Ok. I'm worried. Accidentally cleared my cmos.

Computer is unconscious but has a pulse.

First of all, thanks to everyone that lends a hand on this site. It's great to know that if I have a problem that's over my head, I can actually get help. So, thanks seriously.

The basic symptoms are that when I turn my pc on, windows doesn't seem to boot up with it. The monitor has power but doesn't kick on either. And, when I try to shut it down by holding in the power button, it just stays on. So, I then have to kill power to the power supply to shut it down.

The reason...I'm not sure at all. I do know that before all this happened just today, I had a problem with the pc randomly rebooting while I was gaming. I opened the case up to investigate. It turns out that it was just that the psu wasn't well connected to the motherboard at all. I fixed that and it gets steady power just fine now. But, now I have the new problem, above. I'm afraid I might have goofed something up inside but I'm not sure. I wiggled the Processor around a bit, but nothing too drastic. I usually take it real easy on the hardware. Anyway, I'm clueless now. Can anyone help me to revive this thing?

 

Re: Computer is unconscious but has a pulse.

As a sidenote, I just tried the keyboard and it is also unresponsive.

 

Re: Computer is unconscious but has a pulse.

Sounds like an overclock problem. On the next boot up, try holding insert, the key down for a while, if that does'nt work, try just leaving it for a while, to turn it off, hold the power button for at least 15 seconds(trust me it takes a while). If the above does'nt work, and you can't access your Bios, I hope you have your mobo's manual, chek in it for a short jumper that affects the cpu clock, if it has a safe mode set it to that, set your processor to a lower setting in the bios and set jumper back to normal, I had this happen to me when i first tried to OC about 2 weeks ago, so don't get impatient. If that doesn't work, you might want to check you psu with a multimeter.

 

Re: Computer is unconscious but has a pulse.

Thanks Stealth, for the advice. What if I told you that I never overclock? Would you still say the same thing?

 

Re: Computer is unconscious but has a pulse.

I accidentally cleared my cmos.

 

I had a bad connection earlier and managed to find and correct it. However, in the process I let my mind wonder and took off the cmos clear jumper not knowing what it was and put in on the WRONG way. When the pc wouldn't turn on I realized it and put it on correctly. After reading a little, now I'm trying to access my bios but my keyboard seems unresponsive. Did I really jack it up or can I still slip through this one?

 

Take the battery out, wait an hour, put the battery back, and try again.

 

In some bios you have to enable usb keyboard and mouse support also so if you have a usb Kb it may behave erratically if bios is reset.

 

It may be a "catch-22" situation. As ibbonkers said, USB support has to be turned in in many motherboards' BIOS/CMOS settings at boot up. But if you're using a USB keyboard it's not recognized until later in the boot sequence (when USB drivers get loaded by Windows, I guess). So tapping the BIOS access key (often "Delete") on your USB keyboard may not work because your USB keyboard isn't functional that early in the boot process.

If you have an old PS2 keyboard dig it out or see if you can borrow one from a friend. Shut your computer down and unplug the USB keyboard and hook up the PS2 one and then boot up and go into your BIOS. Look for a setting that's labeled "Legacy USB support" or something similar and turn that on. Then shut down and switch back to your USB keyboard and see if it now will work at boot up to access your BIOS.

My own experience with USB keyboards is that, once you've turned on USB support in the BIOS they work fine most of the time and can be used to access the BIOS and make changes. But once in awhile, for no reason I've been able to pin down, my USB keyboard will cause an error fairly early on in the boot process which can cause the system to hang or prevent the keyboard from being recognized. Sometimes simply rebooting (using the power switch or soft reboot switch) is all I need to do and other times the error will repeat and I've had to shut down, disconnect my USB keyboard and dig out my old PS2. This hasn't happened often, fortunately, but I keep an old PS2 keyboard tucked away just in case of future problems.

I once spent a couple of extra days trying to get Win XP up and running on a new home built system because of a USB keyboard attached to it. I'd get a couple of minutes into the installation (just past the point where the install routine copies a bunch of drivers) and the install would reboot and start all over again. Once I disconnected the USB keyboard and hooked up my old PS2 keyboard the install proceeded normally and everything worked fine. And then I set up USB support in the BIOS, shut down and substituted the USB keyboard for the PS2 and was good to go.

 

Re: Computer is unconscious but has a pulse.

What I wopuld say to that is where did you get your pc? I went 4 years with mine from an independant retailer, and never knew that had slightly oc'd it for gaming. As for clearing the cmos, is that before(what originally happened) or after my instructions?, If it's because of a jumper swqitch switch it back to retain memory and restart, I had that problem this morning.

 

Re: Computer is unconscious but has a pulse.

Hey Stealth,
Been sleeping. Ok. I got all my parts, original parts like the mb, from Newegg. It's a 755-A2 MB. I guess it's possible that it could be OC'd.

And, yes, I did all this before your post. You see, I had no reason, other than to make life hard on myself, for taking the jumper off in the first place. I just didn't know where to start. So, I finally found that I hadn't plugged the new PSU I got all the way into my MB. I plugged that in and then I got steady power just fine. But, I had cleared my cmos in the process.

Now, I have already switched my jumper back to the original 1&2 prongs. But, when I reboot my pc won't go into bios or anything. I keep hitting the keys but nothing happens. There's no familiar beeping and no loading of any screen or windows. Just dead power. Lights are on but nobody's home.

 

Thanks for the good responses. I have an older key board with the ps2 connection on that computer, already. So that's not it. If I would have known that to be an issue I would have specified, sorry. However, I did try checking the ram and video connections, to be sure they had a good connection. Now I will try taking out the bios battery and see what that does, I guess. I will get back to you.

 

Re: Computer is unconscious but has a pulse.

I'm confused. Is this the same pc you are reporting in your other thread?

Booting with the jumper in the wrong place shouldn't cause permanent damage. PCs normally restart OK when you put the jumper to rights.

So have a very careful look at all the other wiring, connections etc. Does this pc have an on/off switch on the back?

 

Re: Computer is unconscious but has a pulse.

Yes, it is. I started this thread in Hardware because I thought that I had broken something, maybe. But then I realized that what i had done was erase my cmos or whatever. So, I figured it must be software. But, then if I put the jumper in the right spot it should have booted up just fine. But, then all the parts have power to them just fine. I don't know.

But, yes. That was what I wanted to know. I'm so glad you said that. I did boot it up with the jumper in the wrong position and I thought that maybe I had fried it or something.

Yes, I usually hold in the power button in front to reboot. But, it was doing nothing. so, i have to use the switch on the PSU on the back of the pc for now.

thanks

 

Computer's still down. I've tried everything from pulling out the cmos battery for 1 hour and holding in the power button for a minute then replacing it, to checking all the connections. I even pulled the psu from this old thing to try it, but it's only a 100 watt. It did the same exact thing, basically just run the fans, but that doesn't really tell me much.

