Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: diamondgeezer on June 20, 2003, 05:07:47 am
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K, set yourself down with a drink and a plate of sandwiches, cos this is going to be a long one.
On Monday night, I shut down my PC. From there, it all went downhill. On Tuesday morning, I hit the power button, but all I got was a load of beeps (eight, IIRC). I decided to leave the problem until I had returned from work. I didn't touch anything inside the box. As it happened, I didn't look at it again until my day off on Wednesday. Now, I've had these beeps before if I'd messed with the configuration of me PCI stuff and I assumed the problem would be something like that. I decided that a Windows reinstall was in order since I'd aquired some other niggly problems (IE6 had gayed up on me, for example).
So I took my master HD and plugged it in to my housemate's comp as a slave disk, to siphon off the data I wanted to save. The drive worked perfectly, BTW. I then formatted the disk and took it back upstairs and plugged it back in to my box. With the clean drive in it, I expected the system to boot off the XP CD. But no.
More beeps.
So I phoned up my computer science student friend, who came round to have a look. He pointed out that it wasn't my HD that was the problem, since the system wasn't even trying to boot. Something was going wrong before the boot seuqence thingy kicked in. Right.
We agreed to try an eliminate the problematic component, since the beep code had been translated via the web to mean something important was missing (or kaput). The CD drives came out, no joy. The two hard drives came out. Nothing. All the PCI gubbinz and me Gforce came out, followed by me memory chip but still I was getting beeps and nothing was happening. All that remained at this point was the mother board and the CPU (an Athlon XP 1800, BTW).
Now, my housemate downstairs has a virtually identical setup, with the same mother board and an Athlon XP 2100. Since he was sixty miles away, it was decided that we would borrow his CPU to test my mother board. We took his processor and shoved it in my box, but still it beeped. Ah-ha, we said, so the mother board is up the creak. I resigned myself to the prospect of having to buy a new board.
Obviously the next thing to do was to put my housemate's computer back together. We stuck the CPU back in and shoe-horned all the gubbinz back in to place. It flat refused to work. The fans seemed to be stuttering a little bit, though we assumed we had simply jammed the fans slightly. While my CS friend fiddled, I went over the road to the shop. 'Pon my return, a couple of minutes later, he grinned at me and told me that now the box wouldn't even power up.
Oh yes, I should mention that the guy whose box I raped is a big lad, trying to join the marines. So at this point I was afraid for my life, as well as my money.
So we tried my power supply, and it worked. Then, miraculously, his power supply started working again in that his mother board was powered, though it wouldn't even beep. Now, I'm told that a non-beeping mother board is a broken mother board. And neither of out boards beeped, though they had power (since the fans ran). Then my housemate came home.
Luckily for me, he had just ridden the sixty miles back here on his bike, so he was too tired to chase me. We decided to buy two new boards, then go to the pub.
Now it's Friday morning, and I'm bunking off work. The two boards have turned up but the problem seems to have persisted. There are still no beeps, and I am hella confused. Thus, I am throwing the challenge open to the HLP massive - if anyone has any ideas or advice, please sing out.
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Do you know what model the mobo is? That could help in research.
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ECS K7S5A :nod:
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http://hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/1097/
Solutions commonly suggested are:
short CMOS
update BIOS
different RAM (supposedly mobo picky with SD RAM)
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The board may be fixed, but did you consider what damage was done to the processor?
Think about it:
You took your processor out of the fuct motherboard.
You put it in your burly mate's motherboard.
Your mate's motherboard was then sent by way of the creek of ****.
Common denominator: The CPU.
Either the 1st motherboard fried the cpu, or the cpu fried the first motherboard, and either way the cpu fried the second one. :nervous:
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You're missing the obvious here: it was the RIAA!
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Originally posted by Styxx
You're missing the obvious here: it was the RIAA!
:lol:
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Originally posted by Styxx
You're missing the obvious here: it was the RIAA!
