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jorgeperez1 · Jan 19, 2016, 10:34 AM

I assembled a Foxconn Barebones computer that worked well for several years. I replaced the power supply once. It continued to work well until it crashed.(Blue screen) Then the computer refuses to boot. The switch turns it on, the fan works (at minimal speed) there is no high pitched whirring sound (like when the hard drive and fan "takes off"). I completely disassembled the whole computer, including replacement of the CMOS battery, and put it back together. Again nothing but the slow fan speed. So it's the power supply or the motherboard.

Replacing the power supply is easy, what I want to know is, can I replace the G31S-K, LGA 775 T socket motherboard with any other G31 motherboard that supports LGA 775 socket? or am I stuck having to search for and use the same G31S-K mother board. This question has been killing me for days! Thanks!!

cdad · Jan 19, 2016, 07:13 PM

The important part is the socket for your CPU chip and the slots for your memory. Other then that you can pretty much use what you like. The real key is what the motherboard config is for the box your putting it in. If it is a micro box then you will need something of that spectrum. Really that is all. Just match to what you have.

Does your current motherboard have led's? Do you hear any beeps coming from the board during boot up? Those are the clues that can tell you what might be wrong with your machine. If your memory has gone bad you can get BSOD on bootup.

Keep us posted.

jorgeperez1 · Jan 20, 2016, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by cdad

The important part is the socket for your CPU chip and the slots for your memory. Other then that you can pretty much use what you like. The real key is what the motherboard config is for the box your putting it in. If it is a micro box then you will need something of that spectrum. Really that is all. Just match to what you have.

Does your current motherboard have led's? Do you hear any beeps coming from the board during boot up? Those are the clues that can tell you what might be wrong with your machine. If your memory has gone bad you can get BSOD on bootup.

Keep us posted.

No leds, no beeps, just the on light and the fan at low speed. I ordered a new power supply and an Asrock G31m Gs R2.0 Lga775 Intel G31 Ddr2 A&v&gbe Microatx Motherboard. I will let you know how and if it works when I assemble it.

Appzalien · Jan 21, 2016, 09:22 AM

The two boards are very similar but Foxconn doesn't show the onboard video version while Asrock does. If you are using a video card in the Pci-E slot that shouldn't matter as long as you set the bios to use the card and not onboard. I wish you would have tested your memory before you bought the new board since bad memory can cause your issue as mentioned above. I would like to say here from lessons learned, always buy a decent brand power supply and memory. Don't try to save money by going cheap with those parts as a poor power supply can take the board out with it when it goes and cheap memory can be hard to diagnose. And finally, if it were me I would have got a new sata drive as well and did a fresh install on the new board saving my old drive as secondary. Sure I would have had to reinstall all my programs but I would get a new fast installation and no issues with the change over. Plus I would then have a second drive for storage keeping my C drive small and clean.

jorgeperez1 · Jan 21, 2016, 08:37 PM

Great info, thanks! On target with the new Hard Drive, actually I'm going with a solid state HD. Might need help with bios setting if motherboard doesn't play nice with video card,. didn't look up how to test memory, don't know how to do it..,. foxconn is pretty dead, until transplant surgery,

jorgeperez1 · Jan 27, 2016, 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by jorgeperez1

No leds, no beeps, just the on light and the fan at low speed. I ordered a new power supply and an Asrock G31m Gs R2.0 Lga775 Intel G31 Ddr2 A&v&gbe Microatx Motherboard. I will let you know how and if it works when I assemble it.

Well, I am not as good as I thought I was,. the Motherboard I ordered did not fit in my case, so I went and bought another bigger case, so the motherboard would fit, but then the power supply did not (too small), so instead of chasing my system build backwards, I decided to return both the new motherboard, the new power supply, and the new case.

So starting over from scratch, the lesson I learned in this instance is: when you want to build a (barebones) computer system, it is best to buy the motherboard, power supply and case, then install the items you already have,. Is this the correct logic?

cdad · Jan 27, 2016, 07:01 PM

If you want to build your own then look at the target you want to reach and then pick a reasonable time for the build to take place in. The last build I had took 3 months between first part delivered and actually turning the machine on.

So first place to start is with the cpu you want to build on then pick the rest of the system to support it. And as always try to stay in budget.

jorgeperez1 · Jan 27, 2016, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by cdad

If you want to build your own then look at the target you want to reach and then pick a reasonable time for the build to take place in. The last build I had took 3 months between first part delivered and actually turning the machine on.

So first place to start is with the cpu you want to build on then pick the rest of the system to support it. And as always try to stay in budget.

Ok, that is good way to look at it, I think I'll take my time. I guess I was in a hurry for no reason. I just wanted to resuscitate my foxconn as soon as possible for no reason other than the fun of doing it. Thanks!

Appzalien · Jan 28, 2016, 07:35 PM

If you want to be really adventurous why not closely examine your foxconn board for what failed. A high percentage of the time it will be a leaked capacitor or several of them especially close to the CPU socket but not necessarily so. Bad caps can be visually identified by bulging at the top metal where they have been stamped with an x shape or similar type stamp that makes the metal a little thinner at that point for expansion. Sometimes you will also see leaking of a substrate at the bass of the capacitor. I have successfully removed bad capacitors and replaced them in the past but I realize not everybody has the tools or the skill to play around like that. Maybe you have a friend with a soldering iron and a little patience who can read the old caps size and voltage and then locate an online place to buy replacement. There's no guarantee it will work but for a few dollars you can play repairman and maybe get lucky.

jorgeperez1 · Jan 30, 2016, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by Appzalien

If you want to be really adventurous why not closely examine your foxconn board for what failed. A high percentage of the time it will be a leaked capacitor or several of them especially close to the CPU socket but not necessarily so. Bad caps can be visually identified by bulging at the top metal where they have been stamped with an x shape or similar type stamp that makes the metal a little thinner at that point for expansion. Sometimes you will also see leaking of a substrate at the bass of the capacitor. I have successfully removed bad capacitors and replaced them in the past but I realize not everybody has the tools or the skill to play around like that. Maybe you have a friend with a soldering iron and a little patience who can read the old caps size and voltage and then locate an online place to buy replacement. There's no guarantee it will work but for a few dollars you can play repairman and maybe get lucky.

I could try! I have a,soldering iron, and a dynamite electronics store w/in driving distance. (Fry's) I'm not thrilled on performing higher end electronics micro-brain surgery on my motherboard, but it could be a great learning opportunity,. thanks!

Appzalien · Jan 31, 2016, 10:48 AM

Cool! Just a few things... Most caps you'll run into are electrolytic. That means they have a positive and negative lead. It would be easiest to do them one at a time if more than one so you can identify the polarity on the board if the board is not marked, capacitors usually have a stripe on the negative side. If it's hard to see the caps rating while it's on the board you might have to remove it to read the Mfd rating. You can also go with a slightly higher voltage than the cap your going to replace but not lower. Since it can be a pain to clear the holes in the board of solder, it's nice to have a solder sucking tool or solder wicking. Fry's should be able to help.