Boards blown, no apparent reason...

[Saloma Teale]

Sorry to do this, but I'm borrowing my sister's account here, since my registration link never seems to get to my Gmail email.. Sally said it was ok to use.

Anyway... I'm having computer problems that I cannot figure out.

I think that somehow both of my boards, the IC7-G Max 2 Advance and the IC7 Max 3 Advance have blown. I have no idea how it happened, but upon installing my IC7 Max 3 into its new case (the acrylic one), the board was getting power, IE the little green light was on at the base of the board, but it was not firing up. POINT: This board had been working not 15 minutes earlier in its old case.

So I took out the now supposedly defunkt IC7 Max 3 and test my IC7-G Max 2 on the power supply before installing it. It fires up. So I install the board the rest of the way and attach all peripherals and plug it in. Again... green light at the base of the board lighting up, but the board is not firing.

I took out the board again, and tested just the boards, the IC7 Max 3 and the IC7-G Max 2 on the power supply. Neither board is firing up. Tested a 3rd old SOYO board, and it fired right up.

Now... I dont care about the SOYO board as it was a cheapy, so I installed it piece by piece into the machine testing it after each install. Everything went in fine after all the installations. So i'm firing up the machine the last time, and I get a "No System Disk" error upon starting. So I shut off the computer and make sure the wires were connected to the HD. They were, so I turned on again. This time, little green light shining, but the board is not firing up.

My question here is, now that I have roasted 3 boards with no apparent reason, does anyone have an idea as to how this could happen? Is there something about acrylic/lexan cases that I do not know about in terms of grounding? Keep in mind that all 3 boards were working flawlessly in their old boxes, but upon being put into the new case they crapped out. Neither the IC7 Max 3 nor the IC7-G Max 2 even fired up after install. The SOYO fired up once, then died after restart.

What could be causing this?

 

[misterlin]

misplaced standoffs

not likely.. but ESD .. i have carpet.. and i have owned many computer hardwares with static damage

 

[Saloma Teale]

ESD? Wow... I didnt think that an ESD would be strong enough to destroy a mobo though, especially since the entire build had been housed in another case before it was transferred to this new one. Both cases in the same room, on the carpet.