@facecard, that's good & with these kinds of issues any progress is welcome 😀 , although I'd wonder why the jumper was set that way in the first place - was it something you'd tried since getting the board out of storage or has it been that way for these 15 odd years?

Do you ever remember trying to update the bios back in the day because I'm beginning to wonder if the issues don't somewhat resemble either an unfinished or a failed bios update. In fact at some point it might be worth trying the bios recovery procedure detailed in the manual, designed for instances when bios update / failure problems leave you with booting and blank video issues.

It would still be helpful to know more details of the harware you're using -

- which processor: Pentium II or Pentium III / which speed and the S Spec number
- which memory: size in MB / PC100 or PC133
- which graphics card: AGP or PCI and which brand / model no.

Another thing to note from your pics is that, like the processors, Supermicro recommend you fill the memory slots from the furthest one first, not the nearesrt.

I don't recall changing the CMOS setting but maybe I did many, many years ago and forgot about it. I never did a BIOS update and I don't know what it is on now. I would need to get the video fixed so I can see.

I think the computer is a Pentium II and I don't know the speed but maybe 250 or 300 if that sounds about right.

The memory is only 1 stick and should be 512mb, PC100 non ECC module. I think I can go up to 1gb of memory or more. There is 4 slots but I may have to keep it in pairs.

I am using AGP graphic card which came with it. Again, the card or slot could be bad. I will look around for a PCI card.

Here is an update if anyone is out there and listening.

I discovered that after I unplugged the PS/2 KB and mouse then I got video. It doesn't make sense but whatever. However, without KB response, getting video is useless. I turn it off then move the KB to the other port, no video again. After about a half hour switching things, moving things, unplugging, etc... video comes and goes. There is no consistency . I can't seem to narrow it down to anything specific.

For all I know it could be the power supply, board, AGP slot, graphics card....it could be any number of them.

My patience is slowing dying.

Have you tried a USB keyboard and a different keyboard in general?

Yes. I tried a USB mouse and KB. Both light up during POST but again it is very inconsistent. I have tried every combo... USB mouse by itself, USB keyboard by itself, PS/2 keyboard and mouse together and separately. Usually I will get a USB error message or something relating to USB.

Sorry to see you're no nearer a working board so, as promised, I've had a much closer look at your pics in comparison to my board and have a few additional observations -

- there's a capacitor between the USB ports and the parallel / com ports (looks to be the same as on mine, an ELNA-branded 10v 470µF). To me, the one on your board looks blown!

- right next to this capacitor there's a small black cube-shaped component which shows a mark in two of your pics - can you check if it's just debris or surface damage.

- looks as if the parallel port has some damage - are those two pins nearest the USB ports touching! ?

- In one pic I see something in one of the ATX pinholes - again, check for debris or damage.

- this last one is another config check just in case; there's a jumper JP20 which controls AC power failure response - you have it set to 'Saved State' (pins 1-2) whilst mine is set to 'PIIX4 control' (pins 2-3). Doubt it'll have any effect but you never know (JP20 is located above the AGP slot & the cpu multiplier jumper block).

Other than the comments above, I compared all the surface-mounted components best I could between the power delivery, IO ports, Slot 1 and AGP areas and couldn't see any sign of other damage or missing components.

Beyond that, check the bios chip is fully inserted and maybe use some pcb contact cleaner around the power / IO area, but other than that I'm stumped 🙁

EDIT: What happens if you let the board boot without the keyboard plugged in then plug it in after (USB ot PS/2)?

@PC Hoarder.. Thanks for the suggestions and help. I appreciate you sticking around and comparing your board to mine.

I will look at the board later specifically the points you brought up. On to the update....

Yesterday, I was able to get video and POST screen but.....after I turn it off and connect an HD or floppy drive then turn it on again.....I lose the video. It is almost like the PSU or board can't handle the extra load. Then I turn it off disconnect the extra load (HD or floppy drive) then turn it on. It is very strange.

When I was playing around with it, I only had USB (mouse and keyboard) connected to it and nothing else connected to it. As I said, I was able to get video then I went into the BIOS settings and it does recognize the USB stuff. It appears if I don't connect anything else to the computer, ie.. HD, floppy, CD, etc.... then the computer will work and video appears on the screen.

If I connect PS/2 components or USB stuff AFTER the computer has booted then I get no response. In my experience with older boards the KB and/or mouse has to be connected before you turn it on.

Don't hotplug a PS2 port - you risk burning out the port that way. It's okay to hotplug USB but not PS2.

From the look of search results, I think that board uses the Intel 440GX chipset. Correct me if I'm wrong.
It's basically a 440BX with double the RAM capacity.

I don't recall changing the CMOS setting but maybe I did many, many years ago and forgot about it.

I'm not sure if it was already mentioned, but make sure the CMOS battery is good. Some boards can get goofy when the battery is low. If the battery is good then reset CMOS. If you're doing that by removing the battery then remember it also needs to be unplugged.

I think the computer is a Pentium II and I don't know the speed but maybe 250 or 300 if that sounds about right.

It needs to be a 66FSB or 100FSB CPU, make sure it's not 133FSB. To avoid any possible incompatibility, the best bet is a Pentium 2, not a P3.

