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Dead Pentium 4 ( 478 )

legcramp

legcramp

[H]F Junkie
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Aug 16, 2004
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Hi there, I am fixing a computer for a friend.... yeah I know :rolleyes:

Anyways, it's an old gateway with a 478 processor and I think but am not 100% sure it's dead.

I don't have any ancient hardware laying around to correctly test this.

There are two sticks of DDR1 in there, I tried removing, switching them into different sockets, and running with 1 stick, no use.

I've tried resetting cmos, I've tried running with my corsair PSU.

At first I thought it was the onboard video because the system would power-up but no signal, I didn't have a pci videocard on hand, and it only has pci so he purchased the exact same motherboard on ebay and same exact problem.

Now the reason I am thinking it's the cpu, there's a red led light up in the bottom of both motherboards, and when I power the system up even though it does not post, when I hold the power button to shut down the computer, it does not shut down but I have to manually unplug the power cable to power down.

Could this be a symptom of a dead CPU? ( Not being able to power down by holding the power button ? )

Jeez sorry for the long wall of text, but I gotta be accurate hah. Good thing 478 chips are cheap as nails on ebay though.
 
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hmm... power buttons don't respond...
most likely the mobo's voltage regulators are shot from previous user's P4 high wattage requirements. if your friend doesn't overclock, it's usually not the cpu.

could be bad ebay seller/mobo doesn't support that cpu/incorrect jumper settings on mobo/download a manual for that mobo!

just a noob guess!
 
I would guess the motherboard. I have an old Compaq with an Athlon XP sitting around here doing just about the exact same thing, but I can't properly test that one due to not having a Socket A motherboard.
 
Yeah the thing is, we've already tried replacing the motherboard with the exact same model, no go.

I'll try and mess with the jumpers and what not later. It's a gateway system so no overclocking at all, one day it just stopped working.
 
Without looking at the system my guess would be a possible power supply issue or in some cases a static charge forming somewhere in circuit. There could also be a cable or drive gone bad. Here is what I would do in this situation:

  • Disconnect the power cord and press the power button to discharge any remnant voltages.
  • Disconnect all cables - data, power, monitor cable, keyboard, mouse - from the motherboard.
  • Remove the CPU fan, CPU, memory and any expansion cards if present.
  • Remove the CMOS battery and set the jumper to clear CMOS position.
  • Let the board sit for 24 hours.
  • Reinsert the battery and switch the clear CMOS jumper to normal.
  • Put the CPU back in with the fan, memory, keyboard, video and connect the power supply along with the power button.
  • Press the power button.

If you see the board's POST sequence come up then power it back down, plug in another device and repeat process until it doesn't POST.

Let us know what you find.
 
Also, if it is a common problem (no post) for that board, it's not unlikely he got a bad board with the same issue.
 
how hot is the CPU heatsink getting?

I have seen DOA P4 cpus that made the heatsink get extremely hot.

I have also seen P4 CPU that were dying... they can cause all kinds of weird issues even if the PC posts.

I have also seen quite a few P4s who's execute bit disable function was faulty. The only way to make those computers run properly is to disable the xbit in the BIOS.

I would definitely try another CPU... or maybe even take said CPU into a local repair shop and ask them to test it for you.
 
Well I tried everything suggested, nothing works.

One thing I noticed is that even without pressing the power buttons, the system would still power-up as soon as I plug in the PSU cord to the PSU?
 
I have had problems like this before in the past. It seemed to always be 1. psu, 2. ram,3. the motherboard via bad capacitors/chipset, 4. video card. Try a good known power supply, then combine that with known good ram, then combine that with a good video card. That usually works for me unless the motherboard has bad capacitors or a burnt chipset. Cpu's rarely die in mass produced "oem" machines from my experiences.
 
vonviener said:
I have had problems like this before in the past. It seemed to always be 1. psu, 2. ram,3. the motherboard via bad capacitors/chipset, 4. video card. Try a good known power supply, then combine that with known good ram, then combine that with a good video card. That usually works for me unless the motherboard has bad capacitors or a burnt chipset. Cpu's rarely die in mass produced "oem" machines from my experiences.
Click to expand...

I vote for this, in that order, however, I know it can be difficult to find older parts to test things. But hey, my main machine is still a P4..........

I have an old celeron socket 478 you can have if you want, just pay shipping. It was a working pull from a system that I upgraded to a P4. I believe it is the 400mhz FSB flavor. It is marked "Confidential"; Came out of a Sony VAIO All in one thing........ basically a 26 pound laptop with no battery.......

If you experience the same problem, you can most likely rule out the processor being the culprit.
 
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