IS there anyway to check if your mobo is DOA?

[EvanGeliSt]

I just got my replacement from Newegg ... a MSI KT333 Ultra along with my CPU ... Tried to start the computer and got a few things I neva encountered before:

1) Burning smell
2) No Led Lights at all on my casing. (Tried reversing them both ways)
3) Computer does not start up at all.
4) Power supply comes out with a funny sound(high pitch sound)

Only things I see working is(with the Enermax P/S):
1) Floppy disk drive lights
2) Power supply fan, CPU fan,
3) the D-bracket included with the Mobo showing 2 red lights on the top row and 2 green on the bottom.

Using a Enermax 350W here with a XP 2000+. <--- I'm not sure if the CPU burned... was using a Volcano 9 fan and it was working well.. Memory is 512Mb PC2700 Kingston...

I did try using another crappy power supply(PowMax 400W) and the computer couldn't even start at all!

Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks!!

 

[kentarou]

here's what you could do.

run bare bones. just run the system with your video card, 1 stick of memory, cpu and hsf, and keyboard.


pull out all ribbon cables.


see if it works. if it doesn't you either have a bad motherboard, bad cpu, bad powersupply, or all of the above.

grab a multimeter and check your system out, you can also pick up an ATX powersupply tester to test your powersupply without having to hook it up to the motherboard. Fry's Electronics sells em.

kentarou

 

[EvanGeliSt]

Thanks for the reply.

I actually did run it barebones. All IDE cables are not connected. The only power supply is from the PSU to the mobo.
But there is still a tinge of the burning smell and I have totally no idea what is going on. Most importantly, most the items I mentioned were working.. so...

oh well. thanks for your help anyway I just might go grab a miltimeter or something.

 

[Odeen]

You can get a PSU tester for a few bucks. Basically, it's an ATX receptacle with a switch, if I recall. It'll simulate a "power on" command and you can check if your fans, drives, etc spin up as the PSU starts.

Then you have to test not-known-good components on known-good parts. It helps if you are near a computer store that has no restocking fee, as a last resort. Try the memory in a machine that works. If the machine works with new memory, your memory is good. Try a good CPU in the new mobo, the new CPU in a good mobo, etc..

 

[EvanGeliSt]

Thanks for the reply guys.

I finally found out what is wrong. Indeed the mobo is DOA.

This time I didn't try it inside the casing so it was so much easier to spot where the smoke was coming from. Looks like a resistor is burning up or something. Sighz.. I sent the same mobo to Newegg earlier on and I have to send it in again.. the shipping fees + what I've paid so far could get me a much better mobo. Anyone suggest any ideas? Should I try for another mobo and tell them to pay for my shipping fees back?

 

[EvanGeliSt]

Got Newegg to refund me $10 for shipping... guess I would be motherboardless for a while... damn....