[gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Grant]

A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?

- Grant
-- 
gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Ricardo Saffi Marques]

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On 3/19/08, Grant <emailgrant@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
> the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
> problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
> replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?


Have you tried to reset your BIOS? I would certainly try that before
changing my MOBO.

-- 
Ricardo Saffi Marques
Laboratório de Administração e Segurança de Sistemas (LAS/IC)
Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Cell: +55 (19) 8128-0435
Skype: ricardo_saffi_marques
Website: http://www.rsaffi.com

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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Grant]

> > A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
> > the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
> > problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
> > replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?
>
> Have you tried to reset your BIOS? I would certainly try that before
> changing my MOBO.

Do you mean battery out and back in?

- Grant
-- 
gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Ricardo Saffi Marques]

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 3/19/08, Grant <emailgrant@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Do you mean battery out and back in?


Battery out, short-circuit it's contacts on the mobo while pressing the
power button and then put it back and try to turn it on. But that is the raw
way to do that, hahaha.
The idea is for you to change the jumper located the closest to the battery,
press power, change it back to it's original place and then power up again.
Just a classic BIOS reset.

Regards,

Saffi

-- 
Ricardo Saffi Marques
Laboratório de Administração e Segurança de Sistemas (LAS/IC)
Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Cell: +55 (19) 8128-0435
Skype: ricardo_saffi_marques
Website: http://www.rsaffi.com

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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Ricardo Saffi Marques]

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On 3/19/08, Ricardo Saffi Marques <saffi@las.ic.unicamp.br> wrote:
>
>  3/19/08, Grant <emailgrant@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Do you mean battery out and back in?
>
>
Or that.
http://www.trap17.com/index.php/how-reset-bios-guide_t39291.html

-- 
Ricardo Saffi Marques
Laboratório de Administração e Segurança de Sistemas (LAS/IC)
Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Cell: +55 (19) 8128-0435
Skype: ricardo_saffi_marques
Website: http://www.rsaffi.com

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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:41:52 -0700, Grant wrote:

> A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
> the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
> problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
> replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?

Try the power supplies in a different computer.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Windows, the most installed system in the world, I know, I've done it
15 or 16 times myself.

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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Volker Armin Hemmann]

On Mittwoch, 19. März 2008, Ricardo Saffi Marques wrote:
>  3/19/08, Grant <emailgrant@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Do you mean battery out and back in?
>
> Battery out, short-circuit it's contacts on the mobo while pressing the
> power button and then put it back and try to turn it on. But that is the
> raw way to do that, hahaha.

this is a very certain way to destroy the mobo.

> The idea is for you to change the jumper located the closest to the
> battery, press power, change it back to it's original place and then power
> up again. Just a classic BIOS reset.

no.

Don't press power. Don't even get close to power. Just set the jumper, wait 
some seconds, set it back to 'work state' and boot.
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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Joe Menola]

On Wednesday 19 March 2008 8:41:52 am Grant wrote:
> A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
> the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
> problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
> replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?
>
> - Grant

Quite possibly your cpu and/or cooling fan. To test this...pull your current 
units out, hook-up a known good fan (without any cpu) and apply power. 
If the fan spins, you've isolated your problem.

-jm
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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Ricardo Saffi Marques]

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On 3/19/08, Volker Armin Hemmann <volker.armin.hemmann@tu-clausthal.de>
wrote:
>
> this is a very certain way to destroy the mobo.


I don't know how this is in newer mobos, but I have certainly seen ppl doing
that without any problem.

no.
> Don't press power. Don't even get close to power. Just set the jumper,
> wait
> some seconds, set it back to 'work state' and boot.


Well I'm not here to get into silly discussions. Even because I haven't done
that in a while. If you say so, I strongly advice Grant to do as you say.
Sorry for any bad info.

Regards,

Saffi

-- 
Ricardo Saffi Marques
Laboratório de Administração e Segurança de Sistemas (LAS/IC)
Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Cell: +55 (19) 8128-0435
Skype: ricardo_saffi_marques
Website: http://www.rsaffi.com

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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Volker Armin Hemmann]

every mobo manual I ever read (and I read a lot) said the same: set the jumper 
and don't turn on the box. Never turn on the box with the jumper set, or 
mainboard might be destroyed/rendered unbootable.
-- 
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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Ricardo Saffi Marques]

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On 3/19/08, Volker Armin Hemmann <volker.armin.hemmann@tu-clausthal.de>
wrote:
>
> every mobo manual I ever read (and I read a lot) said the same: set the
> jumper
> and don't turn on the box. Never turn on the box with the jumper set, or
> mainboard might be destroyed/rendered unbootable.


