system just died?

D

Down8

2[H]4U
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Sep 21, 2003
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This is not a fun post to be making... especially on this tiny screen.

I'm posting from my Axim PDA, b/c my rig won't boot up. No post. No beeps. Nothing but the red LED on the mobo. I was just lying down for bed when my rig started beeping. By the time I got to my office it was off. I've had this same basic rig since 2003.

The set up is in my sig. I have many USB devices, 2 hdds, 2 intake fans, 3 exhaust fans (2 in fairly cheap 450W PSU) and my case should have an over heating protection via thermal probes on the CPU, GPU and the NB, though I can't recall the temperature setting.

My mobo was set at 65°C shutdown, and 62°C thermal throttling I believe. I have so far tried holding down the power button, hitting the reset button, flipping the main PSU power toggle, and even turning off the power via my power controller (like a desktop power bar, with individual buttons for monitor, printer, etc.). Nothing works.

My CPU was minorly OCed, 1992mhz on stock multiplier. Idle temps usually 46°C, load temps right at 59°C. I run some BOINC clients, so it's normally loaded all night. Ambient temperature in my place is under 69°F.

I suppose my next step will be pulling everything apart and seeing where the problem lies. I can check this thread in the morning if anyone has ideas of what may be the cause. PSU? Too many USB devices? Just too old?

Sadly,
-bZj
 
Did you try resetting the bios? My NF7S did that to me one night.. seemed to work for me..
 
Yeah, with that kind of problem, I would definitely reset the bios through whatever procedure your motherboard has for that.

Aside from that, if you can't even post or get a post error, you may have a bad motherboard, but bad CPU's, GPU's and memory can cause your post to fail.

Good luck!

_____________________________________________________________
Windows Media Center 2005
Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe Motherboard
Athlon 64 X2 4800+
2GB Corsair 3500LL Pro Memmory
2x BFG 7800 GTX 512 OC in SLI
3x Maxtor DiamondMax10 300GB HDD in RAID-0
2x hp dvd740 DVD Writer optical drive | 1x Mitsumi FA404M 7-in-1 USB 2.0 card reader and floppy drive
Antec P180 case
Enermax EG851AX-VH 660W Power Supply
Samsung SyncMaster 213T 21" 1600x1200 LCD Monitor
 
Can someone post the directions for resetting the NF7-S BIOS (in text)? I can only access the 'net via my Axim, so I can read PDFs.

Many thanks,
-bZj
 
Try holding the Instert key while pressing on the power, hold it for like 10 seconds..
 
The insert trick didn't work. Neither has switching the CMOS jumper momentarily.

Still absolutely no response, other than the tormenting glow of that red mobo LED.

Any more ideas?

-bZj
 
i would say power supply, just try a new one or someone else's
 
I think I have a 250-300W PSU in storage, which I was going to hit anyway, to put xmas decor away. That's really my only option for testing, since no one I know runs AMD.

-bZj
 
Any diagnostic lights on the motherboard? The Red light means the mobo is powered on and that's it?
 
Down8 said:
The insert trick didn't work. Neither has switching the CMOS jumper momentarily.

-bZj
Click to expand...

Do you mean you moved the jumper to pins 2&3 then powered on? Or did you move the jumper to 2&3 for about 30 seconds, then back to pins 1&2, then boot?

Any time your issue had happened to me, a reset of the CMOS did the trick. If you're confused on the jumpers, try taking out the CMOS battery for a few seconds, then put it back in.
 
75% chance your motherboard is bad, since it is still getting enough power to run the LED. Another 24% is on your CPU, although that's less likely; I think your fans would still try to spin with a bad processor. The last one percent accounts for all other possibilities, including PSU and just a random fluke. Sorry to hear about it!
 
Down8 said:
The insert trick didn't work. Neither has switching the CMOS jumper momentarily.

Still absolutely no response, other than the tormenting glow of that red mobo LED.

Any more ideas?

-bZj
Click to expand...
When I use the reset jumper, I tend to set it and walk away to get a drink. Most of the time when I've only changed the jumper for a few moments, nothing happens. But if I leave it changed for a minute or two, it works just fine. 30 seconds is probably enough, but I'd rather reset it once than keep trying over and over. I also turn the switch on the power supply, pull the plug from it, and hit the power button a couple times (in that order) to make sure the capacitors in the PSU are mostly, if not completely, discharged before I change the jumper. Am I overcautious? Probably... Does it work? Yes, if I didn't bork anything (like when my EPoX's caps started leaking).