My next step is to get a replacement psu, hopefully that will solve the problem. I'm ordering from newegg. I really look at the reviews of each one. Worse case scenario is that i end up with a backup psu.

 

Please tell us in detail what you mean by this.

 

Well, the initial problem was that the Power Supply wasn't fully plugged into the Motherboard. The 20 pin connector wasn't fully snapped into place. So, I opened the case, found the problem, then plugged it all the way in. Now, by steady power, I mean that it no longer randomly reboots all by itself. It was just shutting off and coming on very spontaneously. It stays on now, it just doesn't do anything. It doesn't boot up windows and it doesn't "beep" anymore. All it does is run the fans and lights to the pc.

The problem is that before i found out the first problem, i disconnected the bios clear jumper and placed it in the clear bios position and then rebooted, probably creating a much bigger problem.

Just to update everyone, i have a PSU on order from Newegg. However, I'm not too sure that is the problem. I'm afraid that I may have wiped out my MB all together or something. I sure wish i had some way to test it here at home. I pulled out my PSU and hooked it up to this old machine. It powered up this system just fine. This pc only requires a 100 watt though, so i guess that's not saying much. I guess I just don't get how a psu can lose a little power without losing all of its' power. What wears out?

 

"After long storage, the electrolyte and dielectric layer within electrolytic capacitors may deteriorate."

"When used heavily or over an extended period of time (1+ years) a power supply will slowly lose some of its initial wattage capacity."

So basically its the capacitors.

 

Thanks for the links Hegemon. That was the second time I used a calculator for my system. Both times I came up with a necessary total Wattage of about 205 to 220. That's apparently all my pc really needs to run. It's not much, but it does the job ok for me. Anyway, it looks like all the money I have right now is going into just getting the darn thing fixed. Let alone upgrades.

I'm still a little confounded though. It was a new PSU, albeit a cheap one, and I didn't run the system all that much. So, the capacitors should not have worn out. Unless, the fact that it kept randomly powering off and on could have worn down the capacitors.

I'm just concerned that I am ordering a new PSU just to find out that the problem is in another component. What would you say are my odds? Anyone?

 

I just re-read this thread and think we may have overlooked some basic info. Is this a machine you built yourself with parts from NewEgg? Is that correct? How long ago did you buy the parts/build this system?

How about listing, in one post, your motherboard make and model, power supply (make, model and capacity), your cpu info, graphics card (or onboard graphics chip?), sound card, amount and type of RAM, hard drive, modem or wireless adapter, CD/DVD drive, floppy drive (if you have one) -- and any other installed hardware in this system so we have the full picture.

And tell us about the system software also. What operating system is installed on this machine? And what other software did you usually run on it (when it was working properly)? What are some games you were able to run on it previously?

It sounds like your system power demands are quite modest, and you say your power supply is only rated at 100 watts. That's exceptionally low -- are you sure that's correct? I don't believe I've seen a power supply rated at less than 150 watts since before the Windows 95 era. Unless you purchased it many years ago it's hard to imagine it would be rated at only 100 watts.

But if you've really been running a system that you calculate needs over 200 watts on a power supply rated at 100 watts you may well have damaged your power supply and replacing it with a larger capacity power supply may solve your problem. What's the rated capacity on the new power supply on order?

You do know, don't you, to be very careful when working inside your system? First of all, of course, make sure the system is powered down before opening up the case. I usually 1) shut my system down and 2) either turn off the power switch on the power supply on the back of the case or else unplug the power cable from the case.

You should also be sure to ground yourself to discharge any static electricity (particularly during the winter months when it's so easy to generate a static charge) before touching anything on your motherboard or even just plugging something into (or unplugging from) your system.

With that safety caution and the static electricity warning in mind...

Your problem could be due to your clearing/resetting your BIOS/CMOS improperly. I'd suggest you check the manufacturer's instructions for your motherboard on how to clear/reset your CMOS correctly and follow it carefully, start to finish. If you don't have a printed copy of your motherboard manual then check the company's website and download the correct manual for your motherboard. Then try following the instructions for a CMOS reset, even though you tried to do this before. Sometimes you have to leave the battery out and the jumper in the reset position for some hours (perhaps as long as 24 hours) in order to get a satisfactory (i.e. bootable, working) result. Follow carefully the instructions from your motherboard manual for a CMOS reset and note how long they recommend you leave the battery out with the jumper in the reset position before restoring them to their normal working positions.

You say you do some gaming on this system. If you only have a 100 watt power supply I presume you're playing older and/or undemanding games (e.g. solitaire or freecell) that don't make any special graphic display/power demands?

About overclocking -- if you did, indeed, built this system new yourself it's not very likely it's ever been overclocked unless you did it accidentally (by tweaking some BIOS settings). I guess it's possible the motherboard BIOS settings could have been set to overclock from the factory inadvertently, but not very likely.

A keyboard problem is apparently a non-issue since you have a PS2 keyboard, not a USB. Still, if you can, try plugging your keyboard into another machine and see if you can access the BIOS on that system, just in case you've got a keyboard, keyboard cable or keyboard connector that's damaged, thus preventing you from accessing the BIOS.

Did I understand correctly that the power switch on the front of your case isn't working any longer? So you have to power the system on by toggling the switch on your power supply (on the rear of your case)? When did the switch on the front of the case stop working?

Give us your system specs/info, tell us a bit about the history of this machine (i.e. did you build it yourself? how old is it?) and, in the meantime, check your motherboard manual and carefully follow, from start to finish, the recommended procedure to reset your CMOS/BIOS and, if possible, try using your PS2 keyboard to access the BIOS setup on a different computer to insure your keyboard is working properly.

 

This should not be possible in a correctly assembled and set up pc. Somewhere on the motherboard the front panel switch will be connected to two pins. This switch momentarily shorts the pins to start the pc. Technicians often start the pc with a screwdriver to test the action of the switch.

100W may be sufficient for your system - tell us more as Eezak says

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=117975&highlight=power+measurements

About the power switch connection read also this thread

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=119331&highlight=power+measurements

I am seriously worried that your skills are not up to the task of servicing this pc and that you are only making matters worse for yourself. Please don't take this personally, but you need on site expert help or take the pc to one.

 

The pc that I'm on right now is the 100 watt. It's an old HP. Never once had to replace one component. It's 8 or so yrs old and still the psu is perfect. I thought building my own pc would be sort of fun. It's a pain in the arse.

My home built system is around 2 years old. I bought all the parts from newegg. The PSU went bad about 5 months ago. I replaced it with a 350 watt Mad Dog PSU. My pc only requires 220 Watts MAXIMUM to run. I got distracted when assembling the new PSU. I failed to plug the 20 pin connector all the way in to the mainboard. A few weeks back it started to randomly reboot. It was because I did not plug the 20 pin connection all the way in. I didn't know that until I opened the case and looked around. I found the connection and plugged it all the way in. But, before I did that I pulled off the cmos jumper and put it back on the wrong position. Now the jumper is on correctly. I repeat the jumper is now on correctly. And, the psu is now fully plugged in to the MB.