Nice. Thanks for the update.
Sorry again.

Regards,

Saffi

-- 
Ricardo Saffi Marques
Laboratório de Administração e Segurança de Sistemas (LAS/IC)
Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Cell: +55 (19) 8128-0435
Skype: ricardo_saffi_marques
Website: http://www.rsaffi.com

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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Enrico Weigelt]

* Joe Menola <menola@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> Quite possibly your cpu and/or cooling fan. To test this...pull your current 
> units out, hook-up a known good fan (without any cpu) and apply power. 
> If the fan spins, you've isolated your problem.

Depends on the board type. I've already seen boards which didn't
even turn on the fan if there's no CPU present. 


cu
-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Enrico Weigelt    ==   metux IT service - http://www.metux.de/
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Please visit the OpenSource QM Taskforce:
 	http://wiki.metux.de/public/OpenSource_QM_Taskforce
 Patches / Fixes for a lot dozens of packages in dozens of versions:
	http://patches.metux.de/
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[gk]

Am Mittwoch, 19. März 2008 14:41:52 schrieb Grant:
> A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
> the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
> problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
> replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?
>
> - Grant



-- 

Hi
A friend of mine had the same problem some time ago. I also tried a lot of 
stuff and changed almost all the hardware, except the cpu and mb. I didn't 
know what to do else, and then at last I changed the battery on the 
Mainboard, and everything worked fine again.

Günter
-- 

Luxus ist die teuerste Form von Primitivität.

--
gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Iain Buchanan]

On Wed, 2008-03-19 at 06:41 -0700, Grant wrote:
> A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
> the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
> problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
> replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?

Well, it could be the cpu too.  Or a PCI card - I've had them render
computers "useless" until they're removed.  In fact, I recommend
removing everything (PCI cards, etc) but cpu, cpu fan, and one hd
(disconnect the ide cable) and then try to turn it on again.

Of course you also need to test the outlet - plug a light into it to
make sure your outlet works!

If it still doesn't work, you know it's either cpu, mb or ps.

If it's an old style AT power supply with a hard on/off switch you can
just plug in a couple of fans and turn it on.

If you have one of those new ATX power supplies that young-uns seem to
be using nowadays then its a bit more complicated!

Firstly you need some load.  If you're not sure about your mb, you can't
use that.  So you'll need at least a hard drive or two (I like using
cdroms, cause there's nothing much to damage, however they spin down
after a while) and probably a fan so you can see something spin.  Unplug
all connections to the mb (IDE cables, power supply, fans etc) so you've
just got the load connected directly to the PS.

Here comes the hard part: you need to find pins 14 and 15 and short them
out!  I recommend you unplug the PS from the wall (a switch is ideal),
short the pins, turn on the switch, see what happens for a few seconds
at most, then turn the switch back off.  Try not to use the plug itself
to turn the power on.  This is RISKY!  Make sure you get the right pins!

I've used this test a number of times.  Many thanks to
http://www.duxcw.com/faq/ps/ps4.htm for the ideas.

HTH,
-- 
Iain Buchanan <iaindb at netspace dot net dot au>

You are wise, witty, and wonderful, but you spend too much time reading
this sort of trash.

-- 
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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Stroller]

On 19 Mar 2008, at 13:41, Grant wrote:

> A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
> the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
> problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
> replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?

Hi there,

I work on PCs for a living, mostly peoples' home computers, and in  
the case of a "dead pc" the cause is nearly as often something else  
as it is a dead PSU.

Causes such as a duff CD-ROM drive or a damaged USB connector are  
surprising but not uncommon, so reset the BIOS (using the  method  
described by Volker) and if that doesn't work unplug as much as  
possible from the motherboard - you'll surely need the CPU & RAM for  
it to post, but you may wish to swap out the RAM at some point in  
your diagnostics - and unplug most everything else. That means  
drives, PCI cards, USB devices, stuff connected to the USB & serial  
headers, graphics card if possible. Also don't connect the power  
supply to any of the drives, or anything else that you're not  
currently using.

I've seen cheap power supplies take out the motherboard when they go.  
Sorry if you find that to be the case.

Stroller.
  
