[NBLUG/talk] Trying to explain sudden computer death...

[Robert Hayes]

Oh my goodness. 
I must have misunderstood.

The symptoms described can be the result of an unkeyed hdd cable being 
installed inverted.

On Wednesday 22 June 2005 05:03 pm, Justin Thiessen wrote:
> A couple of days after Lincoln posted his first request for help, I
> decided to re-install my main system.  To make this easier, I swapped in an
> old 20GB hard drive to put the slack install tree on and provide a tertiary
> backup medium.  In the process of weaseling around inside the case making
> all the cables fit, I ended up in nearly the same position he was.  When
> I tried to power up the system, the PS came up, the fans turned on, the
> CD-ROM drive lights started blinking, but that was it.  Nothing came up
> on the monitor, the keyboard lights did not flash, and no *BEEP* emerged
> from the speaker.
>
> I double-checked a bunch of stuff inside the case before I fixed the
> problem.  Turns out I had somehow dislodged/shifted at least one of the
> front panel connectors.  I suspect that one was just bridging the reset
> pins and causing the system to stall permanently in that situation.
>
> In any case, having been through this sort of thing more times than I care
> to count, my advice is simply to take all the system mostly apart and put
> it back together properly.
>
> * Disconnect the cables
> * Remove PCI/AGP/whatever cards
>
> Then put them all back in properly according to the manual.  If nothing
> else, it's a chance to redo your cabling job, and I find that I can almost
> always do a better job than I did the last time.
>
>
> If the thought of that is unbearable, then restrict yourself to
>
> (1) removing and reseating all the front panel connectors according to the
>     mottherboard manual.
> (2) double-checking that the clear cmos jumper has not somehow been shifted
>     to the "clear" position, either by bridging pins that shouldn't be
>     bridged, or by being open when it's supposed to be closed.
>
> That would be my approach.
>
> Justin
>
> On Wed, Jun 22, 2005 at 05:20:23PM -0700, Robert Hayes wrote:
> > Then again, depending on the age of the motherboard, it may be something
> > as simple as a bad/dislodged jumper.
> >
> > Check/ reseat (several times each) the jumpers on your motherboard
> > (powered down!) and see if that helps.
> >
> > On Wednesday 22 June 2005 02:34 pm, Lincoln Peters wrote:
> > > On Sun, 2005-06-19 at 17:11 -0700, Ryan Culley wrote:
> > > > Maybe the PC's power supply failed?  This link has some suggestions
> > > > to determine if the power supply is bad.
> > >
> > > I've verified that the power supply is OK; I swapped it out with
> > > another one, and got no change.
> > >
> > > > http://www.fonerbooks.com/power.htm
> > >
> > > I do notice that it suggests that the power switch might be damaged,
> > > and I could try swapping the connection between it and the "reset"
> > > button. I tried that as well, and it didn't change anything.
> > >
> > > > You might also try a different power source.
> > >
> > > I know that the power source is working because it also connects to the
> > > monitor, printer, scanner, and even a lamp, and they all are receiving
> > > power.
> > >
> > >
> > > This is starting to look more and more like a motherboard problem...
> > >
> > > ---
> > > Lincoln Peters
> > > <sampln at sbcglobal.net>
> > >
> > > Friends, n.:
> > > 	People who borrow your books and set wet glasses on them.
> > >
> > > 	People who know you well, but like you anyway.
> > >
> > >
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