It looks like you have assessed the situation as best you can.  AMD
processessors have a reputation for frying easily.  (Sometimes the
cpu looks burnt.)   If the mb, cpu, memory, video card and cables, and power
supply are all working okay and corrected properly,
you should be able to get to the bios display.  (Provided everything else is
not connected.  I worked on a computer once that had a
bad floppy and it was somehow able to keep the system from running.)  I
think that if the memory is bad or the video card has a problem,
then you should get beeps, but I cannot say this is always the case.

You have run into one of the major problems of do-it-yourself upgrades.
When something goes wrong on the basic parts, it is difficult
to find out exactly which part is bad.  The pros can try swapping parts, but
you cannot.

If the motherboard is over a year old, I suggest just replacing the whole
mb/cpu/memory combination with a new set.  I have found from
hard experience that buying parts one at a time can get expensive and
frustrating.  And you end up with an old system for your
money and effort.

And be sure to use thermal paste!

HTH

Dean Kukral



----- Original Message -----
From: "Michele" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2003 8:52 PM
Subject: [PCBUILD] No display/Dead processor?


Hi, has anyone got any suggestions for this one?
A friend of mine has a system (sorry, can't remember the details of it)
which he says  was working fine until suddenly he got a blue screen and it
shut down.
He had apparently changed the processor recently, but it had all been
working fine for some time. (How long, I'm not sure)
When I tried to start the system, it powers up fine, and sounds as though
it's going to start, but then does nothing.
There is no bios display on the screen, and it doesn't try to access the
floppy drive. There is power going through the m/b.
The video card is fine.
I've tried removing everything and restarting with only the videocard
connected. there are no beeps.
My guess is that the processor has died.
On quizzing him, I get the feeling that when he installed the new processor
and heatsink, he didn't use any thermal paste, because he had never heard of
it.I thought thermal paste of some sort was a must.  Would that cause it to
overheat and blow? I would have thought it would have. Doesn't the thermal
paste help the heatsink draw the heat from the processor?(which in turn gets
cooled by the fan?)
Can someone confirm please that if the processor is working ok, and the m/b
is ok (which I think it is), there would be a display.(with the video card
connected of course)
I've advised him to begin the process of elimination by buying a new
processor, but I do want to be sure.
Is there a way of testing a cpu? I didn't have one handy at the time which
would fit in his particular socket on the m/b.
This is not a really urgent issue, more curiosity than anything else.
Thanks in Advance
Michele Sayer

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