-- 
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RE: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Marzan, Richard non Unisys]

Get a volt meter and measure the voltage. Red is 5+ volts yellow is 12+
volts; if you're getting less than that or way too much than those
values then the component needs to be replaced. Try also swapping the
memory modules out one by one; interchanging them and see if that makes
it boot up. Some, not all, BIOS programs need some ram to boot the
machine. It could also be a broken power switch. If that is the case,
try to ground the pwr pin to a grnd(black) pin with a flat head screw
driver on the MB. Also, try removing all PCI cards from the machine.
After this, it becomes expensive and labouring; motherboard replacement
or CPU (ouch!).
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Grant [mailto:emailgrant@gmail.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 9:42 AM
> To: Gentoo mailing list
> Subject: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?
> 
> A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
> the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
> problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
> replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?
> 
> - Grant
> --
> gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org mailing list

--
gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Alan McKinnon]

On Thursday 20 March 2008, Marzan, Richard non Unisys wrote:
> Get a volt meter and measure the voltage. Red is 5+ volts yellow is
> 12+ volts; if you're getting less than that or way too much than
> those values then the component needs to be replaced.

Switch mode power supplies seldom get that far. By the time the voltage 
regulation is so far gone as to show a difference on a voltmeter (even 
a Fluke), the box itself has long since given up even trying to run off 
that psu.

The correct test and the only one that is valid, is to observe the dc 
output rails under load on an oscilloscope and look for high frequency 
ripple of the order 20kHz - 200kHz on the lines. If you can see it, and 
the trace is anything but a sharp thin line, the psu needs 
replacing/repairing. Considering the enormous effort it requires to get 
these modern jobs open so you can work on it, it's easier just to 
replace the entire thing.

The voltmeter does give you one valid test - to see if there is any 
output AT ALL. Everything else it tells you is useless.

A staggeringly high proportion of people who should know better will 
(wrongly) try to argue this point.

-- 
Alan McKinnon
alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com

-- 
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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Grant]

>  > A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
>  > the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
>  > problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
>  > replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?
>
>  Hi there,
>
>  I work on PCs for a living, mostly peoples' home computers, and in
>  the case of a "dead pc" the cause is nearly as often something else
>  as it is a dead PSU.
>
>  Causes such as a duff CD-ROM drive or a damaged USB connector are
>  surprising but not uncommon, so reset the BIOS (using the  method
>  described by Volker) and if that doesn't work unplug as much as
>  possible from the motherboard - you'll surely need the CPU & RAM for
>  it to post, but you may wish to swap out the RAM at some point in
>  your diagnostics - and unplug most everything else. That means
>  drives, PCI cards, USB devices, stuff connected to the USB & serial
>  headers, graphics card if possible. Also don't connect the power
>  supply to any of the drives, or anything else that you're not
>  currently using.
>
>  I've seen cheap power supplies take out the motherboard when they go.
>  Sorry if you find that to be the case.

I removed everything from the motherboard and even tried another CPU
that used to run on that same motherboard.  No luck.  I can't test the
power supply in my P3 router because the CPU power plug is different.

I should have said before that every couple times I try to turn it on,
the CPU fan spins about 2% of a full rotation and some of the LEDs
along the back light up for a second.

Would you guys say it is most likely the motherboard at this point?

- Grant
-- 
gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Stroller]

On 20 Mar 2008, at 22:29, Grant wrote:
> ...
> I removed everything from the motherboard and even tried another CPU
> that used to run on that same motherboard.  No luck.  I can't test the
> power supply in my P3 router because the CPU power plug is different.
>
> I should have said before that every couple times I try to turn it on,
> the CPU fan spins about 2% of a full rotation and some of the LEDs
> along the back light up for a second.
>
> Would you guys say it is most likely the motherboard at this point?

_Looks_ that way. I mean, you've certainly tried everything else,  
haven't you?

I have to admit that I usually give up before this stage, as I rarely  
have a CPU which matches the motherboard (or if I do they're old  
PIIIs which have so little value I can just replace the whole lot).

I charge my customers £38 an hour for fixing PCs - although obviously  
this doesn't take into account time travelling to jobs or running the  
business (making orders, doing the paperwork), I very quickly write  
off hardware problems as "not worth my while". It looks like I can  
buy a dual-core Athlon and a cheapo motherboard (ok, I'd buy a nicer  
one, but let me make the point) for £55 (ok, admittedly +VAT), so I  
no longer enjoy spending hours messing around with recalcitrant  
hardware.

Stroller.
--
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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Stroller]

On 20 Mar 2008, at 19:42, Marzan, Richard non Unisys wrote:

> Get a volt meter and measure the voltage. Red is 5+ volts yellow is  
> 12+
> volts; if you're getting less than that or way too much than those
> values then the component needs to be replaced.

I believe that the PSU has to be under load for the voltage to test  
correctly.

You can get testers for ATX PSUs for about £20, I noticed recently,  
and a search suggests they're much cheaper on eBay (see items  
190207549145, 280209639310)

> Try also swapping the
> memory modules out one by one; interchanging them and see if that  
> makes
> it boot up. Some, not all, BIOS programs need some ram to boot the
> machine.

