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by benhill

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I know I am missing something very basic....but...what is a simple test for a motherboard that is causing doubts as to if it is ok or not. Two motherboards, two power supplies.....and still the computer will not come on. I have taken the first power supply and connected it to the first motherboard laying loose on my bench (jump the power switch) and it runs, which it wouldn't while it was installed in the case and hooked up. I suspected a case switch, but it is ok. A simple test for the MB would be a great deal of help for this computer novice that loves computers.

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by thechas

The 'simple' test you desire is to get and use a POST card.

This card plugs into a slot on the motherboard and displays a readout of what or where the BIOS stopped in the boot sequence.

Now, for your specific problem, there are 1 of 2 things going on.

A short:

A mis-seated card:

When you mount the motherboard back into the case, make sure that no components touch the metal standoffs, or that any leads are so long that they touch the chassis.
Sometimes, the grounding fingers for the I/O shield poke into a port and cause a short that blocks the POST process.

I have had a number of cases that would not allow the video card to seat properly in the AGP port.
An AGP card need only be a few thousandths of an inch up to cause problems.
When I suspect this to be the problem, I remove the bracket from the card and see if it seats in further, and boots up.

Chas

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