VOGONS


Trouble with Socket 7 motherboard

Topic actions

First post, by jheronimus

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

Hi, all.

I decided to replace my LuckyStar 5ITX1 motherboard with a somewhat more feature-rich Asus TX97E and ran into trouble: the system doesn't start. I get no PC speaker beeps, no VGA output and no IDE activity. The lights on my PCI network card are blinking, so is my CD-RW drive, the CPU fan is spinning, but other than that I get no signs of life from my system. Here is what I did so far:

- double checked the CPU and FSB jumpers.

Here is the manual to this motherboard, jumpers are on page 17. My CPU is Pentium MMX 233, so I set FSB jumpers to 2-3, 2-3 and 1-2 and CPU jumpers to --, 1-2 and 1-2.

- tried reversing PC speaker connectors just in case I put in wrong and there was a POST message I couldn't hear (I'm using RAM that Asus mobo came with and not the one I had, so it could be that). Still no sound.

What else should I try? Thanks!

MR BIOS catalog
Unicore catalog

Reply 1 of 24, by MrEWhite

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

Try taking out the PCI Network Card and remove all the drives but a single IDE drive.

Reply 2 of 24, by jheronimus

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

Will try that, thanks. Meanwhile, here is the full cards list, may be it can help:

- PCI S3 Virge 325 videocard
- PCI Voodoo 2 1000 videocard
- ISA Creative AWE32 CT4500

MR BIOS catalog
Unicore catalog

Reply 3 of 24, by MrEWhite

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

Try removing every single card but the graphics card and see if it works.

Reply 4 of 24, by ramiro77

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

Could it be wrong seated / damaged cpu? Did you try another cpu?

Edit: are you sure that the pc is not posting? I'm having an iasue with my s7 mother and a tnt2 vanta. No video, but the machine posts ok

Last edited by ramiro77 on 2016-01-18, 23:23. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 5 of 24, by jheronimus

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

Ok, so I removed all the cards except for S3, removed the FDD and CD-RW (HDD is the only IDE device attached) — nothing has changed. Tried putting S3 into a different PCI slot, still nothing.

MR BIOS catalog
Unicore catalog

Reply 6 of 24, by jheronimus

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
ramiro77 wrote:

Could it be wrong seated / damaged cpu? Did you try another cpu?

Well, the CPU worked with a different motherboard. I'm pretty sure I double checked the CPU when I put it, but I'll check again.

Last edited by jheronimus on 2016-01-19, 00:43. Edited 1 time in total.

MR BIOS catalog
Unicore catalog

Reply 7 of 24, by jheronimus

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

While installing the CPU, I am using the "earmarked" corner as the reference. The CPU has it, and the socket has it in pins. So I think I'm putting it correctly. Here is the photo of the mobo from the internet

Last edited by jheronimus on 2016-01-19, 00:47. Edited 1 time in total.

MR BIOS catalog
Unicore catalog

Reply 8 of 24, by jheronimus

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

I tried installing Pentium 120 the mobo came with, reset the jumpers, still nothing.

BTW, what happens if I set the CPU/FSB jumpers wrong? Will it still boot?

MR BIOS catalog
Unicore catalog

Reply 9 of 24, by jheronimus

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
ramiro77 wrote:

Could it be wrong seated / damaged cpu? Did you try another cpu?

Edit: are you sure that the pc is not posting? I'm having an iasue with my s7 mother and a tnt2 vanta. No video, but the machine posts ok

Like I said, there is nothing coming out of the PC speaker. As per manual's page 32 I attached the speaker's 4pin connector in the upper right corner and there is no sound at all.

MR BIOS catalog
Unicore catalog

Reply 10 of 24, by jheronimus

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

OK, so I forgot to change VID jumpers (CPU voltage), but it didn't change anything.

MR BIOS catalog
Unicore catalog

Reply 11 of 24, by ramiro77

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

Umm could you try installing a hard drive with some operating system in it? Maybe you can hear the hdd loading the system. If that is the case, the vga could be gone.

Did you see any weird on the motherboard? Like a funny brownish substance, rounded top capacitors or any burned thing? Did you test the psu with a multimeter or in another system?

Reply 12 of 24, by jheronimus

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
ramiro77 wrote:

Umm could you try installing a hard drive with some operating system in it? Maybe you can hear the hdd loading the system. If that is the case, the vga could be gone.

Did you see any weird on the motherboard? Like a funny brownish substance, rounded top capacitors or any burned thing? Did you test the psu with a multimeter or in another system?

