Frustrating PC problem (of course, what problem isn't!) :)

[viewton]

Hey guys, not sure if this should be general hardware, or support....sounds like I have a bad mobo

I have an AMD T-bird 1.2
MSI K7T 266
256mb Crucial PC2100 RAM
new WD 120 GB drive
new XFX 128 GF4 Ti4200
300 Watt PS

My old HD and video card died, so I just upgraded my PC...I was able to boot up with the startup disk to fdisk the drive, but upon rebooting, the PC freezes at the screen where you can see all the interrupts, etc.

I've tried disconnecting the floppy, physically, and in the cmos screen. I've tried clearing the CMOS with the onboard jumper...tried changing the settings to "fail-safe"...can't get past that screen!

Any thoughts on what the problem could be?? Thanks for any help

 

[Willoughbyva]

Make sure the cpu heatsink and fan are connected proplerly and in good working order. Also make sure the ram is set to 133mhz or 100mhz depending on the cpu you have.

Why did the old video card and hard drive die? It seems odd that they would both die at the same time.

Also make sure that the fins on the heatsink are clean. You might need to blow them out with compressed air. The same goes for the power supply. Make sure the power supply is good.

One thing to try after cleaning the ps and cpu heatsink is to attach just the ram, cpu+ heatsink+fan, and video card. If it postss fine add components until it stops working. Then you might have a better idea about what is causing the problem. If it will not finish POST with just the video, ram, cpu/heatsink/fan, then you might have a problem with one of these components including the motherboard and power supply.

You could also try clearing the cmos.

 

[viewton]

Thanks for the response will....about to go try the things you mentioned...

as far as the old hd and vid card....i should clarify that...the vid card died, i used an old one for awhile until my hard drive started to give me probs (click of death), so I went to a backup pc for awhile before buying the new parts.

 

[viewton]

thanks will...I tried everything...ended up cleaning the hs and hsf...booted up, still stuck at that screen..waited about 10 minutes, then decided to go to bed.

This morning, it was up to the DOS prompt, was able to install Windows and I'm using the better PC now. Not sure if I just needed to let it sit for a few more minutes or if it was actually the hs, but either way, thanks!