Grant,

It's not clear from your other posts whether you've tried this. If  
I'm testing a motherboard I _always_ want to have RAM in it - testing  
without doesn't prove anything (to my satisfaction).

> It could also be a broken power switch. If that is the case,
> try to ground the pwr pin to a grnd(black) pin with a flat head screw
> driver on the MB.

Forgot to mention this in my previous post - this is usually one of  
the first things I try, because it's so easy to do.

Stroller.
--
gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org mailing list

RE: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Marzan, Richard non Unisys]

You're absolutely right. The correct way of testing it for voltage is to plug a power connector to a device such as a disk drive/Mobo and then to insert the apparatus behind the connector while plugged.  
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stroller [mailto:stroller@stellar.eclipse.co.uk]
> Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 12:18 AM
> To: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org
> Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?
> 
> 
> On 20 Mar 2008, at 19:42, Marzan, Richard non Unisys wrote:
> 
> > Get a volt meter and measure the voltage. Red is 5+ volts yellow is
> > 12+
> > volts; if you're getting less than that or way too much than those
> > values then the component needs to be replaced.
> 
> I believe that the PSU has to be under load for the voltage to test
> correctly.
> 
> You can get testers for ATX PSUs for about £20, I noticed recently,
> and a search suggests they're much cheaper on eBay (see items
> 190207549145, 280209639310)
> 
> > Try also swapping the
> > memory modules out one by one; interchanging them and see if that
> > makes
> > it boot up. Some, not all, BIOS programs need some ram to boot the
> > machine.
> 
> Grant,
> 
> It's not clear from your other posts whether you've tried this. If
> I'm testing a motherboard I _always_ want to have RAM in it - testing
> without doesn't prove anything (to my satisfaction).
> 
> > It could also be a broken power switch. If that is the case,
> > try to ground the pwr pin to a grnd(black) pin with a flat head screw
> > driver on the MB.
> 
> Forgot to mention this in my previous post - this is usually one of
> the first things I try, because it's so easy to do.
> 
> Stroller.
> --
> gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org mailing list

--
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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Mark Shields]

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On Thu, Mar 20, 2008 at 6:29 PM, Grant <emailgrant@gmail.com> wrote:

> >  > A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
> >  > the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
> >  > problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
> >  > replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?
> >
> >  Hi there,
> >
> >  I work on PCs for a living, mostly peoples' home computers, and in
> >  the case of a "dead pc" the cause is nearly as often something else
> >  as it is a dead PSU.
> >
> >  Causes such as a duff CD-ROM drive or a damaged USB connector are
> >  surprising but not uncommon, so reset the BIOS (using the  method
> >  described by Volker) and if that doesn't work unplug as much as
> >  possible from the motherboard - you'll surely need the CPU & RAM for
> >  it to post, but you may wish to swap out the RAM at some point in
> >  your diagnostics - and unplug most everything else. That means
> >  drives, PCI cards, USB devices, stuff connected to the USB & serial
> >  headers, graphics card if possible. Also don't connect the power
> >  supply to any of the drives, or anything else that you're not
> >  currently using.
> >
> >  I've seen cheap power supplies take out the motherboard when they go.
> >  Sorry if you find that to be the case.
>
> I removed everything from the motherboard and even tried another CPU
> that used to run on that same motherboard.  No luck.  I can't test the
> power supply in my P3 router because the CPU power plug is different.
>
> I should have said before that every couple times I try to turn it on,
> the CPU fan spins about 2% of a full rotation and some of the LEDs
> along the back light up for a second.
>
> Would you guys say it is most likely the motherboard at this point?
>
> - Grant
> --
> gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org mailing list
>
>
I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say this is an Emachines PC.  Am I
right?

Emachines, when the PSU goes bad, have a habit of taking out the
motherboard, too.  Hooking the old PSU up to a new motherboard fries the new
one.  I fried 2 motherboards (not Emachines supplied) back in my early days
doing this (PSU wasn't Emachines, either).  So, it can happen with other
PSU/motherboards.  If the motherboard has a status light and it isn't even
coming on, then the motherboard is dead.  Even bad CPUs I've damaged still
allowed the motherboard, fans, etc. to power up (though nothing came up on
the screen).