If I understood correctly it sounds like you're using 1 CPU. Does your board allow having an empty CPU slot? Some boards require both slots to be filled, either with a CPU or with a slot-1 terminator card. My Intel L440GX+ is strict about that. Other boards don't seem to care, but I don't know what Supermicro is like.

The memory is only 1 stick and should be 512mb, PC100 non ECC module. I think I can go up to 1gb of memory or more. There is 4 slots but I may have to keep it in pairs.

Do you have another system that can run memtest86 on that module?

The 440GX doesn't care about pairs, single modules are fine. 512MB modules are the max the chipset will run, but some boards might be picky about which ones they'll work with. I have an HP with that chipset that, if given a 512MB module it doesn't like, will start to go through the POST procedure but then freezes with a cryptic error code. With the HP I think it's a BIOS issue (the RAM is compatible on another 440GX board). I can tell by looking that your module is one my HP wouldn't like. It's more tolerant with 256MB and smaller modules.

Does your board require Registered memory? Does it require ECC? Some 440GX boards could have such requirements. As you mentioned, the module in your picture appears to be a basic unbuffered non-ECC module.
Do you have a smaller memory module you can try? Do you have any Registered memory you can try?
If you want to fill all those memory slots in the future, Intel would tell you they have to be Registered. Using only 1 slot, it probably just depends on the board manufacturer.

I think the most surely compatible RAM for a board like this would be Registered ECC PC100 256MB modules with 18 RAM ICs on them (9 per side) plus the smaller buffering chips underneath them.
512MB modules with 18 RAM ICs *should* work with this chipset, but my HP will only accept the ones that have 36 RAM ICs for whatever reason. In any case, 512MB is bleeding edge for this chipset and may tempt it to get cranky.

Do you have a multimeter? Can you try measuring all the supply voltages while the board is powered on? 5V and 12V are on the molex connectors, 3.3V (orange) and 5Vstandby (purple) can be backprobed from the ATX connector. Watch them to see if they're sagging while it tries to boot.
You can also check CPU Vcore at the metal tabs on the MOSFETs next to the CPU slots. Put the black probe against the PSU casing, red probe on the large metal tab of one of those MOSFETs. One will probably show you the 5V supply, the other will show you Vcore.
Marginal voltages could explain erratic behavior. Swapping the PSU doesn't really rule this out because you still don't know what voltages you were getting.

I have some Fortron FSP300-??? model PSUs. I use them all the time because they perform very well, but every one of them had bad caps inside. Many motherboards will shrug this off for a long time, but it certainly doesn't help. If you can replace caps then you might want to recap your PSU.

Firstly though, go through that list PCHP posted. I especially agree it looks like 2 pins on your parallel port are shorted together.
If that cap he mentioned is bulging (at all, even a tiny bit) then it's bad and might explain quirkiness with the keyboard/etc.

Here is my update. Mostly responding to PC Hoarder comments. I will try to respond to Shamino as well.

@PC Hoarder-

1.there's a capacitor between the USB ports and the parallel / com ports
You could be right it does look a little fat but not as bad as others I have seen.

2. right next to this capacitor there's a small black cube-shaped component which shows a mark in two of your pics
Could be some debris but it is hard to tell to the nake eye.

3. looks as if the parallel port has some damage
They were touching each other and I fix it.

4. this last one is another config check just in case; there's a jumper JP20 which controls AC power failure response
If I move the J20 jumper to Pins 1-2 I get no power on the board. It has to be left on Pins 2-3.

@Shamino-

I am not sure what you mean by "Don't hotplug a PS2 port". Usually, you connect the KB and mouse together then turn on computer. I will replace the battery and see if that helps. Usually, I will use CMOS jumper to reset it.

Moving on....The odd thing is if I connect USB mouse and KB I get video and it will say "CMOS is wrong or something relating to the CMOS settings" and it will recognize the floppy drive. However, if I connect 1 scsi hard drive then I lose the video.

Are you able to get the board to boot reliably with working video, keyboard & floppy drive using the following setup? -

- board + PSU + 1 cpu + 1 stick of memory + vga card + USB keyboard + floppy drive

If so, can you enter BIOS setup and change / save settings? Have you tried it with a bootable DOS floppy disk?

Similarly, if you're able to get the board to POST you should be seeing a screen similar to this

If so I'd be interested in what BIOS revision you're currently on (mine, which is the latest from Nov 21 2000, is shown in red above). The BIOS your board shipped with, DBU9031, from Sep 4 1998 is really old being only one revision newer than the original release version (there's been 6 updates since DBU9031). It's likely both compatibility & BIOS issues have been addressed in these later versions so it might be worth a shot at an update.

Also might be helpful if you posted pics (showing brand & rating labels) of the PSUs you've tried so far.

No. I am not able to get the board *reliably* working with only PSU, graphics card, memory, any combo PS/2 or USB mouse and/or keyboard and floppy drive. I can't consistently get video on the monitor. I think the board has problems but I can't pin point it because nothing stands out to show obvious signs. There is speculation based on questionable CAPS or other circuity. If I had another board very similar to this one then I can try different things out. Then I can rule out the PSU, graphics card, etc... The other option is to send out the board for testing and fixing. I don't have the supplies to fully test and fix the board.

It is very disappointing to take a few steps forward then one change and I am back to zero.