 or 350W PS in it. Hope this helps.

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BiosCentral (http://www.bioscentral.com)

It was MB.

I bought today Celeron 700 CPU, MB ASUS CUV4X-c, case with PS, and 128 MB RAM (I will use the parts to upgrade daughters PC). After I swapped one by one component in broken PC, it came to MB. In fixed PC, everything else is the same, all parts, as it was - only MB is new - and now it works without problems.

Old, broken MB, is ABIT BE 6-II, 13 months old. It is Slot 1 type motherboard, so that there is a card in it (In slot 1) to accomodate socket 370 processor. It is ASUS ad-on card, S370-133. I dont know which one is broken (MB or add-on card), I will check it later.

I will tell you an additional thing I was testing. It is not possible to test PS under load (when it actually works and is connected to MB), connectors are hidden. Thus, I removed little pieces of isolation from cables of motherboards power supply, so that I could measure the voltage when CPU was not working properly: voltage was OK. (After that I isolated wires with electr. tape). That made me believe that my trouble is MB, and not PS. Power was coming to the MB, but it was not reaching CPU.

Again, thanks all for the support and advices.
http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

I will be curious to know....my guess is it's the converter card rather than the mobo ...

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Will XP save Me ?

Originally posted by ez:
It was MB.

I bought today Celeron 700 CPU, MB ASUS CUV4X-c, case with PS, and 128 MB RAM (I will use the parts to upgrade daughters PC). After I swapped one by one component in broken PC, it came to MB. In fixed PC, everything else is the same, all parts, as it was - only MB is new - and now it works without problems.

Old, broken MB, is ABIT BE 6-II, 13 months old. It is Slot 1 type motherboard, so that there is a card in it (In slot 1) to accomodate socket 370 processor. It is ASUS ad-on card, S370-133. I dont know which one is broken (MB or add-on card), I will check it later.

I will tell you an additional thing I was testing. It is not possible to test PS under load (when it actually works and is connected to MB), connectors are hidden. Thus, I removed little pieces of isolation from cables of motherboards power supply, so that I could measure the voltage when CPU was not working properly: voltage was OK. (After that I isolated wires with electr. tape). That made me believe that my trouble is MB, and not PS. Power was coming to the MB, but it was not reaching CPU.

Again, thanks all for the support and advices.
http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

Just so you know in the future. You can test the ps while the pc is running and connected to the mb with a multi meter by "backprobing". You stick the positive lead of the multi meter along side the wire(s) of the system board connector that connects to the mb. You will have to put a paper clip wrapped around the positive lead with a bit of it extending past the lead, so you can stick it in along side of the wire you are checking, stick the black negative lead without the paper clip into a black ground lead of some other free female power plug comming out of the ps. I suspected it was your mb. Processors are tough especially yours is so new. It could have been the ram too but in my experience its usually the mb. HTH John http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif



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Peace is in the mind,not the situation. "unless you're in a fire fight"

Mobo was bad. Guy from the shop told me that I can test Mobo if I remove all cards and remove CPU, but keep speaker connection and power supply. In that case, when turned on, good Mobo will produce a constant sound - he claimed.

My old Mobo was quiet, so I concluded that Mobo is dead.

If he lied to me - then he ripped me off also (I bought new Mobo from him).

:~)

A MOBO without anything except power and speaker should make all sorts of noise from the errors you'd get...but I'd try it again with a CPU just in case it has some sort of detection routine that won't allow it to do anything without one. And if it really is the MOBO I'd still get in touch with ABIT, even though it is just out of warranty they may have some ideas or want it back to check it out, because unless you had an electrical storm, things will usually fail quickly (within a few weeks) go nearly forever (more than just to the end of the warranty period)

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mjc
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