Motherboard has power but computer will not fire up.

**gsantana** · June 1st, 2005, 03:42 AM

When I attempt to power up my computer nothing happens. There are two lights on the motherboard, ASUS P4S8X. The red one was faintly lit while the green was not on at all. I replaced the power supply and both lights are lit and bright. When I press the power button nothing happens. I bypassed the power switch using a screwdriver to connect the two posts on the motherboard hoping it was the switch causing the problem but still nothing. If the posts are somehow shorted out does this mean a new motherboard is necessary?

Thank you for any help!!

**Platypus** · June 1st, 2005, 04:36 AM

Hello gsantana, welcome to WinDrivers.

If the PSU has suffered a failure, which it looks like, it could certainly have damaged another component or components.

If you haven't overlooked anything such as connecting the P4 Auxiliary power plug, probably the best thing to try is a process of elimination.

One thing to try is clearing the CMOS memory, by removing the backup battery for a period or moving a CMOS CLEAR jumper, in case it has become corrupted and is setting a startup condition that prevents the CPU from running.

If this doesn't help, what I think I would do in that situation is remove everything from the motherboard except the CPU, and see if the board will start up and give a beep code (I assume there is a speaker connected).

It appears you are happy to work with the internal components, so if you want to try this, observe how everything is connected, making diagrams if you wish, and take precautions against static electricity - the simplest being to keep touching the metal case as you handle boards etc. Remove all cards including memory, and disconnect all the leads except the power connectors to the motherboard and the speaker connection. If it will start in this state, you should get an error code beep (it doesn't really matter what code). If this still doesn't happen, it would indicate either the motherboard or CPU, or both, are faulty. You then need to decide what course of action to take about that.

If you get beeping, you can gradually add components one by one beginning with memory, starting up the system again each time until you find what stops it from booting.

**BOB IROC** · June 2nd, 2005, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by Platypus

If the PSU has suffered a failure, which it looks like, it could certainly have damaged another component or components.

I Would have to agree. I recently fixed my brothers computer which had the same symptoms. The power went out and the computer never came back up. Is your computer on a Battery Backup? I highly recommend those for anyone that has a computer. You can get a decent small one for one computer for about $40 - $50 and many of them have features that will automatically shut down your computer in case of a power disruption. They also provide a constant flow of power to your system and you don't have to worry as much about power fluctuations and power spikes and surges. All of which can cause damage to a computer. It could be anything attached to the motherboard. Motherboard, Processor, Video Card, Memory or all of the above.

**gsantana** · June 3rd, 2005, 03:14 AM

Thank you very much for responding so quickly. I followed your advice and it came down to replacing the board.

I'll have to look into the battery backup option as well.

Thank you both for your time!