Updated - Mobo dead, ESD to blame?

[RaynorWolfcastle]

This morning I opened up my comp to clean it up and reapply AS3 since it has been a few months since I did so last. Nothing went wrong that I could see, I just cleaned up some dust, removed my Alpha heatsink, reapplied the thermal compound and closed everything up. I try booting up after I finish and everything spins up normally but I don't get video or a POST beep.

I check all the connections, everything is right. So I take out everything except CPU, RAM, and video card.... Still nothing. I swap out my AGP video card for an old PCI one I have lying around just for this kind of thing, still nothing. So I remove video altogether expecting to get a boot error beep code, but no, still nothing. I take out RAM, still the same. Then I remove heatsink + CPU, still nothing. I removed the mobo from my case and tried to boot to check for any grounding issues but I still get nothing.

I have examined the CPU and it looks fine. The motherboard also looks OK, but there are some very light scratches on a few traces near where the nylon nuts for my Alpha heatsink go. I can see the copper directly, but the traces seem to be intact (none seem to be cut or even severely damages).

The only thing I can think of that could cause a problem now is either the mobo or the CPU was possibly damaged by ESD, although I'm always careful when handling my components to ground myself occasionally (I don't wear a wrist strap though).

Anyhow, if I try to boot with only the CPU, the mobo's power LED turns on and stays on. The Epox manual is completely useless for troubleshooting so I have no idea what to do now.

Any ideas I could try before I go out and buy a new CPU/motherboard? I am really strapped for cash these days so if I do buy a new mobo and CPU it would probably be as cheap as I could buy so I really want to avoid that if at all possible.


System specs:
- Epox 8K3A (KT333 chipset) motherboard
- AMD Athlon XP 1700+ (Thoroughbred A)
- 1x512MB Corsair XMS PC3200C2 RAM
- Radeon 8500LE AGP video card (128 MB) / Matrox Millenium PCI video card used for troubleshooting
- Thermaltake PurePower 420W power supply
- Antec SX635 case
- Alpha PAL8045 heatsink with 80mm Panaflo L1A fan

Everything else has been removed from the system

 

[Markfw]

Well, you didn't specifically mention putting the Heat sink fan back on the correct fan header on the motherboard, and that would not allow it to post, and you did remove the heat sink.

Edit: and you don't need to put new ASIII on.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: Markfw900
Well, you didn't specifically mention putting the Heat sink fan back on the correct fan header on the motherboard, and that would not allow it to post, and you did remove the heat sink.

I had that problem when I first installed the board (I use a Panaflo fan and it doesn't have an RPM pin). When that's the problem it gives me a beep code on start up. Since then I've disabled that option in the BIOS so that it doesn't stop me fromm posting. I'll try using another fan that does have an RPM sensor but I doubt that's the problem.

Also, I've cleared CMOS and set the FSB to 100MHz but that hasn't helped

*edit* Tried with an RPM sensing fan in the CPU Fan header. Fan spins up like all the others, but I still get nothing

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Well it was as I feared, the mobo seems to be dead. I tested the CPU in my other rig and it worked fine and then I tested a working CPU in the possibly dead motherboard and got nothing. 🙁

I'm really wondering what killed it though, it looks fine to the eye so it's gotta be ESD.

I'll see if I can scrounge up enough cash for a motherboard with decent features on it, otherwise I guess I'll be hitting the FS/FT forum looking for an el cheapo used mobo. Like they say, you gotta pay to play.

 

[isaacmacdonald]

ouphh, that sucks. back in my AMD days, I had this problem a lot (mostly because of the capacity to change multipliers = lots of experiments gone awry). Anywho, do make sure that it is the MB that went bad, before you start buying new stuff. As described, it sounds like it could also be ram or the processor.

 

[bozack]

You could always opt to have it repaired??....

it could be ESD but who knows really?

How did you clean out the dust? that can always be a source of problems?

good luck

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: isaacmacdonald
ouphh, that sucks. back in my AMD days, I had this problem a lot (mostly because of the capacity to change multipliers = lots of experiments gone awry). Anywho, do make sure that it is the MB that went bad, before you start buying new stuff. As described, it sounds like it could also be ram or the processor.

Tested both the RAM and the CPU in the other board. The system posted fine. The reason I'm almost sure it's the motherboard is that it wouldn't even give me beep codes when it wouldn't boot. Usually if it's RAM the board beeps at you. Either way, like I said I tested the CPU and RAM in my other AMD board