Actually, now that I said that... Look at your caps. See if there's any brown crap on the tops of them and they look bulged.
 
Many thanks for all the help everyone.

I've tried all combinations of clearing the CMOS, except removing the battery - that's next on the list (haven't done it yet b/c hdds are in the way). All my caps look ok, too.

Can someone remind me what pins you jump to test a PSU, so I can take that off the list?

This is crappy, b/c I had finally got this PC to its 'final' state, with plans the build a new rig in summer.

-bZj
 
Pin 14 (Green) to any black (ground). Also, plug in an old CDROM or HD just to make sure it has some minimum load. Since you're on an Axim, here's a link to a picture of which pins, so you can consult it if you're unsure.
 
Down8 said:
Many thanks for all the help everyone.

I've tried all combinations of clearing the CMOS, except removing the battery - that's next on the list (haven't done it yet b/c hdds are in the way). All my caps look ok, too.

Can someone remind me what pins you jump to test a PSU, so I can take that off the list?

This is crappy, b/c I had finally got this PC to its 'final' state, with plans the build a new rig in summer.

-bZj
Click to expand...
I use a paperclip and connect the green wire to any black wire (power switch to ground).

BTW, did you check your caps?
 
Caps are all fine.

Update tho: I jumped the CMOS for a long time, with all power gone. When I put it all back and hit the power button, there was a second when other mobo LEDs lit up, then nothing. Mean anything to anyone?

I just tried jumping the PSU, and got no response. It doesn't even spin up its own fans. Is she dead, cap'n? When I plug it back in to the mobo, the LED does still come on. Strange.

-bZj
 
Down8 said:
Caps are all fine.

Update tho: I jumped the CMOS for a long time, with all power gone. When I put it all back and hit the power button, there was a second when other mobo LEDs lit up, then nothing. Mean anything to anyone?

I just tried jumping the PSU, and got no response. It doesn't even spin up its own fans. Is she dead, cap'n? When I plug it back in to the mobo, the LED does still come on. Strange.

-bZj
Click to expand...
Maybe it's only putting out +5VSB???
 
mavalpha said:
Also, plug in an old CDROM or HD just to make sure it has some minimum load.
Click to expand...
Many power supplies won't work unless they're drawing some substantial load (for example, an amp each on the +12V and +5V lines). Hook up a few drives, then try the paperclip again.
 
Down8 said:
This is not a fun post to be making... especially on this tiny screen.

I'm posting from my Axim PDA, b/c my rig won't boot up. No post. No beeps. Nothing but the red LED on the mobo. I was just lying down for bed when my rig started beeping. By the time I got to my office it was off. I've had this same basic rig since 2003.

The set up is in my sig. I have many USB devices, 2 hdds, 2 intake fans, 3 exhaust fans (2 in fairly cheap 450W PSU) and my case should have an over heating protection via thermal probes on the CPU, GPU and the NB, though I can't recall the temperature setting.

My mobo was set at 65°C shutdown, and 62°C thermal throttling I believe. I have so far tried holding down the power button, hitting the reset button, flipping the main PSU power toggle, and even turning off the power via my power controller (like a desktop power bar, with individual buttons for monitor, printer, etc.). Nothing works.

My CPU was minorly OCed, 1992mhz on stock multiplier. Idle temps usually 46°C, load temps right at 59°C. I run some BOINC clients, so it's normally loaded all night. Ambient temperature in my place is under 69°F.

I suppose my next step will be pulling everything apart and seeing where the problem lies. I can check this thread in the morning if anyone has ideas of what may be the cause. PSU? Too many USB devices? Just too old?

Sadly,
-bZj
Click to expand...

you typed all this from your ppc? capitalizing every sentence and puncuating? that must have take a loooooooooooooooong time unless you used an external keyboard.
 
probably a bad psu (yes i know the red light), but always worth a shot. Just my two cents, but I really think its the psu since it just up and died on you and the board ran for a split second and than shut off. I had a psu that would run for about 5 min and than roll over and die, weird, but not too unusual.
 
PSU it was!

I now am back up and running with a shiny new 500W Antec SmartPower 2.0 - modular cables, dual 12V and heat-activated fans! not a terrible deal, $80 @ Fry's (dead 450W cost $25 shipped! - I know, I know).

I appreciate everyone's help!

And, I wasn't using my external keyboard, b/c I hadn't installed the drivers on this PPC yet - all tapped out by hand (preditive text helps though).

Happily,
-bZj
 
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