Motherboard shorting out

I am running windows 98 on my son's computer and it recently stopping working...let me explain: I noticed the other day that my son's monitor was blinking so I figured the tower must be turned off. When I powered up the tower, I didn't hear the hard drive running, so I removed the cover and the flat thin cable. The hard drive then started running so I decided to hook the flat cable back up. The hard drive is still running at this point but there is still no picture on the monitor and the light on the front of the monitor is still blinking. I decide to turn off the tower altogether and hook up only the flat cable to the hard drive and wait to hook up the power supply to it...it is at this point that I see a spark come from the back of the hard drive at the power supply hook up and the tower shuts off. I am pretty sure the hard drive is ok but am afraid that something is wrong with the motherboard. The computer is a V-Box AMD K6. Any suggestions? Is there anyway of testing the hard drive by hooking up to another computer and is it possible to run two hard drives on one computer that works already? Thank You!

 

I don't really know any way to say this that won't sound like I'm yelling at you... I'm really not. I'm really sorry but it's really hard not to yell...

It's quite possible that the reason the monitor wasn't showing a display is that the power setting in the control panel were set to turn off the monitor and drives after a certain amount of time.

I'm afraid that with the statement of the spark comming from the hard drive while plugging things in and out while powered up that you may very well have fried the system, or at least the drive.

First step will be to totally disconnect the hard drive WITH THE POWER OFF and try to boot with a boot floppy. Or just no floppy to see if the boot screen shows up.

If the floppy light flickers or stays on but there is no display it would be advisable to try the monitor on a different system.

Yes, you can test the hard drive on another system but be sure to set the slave/master jumper to fit the system your putting it in. If the drive passes this test consider yourself lucky.

If the monitor and drive pass these tests try the video card in another system. DO NOT put a known to be good video card in the system in question!!!!! I wasted a perfectly good ATI Rage 128 that way a few years ago.

If the monitor, drive, and video prove to be good the motherboard has probably been fried.

I just can not state this strongly enough... NEVER, NEVER, unplug and plug cables and power sources in and out on a system that is powered up.

Dang, a lot of this post sounds like I'm yelling and I'm not. Please don't take it that way. I just don't know any other way to put it....

 

Reply to motherboard shorting out

The monitor works on another system. I tried booting up with the hard drive completely disconnected and the display shows nothing..not even the boot screen. The video card is integrated and part of the mother board. I haven't had a chance to try the hard drive in a good system. If I am understanding you correctly, you said to make sure that the master and slave are hooked up the same as the present hard drive. If I luck out and the hard drive is good, is there a way that I can have my son use my system to access his info on his hard drive? If the motherboard proves to be the culprit, what I am looking at for replacement cost? The system is at least 7 years old and I don't want to throw away any money. Thanks

 

Yelling?...couldn't hear it from here

iujmheb, you may need someone with some experience to help you, although it sort of sounds like there is a major problem.

I would disconnect everything, except what was needed to boot: CPU, RAM and keyboard (graphics are built in).

Reset the CMOS (follow the motherboard instructions...disconnect all power).

Then, if you were not able to get something on the screen, I would look at getting a replacement.

7 years is not bad service. Don't bother trying to get it fixed. If there is no source of second-hand systems around, try Ebay. Try your friends, there are probably systems sitting in closets or someone that is about to upgrade...and it will still cost you less than getting it fixed. As your son gets older he will push(need) for more anyway

Matt