Thanks for the reply, I was pretty sure about the thermal paste issue.
The shame about this is, he says he replaced the motherboard and processor
recently. (Not sure how long ago recently is though).
I asked him why he replaced it, as he said it was all working fine, and he
said it was because he had sent the computer away to be tested for faults.
(apparently, he has a clause in his guarantee which allows free testing, the
system is 3 or 4 years old. However, he is not entitled to free repairs,
just a diagnosis)
When the computer was returned to him, he was told the motherboard was
warped, so to save money (?), he changed the motherboard himself, and went
on to install a compatible processor.
(Am I right in thinking heat could be a possibility in causing a warped
m/b?)
I'm told all was working fine until recently when he got a blank screen and
then it wouldn't reboot. From what he said, (I have trouble with his
accent), he was either in the process of reloading windows, or had recently
reloaded it.
I tried a combination of things, including removing every thing including
ram. Still nothing, although it does power up every time. It sounds very
promising to start with, but then gets to the part where the display should
be appearing on the screen, and then you can actually hear it dying out. The
power supply stays on.
With the floppy drive connected, it doesn't even try to read from it, so it
seems as though it's a processor issue.
I am considering the possibility of another suggestion given to me, that it
could be a virus in the bios.
I am suspicious of the fact that no thermal paste of any sort had been used
as well. I did ask him if he had noticed any types of burning smell, and he
said there was an electrical smell shortly before it died, so that could
possibly be it.(Whether it was the type of smell you get with new parts, or
a proper burning smell I can't determine)
You mention AMD processors have a reputation for frying easily. I couldn't
swear to it, (because I've opened up a few different computers since that
one), but it could well have been an AMD pro.I don't remember.
It has been a bit of a guessing game with this one, but hopefully I've
thought of everything. I would feel terrible if I suddenly thought of
another explaination in a week or two which could have saved him alot of
money.
Thanks again.
Michele Sayer

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dean Kukral" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2003 1:08 PM
Subject: Re: [PCBUILD] No display/Dead processor?


> 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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