When I rebooted the system, the power came on but the Monitor, keyboard, mouse and power button were not responsive. Just to repeat, the monitor, keyboard, mouse and power button were not responsive. I CAN turn the power on via the power button. I just cannot turn the power back OFF via the power button. So I use the switch on the PSU to power down. How the heck all of this resulted from opening the case up just once plugging in the PSU and resetting the cmos jumper, I have no clue. And, apparently, most of the pc experts in the world don't either. But, I think Eezak may have the right idea, if I could just find out how to reset my cmos by the manufacturer's standard. But, my manual doesn't tell me anything!

As far as my skills not being up to the task for servicing the pc...they're not. But, the "pc doctor" wanted 120 american just to look at it. My system only cost 350 or so to build. No. Just not an option. I have to do my own work. On my house, on my heater and water heater, my swimming pool, my car. The wind just pulled the fence i spent all summer on right out of the freakin' ground...and I'm going to have to put it back in. I've had my Hewlett-Packard opened many, many times. I just rebuilt the manifold on my water heater. I didn't even know what a manifold is or does...still don't. I didn't know if it was going to heat up our water or BLOW UPMy skills aren't necessarily up for any of those tasks...at first.....but they're gonna be. "Making things harder on myself?" Hmm. My life story. My dad never taught me a trade. What he did teach me though was self sufficiency, when he said, "you climbed up that tree, now you can get yourself down." I was scared as h&ll but I figured it out. I built my pc, I broke it, I will be fixing it. And, being poor has taught me a lot. If I could afford to pay someone, I would've already had it fixed. The good news is once I do this one, you can bet I won't be forgetting it any time soon.

Eezak, I think you may be on to something. I'm wondering if maybe it isn't still a cmos/bios problem. The biggest problem for me right now is that the manual for the ecs 755-a2 doesn't tell you squat about how to reset the cmos. To make matters worse I've looked for the instructions for resetting the cmos jumper for the ecs 755-a2 online now for a while and I can't find anything. If any one could actually find that for me, I would be most appreciative.

My specs, I'll do my best from memory, but I usually just run my everest software and copy the info from that.

ECS 755-A2 SiS755 chipset Motherboard (peice of cr@p)
AMD Athlon 64 Sempron 2600+
Mad Dog SurePower 350 Watt Power Supply
nVIDIA Gforce 7600 GS DDR2 512MB AGP
1GB single stick DDR SDRAM
Samsung 40 Gig 7200rpm HDD
16x DVD ROM
Mad Dog 8x cd Burner
56k modem
2 fans on psu, 1 case fan, 1 fan on processor and 1 small fan on video card
old surround sound speaker system with woofer
ps2 keyboard and mouse
and a really old and junky monitor
and some dust

Most software is basic winxp stuff. Mostly set up for gaming so I have several older games and a couple semi new games on it like Oblivion, Hitman Blood Money, and BattleField 2.

 

I accidentally hit save and couldn't edit any longer.

 

O.k. Thanks to everyone that's helped in this thread.

I just got my new psu. Well, I have two nice psu's now. Apparently, that wasn't the problem. Still doin' the same dumb thing.

Here's a good question. When I hook my psu up to the DVD player, it will eject. When I hook the IDE cable up to the DVD player it will not. Does that indicate a defective Mainboard or does that matter?

To tell you the truth, I would buy a new Mainboard too, just to see if that's the problem. It's only 20 or so american dollars for the ecs 755-a2 on Newegg. But, I think it's still a bios problem. The thing is if I had not have pulled the cmos jumper off, it would probably be fine right now. My biggest problem right now seems to be finding the specific instructions for resetting cmos for the ecs 755-a2. My manual really sucks. All it says is to take the jumper off of 1 & 2 and put it on 2 & 3. That's what got me into this mess to begin with.

I have already tried taking the battery out and setting the jumper to the reset cmos position for 40 hours and holding in the power button for a minute or two, then putting the battery back in and the jumper back on the original position and powering up. That didn't work either.

Any help finding any cmos/bios help especially for the ecs 755-a2. Would be very, very appreciated. Actually any suggestions anyone has are appreciated. Thanks for all the help.

 

Hey, I think you have the right attitude about this stuff and yes, if you persist you will learn more and more. I started tinkering with computers when I knew almost nothing, but kept on, have learned a bit and continue to learn from magazines and the web and especially from the people here at majorgeeks. At the same time it is easy to mess things up, but I guess I don't need to tell you that. Hang in there and maybe we can get this sorted out yet. And thanks for posting the info clarifying the age and specs of your system and that you built it yourself.

Here's some info that may be helpful.

I found the ECS website and a link that will allow you to download your motherboard manual, but it's likely no different from the printed copy you already have. It's in zip format so you'll need software to unzip it (and should likely be able to find free software here at MG that will do the trick if you don't already have something). Once you unzip the file you'll see the manual is in pdf format so you'll need to have Adobe Acrobat (or other pdf file software) installed in order to see the manual. Most likely you already have Acrobat installed. Here's the link for downloading your manual from the ECS website:

http://www.ecsusa.com/ECSWebSite/Pr...tailid=381&DetailName=Manual&MenuID=1&LanID=9

Scroll down the page to the first set of links and click on the one labeled USA. (And further down there's a link for the manual for, I guess, your motherboard's built-in RAID hardware if you need that manual.) Why they zipped up this file I don't know as the zipped file is nearly as large as the unzipped pdf file.

Notice at the top of this same webpage there is a link for support. If you click on that you'll see a page of support links to FAQ's and a Knowledge Base and some other support related links. Maybe buried in one of those links is an email support link that will allow you to contact ECS about your problem via email. Take a look.

I downloaded your motherboard manual myself and took a look at the motherboard diagram and instructions for resetting the CMOS and you're right -- they're not very good -- not detailed enough. In particular, no instructions suggesting how long you may need to leave the CMOS jumper in the reset position. I think I wrote in an earlier post that you might need to leave the jumper in the reset position for as long as 24 hours, but in truth I think I've seen accounts posted on the web where people said it can take 4 or 5 days for the CMOS/BIOS to reset. I've never experienced that long a reset interval myself, but I guess it's possible and, maybe, with a cheaper motherboard a longer interval is more likely.

So you don't try 3 days, and then 4 and then 5 days I'd suggest just trying 5 days if you can stand it and then move the jumper over to the normal position and put the battery back in.

You say the front power button on this computer will turn the machine on but won't turn it off? Have you tried holding the power button in for 5 or 6 seconds to see if that works, shuts it off? If it does, and it formerly shut the computer off instantly, that suggests that the CMOS has indeed been altered, as the option for shutoff to occur only after the power button is held in for some seconds is, I believe, typically an option in many BIOS'es.

