Re: Dead Motherboard

Actually, we have gotten some HP systems in the past (at my job) with the
same design (internal ducting, case fans, heat sinks), some are left on 24/7
and we have never had an overheating problem.
--
James
Orlando (Goofy says "Hey!"), Florida

"acrs" <someone@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uYondg5RGHA.4960@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
What is strange is that it came from HP with no fan on the CPU itself,
just a heatsink. There is a case fan and some ducting directing airflow
over the CPU heatsink, but it appears pretty inadequate.

Could the CPU overheat that quickly? and then just halt at that HP screen?
I always assumed it would switch off if the CPU overheated.

Some more info is that if I remove all the RAM then the PC beep's to
indicate that there is no RAM on the board, yet locks up when using the
old RAM (1 or both sticks) or even using new RAM.

"Dana Cline - MVP" <dcline@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23c5xPp4RGHA.5036@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The fact that your CPU has no fan is rather suspicious, especially on
anything over 1Ghz. So it could still be a heat issue with the CPU...

Dana Cline - MCE MVP

"acrs" <someone@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:O9Mh383RGHA.1728@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ok thanks for all the replies, so far I have tried everything. Removed
all cards/drives/RAM, tried different RAM, different PSU, there is no
fan on the CPU heatsink (odd) but the case fan spins up. I have tried
different HDD cable, tried the HDD on different EIDE channel, pulled
battery etc but nothing.

I think the only thing I have not tried is a different CPU or different
HDD. Will try a different HDD (if I have one lying around) and post back
results.

"Kamal" <kamal@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:u6EbzeuRGHA.1868@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Motheboard cannot be dead. If it was dead nothing would be displayed on
the screen. So it must be a peripheral like bad ram or hard disk.


"Dana Cline - MVP" <dcline@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23CSfS5sRGHA.5036@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As Jamie said, you may not be able to install MCE from your HP disks.
However, having said that, it may also be some things we can do before
you replace the mobo. First, unplug every peripheral you have except
for the keyboard, mouse, and display. If you have additional hardware
inside the PC (tuner card, for example), unplug those too. Try to get
a bare bones system. Then try powering on and see if it gets to the
BIOS or OS. You might also have a memory problem...if you have
multiple sticks of memory on the mobo, try removing one and retrying.
If that fails, put the other back in and remove the one you just
tried. This may help isolate the problem.

It could also be that your CPU is fried, so when you pop open the
case, see if all the fans are dust-free and spin up when powering on,
particularly the one attached to the CPU.

In terms of actually replacing the mobo, MCE is fairly "don't care"
about which motherboard and CPU you use, as long as you have enough
memory and it's fast enough. The only thing to be aware of is that HP
_may_ have made their case to fit their specific motherboard and it
may not fit a standard motherboard design. The only way to tell would
be to pull the motherboard and take it when you visit a computer store
to buy another one. If this is the case, then you may need to buy
another case to put it all in, which should be less than $100 and may
be even cheaper if you shop around.

It may also be worth taking the system to a computer store and pay
them $50 or so to run diagnostics - they can easily find out if it's
the motherboard or cpu or ram or something else causing the problem.

Dana Cline - MCE MVP

"acrs" <someone@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:u3V6ImrRGHA.5092@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have an HP PC 856x with media center, and think that my motherboard
may be dead. When I boot the PC it just hangs at the HP logo and does
nothing. Hitting F1 for BIOS, or F10 for HP recovery does nothing,
infact the only option I have is turning the power off.

So my question is, can I get a new motherboard for the machine? and
will it work with Media Center? I heard it's a 64 bit OS and so
believe this restricts my options. I have called HP and they want an
arm and a leg for the new motherboard, but the board in my PC I can
only find at HP. The motherboard is an ASUS P4SD-LA but I cannot find
any information on the ASUS website.

Really my questions are:
1) Is Media Center a 64 bit OS?
2) Is it possible for me to replace the motherboard with a different
board? (HP tell me there is special hardware and so no other board
will work).

Thanks.













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