Fixing old computer

My cousin has old computer 10 years back. Computer is assembled i.e. made up of different different parts from different brands.
Computer was working good since last 9 years. It is no more working since last 1 year. My cousin called up some hardware guys/experts in the city/locality. All of them may have tried their best to start computer; but they failed ultimately & some of them suggested to replace X(may be motherboard=mobo),while other suggested to replace item Y(may be RAM). But we are not sure where is exact fault? This excercise is only for identifying which parts are damaged. (so that we can replace them & make computer functional again)

So my cousin handed over computer to me. Actually monitor was CRT hence bulky, i only took CPU cabinet(fitted with 1 switch for power on & another for reset & LED & small speaker) +keyboard+mouse+motherboard(processor/CPU fitted)+cables+hard disk+ram+PSU(SMPS) from my cousin's home. PC doesnt have any graphics card/other addon cards/games cards.



Brief Specifications are as under
1. ASUS motherboard K8V-MX
2. CPU AMD Athlon-64
If you need any other detail, please let me know.

Tools i have
1. Multimeter
2. LEDs & resistors (if required for any kind of testing)



All parts are isolated(except CPU) when i received from my cousin.

As i was not aware about any hardware/hoook up etc..i try to google/help from other chat forums what should be the correct method/flow chart to fix/troubleshoot the computer hardware issue.
I found few articles & also got some help from online friends basis that i tested as under till now.

1. Overview/visual checking of all major parts like PSU, mobo, RAM, terminals/pins etc.. all found ok. Capacitors are also intact.
2. Tested PSU indenpendently using paperclip method & result found satisfactory. PSU fan started. (when Green & black wire are sorted)
3. Checked CPU cabinet speaker resistance; multimeter shows 0.02 ohms
4. Setup: PSU connected to mobo ( via 2 cables: 20 pins & 4 pins). CPU speaker connected to mobo(2 pin thin cable). & removed all other components (RAM specifically) from live circuit as other components(DVD Drive/Hard disk ) were already isolated .Then switched on Mains power supply.
Result:No beep/sound & Yellow LED on mobo working/ON.
I guess there may be problem with speaker or mobo or CPU.


Can anyone suggest me what should i test next & in which sequence ? (request to elaborate as i am not much familiar with technical/computer related jargons/terms)

One of my friend suggested me to clear CMOS. So that is my next check point/target/focus as of now.

Please suggest your ideas; Thanks in advance

Keyboard/Mouse/Monitor has not any problem.

What i want to avoid (if possible) swapping mobo/CPU during testing as i may not able to find any equivalent parts(working mobo/cpu) from my region/locality.

As your friend suggested, clearing the CMOS is a start.

You want to test each component individually until you run out of items to test or the computer starts working.

If the CMOS reset didn't fix the issue, remove any devices not needed to run the computer. You should only need the PSU, motherboard, CPU, and RAM. If that doesn't help, pull all the sticks of RAM and try each in all the slots. If swapping around the stick of RAM doesn't fix the issue, it is likely the board or the processor. Without replacements for either of those, you aren't going to be able to determine which is faulty.

However, you could pull the system out of the case and try it on a non-conductive surface (anti-static bags are conductive, use wood or cardboard). You could also try pulling the processor and re-seating it.

What happened before it stopped working?

Hi Thideras,

Actually i had already removed RAM from MOBO while testing as per clause#4. i forgot to mention here hence edited my post.

I was not with computer when it stopped functioning; kids in my family were listening music. I asked them but they are not much aware why it stopped. (anyways it was 1 year back story)

You stated you removed the RAM from the computer, but I had suggested to rotate each individual stick through all the RAM slots. This would narrow down broken sticks or RAM slots. Is that what you tried? It isn't exactly clear.

I agree this is looks like a bad board/CPU, most likely the board.

Setup: PSU connected to mobo ( via 2 cables: 20 pins & 4 pins). CPU speaker connected to mobo(2 pin thin cable). & removed all other components (RAM specifically) from live circuit as other components(DVD Drive/Hard disk ) were already isolated .Then switched on Mains power supply.
Result:No beep/sound & Yellow LED on mobo working/ON.

Click to expand...

Board should be sounding beep codes for no ram installed at this point.
Motherboard is shot.

Maybe a raspberry pi and run a converter cable for VGA. Wouldn't cost much, maybe less than a new mobo. Good functionality. Free OS. Low power consumption.
It's a ten year old PC. Even if you replace the mobo... Who's to say when the PSU will blow? Or the hard drive? Where are you going to track down an EIDE hard drive in decent condition in 2014?

Theocnoob said:

Maybe a raspberry pi and run a converter cable for VGA. Wouldn't cost much, maybe less than a new mobo. Good functionality. Free OS. Low power consumption.
It's a ten year old PC. Even if you replace the mobo... Who's to say when the PSU will blow? Or the hard drive? Where are you going to track down an EIDE hard drive in decent condition in 2014?

Click to expand...

^ Agreed. It's ten years old, let it rest in piece. It's way past it's prime. Things die, they're not always repairable, and if they are, they're not always worth repairing.

thideras, you have good suggetion as there are two slots in mobo.
But i performed different test which was suggested my other online friend. (without RAM; when mobo is powered beep should be heard<--- intention of that test; which is failed hence i doubt it is mobo/cpu & as most people said more chances are mobo) If mobo is failed how/why yellow LED light is ON?