Regarding jumpers....Does your printed motherboard manual mention the BIOS protection jumper located in the same area of the motherboard as the CMOS jumper? I've never seen this additional BIOS jumper and perhaps it has something to do with your problem or with your difficulty fixing it. I hope someone else who's familiar with this "BIOS Protection Jumper" will provide some info as I don't know what it's for and the darn manual, while it shows it on the motherboard diagram, doesn't explain it either. Note that pin 1 on the "protection jumper" is on the opposite end compared to pin 1 on the reset jumper (or vice versa). Make certain you haven't mixed up those two jumpers when trying to reset your CMOS as pin 1 is on the "bottom/down" end for the CMOS jumper and on the "top/up" end for the "Protection Jumper."

Maybe you can find some helpful info about that protection jumper and whether you have to, for example, maybe remove the jumper on it in order to allow a reset of the CMOS/BIOS in one of those support page links at the ECS site? I'm guessing that in order to reset the BIOS properly that jumper may have to be changed or removed also, but I'm reluctant to suggest you do that without clear instructions from someone familiar with your motherboard. If you are able to find a support email link at the ECS website I'd suggest asking for detailed instructions for resetting your CMOS and for clarification and instructions about proper use of that "BIOS Protection Jumper".

You say your keyboard, among other things, isn't working. Have you tried using that keyboard on your other computer to make sure it's OK? I know some of your other hardware isn't working either, but you can't assume that your keyboard is really OK until you test it on a known working computer. It's quite unlikely that your keyboard died at the same time all this other stuff happened, but, you know....Murphy's Law. So test it on your other computer if you haven't already to insure it's not dead.

I hope this is some help. Hang in there...check out those support links at the ECS website and, especially, try to find a support email link (or, if you're lucky a toll free phone number -- though that may entail a long time on hold, horrible background music and wading through a support person or two who's not really paying attention and just working through a script. If you get that treatment insist on speaking to someone higher up the support food chain).

I hate to suggest this possibility, but were you very careful to ground yourself (to discharge any static electricity) before you touched anything inside your computer case? Computer chips are extremely sensitive to static electricity which has very little current but plenty of voltage to fry sensitive microchips. You should always ground yourself before plugging in or unplugging anything from the back of your computer or before working inside the case.

Good luck and let us know if you make any more progress.The fact that neither your monitor, keyboard or mouse work isn't encouraging, though maybe someone here who knows hardware and motherboards better than I do will be able to figure out something from that. When you turn the computer on do you hear any beeps from the little case speaker? If so, those are error codes that may provide some helpful info. I haven't looked in your motherboard manual, but if you hear some beeps when you turn the computer on, note how many and whether long or short/how many of each and check your motherboard manual for the bootup beep error code. (It may not be called that exactly, but something similar) That may give you some critical info.

If you make no further progress and you are determined to fix this yourself your next step may indeed be buying another motherboard. But before you do that I'd make sure your monitor, mouse and keyboard all work fine when plugged into your other computer.

It's really unfortunate that your monitor isn't working as it might show some error info at bootup that would be helpful or even allow you to enter your BIOS setup if you could only see what you were doing.

By the way, how do you know your keyboard isn't working if your monitor isn't displaying anything? Does your keyboard have a power light and it's not lighting up? Is that it?

Good luck and let us know if you make any more progress.

 

I don't know what your DVD drive ejecting indicates. Do you mean it ejects spontaneously when you plug in the power connector for the drive? Or when you hit the eject/open button on the front of the drive? If it won't open when you press the button after hooking up the IDE cable but the eject button works when only the power is connected that's certainly odd, but I don't know what it would indicate, except that maybe your motherboard is really defective.

 

Uh, that "bootup beep error code" I referred to above will likely be called "POST failure error codes" or something similar. (POST IS "Power On Self Test" -- a series of basic tests the system performs each time it's turned on.)

 

Holy Eezak! Now that's a post! You've given me some things to chew on for a day or so. That's the way I like it!

I will need a little time. I will do some work and I'm sure I will post back here in a couple of days. But, yes, to answer just one question. I have definitely tried holding in that darn power button. And, wow, put the jumper on the clear cmos position for five days huh. o.k. Five?...alright then. Five. I can do that. I'll just.....study meanwhile...a lot.

Right now I'm going to try doing a simple start up with only the bare components and see what happens. Then I'll perform the "great test of will" for five days. If nothing then it looks like I might be ordering a mb.

 

:chuckles: Ding-dongs.

Thank You.

YEP. 50 or 60 seconds too.

Now you're feeling my pain! I could try moving it and gamble with finally fixing the cmos... or really jacking up the bios all together. I'm not much of a gambler.

I'm gonna.

I just thought of that today myself. I will do that with the keyboard and monitor tomorrow just for laughs.

Nothing. I can get a pulse and she's breathing, but pupils are completely dialated and she's unresponsive...I think it's a coma.

O.K.

Eggsactly. I know. I'll hook up this monitor tomorrow. I don't think it will matter...but it's worth a shot.

The lights will come on at first. It was the fact that no matter how many times I tried, I couldn't restart using ctrl alt del. I couldn't get into bios using delete key as usual, and if I go crazy on the keyboard the internal speaker doesn't beep any more. I think the keyboard is working fine, my mobo just can't hear it anymore.:cry

o.k.:cry

Bingo.

 

I looked at some of those support links at the ECS website and quickly found that you can email ECS for support help. How long it will take and how helpful they'll be is anyone's guess.

I looked through a bit more of the manual and found some info on the "BIOS Protection Jumper." It appears that jumper's position must be changed to allow flashing the BIOS. That suggests to me that, in it's normal position (bridging pins 1 and 2), that jumper might interfere with the CMOS reset process, but I don't think that's likely. (Surely they wouldn't have omitted the instruction to change that jumper's position also when changing the CMOS jumper for a reset, would they? I mean, stuff like that never happens does it??? Uh, never mind....)

I understand about your reluctance to gamble, but if you're going to try the 5 day reset I think, given the info in the manual about that protection jumper, that there's very little risk in changing that jumper to bridge pins 2 and 3 and, in it's normal "BIOS protection" position it may actually be preventing the BIOS from resetting.

But if you're patient and don't mind waiting for an email reply from ECS that covers our CMOS reset questions for this board -- how long should you wait before moving the CMOS jumper back and do you need to do anything with the BIOs protection jumper at all -- that would be the most conservative way to proceed.

I'd have recommended flashing the BIOS already but, of course, if your monitor isn't working flashing the BIOS is out of the question (and maybe your floppy drive is also down for the count? How about your hard drive? Can you hear it spinning up when you turn the system on?).

I've found that email support is sometimes quite good (though I have no experience with ECS specifically) but given that your motherboard is out of warranty (I assume), your problem may get put near the end of the line and it may take awhile before you hear back from them. In the meantime do test your monitor, mouse and keyboard to insure they aren't damaged.

I asked previoiusly..."When you turn the computer on do you hear any beeps from the little case speaker?" and you replied "Nothing...."

But then you also wrote "...if I go crazy on the keyboard the internal speaker doesn't beep any more."

