Posted: 5/10/2012 8:45:47 PM EDT
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I have a quite old PC that stopped working a while ago, which I thought was maybe due to the power supply.
While I'm waiting for a bunch of new parts to come in, I installed a new power supply just for giggles. The machine will turn on, but all that happens is that the fans spin, and there is a pattern of 2 rapid clicks, repeated about every 2 seconds, through the PC speaker. The power LED illuminates but there are no other signs of life. No signal to the display. Any ideas what may be wrong? It could be the motherboard is toast, but since its standby and regular power LEDs (on the motherboard itself) turn on, I figure it can't be completely dead. Specs to follow (and yes, I already checked every possible connection, RAM configuration etc.) -Abit NF7-S v2.0 motherboard -AMD Athlon XP 3200+ CPU -1 GB (2x 512 MB) DDR 400 MHz RAM (PC 3200) -ATI Radeon x1650 AGP 8x video card -One 60 GB IDE HDD -One SATA DVD-RW drive |
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I unplugged everything but the fans. This made no difference.
I also tried all the other common procedures, such as: -clearing CMOS -replacing the BIOS backup battery -re-seating RAM, double-checking that I had the right modules in the right slots None of it made any difference, except that I got the proper long beep code when I powered up without RAM installed. It won't even POST, so I can't get as far as installing an OS. |
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NF7-S....
Look at all the capacitors on the motherboard. Even the ones over by the AGP and PCI slots. The NF7-M, I know from experience, had one cap on a POL converter for the AGP slot which would blow on every board, sooner or later. I don't know if the -S board did as well, but it is worth a look. Between age and use, the electrolytics on that board have used up much of their useful lifespan. |
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Standby LEDs just mean the power subsystem is powered. It is NOT an "A OK" light for the motherboard. The clicks is the power system turning on, and then shutting off because there's a short. (Stop it, you'll damage that power supply.) Caps dont necessarily show any damage when they are damaged. It's trash, throw it out. (Unless you have time to mess with it and absolutely nothing better to do. But in my opinion, "organize under the kitchen sink" is much more worthwhile.) |
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I took the whole works out and hooked it up on a non-conductive surface (wooden table) just in case I had somehow dicked up the grounding & shorted something.
Same deal. Yeah, the board (or something on it) is just plain broken. Oh well. RAM for my new system should be here today, so I can start putting that together. |