VOGONS


First post, by CarvisJocker

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Let me preface this by saying I’m very new to retro computing. I have this Compaq motherboard based off of the Intel 440BX chipset. When I turn on my PC, the light on the floppy drive comes on, as does the hard drive light on my case. However, nothing else happens. No beeps (unsure if I have my case speaker connected correctly however), no video output, nothing. I’ve tried everything that I know of; resetting the CMOS, swapping the CMOS battery, used 2 different CPUs.

My specs are as follows:
Compaq 332857-001 Motherboard
1 stick of 128MB PC-133MHz SDRAM Non-ECC ram
Pentium II SL2S5 333MHz (66MHz FSB)
Ensoniq ES1373 PCI soundcard
Asus AGP-V3800 32MB AGP video card

Thanks

Reply 1 of 7, by Major Jackyl

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Have you also had the HDD/floppy unplugged? If the IDE is in wrong it will seem like everything is dead. If the floppy is in wrong, the light will stay lit. Goofy, but if a LED is jumping reset, it can also seem dead.

What changed when it stopped working (if it ever was)?

Main Loadout (daily drivers):
Intel TE430VX, Pentium Sy022 (133), Cirrus Logic 5440, SB16 CT1740
ECS K7S5A, A-XP1600+, MSI R9550
ASUS M2N-E, A64X2-4600+, PNY GTX670, SB X-Fi Elite Pro
MSI Z690, Intel 12900K, MSI RTX3090, SB AE-7

Reply 2 of 7, by CarvisJocker

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Hi Major Jackyl, it never worked. This is my first foray into a late 90s machine, and after I put all of the parts together, the problem I described in the main post started happening. I’ll try with the floppy and IDE devices (DVD drive, HDD) unplugged and get back to you

Reply 3 of 7, by Halofiber86

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Hi. If this is of any help - this looks exactly like my 440BX (a cheap Lucky Star 6ABX2C) passed away this winter. No POST. The floppy and the HDD would blink, and then nothing happens. If I waited long enough (I mean long indeed - like 30-40 minutes), the system did start. However, it took longer and longer each time, so this was finally unbearable. I tend to blame the overheated BX chip, which in my case had no cooling and must have worn off after all these years.

Reply 4 of 7, by myne

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https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/compaq-garry

Remove everything. Attach speaker. Listen.

I built:
Convert old ASUS ASC boardviews to KICAD PCB!
Re: A comprehensive guide to install and play MechWarrior 2 on new versions on Windows.
Dos+Windows 3.11+tcp+vbe_svga auto-install iso template
Script to backup Win9x\ME drivers from a working install
Re: The thing no one asked for: KICAD 440bx reference schematic

Reply 5 of 7, by CarvisJocker

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Hey everyone, I disconnected the FDD and HDD from the motherboard and it boots up!!

I get “162-System Options Not Set”, “304-Keyboard or System Unit Error” and also “163-Time & Date Not Set”, and it also tells me “CMOS checksum is invalid, default values loaded”, however all of them (apart from the keyboard one) are probably just from me resetting the CMOS.

I don’t have a PS/2 keyboard so I’m going to try a few USB keyboards with a PS/2 adapter.

Reply 6 of 7, by myne

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Unless you've got a really old usb kb, or an active adapter, it's not likely to work.

Ps2 and usb aren't compatible.

But there was a period where simple pin adapters existed - because the keyboard supported both protocols.

It's likely you have a usb only kb and a simple passive pin adapter and it won't work.

I built:
Convert old ASUS ASC boardviews to KICAD PCB!
Re: A comprehensive guide to install and play MechWarrior 2 on new versions on Windows.
Dos+Windows 3.11+tcp+vbe_svga auto-install iso template
Script to backup Win9x\ME drivers from a working install
Re: The thing no one asked for: KICAD 440bx reference schematic

Reply 7 of 7, by CarvisJocker

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Yeah I’ve come to realise this. Bought a PS/2 KB for £5 though so it’s all good