So it must be beeping when you first turn it on, right? (And that's sort of a pulse...though it may still be brain dead.) Those beeps are for just this sort of situation -- to provide some error info when your monitor isn't working. Look in the manual or on the ECS website for those POST error codes to interpret what the beeps mean. Note the lenght of any beeps you hear...sort of like morse code, but instead of "dot dash dot" it's short, long, short. Or maybe two short, two long or whatever.

The manual does mention the POST, the basic hardware tests the system performs each time it's turned on, but I found nothing about interpreting the POST error codes, which is really an important piece of fundamental info and there's no excuse for leaving it out of the motherboard manual. (But ECS is by no means the only company to overlook vital info when putting together a motherboard -- or other computer hardware -- manual.) So be sure to also ask about POST error codes for your model motherboard when you email ECS for support.

If you're going to try the 5 day CMOS marathon anyway :cry (maybe you've already begun?) why not take that time to completely unplug and disassemble the entire system and put it back together. You've got five days, so why not insure that everything is plugged in properly by working your way painstakingly through the manual instructions for adding hardware to the motherboard. Insure, for example, that your processor is really properly seated and securely locked into its socket; check the chart for system RAM, note the allowable configurations for the number of sticks of RAM you have and make sure your RAM is properly and securely seated in the recommended socket(s). And, if you have more than one stick of RAM, try using only one stick (in the proper slot position for a single stick) at a time to see if the system will begin booting (if so you either have some defective RAM or a defective RAM socket on the motherboard).

I looked back and saw that you have a single stick of RAM. Can you substitute RAM from your other computer (probably not as that's system is so much older and surely uses RAM with a different configuration. Don't try to force RAM that isn't designed for your system into one of your RAM sockets.) Can you try the RAM from the defective computer in a friend's system to test the RAM and make sure it's working OK?

If you do this rebuild...read the manual carefully. Compare the downloaded manual with your printed manual and note any differences. Make sure you have your motherboard diagram oriented properly when locating things on the board, checking jumper positions, etc. And note things that seem designed to invite you to make mistakes (like having pin 1 on the CMOS jumper located at the opposite end on that pin layout compared to the way it's oriented on the BIOS protection jumper).

Your 20 pin power connector apparently wasn't securely seated and, especially given it was your first time building a system, it's certainly possible something else wasn't solidly connected or may have worked loose over time.

At least you have your older computer to use to access the web and email and other basic functions. But I'm also an avid gamer and I know how much I miss my game time when my system goes down. I am betting your motherboard is defective. You have to weigh the possibility of buying yet another extra piece of equipment that you don't really need (if it turns out your motherboard isn't the problem or that the CMOS will, in fact, reset if you just wait long enough) versus your frustration, time and effort to keep tinkering with this one, waiting for email help from ECS and so on.

I'm not saying you should throw in the towel and buy another motherboard right away. And I'm certainly not an expert and can't say for certain your motherboard is the cause of your problems. But given the variety and magnitude of problems you're having I do think a defective motherboard (whether damaged by static electricity, power fluctuations cause by an improperly seated connector, some chips burning out or whatever) is most likely the source of your problems.

How many usable (i.e. compatible with this motherboard) old computer parts do you have squirreled away in your closet or workbench drawer? If you have enough or nearly enough to build a second system, once you've gotten this one working you may be able to recoup some or all of the money you've spent by building another computer with extra and old, but serviceable, parts and putting it up for sale. Maybe you can even make a few extra bucks to put in the piggy bank for another game. I suspect you're learning a lot more than you did when you first built this system and may find that building a second one won't be nearly as painful and difficult as it was the first time around.

Don't get discouraged. I think most of us who've upgraded, built new systems from scratch or otherwise tinkered around inside our computer cases have made mistakes, especially when doing something for the first time. I've certainly made my share of mistakes over the years. But you get smarter, you learn to read between the lines of hardware and software manuals/instructions and you find good sources of info and help on the web, like MG.

Good luck and let us know as you get additional info from ECS or from your own further testing and tweaking.

:heli

 

No, no. They wouldn't have done that. rolleyes.

What the heck. I'm just about to give up and just order another MB anyway. May as well give it a try. I have a feeling it just might work. Not much to lose at this point.

I tried their online cust support yesterday and just kept getting java script errors. So, I'm really glad you found out about email cust support. I'll jump right on that. thanks.

Sorry. I should've been more descriptive. "Nothing" meaning it's completely dead. I can't hear any beeps ever anymore for any reason. I wish I could. All I hear is the quiet, soothing hum of the fans. And, see the cool blue lights on my case. That's "the pulse". Beeping would be some form of "communication".

I did that today. They're fine.

Yes, i have already started that process. And, I more or less have it all disassembled right now. I may do that though, not sure.

Hmmmm. I have an extra stick or two that I know will work in that pc. Worth a shot, i guess.

I wondered the same thing. If it indeed isn't just a funny cmos/bios problem, it's got to be that the mb was defective to begin with or that the power fluctuations caused it to just "fry".

Either way I'm still leaning toward the jumpers. My next step is to contact ECS, asking for better instructions on using those jumpers. And, I will relocate the bios protection jumper as well. Maybe wait a day or so on ECS to respond. I don't know how much more patient I can be.

Whatever happens, I've got to hand it to you Eezak...you have a quality that, as unlikely as it seems, I rarely find in people, even in the work place. That is an exceptional ability to look at all the different possibilities and perspectives before jumping to a conclusion and taking some rash course of action. And, you were willing to share those insights with me. You helped considerably. So many thanks.

I, hereby, nominate Eezak for a promotion as he/she has exemplified the fine qualities of an up-and-coming computer technition and outstanding "good samaritan" of Majorgeeks.com.

 

Eezak, are you positive that you saw a place for "e-mail" support at the ECS website? I have been there several times and I cannot seem to find it. I hate to ask this, but, could you provide a link for that?

 

Thanks for the compliments. Glad that I've been able to find a few additional bits of info that at least helped you understand your motherboard a little better.

I'm not certain this is a link for email support below. Maybe you tried this already and found that it's live chat support? Live chat can be good, but it's like phone support -- too often someone is just working there way through a generic set of instructions they've been told to use and not really taking into account the info you're trying to give them about your problem:

http://www.ecsusa.com/ECSWebSite/Support/TechnicalSupport.aspx?MenuID=19&LanID=9

If you click your way through this (click on "Support Form" and then "Motherboard" on the next page) you get a form to fill out describing your problem and a place to fill in your email address. I assumed that meant they would follow up via email with requested info and suggestions to attempt to revive your motherboard or else confirm it really is DOA and not fixable. Did you try filling out this form? If so, what happened?

Re: your case speaker -- I assume you've checked to see the wires are hooked up to it and that those wires are connected to the proper place on your motherboard?

