m/b questions

ok, i actually have several questions. although, i have not actually built a computer from scratch, i have taken alot of comps apart to fix, replace, upgrade items.

this is what i'm working with. my friends old comp (compaq presario desktop), basically died (burning smell). it would bootup, sometimes i could get to the login screen, but ultimately it would reboot. i wound up selling her my spare comp, and i just kept hers, i've been robbing parts for this and that. well, i had originally figured out the burning smell. somehow i'm assuming the comp started drawing too much power and the p/s socket is stuck (welded) in the atx power connector socket on the m/b.

now, my ex-manager gave me a m/b a while back (gigabyte ga-7vax/ga-7vaxp), however the image on the quick installation guide is not even close to what the actual m/b looks like (things are in different areas, etc). of course the pic on that link looks like the pic on the quick instructions.

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ProductID=1391

now, with that said and done. i haven't messed with this thing for about 6 mos or so, as it's dead, like there's no power. i've checked everything i could and all seems fine. i have a new p/s (although, i don't know how to check it for power). how can i check it to see if it works?

this is what got me fired up today. i read this link which went to another link, and i saw something that might be what i overlooked? although, i'll have to put back what i robbed from it (ie - h/d, ram, flopppy), but that's no biggie. if i could get it running, then all i'm out is my time (well, i'd have to buy an os, as i gave the key away, but it's no biggie).

i got this from the 1st link (of course i've edited it, but i'm giving credit to the individuals)

then, i go to the 2nd link (below).

so i'm thinking, huh, is this what i might have missed? what all would i check, how would i check the p/s? i'm pretty sure i got the chip in correctly. i'm assuming it's still good as it used to boot up, but then again it could have gotten damaged? anyway, it's like dead, no fans, no leds, no beeps.

then again, i don't even know if the m/b is good, as it was given to me, but my manager said they never did anything to it. when i got it, it was still in the original box, with the paperwork, and the m/b was still in the esd bag.

so, i'm looking around on the drawings and i can't find any cmos jumper, however, on the m/b i see something that says "JCMOS1", could that be it?

i'm going to check the mounting of the m/b later on.

i'm off to play billiards , i'll check in later on.thx, sos

 

If you haven't got a PSU checker the best thing to do would be to connect the PSU to a known good mobo & see if it works.
Are you sure that the power switch is connected to the correct pins on the mobo?
I would say that JCMOS1 would be the cmos reset jumper. If there are three pins change it so that it is opposite to what it is now. If there are only two pins place it on one pin only.

 

lol, well i know the psu is good, hooked it up to another comp, and it works. like i mentioned, i don't know if i'm working with a good m/b, etc. well, it turns out it's not even a gigabyte m/b (it was all packaged up in the box). anyway, i kept wondering why the documentation, and pics (even online) didn't match the m/b that i physically have in my hand. i finally got some #'s of the m/b and did a yahoo search, and it turns out it's a biostar m/b. like, i said, this was given to me, and i have a dead (well, it did boot up, but would shut down) comp, so i'm trying that chip with this m/b. - sos

http://www.biostar-usa.com/mbdetails.asp?model=m7vig

 

A good place to look up anything about mobos is http://www.motherboards.org
Anyway, good luck with trying the other CPU.

 

thx, kestrel1. i do have a question about the ram. the m/b documentation says it uses ddr200/266/333 ram. is this what i'm looking for (link below)? i'm not looking at the price, i'm looking to see if this is what i'm looking for physically. thx, sos

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/669260/ACP-512MB-333MHz-DDR-SDRAM-DIMM/

 

