Did my motherboard just EAT two of my processors?

[LucJoe]

I'll try to keep this story as short as possible so I don't bore everyone. Basically my main rig went out while I was playing a game the other day (screen froze, high pitched sound in speakers). After I was able to get the computer off, it refused to power back on. Processor is an XP 2100, motherboard is epox 8RDA+. For those of you familiar with epox boards, they have a 2 digit code on the board for troubleshooting, my code at startup was C1, and it never changed.

So I brought up my other computer to do some testing. Since nothing was coming on the screen when I used my main computer, I tried the vid card in my second computer; it worked fine. Then I thought that the problem might be the processor on my main computer, since the motherboard didn't seem to want to boot up at all. I swapped processors (second computer is an xp 1800 with a epox 8KHA motherboard). Put the xp1800 on the 8RDA+ and tried to boot it up. C1 on the startup code, and nothing happened . At this point I was extremely frustrated so I decided to put the secondary computer back together (which was working perfectly fine before all this) and give up for the night. Upon reassembling the computer and attempting to power it back on, I get C1 on the startup code thingy (???) and it refuses to boot.

The only conclusion I can draw from this is that the 8RDA+ has gone bad and somehow it caused the xp1800 to go bad just by putting it on and attempting to boot it up.

Can anyone think of anything else? I'm starting to think I need to replace both computers completely.

 

[torpid]

Sounds eerily similar to a problem I had, though i didn't have a second rig. You might try resetting the CMOS on the formerly working PC and see if that helps. Do you have a description of what C1 means?

 

[LucJoe]

The manual is weird about the codes, the closest thing I could find to C1 was "C1h" (there are only 2 characters on the motherboard). C1h supposedly meant the memory was inserted incorrectly. I tried to reseat the memory with no luck.

And I did clear the CMOS on both the computers for good measure

 

[SilentRunning]

Originally posted by: LucJoe
The manual is weird about the codes, the closest thing I could find to C1 was "C1h" (there are only 2 characters on the motherboard). C1h supposedly meant the memory was inserted incorrectly. I tried to reseat the memory with no luck.

And I did clear the CMOS on both the computers for good measure

It won't help your problem but the "h" stands for hexadecimal. So the error code is C1 in hexadecimal.

 

[CraigRT]

Ouch, that is what it sounds like too, but I wouldn't completely rule out both systems... I've had that happen before on a re-assembly... check to make sure the mobo is grounded properly (on both systems for that matter) and that everything is snug and in place.

you might also want to inspect the capacitors on both the motherboards to make sure they are in decent shape, not leaky, etc.

if any are leaky or blown, that will be the problem right there.

 

[sharkeeper]

My cat tried to eat a CPU once...

Cheers!

 

[LucJoe]

well, i've been closely examining, taking apart, putting back together, taking apart, putting back together both systems all day now, and it doesn't look like anything is going to work. I still get C1 boot code for both of them.

There is nothing visibly wrong with either of them. Usually when a CPU gets fried there is some visible "frying", right?

Well i'm stumped, I just want to order the parts that need replacing and get these things fixed, but i'm not even sure what parts really need to be replaced. ARGH! This is so frustrating.

Anyone have any other advice?

 

[billyjak]

How old is the battery in CMOS, might change it and see what happens.

 

[dmw16]

Not always does a "fried CPU" show any physical damage. Seems odd that it would kill both CPUs, but these things do happen. Maybe try both CPUs in your 2nd system. Make sure you have a new layer of thermal grease on the CPUs when you put them in the machine (I assume you arent resuing a thermal pad). I find that when Im moving CPUs around a lot I tend to get haphazard and dont do a good job of applying thermal grease. So make sure that you are doing that well and test both CPUs in both rigs again.

 

[LucJoe]

My new theory about what happened:

My first CPU went out, it happens, but I couldn't believe that they would both go out at the same time, or that the motherboard would "eat" them. So I'm assuming now that the second CPU was instantly fried when i put it into the other motherboard because it was running at a much lower FSB on the old motherboard and I forgot to change the jumper on the newer motherboard to the lower speed . So that would explain why both CPUs are apparently "fried" and it looks like I have nothing to do but buy 2 new processors.

Good thing they are pretty cheap these days. Heck, while I'm at it I might as well upgrade, anyone have any recommendations of a good price/performance ratio for the Athlon XP line right now?

EDIT: Come to think of it, both motherboards were running at about the same FSB, 266 ...