 

Hey all, Eezak. How's everyone? I know that it has been a long time since my last post, but I have been super busy the last couple of months. I haven't been able to work on my pc either. The last thing that I did was I replaced the MB in it. I remember taking out the old dusty one and putting in the brand new MB, letting it run for a couple of minutes and then "poof". It just goes out. Then when I tried to turn it back on, it would just fizzle out and would not come on at all. So, I put the old mobo back in and quess what? It runs the same way, lights are on and fans are going but nothing else. So, I think that the Mobo I ordered was a DOA.

And, even though I replaced nearly everything in the pc, I still haven't solved the problem. The only thing that I know for sure is that the Power Supply is fine. And, I am positive that all other basic hardware is fine...mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc. I've checked all those things thoroughly. I'm suspecting either the MB, Processor or maybe the graphics card although I'd think you would still get a beep at start up if the problem was with the graphics card.

I wonder if the problem could be with windows xp, like a virus for example. I could try a reinstall, but, if I can't see what's on the monitor, I couldn't begin to address that problem.

Please know that at this point, I have literally switched out everything of significance except for the processor.

The good news is that I will be starting a new job here soon and I should be getting some decent cash. Atleast then I can get a diagnostic done!!

But, if anyone has a thought feel free to let me know. Thanx GF.

 

Did you do all these together? If so where did you get the idea?

I've looked through this thread and the manual and can't find anything to suggest holding the power button in whilst the battery is out.

To reset the bios first remove the power. Then

either

Remove the battery for a period this is normally 5 -30 minutes but can be up to 2 weeks.
Replace the battery.
or

Move the reset jumper/ switch as directed in the manual.
Return the reset jumper to its normal position.

When finished, power back up.

Do not make any other changes whilst doing this.

Yes the bios protection jumper only comes into play if you want to reinstall or update (flash) the bios.

 

Welcome back. I was wondering if you'd figured out what was wrong with your system. I re-read all your posts just now and considering that you have hardware (such as your keyboard and monitor) that work fine on your other computer and that it appears you may have fried your new motherboard (you put that one in since you posted some weeks ago, right?) I'm thinking that while your power supply may be fine, that your case, specifically your power switch, isn't fine. I'd think the main power switch on the front of the case wouldn't be too terribly exotic and would either work or not. But clearly that's not the situation with your computer as you can use that front switch to turn the computer on but not off. That's very odd and suggests that either the switch itself is defective or some sort of logic chip that works in conjunction with the switch is defective. I'm speculating (and that's all it is, as I know little about how a computer power switch works and exactly what it's wired into on the motherboard and what happens power-wise once the switch is turned on) that when the switch first began to not work correctly it fried a bunch of stuff on your motherboard, maybe including your CMOS chip. And I'm afraid that when you installed the new motherboard the same thing happened all over again. A faulty main power switch may have caused some capacitors, or diodes, or a dedicated power control chip that filters and controls power to the motherboard components and/or the CMOS to short and allow more than the maximum allowed voltage and/or current into your motherboard components.

Indeed, you say that you've replaced nearly everything -- and you specifically mentioned that you tried a new power supply, and then installed a new motherboard. Furthermore your keyboard and monitor work fine when hooked up to your other computer, right?

One thing you haven't replaced, I think, is the case itself which clearly has a partially fried (or melted or shorted) defective power switch. And I'm thinking that's at the bottom of your troubles. I'd suggest you not install anymore new hardware into that case. If you're handy with a solder gun, I suppose it may be possible to replace the power switch. Still, I'm afraid you're going to have to buy yet another motherboard.

As I wrote above, I'm not certain about this, but as I re-read your posts in this thread it seemed to me that it was unlikely your CMOS is at the root of your problems. New motherboard, new CMOS -- and yet still the same sort of problem isn't it?

Moving the jumper and not resetting it properly might have caused the system not to boot up, but once you removed the battery and reset the CMOS by moving the jumper over and moving it back that should have made the system bootable unless there's something else wrong. And again, you put in a new motherboard (with a new CMOS chip/BIOS) and things still aren't any better.

A faulty or corrupt or virus infected Windows XP installation wouldn't keep you from at least being able to access your BIOS. The onscreen stuff you should see when you first begin to boot up the system, (the quick RAM test and the BIOS version, for example) -- all that stuff comes from the BIOS and is read from the CMOS chip and executed and displayed before Windows ever begins to load. The same is true for the BIOS menu and all the BIOS settings -- they're stored in the CMOS chip and don't require that Windows even be installed in order for you to access the BIOS. You could be running Linux or not have any OS installed at all and should still be able to access the BIOS unless there's something else badly wrong somewhere. The fact that you don't even hear any speaker beeps codes to give you some clue as to what's wrong would seem to indicate that whatever failure is causing your problems is occuring right away, as soon as the power comes on. And given your problem with the power switch occurred, I think, at the same time all this other stuff went wrong, and immediately after fully seating that main power connector on the board, I'm thinking that the power switch itself and whatever electrical filtering circuitry it feeds into on the motherboard is partly fried. And when you installed a new motherboard, I'm afraid the defective power switch fried it also.

So, rather than pay someone to run some diagnostic tests, I think you might be better off spending that money on a new case and yet another motherboard. NewEgg often has some cheaper cases on sale and I think you said the motherboard you've been using isn't very expensive. So you might be able to buy a new case and another new motherboard for a good bit less than you'd have to pay (assuming a basic minimum bench charge of $60 to $75 or maybe even more) to even just have someone take a look at your computer.

Or, if you feel up to it, you could try to find a replacement for the main power switch at the front of the case and just repair/replace that rather than buying a new case. But I still think that your new motherboard is fried now and will have to be replaced regardless.

Maybe someone else will weigh in here who's more knowledgeable about the possibility of a bad main power switch being able to cause the sorts of problems you're having. I'd hate to steer you wrong, but a defective power switch that's allowing too much juice to the motherboard is my best guess at this point. But I hope someone else more knowledgeable will chime in and say my analysis is way off base -- and it would be nice if they could figure out what is the cause then also!

 

Re: Computer is unconscious but has a pulse.

One other possibility, since you haven't replaced the CPU apparently. How exactly were you able to wiggle the processor around? Usually, and for good reason, they're clamped down rock solid to the motherboard. And typically even the stock heatsink/fan are rather bulky. Did you first release the clamp holding the entire fan/heatsink/cpu chip assembly securely to the motherboard? And did you also release the separate little clamp that you typically have to close immediately after inserting the cpu into its socket? You released that too? If you really managed to actually wiggle the cpu around you may have damaged or broken some of the pins on the bottom of the cpu. If you haven't already done so, you may want to remove the fan and heatsink from the cpu and then carefully remove the cpu itself from the motherboard and see if there are any broken or badly bent pins on the bottom of the cpu.

Be aware that there will surely be some sticky gunk on the top of the cpu and bottom of the heat sink that serves to increase the flow of heat away from the cpu when it's running. You'll need to carefully clean this gunk off (with isopropyl alcohol,I think, and a soft cloth -- or some special cleaning solutiion made for the purpose). Then, if you find there are no broken or damaged pins on the cpu, you'll need to get some Arctic Silver (or some similar paste, designed to facilitate heat transfer between the cpu and cpu heatsink) and use a very small amount on the top of the cpu before re-attaching the heat sink/fan to it.

