Unusual hardware issue with new hardware - help!

FartBandit · 24 Mar 2006 at 16:09

After a minor incedent where my previous systems motherboard decided to fry I decided to splash out on several new parts to go along with a new motherboard i had just ordered. My old system had an MSI Nforce3 K8N neo2 motherboard along with AMD3500+ and an ati x800. After turning on the system one day i was greeted with just a blank screen even though the system seemed to power up fine. After checking the usual things like cable connections i looked in the PC case window and found that a small resistor (at least i think thats what it should be) had totally melted away leaving a large 1 inch wide charred mark on the motherboard. If you look at top left of this pic i found at where the top green firewire connector is there is a small chip just above that which is slightly obscured by the firewire connector..

This is the area of the motherboard that was melted and charred.

So i have now replaced that motherboard with a new MSI K8N Neo4 along with several other components including a socket 939 3700+ (90nm as opposed to 130 on old one), an x1900xtx and a new Enermax Liberty 620W PSU. However after installing the new parts to my system and switching it on i was greeted with the same blank screen as on my old system. I pressed reset to see if that would help but no luck. I knew it wasn't my monitor as it functions fine with the system im currently posting this on which is an old P3 450MHz. So i turned the system off and back on again but i was still greeted with the same result. However this time i pressed the reset switch and the system then sprang to life with the usual post messages along with a message to press F2 to setup RAID which i skipped to go boot into my previous install of windows. Everything seemed fine at first but after needing to reboot i was again greeted with a blank screen. The reset trick i used earlier again didnt work.

I am now scared to turn the system on in case the incedent with my previous k8n neo2 and my new parts are related as they are housed in the same antec p160 case along with several other parts from my old system. What could be wrong??

ben_j_davis · 24 Mar 2006 at 16:15

What PSU have you got?

FartBandit · 24 Mar 2006 at 16:20

Enermax Liberty 620W. My old PSU was an antec 480w true blue

ben_j_davis · 24 Mar 2006 at 16:32

Sorry not reading your post totally, but are you trying your new mobo etc on the same install of Windows? I.e. You havent re-installed Windows?

FartBandit · 24 Mar 2006 at 16:35

ben_j_davis said:
Sorry not reading your post totally, but are you trying your new mobo etc on the same install of Windows? I.e. You havent re-installed Windows?

Not yet but i will do as soon as i have sorted out the hardware issue. I should still at least be able to see the system go through POST on the monitor.

ben_j_davis · 24 Mar 2006 at 16:38

Hmm, well obviously a fresh install of Windows is ideal. Difficult to say what the problem is, especially when most of the components are new. The only thing i can think of off the top of my head is there is something wrong with your HD.

Havana_UK · 24 Mar 2006 at 16:38

You may be getting a short somewhere.

My suggestion is remove everything from the case, check you've got all of the mobo mounts in place (and only those necessary - remove any extras).

Replace just the bare minimum hardware, i.e. 1 stick of RAM, CPU mobo & graphics and see if it powers on first time.

If it does, replace the removed hardware one piece at a time, RAM, HDD, CD/DVD etc, and check for power on each time.

Only way to go about solving these problems unfortunately. With so many separate pieces of hardware in most modern PCs, it's nigh on impossible to determine the cause of any problems with everything in there at once.

Hav

lee87 · 24 Mar 2006 at 16:41

Have you got the reset and power switches in the right places on the mobo?

If you have it sounds like the mobo is shorting as it shouldn't boot when the reset button is pressed. Try turning it on with the mobo outside the case and see if it boots.

edit: beaten by havana

FartBandit · 24 Mar 2006 at 16:45

One thing i forgot to mention in the original post. I noticed whilst the system was on and booting to windows that the temperature monitor LED display wasnt working and refused to work also during subsequent boot attempts. Could the connectors from my case be shafted?

FartBandit · 24 Mar 2006 at 16:49

lee87 said:
Have you got the reset and power switches in the right places on the mobo?

If you have it sounds like the mobo is shorting as it shouldn't boot when the reset button is pressed. Try turning it on with the mobo outside the case and see if it boots.

edit: beaten by havana

Yes they are in the right places. When i press the power switch the system turns on. When i press the reset switch the system sounds exactly like it should when i press reset. i.e. fans slow down slightly momentarily before hard drive kicks in and CD then spins. i just cant see anything on the screen.

FartBandit · 24 Mar 2006 at 16:59

edit - double post

FartBandit · 24 Mar 2006 at 17:05

hmmm..... because of where the old system fried im begining to suspect that it may be the connectors from my case that may be causing a short and because of that im still afraid to turn on the system even with bare bones equipment in to try and find out what the issue is by using havana's recommendation. Does that sound like a plausible explanation to the issue im having??