-- 
- Mark Shields

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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Grant]

> > >  > A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
> > >  > the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
> > >  > problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
> > >  > replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?
> > >
> > >  Hi there,
> > >
> > >  I work on PCs for a living, mostly peoples' home computers, and in
> > >  the case of a "dead pc" the cause is nearly as often something else
> > >  as it is a dead PSU.
> > >
> > >  Causes such as a duff CD-ROM drive or a damaged USB connector are
> > >  surprising but not uncommon, so reset the BIOS (using the  method
> > >  described by Volker) and if that doesn't work unplug as much as
> > >  possible from the motherboard - you'll surely need the CPU & RAM for
> > >  it to post, but you may wish to swap out the RAM at some point in
> > >  your diagnostics - and unplug most everything else. That means
> > >  drives, PCI cards, USB devices, stuff connected to the USB & serial
> > >  headers, graphics card if possible. Also don't connect the power
> > >  supply to any of the drives, or anything else that you're not
> > >  currently using.
> > >
> > >  I've seen cheap power supplies take out the motherboard when they go.
> > >  Sorry if you find that to be the case.
> >
> > I removed everything from the motherboard and even tried another CPU
> > that used to run on that same motherboard.  No luck.  I can't test the
> > power supply in my P3 router because the CPU power plug is different.
> >
> > I should have said before that every couple times I try to turn it on,
> > the CPU fan spins about 2% of a full rotation and some of the LEDs
> > along the back light up for a second.
> >
> > Would you guys say it is most likely the motherboard at this point?
> >
> > - Grant
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> > gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org mailing list
> >
> >
>
> I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say this is an Emachines PC.  Am I
> right?

Not Emachine actually.  I built it about 1.5 years ago with parts from
the lowest bidder.

- Grant

> Emachines, when the PSU goes bad, have a habit of taking out the
> motherboard, too.  Hooking the old PSU up to a new motherboard fries the new
> one.  I fried 2 motherboards (not Emachines supplied) back in my early days
> doing this (PSU wasn't Emachines, either).  So, it can happen with other
> PSU/motherboards.  If the motherboard has a status light and it isn't even
> coming on, then the motherboard is dead.  Even bad CPUs I've damaged still
> allowed the motherboard, fans, etc. to power up (though nothing came up on
> the screen).

Good info, thanks Mark.

- Grant

> - Mark Shields
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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Ted Ozolins]

Grant wrote:
>>>>  > A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
>>>>  > the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
>>>>  > problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
>>>>  > replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?
>>>>

As strange as this may sound, we had a server go down and we thought 
psu/mb. it turned out to be the cmos battery. We replaced it (about four 
years ago), the server has been flawless since.

-- 
Ted Ozolins (VE7TVO)
Cranbrook, B.C.
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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Grant]

>  >>>>  > A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
>  >>>>  > the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
>  >>>>  > problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
>  >>>>  > replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?
>  >>>>
>
>  As strange as this may sound, we had a server go down and we thought
>  psu/mb. it turned out to be the cmos battery. We replaced it (about four
>  years ago), the server has been flawless since.

Different motherboards must exhibit different behavior with a bad CMOS
battery.  Another desktop of mine prints an error to the POST screen
about its bad battery.  There is a comment here from another owner of
my MSI motherboard:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/127597/show_product_reviews

"This is a great board too, except i got an error each boot-turns out
the battery was dead, swapped it and it was ok"

It sounds like my motherboard should still boot with a bad battery.

- Grant

>  Ted Ozolins (VE7TVO)
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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Power supply or motherboard dead?

[Dale]

Grant wrote:
>>  >>>>  > A Gentoo desktop of mine won't turn on anymore.  I was hoping it was
>>  >>>>  > the power supply but I've installed a new one which doesn't fix the
>>  >>>>  > problem.  Is there a sure way to know if the motherboard needs
>>  >>>>  > replacement or if I have two dead power supplies?
>>  >>>>
>>
>>  As strange as this may sound, we had a server go down and we thought
>>  psu/mb. it turned out to be the cmos battery. We replaced it (about four
>>  years ago), the server has been flawless since.
>>     
>
> Different motherboards must exhibit different behavior with a bad CMOS
> battery.  Another desktop of mine prints an error to the POST screen
> about its bad battery.  There is a comment here from another owner of
> my MSI motherboard:
>
> http://www.ebuyer.com/product/127597/show_product_reviews
>
> "This is a great board too, except i got an error each boot-turns out
> the battery was dead, swapped it and it was ok"
>
> It sounds like my motherboard should still boot with a bad battery.
>
> - Grant
>
>   
>>  Ted Ozolins (VE7TVO)
>>     

I had one with a dead battery too.  It lost all the settings and the 
clock reset back to 1971 or something like that but otherwise it worked 
just fine.  Well, after getting it to see the drives again. 

Weird things happen I guess.

Dale

:-)  :-) 
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