What should be the output/result when i perform as you said "You should only need the PSU, motherboard, CPU, and RAM" ? (i mean with RAM fitted on mobo)

Broken stick=broken RAM?

Scott, how are you sure that it is mobo & not CPU?

Beep is generated by mobo or CPU? is it mobo?

Theocnoo
I guess PSU cost is not much. I can replace if it required.
If i buy RPI, can i use other components of my old PC alongwith it? (like monitor/ram/harddisk/cddrives/psu etc..)
What exactly RPI replaces ? (is it CPU/mobo/something else/combination of something?)

I new RPI is somethign like arduino; but not much aware how to hook up to make it complete workstation or like a complete computer/PC?


EIDE hard drive: is this harddrive which was used 10 years back (& i may have that!!)? & no more used now a days?
What are the recent development in hard drives?

The light doesn't mean the motherboard is functional, just that it is receiving standby power.

If you are running a minimal setup and it works, then something you removed or changed fixed the issue. The idea is to remove as many factors as possible.

Broken stick = broken RAM, yes.

Also, please make one post so you aren't chain-posting.

aldakoopa,

I understand things die. But all components are not died. i want to make remaining components meaninful . (once i came to know exactly which is faulty component).

thideras

What should be the output/result when i perform as you said "You should only need the PSU, motherboard, CPU, and RAM" ? (i mean with RAM fitted on mobo)

Should it be some kind of beep/any special pattern?

i mean ideal result (if all things are working)

The result should be the computer working . You can't pinpoint what part is causing the issue while having everything hooked up.

And again, please only post once in a row. Use the edit feature if you want to add something.

My point is that once your hard disk and optical drive die on that system, you're going to have a very hard time tracking down replacements. That system will be using Parallell (flat, wide ribbon cables) hard drive connections (IDE). Modern Hard disks and optical drives as well as SSDs use SATA, serial connectors with are much more narrow and have less wires inside. The two are not compatible with eachother. Once your hard drive dies, where are you going to find a brand new one to replace it? You aren't, so you'll be stuck with a used one, that'll be just as old and on the brink of death as the original. At a certain point a horse just won't pull your cart any more and you have to take it out behind the barn and shoot it. It's a 10 year old PC. Single core, horrible cpu designs, slooow RAM... Put it out of its misery. Sell the parts individually (the ones that are still good)... CPU, PSU, RAM, case, and put the money toward a modern computing solution. Maybe a laptop, maybe a bargain basement entry level prebuilt OEM tower like a Dell or something like that. Maybe even look at refurbished first generation i3/i5 systems. Anything is better than what your friend is using now.

Hmm isn't that a socket A? Well If you really want it to run, you wouldn't happen to have some Corsair DDR 200mhz with winbond ic's CL 2.2.2.5 that stuff will boot anything! I had that Athlon 64. DFI Landparty days and PC Club.

Seriously, Check the caps and what not to see if they are not damaged. Life on some of the boards caps and soldering contacts can over time kill the motherboard, from what I am aware of down by Microcenter her in California there is a shop that still has some vintage pc hardware including the socket A. Still I can't remember what socket came after words was it 939?

From the description of the problem I still don't think I understand what happens when you try to press the power button on the case. Do fans turn on or not?
Anyway, as everyone has explained it isn't very difficult to tell if something is dead or not. What you do is:
1) Unplug everything from the motherboard except one stick of RAM, CPU and power supply. Try to turn it on.
A) If it starts working (you have beeps and all), start connecting one component at a time until it doesn't start anymore. That way you find out which component is bad.

A1) If fans start when you press the power button but nothing happens, and you unplugged everything, then the next step would be to reset CMOS. I can't tell from your replies if you tried it or not yet.
A2) If resetting CMOS doesn't help, you will need to remove the CPU and put it back in and see if it starts working.
A3) If it still doesn't work, you will need another motherboard, and try the CPU in the other board, if it works fine your other board is dead, period. You could also try another CPU in your motherboard and see if that works. It's possible that both CPU and board are dead.

B) If it doesn't start at all at this stage, (no fans) it could be that something is shorting out on the motherboard, preventing the power supply from turning on. Then you should do what thideras said in his first reply, remove the motherboard from the case and try to power things up when it is on a non-conductive surface. If it doesn't start that way either, quite possible that you have a bad power supply or some component on the motherboard is shorting out and is bad.

B1) Try a different power supply - If it starts working, you found the problem, if it doesn't your motherboard is probably dead, period.

I think that the list above should be a good enough guide to get you from start to finish in testing that old PC. Read (1), then read (A), if (A) works move on to (A1/A2/A3), if (A) doesn't work then move to (B), if (B) works move to (B1).

No point in working on it as a theory, try things and see what happens.

oi said:

Scott, how are you sure that it is mobo & not CPU?

Beep is generated by mobo or CPU? is it mobo?

Click to expand...

It's the mobo. If you take everything out of the board except the CPU, and try to power it on, you should be getting beep codes that there is no ram or vid card connected. If you don't get beep codes with parts missing, the mobo isn't detecting them to begin with. Thus, the mobo is shot.....(or bad/corrupted bios chip). Same thing with a bad CPU, you'd be getting a beep code or audible warning. You get nothing, hence bad mobo.

Mr.Scott, not all motherboards beep when there is no CPU to actually run the BIOS code.
But if I was to pick a part that's dead (and the system turns on, as in power wise) I'd say it was most likely the motherboard too.