Yup. That is DDR333, also known as PC2700. However, if that Biostar link above is to the actual motherboard that you're working with, it will also take the older, slower, 168pin SDRAM (PC100 pr PC133). But- you CANNOT use both the 184pin DDR333 and the 168pin SDRAM at the same time. One or the other. Obviously, the DDR is the better choice because it's faster, and cheaper, and better. The board supports up to 2gb of RAM (1gb per slot of either DDR or SDRAM). As far as CPUs go, that mobo has several different variations, and some take a maximum of an AthlonXP 2600+, while others can take up to an AthlonXP 3000+ (that's according to the website, actual CPU compatibility may differ). There are several jumpers on the motherboard that you should be aware of: there's one for RAM voltage (which is something I don't think I've ever seen on any mobo, ever), there may be an optional CNR jumper that would enable/disable the CNR device (which is like a small modem card), and there's a jumper for FSB speed (one setting for 100/200mhz and one setting for 133/266mhz). This board came out during a crossover period when DDR was still fairly new, and Duron CPUs were being phased out for the "new" Semprons.... anyway, be sure to give the manual a close look too... I just did and there are lots of features and things to look for on this board to make it stable and to make it run as good as possible. Good luck!

 

thx, dlb. i'm gonna try and pick up some ram today. this would have been alot cheaper had i not:

1) given away the h/d that was in this comp (to the original owner).
2) had i not removed the coa sticker and gave it to a friend in need (so they could be legit on a fresh install).
3) not wasted so much time thinking it was a gigabyte m/b...

luckily, i have a spare h/d, that is currently in an external h/d enclosure. i have an oem copy of xp home, and all i'm really out, is the ram (which i don't have right now), and of course my time.

i will have some more questions when i try and wire this thing up (power button, stuff on front of case). i'm using an old hp pavilion (742n) case, so of course i'm gonna have to rig something, or solder the wires to the connector (i'd rather not solder them, but it's no biggie). i'll post pics (of the connector issue) later on when i get around to it. i have alot of errands to run, and 1 includes ram.

well, i had come up with 2 links initially, i thought they were identical. however, this is what it says on the m/b (m7vig 400 - link below).

http://www.biostar-usa.com/mbdetails.asp?model=M7VIG 400

also, the processor that i have is an amd athlon 2000+ (1.67 ghz). - thx, sos

 

ok, well i got it going today.:celebrate i went out and bought 512 mbyte of ram, and when i got home i compared it to some ram that i had (dual channel - 256x2). well, low and behold, i had freakin' ram that would work. i swear up and down that i tried it yesterday and it didn't fit (notch). whatever, i can take the ram back, as i never opened the package. now, this is my 1st time putting the thermal compound (arctic silver) on the processor, and i'm kinda wondering about that (it kinda looked watery, just a tad). it runs, i wound up installing xp. however now that i've installed everest, i see the temps jump around from 1c to 45c or so (i guess it refreshes about every 4 seconds or so). i don't know what's up with that.

i know it says that the thermal compound takes like 200 hours (cycling between hot and cold), for it to take. it also says it might change 1-2-3 or so degrees c. but, i don't know why mine is jumping all around. anyway, i'm not to worried about this, as it is/was a test (so to speak). *note to self - it helps if you have the proper documentation*. anyway, i'll post some pics, as i need some help with the power switch, etc. right now, i'm turning on the comp with a pair of needle nose (to make a connection to the pins). - thx, sos

edit - also, it's supposed to be 1.67 ghz, why does it show less (screenshot below)? i have not really done anything in the bios, so i'm not sure if there is anything there i should check? - sos

edit again - now that i've thought about it (i don't know if it really matters), i salvaged this processor from a comp that had the atx (?) connector welded together (meaning i could not pull out the psu connector from that plug). anyway, i'm just curious.

 

Glad you got it going.
The thermal compound shouldn't be runny, it is normally like the consistency of clotted cream.
You only need a thin smear across the surface of the processor. It is only there to stop any air being trapped between the CPU & the heat sink.
Don't trust the readings from Everest. You are better off using the BIOS to check the temperature.
There may be some jumpers that need changing to get the correct speed from the CPU or there could be a setting in the BIOS. Check the manual for these.