If you weren't able to actually wiggle the cpu around (or if you were careful to release both the heatsink clamp and the clamp that secures the cpu in it's socket) then I wouldn't bother to do all this -- assuming you really didn't wiggle the cpu very far after releasing all clamp pressure.

However, even if you didn't actually break or damage some pins, then if, as I suggested in my post above, the power switch is at the bottom of your troubles, I guess the cpu, along with other items attached to the motherboard, could have been damaged by excess voltage or current.

 

I missed that bit.

I think these epic posts are too long to take in properly. You would be better advised to break them up into smaller more easily assimilated chunks.

Also do one thing at a time and post if it does not have desired effect. Posts which contain the results of several actions are difficult to unravel. Also the time to respond is longer.

Incidentally your manual is better than the previous generation but not as good as the following. You often have to look in several places for setting information.

Don't worry the Geeks will happily continue to give advice with your project.
I have prepared some advice in the following post to bear in mind for your next moonshot.

 

It is important to realise that

The motherboard is live so long as you have power connected to the pc.
The motherboard has circuitry that operates independently of the processor, even before the processor is turned on.

The front panel switch is one of the simplest things on the pc.
It is a plunger which connects two contacts when pushed in.

What happens next is the same on all modern pcs, although how this is achieved varies.

The power supply 'provides' a number of different power supplies to the pc.
One of these is a low power 5volt supply that is always on so long as the powerline is connected.
This is before the front panel button is pushed.
This 5volt supply feeds certain parts of the motherboard.
This is the reason you must disconnect the power before changing things within the pc.

When you push the button the circuitry on the motherboard senses the closed switch and initiates startup.
This causes the motherboard to send a signal to the power supply to turn on.
Nothing else happens on the motherboard at this stage, it waits for a return signal from the power supply, called PSOK.
Note that the processor is not involved at this stage.

Some of the more sophisticated testing devices can actually run the motherboard with no or dead processor.

Only when the motherboard circuitry receives the signal from the power supply does it fire up the processor.
The processor always looks in a certain location for its first instruction.
This location is arranged to be in the BIOS ROM and the instruction is to start POST.

Once the processor is running if you hold the front panel button in for 10 seconds or so
the sensing circuitry switches the processor to another set of (orderly shut down) instructions.

This is why you can start, but not stop your pc with the power button
You have not yet started the processor.

 

Ah, thanks studiot. That info was exactly the sort of thing I was hoping someone would provide -- a clear understanding of the sequence and interactions of the power switch, power supply, CPU and CMOS. That's good to know.

I really think it appears likely your CPU has been damaged, GF.

[I just looked at GF's motherboard manual again and see that there isn't any large clamp holding the heatsink/fan combo against the CPU. This motherboard design uses two screws to secure the heatsink/fan to the top of the CPU. So in all that follows about releasing and resecuring the heatsink/fan clamp, substitute "heatsink/fan screws" for "heatsink/fan clamp". So the question, GF, is did you loosen those heatsink/fan screws, as well as the CPU socket lever, before "wiggling" the CPU?]

If I've understood correctly studiot's explanation about the power up sequence, it seems likely to me your CPU is no longer functionally able to execute the instructions to start up and begin the POST (Power On Self Test). I think that means that your RAM isn't part of the mix yet either so it's not the source of your problems. (And I think even if your RAM were defective or improperly seated that you'd still get a beep code indicating a RAM problem.)

studiot -- does the CPU use only it's own internal memory and none of the motherboard RAM until the POST completes successfully? I'm guessing that's so, though I never thought about it before. But otherwise, how could the POST indicate with a beep code that there's a problem with system RAM if, in such a case, it has to use the defective or not properly seated system RAM to execute the instructions for the POST tests on the RAM?

So, I think we can rule out the system RAM, GF. And, you've tried a new motherboard (with, of course, its own new CMOS chip) and still can't even POST and get into the BIOS, and there aren't any beep codes coming from the case speaker. New power supply, new motherboard, your monitor and keyboard work fine when hooked up to your other computer. And yet you're not even getting any beep codes or anything displayed on the monitor -- what other hardware items haven't you replaced that could account for what's happening (or failing to happen)? The CPU.

I'm sorry we spent so much time on the CMOS stuff. It seemed plausible to me that was the problem initially, but 1) after re-reading this entire thread and noting your statement that you wiggled the CPU around, 2) taking into account you've probably reset the CMOS properly by now (but the CPU isn't able to execute the CMOS instructions) and with 3) studiot's recent explanation about what happens immediately after turning on the power, I really suspect the most likely diagnosis is a broken/damaged CPU. Even if you turned off the power switch on the back of the power supply and unplugged the AC power before you wiggled the CPU, you could still have caused physical damage to it internally where you can't see it -- e.g. one or more of the tiny web of internal data paths/electrical circuits inside the chip may have fractured when you "wiggled" the CPU around, but externally all the CPU pins may be straight and unbroken and the top surface of the CPU chip (which is just a cover concealing and protecting the actual microprocessor inside) looks shiny and undamaged. But there are a huge number of data paths -- extremely tiny electrical circuits -- sandwiched into multiple layers in the CPU connecting up all the millions of transistors, logic and arithmetic elements, the CPUs own onboard RAM caches and so on and that makes the CPU rather vulnerable to being deformed even slightly, especially any sort of twisting or bending force.

You may think "Wait a minute! The amount of force that clamp exerts that holds the heatsink/fan against the CPU is far stronger than the little bit of force I exerted when I wiggled the CPU." But you have to realize that the CPU is being pressed very evenly between two uniformly flat surfaces by that clamp. But if you "wiggle" the CPU around that's not evenly applied force and it wouldn't take much, I think, to cause some tiny fractures inside the CPU that render it useless. Hence the instructions that come with a CPU (and are usually repeated in motherboard manuals) to handle the CPU very carefully and make sure to insert it properly into it's socket on the motherboard without forcing it in any way.

studiot, what do you think? Does my reasoning and diagnosis sound plausible to you? (And thanks for that great info about the initial power up sequence of events.)

GF, if you disconnected the AC power and released both the heatsink/fan clamp and the small lever that secures the CPU into it's socket, before very gently wiggling the CPU a bit, and then carefully pushed the CPU socket lever down and resecured the heatsink/fan with it's clamp, then my diagnosis that you damaged the CPU may be wrong. But if you didn't disconnect the AC power cord (or at least turn off the power via the switch on the back of the power supply), or you only released the heatsink/fan clamp and not the CPU socket lever, or vice versa, or didn't release either the clamp or the lever, I think that may have been what started your problems. Or rather, you first had a problem because your main power connector on the motherboard was loose. You fixed that, but may have messed up your CMOS by moving a jumper you should have left alone. Even if you didn't correctly reset the CMOS right away, that shouldn't have caused any lasting problems. Once you followed the correct CMOS reset procedure that should have straightened out any CMOS trouble, excepting actual physical or electrical damage to the CMOS chip itself. And just resetting the CMOS improperly shouldn't cause that.

