trying to see if mobo is dead

Dey were Sooted

hello

my parents computer started to act up there a few weeks ago . it's 5 1/2 years old , xp home , ankermann germany build - amd athlon 64 x 2 3800 , msi k9vgm-v motherboard ....

the problem was somewhat intermittent buy now basically it won't boot , no bios , no post beeps . fans come on for a few seconds and then nothing - red light constant on for the hd - i reseated the ram - tried one stick etc , diagnosed the psu with a voltmeter , tested the drive on a usb caddy to another computer , removed the graphics card, took everything out and powered MB alone - no beeps.... ruled everything out that i possibly can with what i have as i have no spares ...

anything else i can do ?

from my limited knowledge i'm leaning towards the MB ... though i have read that the athlons can get fried too .... if it is the MB is there another board i could run - the graphics card is a nvidia gf 6200le .

Thanks for reading
Gav

druidhill

I'd try a different power supply if available (I did read you tested the power supply but if I had one available I would test it). The graphics card should run on another motherboard that can take the card type without issue.

Dey were Sooted

thanks - i don't have another psu that will fit - the psu is less than a year old and all the voltages were fine when i tested - the last one blew when my father switched on the electricity after doing some wiring work in the house - that was last summer .....

druidhill

Try and get your hands on a suitable power supply without actually spending any money as due to the age of PC and OS, it would make more sense to considering upgrading everything now. It would be nice if you get to the bottom of this as it seems you've spent a bit of time troubleshooting. Good luck.

Dey were Sooted

thanks for the input - the MB has a 24pin psu plug and i did not know until i did a bit of research tonight that i can use a 20pin psu to test it . the MB manual also said it would be compatible . so i tried two other PSUs . first one tried with everything plugged out of the board . no beeps . plugged everything back in and still nothing - second one i tried with everything plugged in and nothing .

so i guess it is the MB ....

my father is the kind of person who likes to fix things , as so do i - wonder where i got that from

if i were to upgrade everything - do you mean a new build? - tbh i wouldn't be into it - the computer is only used for surfing and watching stuff online ... i myself would be just happy replacing the MB - i can pick up a replacement on ebay .

Overheal

Motherboard replacement may/may not be a headache. Your XP Installation, presumably OEM, might not take kindly to detecting a new motherboard. OEM licensed are tied to, and die, with the Motherboard, under the EULA. Even if there is a workaround, sometimes the cost of those older boards can get inflated by supply/demand constraints.

Besides, building is exceptionally fun, and you don't have to build a beast: have fun trying to do a minimalist build. There are Micro-ATX boards out there and even those adorable Raspberry-Pi computers, which granted your stated usage, are probably as minimalist as you can get and would suit the purpose. When you think about it my phone has more performance than my Windows 98 machine, and could probably give my XP machine a run for it's money, that thing ran on one of the earlier AMD 64s and hopes and dreams.

Dey were Sooted

afaik it's not an oem installation . the disk looks like the one here on the right ....



my parents are in their 70's and are still getting to grips with simple actions on the computer and that is after years of learning - if i were to throw a new os at them it would be almost like going back to the begining .

might just get them a second hand tower ......

yoyo

Dey were Sooted wrote: »

afaik it's not an oem installation . the disk looks like the one here on the right ....



my parents are in their 70's and are still getting to grips with simple actions on the computer and that is after years of learning - if i were to throw a new os at them it would be almost like going back to the begining .

might just get them a second hand tower ......

Unbranded OEM discs come like the hologrammed disc, I would say there is a good chance it is an OEM license (the license sticker affixed to the case should confirm this at any rate, and if there is a sticker on the case, that narrows it down to OEM license).
Is there any visible noticeable issues on the motherboard? Any swollen capacitors, burnt out components? Have you tried reseating the CPU? Check for any issues. Don't do this until you purchase some new thermal paste though as you will need to re-apply some

Nick

Dey were Sooted

yes i've done all that - have thermal paste - checked capacitors also and no apparent damaged ones - there is no sticker on the case ...

i contacted my uncle (fathers brother) and he is going to have a look at it ... he has been fixing computers for years and has an oscilloscope so will be much more equipped to look at it.

they come from a family that were always fixing things over the years - when we cleaned out the old home back in the 80's we removed about 40 old radios and hundreds of old parts from when my grandfather used to fix them . i'm pretty sure my uncle will get to the bottom of it.

thanks all for yer input ....

yoyo

Dey were Sooted wrote: »

yes i've done all that - have thermal paste - checked capacitors also and no apparent damaged ones - there is no sticker on the case ...

i contacted my uncle (fathers brother) and he is going to have a look at it ... he has been fixing computers for years and has an oscilloscope so will be much more equipped to look at it.

they come from a family that were always fixing things over the years - when we cleaned out the old home back in the 80's we removed about 40 old radios and hundreds of old parts from when my grandfather used to fix them . i'm pretty sure my uncle will get to the bottom of it.

thanks all for yer input ....

Be interesting to hear what it was if you manage to get to the bottom of it

Nick

Dey were Sooted

will let ye know - it maybe a few weeks tho - thankfully my dad has a laptop that i resurrected to work away with in the meantime

Overheal

MoBo's are always a bitch to diagnose, so let us know what you find!