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Old 08-29-2002, 03:33 AM   #71
mike breck
Member (13 bit)
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Scotland
Posts: 4,700
Quote:
In order to hear beeps im assuming the speaker lead needs to be pluged in correct???
Yes, unless the mobo has a little onboard piezo speaker, you will have to connect the PC Speaker.

Quote:
ok so the question is now, how do i find out which it is??
When the mobo is out of the case, the first thing to do is reseat the CPU/Heatsink Fan (HSF), making sure the Heatsink is on the right way and sitting perfectly level on the CPU. Also reseat the Video Card and Ram.

"Some" mobos won't boot unless the HSF is connected to the Fan header on the mobo. The mobo manual or manufacturer's website should tell you.

Some mobos won't boot if the HSF draws too much power off the Fan header on the mobo or gives a bad signal to the mobo. In that case, you need to connect the HSF directly to the PSU instead of the mobo.

With your mobo manual in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other, chech and double-check all the jumpers and dipswitches on the mobo are set correctly. If in any doubt about a setting, then just ask. Someone's bound to know.

Once you have stripped the system down to the Mobo, Cpu, Video card, and Ram, you can try narrowing the troubleshooting even further by taking out the Ram. If the Mobo and Cpu are healthy, you should usually hear "missing ram" beeps from the mobo.

If you hear nothing, then you have probably narrowed it down to the CPU or Mobo.

However, the only effective way to to determine which part is faulty is by substituting "known working parts" for each in turn.

You try different Ram, a different video card, a different PSU, another working CPU with the mobo, or the CPU in another working mobo.

When it comes to substituting Ram or a PSU, there is no point in substituting cheap generic Ram or a cheap PSU; otherwise you may just be replacing one problem with another. Go with good quality Crucial Ram and Sparkle, Enermax, or PC Power and Cooling PSUs. By using good-quality parts, you will have a solid base for troubleshooting.

If you do not have spare parts to do this, then you can either get a local PC shop to do the testing for you (this will cost you a fee unless you bought the parts from them) or as most people seem to do, just send the parts back (RMA them) and have them replaced.

HTH
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