Motherboard Diagnostic (Live or Dead)

hawk22 · 29th May 2009

I have a Motherboard that was given to me as dead, and I am trying to determine if it really is or not, the owner told me that as he was inserting a USB card reader the board died ASUS P4P800S - SE.
I have cleaned the heat sink that was clogged up something shocking re-seated the CPU Pentium 4, 2800MHz, installed it in my test case installed video card, Ram and a HDD and cleared CMOS.
The power light on the Motherboard comes on as soon as I turn the power on, but that is as far as it goes.
Apart from exchanging the CPU I have a few old P4rs, is there any other way that I can test this Motherboard.

**Steve R Jones** · 29th May 2009

Quote:

the owner told me that as he was inserting a USB card reader the board died ASUS P4P800S - SE

I would ask him if he smelled smoke when the above happened.

But plugging in parts and hitting the ON button is the best way to go.

**Rockster2U** · 29th May 2009

First, you've probably already done but its worth mentioning - clear CMOS using the jumper and make sure power header is disconnected from the board itself. Second, if no go after round one, look at a schematic and see if there are jumpers (usually 3 pin jumpers located above the IO Plate ports midway between those ports and the CPU socket) for USB power - usually 2-3 seperate jumpers but I haven't looked at your board specifically. If found, jumper for power off and repeat first step again.

Thats it for starters. Please advise results.

edit: oh yeah, make sure nothing is connected to any of the ancillary USB header pins.

hawk22 · 30th May 2009

thanks guys, done all that including the USB Jumpers installed different CPU, no change LED powerlight on Motherboard comes on but nothing else no CPU fan no nothing. I won't be able to see the original owner of the board for a few days to ask if he actually did smell or see smoke but I don't think so I am sure he would have told me.
But it looks very much like a dead Motherboard to me.
I can't test the CPU 2.8 GHz as my only other spare P4 Motherboard only hosts an 1.7 GHz CPU, I have stuck it on and the CPU fan will spin up but that is as far as it will go.
If you have any other ideas Rockster I will only be to happy to try them out, mind you this is all just experimenting.

**Rockster2U** · 30th May 2009

Tried a known good PSU?

hawk22 · 31st May 2009

thanks Rockster, actually I have changed over 2 PSU's just to make sure and tested them with my PSU tester, but the case I used I had a fully working AMD XP 2200+ running in it before I swapped it out to test that board.

**Rockster2U** · 6th June 2009

Sorry for the delay Hawk. Been flat on my back trying to heal same - almost good to go now.

At this juncture, I'd be inclined to remove, clen and re-seat memory or try different memory and I wouldn't hesitate to pull the CPU, blow out the CPU socket, re-seat and reapply thermal paste.

Head back into the BIOS and set at optimum and also re-detect the HDD and use LBA. F10 out and see what happens. You can also try disconnecting all case wires (power LED, Power switch, Reset Switch, HDD LED and starting it with a scewdriver on mainboard power connector pins.

Please advise - I'll be much quicker re: response time.

Regards,