Hi there,

First time posting... hope someone out there can help :D

1stly... some system info..

AMD Athlon 64bit 3200+
Socket 939 - NF4ST-A9 v1.0 mobo
1g DDR 2100 Ram
2x IDE 7300rpm HDD
Floppy
DVD/RW
CD/RW
ASUS Geforce 7300 PCI-EX GFX

Windows XP Pro service pack 2


Entire system is approx 1 year old, built by me, GFX recently replaced (approx 5 weeks ago).

All running smoothly, occasional overheating problem... but fans working properly, until this morning. Computer wouldn't boot, monitor displaying "No Signal" message, not even getting to the BIOS startup screen. I'd had this happen once before, my old AGP card had burnt out, hence PCI replacement.


At first I thought it was either my monitor or gfx card, but there were a few other symptoms that were puzzling me. Keyboard lights and HDD lights were coming on as normal and with the side case open I was able to check that all case and system fans were kicking in. HDD's chugging along nicely, but the lights of the DVD/CDRom drives were staying on and it seemed like the drives were catching, like a scratched record effect!

First thought was to test monitor on housemates comp... no probs... thought it must be gfx card, so rushed out and bought a replacement. Installed new card... and... same problem. Returned card, explained situation and they graciously exchanged for an AGP, I discussed other possibilities such as RAM and mobo problems, the store said if the AGP didn't work then I could exchange for a replacement socket 939 mobo - very nice of them I thought.

returned home, installed, still got same message with AGP card... started to panic and get a little bit annoyed. I thought then it must be the mobo... unfortunately the other PC in my house is a sealed pcworld comp, under warranty and so can't be opened or tinkered with to test my rig :(

I stripped comp down to bare minimum - psr, mobo, ram, gfx (no onboard gfx), hoping that I could press and hold del to get into bios setup - still no joy!

I'm running out of ideas and getting a little concerned (weird drives etc), to top it all... all the unplugging of IDE and disk drives has resulted in the fan power leads breaking (one of the 4 metal connectors has broken loose on each of the fans leads :(:(:( ) so now I am faced with the likelihood of purchasing a new case as well...

Am I right in thinking this is now a mobo problem? What could the significance of the drive lights be?

Any help and advice would be most appreciated

Many thanks

Thanks to all that have viewed this question...

On to round 2...

I have replaced mobo & Ram, another socket 939, and 3200 DDR memory... this new mobo has onboard GFX so at least I would be able to rule that prob out for definite...

Reattached HDD, FDD and DVD drives, replacing all IDE cables...

And still the same damn thing!!

I'm now at wits end and am about to smash the entire damn thing to pieces... if anyone has any help or advice I really could do with it... I don't know what else to try

Disconnect everything except for CPU. Do you get any beeps? They would be BIOS error code beeps.

What model motherboard is it?

Reset the cmos.

Check that IDE cables are inserted with the right orientation.

Ensure your power supply is adequate.

Hi,

Thanks for your reply...

There is no system speaker (seems to be a common trend nowadays) so no beeps to help diagnose problem :(

The model mobo is: Foxconn Winfast 6150K8MA-8KRS and is brand new, as in bought today :D I reset the CMOS as matter of habit, tried to power up with only the CPU and RAM installed on the Mobo and still nothing.

Have popped everything back in and checked correct connection on IDE... pink line aligns with pin1? Again it didn't work so stripped everything out again.

The only thing I don't know how to check is the PSU... I know it's a 400w unit... but how can I tell whether this is enough to satisfy my systems need for POWER?? Hehe


Edit:

Using this link:

eXtreme Power Supply Calculator v2.0

I entered all the relevant information for my system set up and the end calculation suggested that my current power needs were 256 w.

Am I safe to assume then that my current 400w supply is enough?

A system speaker would be a really big help, since those diagnostic beeps are codes to what is wrong. For example, 7 short beeps would mean cpu failure.

Here is a few things I've found based on your posts:

1. occasional oveheat. I assume the cpu, then its not a good sign. CPU may have finally toasted, since you've tried it on two motherboards.

2. drives catching? Do you mean the rom drives or the hard drive? If it's the hard drive, you've got hard drive problems, although it shouldn't stop you from entering bios.

3. Ram? If you have more than 1 stick, try them in different combinations of slots. If only 1 stick, try each of the slots.

I would hazard to guess that your CPU is bad. :(

Again, thanks for your reply...

I was thinking of purchasing a new case next week as I had managed to break the power leads to all of my internal fans :( - think the pins were too tight! Anyway off the point, I'll make sure to get one with an internal speaker.

1. yeah the CPU was hitting 77degrees and shutting off... this has only happened a few times but I guess maybe enough to short it out?

2. yup the Rom drives were catching... reminded me of the sound a cd player or rom drive makes when it can't read a scratched disk! Sorry if my explanations aren't quite on the mark... guess I'm a little wigged out now :)

3. Unfortunately still only 1 stick of Ram, but at least its now DDR400 3200 instead of the old PC133 2100 I'd had in there for years!

I have tried the stick in each of the 4 slots with only the CPU attached and still no joy...

Guess I'll be seeing my special lady for an advance cash loan for a new CPU :(

Again, thanks for all your help and suggestions :D