ROFLMAO!!
ok, my first thought was indeed the processor, but on second thought, i can't see how a processor could fry a good mobo.
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Originally posted by kasperl
ROFLMAO!!
ok, my first thought was indeed the processor, but on second thought, i can't see how a processor could fry a good mobo.
Wel if you fry your cpu then you fry also your CPU socket and as you know it's connected to the mobo:D
DG, have you looked for the beep code in your mobo manual or online? then you can trace the problem.
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Hmm, only one spam post, not too bad at all. I'd expected a few more :)
Now then, having read Kami's link, I thought about reseting the BIOS but the problem has persisted on the two new motherboards. And I don't think it was my processor at fault, because my friend's new board won't work though it's only ever had his processor in it.
Let's see... if I take my friend's new board (an ASUS A7V8X-X) and it doesn't beep without a CPU then I add his CPU and it still doesn't beep... could I have gayed his CPU? By putting it in my board... could my CPU have transferred its gayness to his CPU via my board? That's impossible, right?
I really, really can't get my head around this. Another, slightly more on the ball CS student friend is on his way around (having been bribed with the promise of cups of tea), so we'll see what he says... he's always fix0red us in the past. Figgins crossed.
[EDIT] (having read Darkage's post)
Well the code was happarently looked up as I mentioned in my initial post. Thing is, my board isn't even beeping any more and I can't really remember it so well. I'm going to go poke my board and try and get it to beep some more.
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Your problem is, removing the parts to see if it still "beeps" won't get you anywhere, because the board still won't find the missing hardware (for it it's the same if the part is damaged or nonexistant) and will still beep. You have to go for an elimination process by replacing the parts with ones that you are sure are working - the most common case is the video card, but it can be any of the mandatory hardware.
And did you adjust the voltage jumpers when you tried your processor on your friend's mobo? If yes, did you remember to switch them back when you put it back on his comp?
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Originally posted by Styxx
Your problem is, removing the parts to see if it still "beeps" won't get you anywhere, because the board still won't find the missing hardware (for it it's the same if the part is damaged or nonexistant) and will still beep. You have to go for an elimination process by replacing the parts with ones that you are sure are working - the most common case is the video card, but it can be any of the mandatory hardware.
And did you adjust the voltage jumpers when you tried your processor on your friend's mobo? If yes, did you remember to switch them back when you put it back on his comp?
exactly what i'd have said :)
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So far, these boys seem right on track. I don't think your CPU was the initial problem, but it might have been. What I am almost sure about is that SOMETHING went ary when you switched CPU's. No offense, but it sounds to me like everything got a bit rushed and panicked, and computer parts started flying everywhere.
If you want computers to work, treat them like gods... Anything less, and they'll burn you for it. :)
Ok, this post wasnt much help, and I'm not trying to be critical... let my mind continue to wrap around this, and I'll try to come up with something more productive.
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Situation Update as of 19:44 Zulu
Rumour has it that modern graphics cards such as Geforce 4s can break an AMD processor. If a part of the card breaks, the processor can have a major head **** trying to work out what happened, and burn out.
Process of elimination has determined that my Geforce 4 is broke. We stuck it in an other wise perfect system, and it refused to boot (it screamed at us insted). So my card is bust.
Now, when we stuck my friend's CPU in my board, I believe my GeForce had been stripped out, but my memory of the event is a little hazy. Thus, I may well have fried both CPUs by plugging them in to my board whislt the GeForce was having its little tizzy. If both processors were fried then obviously the two new mother boards would not work.
We're now testing with another friend's CPU (fun, huh?). Again, fingers crossed :)
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Originally posted by diamondgeezer
Rumour has it that modern graphics cards such as Geforce 4s can break an AMD processor. If a part of the card breaks, the processor can have a major head **** trying to work out what happened, and burn out.
Crazy. Where did you hear that? Try using a good video card to see what happens.