Or, I guess, your main power connector that wasn't fully seated could have caused multiple electrical surges or varying voltages that over time damaged your CPU. But it would be odd, though not impossible, if the CPU only happened to get electrically zapped almost immediately before you finally seated that large power connector properly. Either way, it amounts to a damaged CPU, if I'm correct.

Your motherboard is a "socket 754" model, I believe, which takes the AMD K8 series of CPUs. I don't suppose you know someone with a working computer that has a socket 754 motherboard who would allow you to try your CPU in their motherboard? (Your much older HP computer surely has a different sort of socket/CPU combo doesn't it?) You could, of course, pay someone to test your CPU, but I'm pretty sure the minimum charge by a commercial repair/troubleshooting business is going to cost more than buying another K8 CPU, assuming you can find one for sale. Is anyone still selling AMD K8 CPUs or is there another AMD socket 754 CPU available at a price within your budget that will work with your motherboard?

I just took a quick look at NewEgg and couldn't find any AMD socket 754 CPU's at all for sale there. I think they've been discontinued by AMD, though some online retailer may still have some in stock.

 

The CPU may simply be in the wrong way round.

 

Thanks for the rundown Studiot. Also, thanks Eezak for your thoughts. I've read over your responses thoroughly. Given all the information I'm guessing I still haven't reset the BIOS properly, though I have tried almost everything, OR, the CPU did get damaged whether by the surges or by my wiggling it around a bit.

And, just to be clear Eezak, the reason I tugged on it a bit was because I didn't see the clamps on either side that were holding it in place. I didn't remember at the time that you have to take a screwdriver to it and forcibly "pop" the things off of their pins. Doesn't matter now, it's already done.

That's it then, I will just have to try to find a 754 processor at the comp store. And, while I'm waiting I can just switch the bios jumper to 2 weeks or so, without doing anything else, and then replace it and power it up. But after all that, I'm going to have to have a diagnostic...this is way too exhausting.......

ps, the pins will only allow for one way to put the processor on Studiot, but nice thought, and I did look at them Eezak and they do look good, for what it's worth.

 

Well, I really don't think your computer's CMOS is the problem given studiot's recent post. Apparently the CPU isn't even trying (or isn't able) to access and execute the BIOS instructions (which are stored in the CMOS chip):

"Once the processor is running if you hold the front panel button in for 10 seconds or so
the sensing circuitry switches the processor to another set of (orderly shut down) instructions."

The key words there are "Once the processor is running..." Apparently it isn't running, given studiot's info, which is why you can't power down any longer by holding in the power button for 5 or 10 seconds.

Of course, I guess it could be that if you get a new CPU you might find that the CMOS is still scrambled, but I think it's very likely the primary (and maybe only) problem is your CPU.

While I've certainly read that the CMOS can take a number of days to reset, I've never encountered that (but then I've only had to reset a CMOS maybe a half dozen times or so on 3 or 4 different motherboards) nor do I know anyone personally who has. Indeed, every time I've had to reset the CMOS I don't think I've ever had to leave the jumper in the reset position for more than a couple of minutes and often only 5 to 10 seconds is sufficient. Still, it can take much longer apparently, but given studiot's info and the fact that you can't power down by holding the power button in, I really think your CPU is done for.

 

I know, I know...I didn't think about it until after I had already posted and shut down yesterday. It's not going to do a bit of good to move that jumper around anymore. That's ok. next on my list is to buy a cpu and replace that. If I cant find one, I guess it's time to look into a new pc.

 

You know, something else just occured to me. I was just reading back through some of these posts and even though I did move the cpu around rather abbrasively, that WASN'T until I had already started having the major problem. Infact, if I remember correctly, that wasn't until days after I switched the jumpers and everything went out on me.

So, I am relieved to know that damage to the processor was most likely done by the surges during the last random boot up, or perhaps a small current during my inspection. In other words, it may have happened anyway, no matter if I had removed the jumper or not. Hey Studiot, could the random boot ups I was having been caused by the processor going bad in the first place? Maybe my cpu was simply going out the whole time.

 

Don't know what your local IT shops are like but any worth their salt will test things for you, perhaps for a small returnable fee if you buy a replacement part from them.

 

It's a complicated story, GF, but likely you had several problems occurring quick succession which makes it tricky to sort out. But, except for the experience and knowledge gained, it doesn't much matter exactly what happened when. There is a "Buy, Sell, Trade" forum here -- http://forums.majorgeeks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28 -- and while the site can't vouch for anyone selling equipment you might at least try posting in that forum, asking if anyone has a socket 754 CPU for sale. I just read earlier today in another post about a fellow who has one in fact, but he's using it to build a system for his young son.

Still, I think it's likely others here have socket 754's they're no longer using and may be willing to sell cheap just get to get them out of the box in the closet. Unless, of course, you'd really like and can afford to move up to something a bit faster. But keep in mind, a new motherboard with a different socket that uses a faster processor may also require some new, faster RAM.

Take a look at the Buy, Sell, Trade posts and/or post your own "wish list" if you can't find a new one at a good price somewhere else on the web.

Good luck!

 

Couple questions. First, what's an eezak?

Second, I'm looking at a few new and used socket 754 processors on ebay. What I need to know is how high can I upgrade with the specs (list below) that I currently have? For example, right now I have a 2600+ but if I get a 3200 will it even run it? What will I have to take into account?

Third, I can go with either the sempron or the athlon 64. What's the difference? Is one any better or different?

Fourth, at this site they give a really accurate description and rundown of my MB. But the only say that it requires DDR Ram, not DDR SD Ram. Now I'm questioning whether or not I need SD ram. Can you just leave the SD off? Real noob question, i know.

http://www.computerpoweruser.com/Ed...=articles/archive/u0806/22r06/22r06.asp&guid=



My poor, broken pc

ECS 755-A2 SiS755 chipset Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 or Sempron 2600+ socket 754
Mad Dog SurePower 350 Watt Power Supply
Or, alternatively, an @-Power 500 Watt PSU

nVIDIA Gforce 7600 GS DDR2 512MB AGP
1GB single stick DDR 400 SDRam
Samsung 40 Gig 7200rpm HDD
16x DVD ROM
Mad Dog 8x cd Burner
56k modem
2 fans on psu, 1 case fan, 1 fan on processor and 1 small fan on video card
old surround sound speaker system with woofer
ps2 keyboard and mouse
and a really old monitor
and some dust

 

O.K. never mind the fourth question. I did some reading up on it. If it's sdr sdram then it's single data rate ram and if it's ddr sdram then it's double data rate. So, ppl just generally shorten it to ddr or plain "sdram", which is unfortunate because that's just confusing.