Hi
I think I may have a dead motherboard but I'm not sure. This is my first dead one so I have a lot of questions
Yesterday, when I tried to turn on my computer, the monitor would not recognise any video input (i.e. it knew the cable was in as it went cable unplugged once I unplugged it, but it saw no video input). My first guess was a dodgy video card, but I've tried my video card in a different PC where it worked, and another working video card in my PC where it didn't work, so it's either something wrong with my AGP slot or the motherboard AFAIK.
I've also tried another monitor and different VGA and DVI cables (normally, I connect with a VGA cable - I tried a new cable, as well as using DVI instead).
This has been working fine for years (so it's old). I had the case open the day before to test a failing HD, and I may have messed something up on my motherboard. I do remember playing with the AGP slot with my video card to try and get my hard drive in but nothing drastic, and it was still working after I finished tinkering
Before I go out and replace the motherboard, I wanted to be sure though.
Current state:
Steps I'm still taking:
Models:
Motherboard is P5P800-VM
Graphics card - not sure. I can find out if relevant but its an Asus
Also, is it safe to use a multimeter on the motherboard. I want to check the speaker and also use it to check if its alive current, but I have no idea how.
Any other ideas? Is my motherboard definitely dead?
Thanks in advance
I think I may have a dead motherboard but I'm not sure. This is my first dead one so I have a lot of questions
Yesterday, when I tried to turn on my computer, the monitor would not recognise any video input (i.e. it knew the cable was in as it went cable unplugged once I unplugged it, but it saw no video input). My first guess was a dodgy video card, but I've tried my video card in a different PC where it worked, and another working video card in my PC where it didn't work, so it's either something wrong with my AGP slot or the motherboard AFAIK.
I've also tried another monitor and different VGA and DVI cables (normally, I connect with a VGA cable - I tried a new cable, as well as using DVI instead).
This has been working fine for years (so it's old). I had the case open the day before to test a failing HD, and I may have messed something up on my motherboard. I do remember playing with the AGP slot with my video card to try and get my hard drive in but nothing drastic, and it was still working after I finished tinkering
Before I go out and replace the motherboard, I wanted to be sure though.
Current state:
- When I power it on, the CPU and PSU fans both start. My IDE DVD drives and my floppy drives also work (receive power). This only really means that the PSU works AFAIK
- My hard drive (SATA if relevant) may or may not work - the fans are louder than the normal running sound of my HD. It doesn't appear to ever reach Windows though as I can't see it on the network or through LogMeIn.
- My internal speaker (the beeper) doesn't appear to work - when I started the comp with no RAM, nothing beeped. This may be because the speaker connector is inserted wrong - it's meant to be a 4-pin connector with (5V, Gnd, Gnd, Speaker) as the pins according to the mobo manual. My connector has 2 pins only (+ (yellow), <empty>, <empty>, - (black)) which doesn't seem right. The + and - are written on the speaker connector cable. I've tried swapping the connector around but no luck. I vaguely remember that I've heard it beep before so it not working is a new problem.
- I've tried using the Clear RTC Ram setting which should reset the BIOS.
I've tried removing my video card and connecting the monitor to the socket for on-board graphics. It didn't work. This could be because it's never worked (first time using it), it's broken, or its disabled in the BIOS. - I've looked for loose screws but found nothing so far.
- I've disconnected nearly everything inessential.
Steps I'm still taking:
- Check all the ICs to make sure they are in properly
- Check HD in another comp
- Try motherboard outside comp case (to avoid any shorting with the case / to get a better look)
Models:
Motherboard is P5P800-VM
Graphics card - not sure. I can find out if relevant but its an Asus
Also, is it safe to use a multimeter on the motherboard. I want to check the speaker and also use it to check if its alive current, but I have no idea how.
Any other ideas? Is my motherboard definitely dead?
Thanks in advance