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Originally posted by Styxx
Crazy. Where did you hear that?
A bloke called Ade, who is a professional computer god and knows more about PCs then all you lot combined. I mean, we're talking a dude with caseless PCs strung up allover his walls. The guy knows his ****. He did, however, say that this was something he'd read in the last week or so...
Anyway, we've reached a solution and I'll fill you all in after two hours of quality RAW viewage. Petrarch, get the tables!
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Originally posted by diamondgeezer
A bloke called Ade, who is a professional computer god and knows more about PCs then all you lot combined.
Then why did you even try to ask for help here?
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Yeah, I'm hurt... :(
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Because he's a friend's uncle, and thus not someone who I am licensed to call whenever I like (even if I had his number). Besides, you guys are far more entertaining.
Hokay, here's the deal: I blew my CPU and did the same thing to my friend's chip whilst testing. And then today we blew another friend's processor... so now we're buying three processors, a GeForece 4 Ti42 and maybe a couple o' new PSUs... hoo-rah :blah:
I hate computers
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maybe you should try a different mobo too.... as your model has an awful lot of complaints scattered about on the web.
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You did try looking at what the beep codes for your motherboard meant, didn't you?
Because before I ****ed around with anything, that's what I'd do.
::EDIT::
Seems if you do a google search on your board model, it seems to be a very unreliable board.
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it's Catcus by the sounds of it DG,(any aussie would know what i mean ;) )
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Um... can I offer a word of advice? Money may be of no concept to you, nor friends for that matter...
...because if you keep blowing up CPU's you're going to have none of either... :doubt: :rolleyes:
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what you'll be left with, is smelling like burnt silicon for quite a while...
and i'm thanking my lucky stars you can't go near my pc..:lol:
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Originally posted by diamondgeezer
A bloke called Ade, who is a professional computer god and knows more about PCs then all you lot combined. I mean, we're talking a dude with caseless PCs strung up allover his walls. The guy knows his ****. He did, however, say that this was something he'd read in the last week or so...
For all that those guys know...I swear the knowledge just combines into some kind of form of paranoia. YEAH, just about every bloody thing can break the other thing and yes drivers are bad for your computer and yes this company does that and you could burn out your monitor or shoot a lightning bolt through the CPU to your hand or something but its not bloody likely going to happen except in a rare instance with a particular combination of parts, voltages, and only during a three quarter moon on the fourth night of june during the second year before the apocalypse.
He knows his **** and you should stop listening most of the time because its probably never going to happen. However, you should call him in to fix your problem :)
Sounds like you blew something in there and have now managed to fry several boards. Voltages and the clocks on those systems are very touchy...especially older model Athlon XP's.
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I did blow something, Ice - my CPU. I already said that bit. My graphics card is also dead, though whether one death caused the other we shall never know. I then blew my house mate's CPU in testing, and we blew another friend's chip during subsequent tests. Luckily, replacement chips are only 45 squids so that's doable. The buggerish bit is paying 100 squids for a new GF4. Sigh.
Incidentally, could those learned in such matters take a quick butchers at this here page o' PSUs (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Q_Tec_139.html)... these are the cheapest line on the website, are they going to be OK do you think?
For those debunking the GF4 breaking the CPU theory, I ought to point out that I picked up the crad at a computer fair for about half the price you'd pay on the web. Just so, you know, you've got all the facts :)
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Originally posted by Turnsky
and i'm thanking my lucky stars you can't go near my pc..:lol:
stop while you have some componants left... ;)
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Originally posted by diamondgeezer
A bloke called Ade, who is a professional computer god and knows more about PCs then all you lot combined. I mean, we're talking a dude with caseless PCs strung up allover his walls. The guy knows his ****. He did, however, say that this was something he'd read in the last week or so...
Ooooh, I'm humbled.
