Dead box

[fgdgafdf]

Ok, around October of 2002 I built my first computer:
Asus A7V333
Athlon XP 2000+
256 MD PC2100 DDR RAM x2(Not sure of brand and one of them is now dead)

These where the only parts I got at the time, I already had the rest, though most of that has been updated since I first set it up, now:

Philips DVD ROM, Model no. DROM6016/33
Lighton CD-RW, Model no. LCR-241040
Sapphire ATI Radeon X800 SE, 256 MB
3DFX Voodoo 3 2000, 16 MB
Some wicked old intel ethernet card my dad had.
And some chinese brand PSU, 300 watts
(Everying but the the Disk and HDD drives, and RAM were perchaced in China)
And Im too lazy to pull out the HDDs but theres 2. A 160 Gig seagate and a 80 Gig, Maxtor, I think.

Ok so heres what happend:
Monday
I baught the Sapphire X800 card, installed it, tested it, not a problem.

Tuesday
didnt really use it much.

Wensday
Im playing a game and I get a VPU error, At frist Im thinking its something to do with the PSU, the ATI X800 needs a least 300 watt PSU and I already have alot of stuff using up power, but after some online research it would seem its a heat issue. So I order a nice ATI x800 cooler from the net.
I also saw stuff about flashing the MB Bios to solve this problem, So I updated my MB bios from 10014 to 10017(or is it 1014 to 1017) On the boot up I decided for whatever reason to change my CPU speed in the bios, from the default 1665 or some, to 2005. Reboot, girls voice saying 'system failed due to CPU overclocking' Changed it back, worked fine. So I thought 'well, it failed because its too hot...' At this point I didnt care to overclock it, just wanted to make the thing cooler so it would live longer, usally it holds at around 50 degrees. I found a heatsink I had in my room that was better then the one I had in there. So I shut down, swaped the heatsink. Now at first this new heatsink had 2 fans on it, but after starting up the computer one of them was all messed up so I shut if off and took off the messed fan. started again, the computer powers up, nothing on the monitor, no beeps, on for about 8 seconds, dies. I noticed that there were 2 fan power slots right next to each other near the CPU(after some research online I found that one is for the CPU fan, other is for the power fan, and it can cause problems if you plug the CPU fan in the wrong one) Check the RAM, swiched fan power slots, still does the start up, nothing happens, dies a few seconds later. So next I think, 'aw crap, I must have messed up with the heatsink and it fried my CPU!' Took out the CPU and compared it to pictures I found online of another fried Athlon XP 2000+, which was also fried on the same MB, but mine looked perfectly normal. so I put it back and tried again, and now the computer comes on, nothing on the monitor, no beeps, Just hear all the componants running, and it sits there... and does nothing.

So... HELP!!!!

 

[sllewe]

Well it sounds like you might have shorted something...maybe your Mobo? i would think CPU but with no beeps at all it sounds more baisc

 

[howard_hopkinso]

Hello and welcome to Techspot.

When you removed the heat sink did you use some new thermal paste this is very important?

Regards Howard :wave: :wave:

 

[fgdgafdf]

No paste. What does this mean?

 

[howard_hopkinso]

Thermal paste is used in order to make your heatsink work.

The fact that you haven`t used any new thermal paste means that you may have fried your cpu this can happen in a matter of seconds if the heatsink doesn`t do it`s job properly hence the importance of thermal paste.

get some thermal paste from your local computer shop or any electronics hobby shop.

carefully clean your heatsink and the small metal boss on your cpu you can clean these with a little alcohol.

Put your cpu into its socket and put a small amount of thermale paste onto the boss about the size of a grain of rice.

Then carefully attatch the heatsink and fan.

Hopefully your computer will reboot but you never know.

Like I said it is esily possible that you have fried your cpu.

Regards Howard

 

[fgdgafdf]

Crap, thanks.

 

[sllewe]

i would like to make clear...use a small amount of paste as i have found out through exrpierance a little goes a long way. Good luck though

 

[fgdgafdf]

Off subject but... Should I get a higher watt PSU? mine only says it can hanndle up to 300 watts, and the 3D card requires at least 300. I also have quite a few fans, and the old voodoo for a second monitor.

 

[fgdgafdf]

Another thought, this board has that talking lady deal, so if something is wrong it gives these messages. My manual says there is one for when there is no CPU installed, so I took out my CPU, turned it on, and theres nothing.

 

[dadecamp]

Reset your cmos. Then reset your bios back to the defalt settings.

Spread a light film of the paste on both mating surfaces. Put them together. Then separate them again and look at the contact area. They should show 100% contact with little or no squeeze out. Add more if needed or remove excess. Do this until you have just the right amount.

You can get the paste at Radio Shack. One small tube is enough for about 100+ jobs.

 

[fgdgafdf]

Reset bios, the thing where you take out the battery and then touch the 2 pins with the tip of a screw driver to short it out?