The system worked with the previous motherboard, all other components are the same, so I guess, the PSU is working. I don't have a multimeter 🙁

The HDD has Windows 98SE installed, but the HDD LED only briefly flashes at boot. I tried waiting for 5 minutes in case it's checking RAM or something, but it still doesn't flash. Also, no sound from HDD.

The mobo looks fine, no substances and no burned parts. All the capacitors seem OK, too.

I tried booting without VGA at all. But if it were the cause of the problem, wouldn't I get a POST message from my speakers?

MR BIOS catalog
Unicore catalog

Reply 13 of 24, by jheronimus

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

Given that all my previous hardware issues were fixed by doing seemingly unrelated things, I removed the SIMM modules ASUS motheboard came with and installed the DIMM module I used on a previous mobo. Still, nothing.

Edit: Also, tried clearing CMOS.

MR BIOS catalog
Unicore catalog

Reply 14 of 24, by Tetrium

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++

I'd say remove the board from the system since it's obviously malfunctioning, remove the CPU and the RAM (so you can reseat them later). Inspect the board with good lighting, perhaps there is some physical damage?
It might even be a short with the case or something.

If the board passes visual inspection, put it on a cardboard box and troubleshoot it with a bare minimum things installed, only a single graphics card, minimum RAM and a CPU. Make sure all the jumper settings are correct (doublecheck em!)and preferably with another known working CPU. Try with an older CPU since it sometimes has something to do with the BIOS not recognizing the CPU (though usually this is more of a problem for 'modern' board) and if something blows up, it won't be such a loss 😀

If you get it working outside of the case, you can go from there. And if not, then you've spared yourself some extra hours troubleshooting stuff that was never a problem to begin with.

Whats missing in your collections?
My retro rigs (old topic)
Interesting Vogons threads (links to Vogonswiki)
Report spammers here!

Reply 15 of 24, by jheronimus

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
Tetrium wrote:

Make sure all the jumper settings are correct (doublecheck em!)

Just so we're clear, the first pin in the jumper is where the red arrow is on the picture, right?

The attachment Screenshot 2016-01-19 03.54.09.png is no longer available

A bigger picture for reference

The attachment Screenshot 2016-01-19 03.58.01.png is no longer available

MR BIOS catalog
Unicore catalog

Reply 16 of 24, by Tetrium

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++
jheronimus wrote:
Just so we're clear, the first pin in the jumper is where the red arrow is on the picture, right? […]
Show full quote
Tetrium wrote:

Make sure all the jumper settings are correct (doublecheck em!)

Just so we're clear, the first pin in the jumper is where the red arrow is on the picture, right?

Screenshot 2016-01-19 03.54.09.png

A bigger picture for reference

Screenshot 2016-01-19 03.58.01.png

Not necessarily. Most of the time the first pin has a thicker streak of (white) marking, like an extra thick line (on the mobo itself).
Often enough the first pin is not right next to where the jumperpin designations (like "FSB") are, so in your screenshot, the red arrow might as well be in the top right corner

Whats missing in your collections?
My retro rigs (old topic)
Interesting Vogons threads (links to Vogonswiki)
Report spammers here!

Reply 18 of 24, by jheronimus

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

The good (bad?) news:

I tried attaching my old motherboard to the system and to the VGA. So, to reiterate:

"old" (i.e. I used it before) LuckyStar mortherboard: "new" (i.e. I got it with the Asus mobo) Pentium 120, "new" RAM
"new" Asus motherboard: "old" Pentium MMX 233, "old" RAM

and it does the very same thing. The fan speeds up, the light stays at the CD-RW (it is only attached to the power, not IDE), but I get no POST beep, no video and no HDD/IDE front light.

The way I figure, it's unlikely that I got a dead Asus motherboard AND somehow managed to kill my LuckyStar mobo tonight.

So, it could either be wrong jumpers (which I think I've just checked for the 10th time) or I'm attaching something else wrong:

- it can't be AT PSU connectors. There are only two ways to connect them, and I accidentally tried them both. Now I know that black ground wires should be next to each other, so there is really only one way to attach them;
- it can't be front LED/powerswitch/PC speaker wires. I'm using IDE LED wires as reference, since it seems to be working (briefly flash at powerup).

What else?

P.S.: both mobos support ATX power supplies. Is it safe to use my 650W Corsair CS650M to test them?

MR BIOS catalog
Unicore catalog

Reply 19 of 24, by gdjacobs

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++
jheronimus wrote:

- it can't be AT PSU connectors. There are only two ways to connect them, and I accidentally tried them both. Now I know that black ground wires should be next to each other, so there is really only one way to attach them;

Hopefully you didn't kill the board in question as a result.

All hail the Great Capacitor Brand Finder