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[color=66ff00]Just to ask the obvious but... You guys earthed yourselves right? I mean you weren't doing all this whilst standing in nylon jumpsuits with pockets full of coins or something?
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hehe :D
I had a similar problem about a year ago (computer making funny beeps on startup due to a cooked processor), but in my case only the processor was damaged and not the motherboard.
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how do you want your athlon?
Original recipe? or [glow=red]EXTRA CRISPY[/glow]
:p
a friend of mine accidently broke some of the fins that were on his heatsink fan, and he ran it for a while and he ended up chipping the core..
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on a side note, are the old Athlon TB 1400s supposed to run pretty hot or something? I seem to have heard something to that effect in various places on the internet, and that was the processor that got fried for me (I got a free replacement from the warranty so I didn't bother to upgrade it at the time).
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Originally posted by Styxx
Ooooh, I'm humbled.
Oooh, a sarcasm detector. How very useful.
New processors are inbound as we speak. Going graphics card shopping tomorrow. Going raiding and pillaging the day after to pay for it all.
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[color=66ff00]Well to be honest having computer components open to the environment is not a good idea in the long run, actually it's quite silly. Inside an enclosed case parts are less prone to the effects of humidity, heating via direct light and of course 'computer bug syndrome' i.e. something physically touching the electronic components. Something as stupid as an untimely sneese could royally fubar your computer.
The only benefit I can think of in the long run is that you don't get the same level of dust buildup. I don't think that the ability to swap out components quickly is a benefit, as you wear down the contacts and increase the level of oxidation they undergo. I'm looking at this from a purely electronic point of view though.
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Originally posted by Maeglamor
[color=66ff00]as stupid as an untimely sneese could royally fubar your computer.
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:lol: Now that would be classic, if expensive, moment.
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My computer doesn't run very well with it's case on.
It one of those Compaq economy jobs:
(Default Configuration)
AMD K-6-2 500mhz
64 MB 100mhz SD-RAM
10 GB HD
Trident onboard video
ESS Allegro onboard AC-'97
and with the extra hardware I've got in it:
2GB HD
Geforce 4 MX 420 w/64mb SD-RAM
combined with the frame's generally poor airflow leads to a build-up of heat that causes the system to become unstable. I've run for nearly 2.5 years without a case and have had no problems.
It all boils down to the fact that I'm too cheap to go buy a decent case fan at my local Staples.
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Righty, I purchased meself one of them new fangled Geforce FX thingies, a 5200 flavour one. Who'd like to jump on yon soap box and tell me what you think (I haven't tested it yet, processors haven't turned up). Paid 90 squids, if anyone's interested.
Thing that gets me is that it came without a fan, only a BLOODY GREAT BIG heatsink. Reviewers have said that these FX chipsets generate about half the heat of the old GF4s, but all the same... I really feel I ought to rig up a fan for it. Specially since I'll probably try and overclock the bastard. Thoughts?
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Originally posted by diamondgeezer
Righty, I purchased meself one of them new fangled Geforce FX thingies, a 5200 flavour one. Who'd like to jump on yon soap box and tell me what you think (I haven't tested it yet, processors haven't turned up). Paid 90 squids, if anyone's interested.
Thing that gets me is that it came without a fan, only a BLOODY GREAT BIG heatsink. Reviewers have said that these FX chipsets generate about half the heat of the old GF4s, but all the same... I really feel I ought to rig up a fan for it. Specially since I'll probably try and overclock the bastard. Thoughts?
Hrrmm...I can't remember if the FX 5200 was typically equipped with a fan or if you just managed to get one of those with the silent cooling system. Either way, it should be sufficient in a decent case.
FX 5200 I think is a good card but a tad bit underpowered. Compaired to the raw power of a GeForce 4 TI...it comes a very close second. However, when you get the DX9 stuff coming around, the TI won't be able to touch that stuff while your FX will happily continue to move along.
For instance, when Doom III comes out (and the like)...you won't have any problems. :D