MSI KM2M combo not starting

[norty303]

Working on a PC that won't start. When the power is switched everything powers up, fans spin, disks turn, CD and floppy drives turn and show lights but no display and no beeps. It has onboard video. Unfortunately i can't see if it's got a mobo power led and i can't see reference in the manual but there are no lights to be seen on-board

The owner thinks it may have had a lightning strike so I've swapped in a new power supply that i know works but it's same symptoms so i think i can eliminate the PSU. Before that i also reset the CMOS and removed the battery to make sure but still nothing.

I'm now going to strip it back to bare basics and check it's not something broken thats causing it. Any other things to look at, I'm just problem hunting at the moment and don't want to get in for some time consuming stuff just yet. I think i'll have to pull everything out of the case at some point but there must be some other things to try yet

 

[micker377]

Reseat the CPU, memory, and video card. If no joy, start stripping!

 

[paparazi]

Reseat everything.
Symptoms same as a dead CPU or PSU (but you've changed that)
If the old PSU has popped then look at a dead HDD or CDrom causing a non post.
Pull off IDE cables and power connectors to the HDD and roms first.
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[norty303]

OK, i've managed to get some more time to look at this again and it's still not working.

I've now stripped the board from the case and placed it on foam. I've plugged it into a spare PSU to be sure and only connected RAM (including swapping out for a known good stick) and CPU/Fan. It has on-board video so i can't pull it. I've reset the bios and pulled the battery just to make sure.

When i short the PW switch i get no beeps at all, the CPU fan runs and if the HD is connected it's light comes on steadily and you can hear it spin up and the heads moving suggesting its fine.

I removed the fan and inspected the CPU and there looks like a slightly darker stain around one edge of the chip but it doesn't look like a burn, more like a little extra sealant or something in the construction

 

[paparazi]

This black resin is quite normal.
Chip looks a little chiped?
I am still intregued to know if the heatsink was fitted the correct way around?
Can you see a brite 10/15mm line slightly off centre on the base of the heatsink?
This is an indication the heatsink has been fitted incorrectly at some point and sitting on the edge of the CPU core (causing the mark)
You seem to have covered nearly all the bases, it's just the CPU and motherboard that are left.
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[norty303]

Nope definately the right way around and the chip is fine (prob just a poor photo)

It was used for over a year up to the point when it didn't work and as i said, the owner thinks its a lightning strike at some point. I'd have suspected something else to go really first, like the psu or HD but it may have got the video chip i suppose (is this a reasonable assumption)

Next thing is to decide what to choose out of cpu or mobo to replace. Unforunately i don't have a spare to swap in in either case. Problem is they obviously went the budget route when they built originally and put PC133 in rather than DDR (board can take either) so i need to get a board that can use existing components as much as possible. Also I'd be loathe to put a sempron in but XP's are getting thin on the ground now. Might be a 2700 thoroughbred i think, Bartons appear to have been snapped up quickly

 

[norty303]

Ok, I managed to swap in a good processor and still no luck so i hunted down a new (used) mobo of same model/make (haven't checked version number or bios issue yet).

Should this be able to be swapped straight in or will Windows detect a different mobo id and require a full re-install?

Is there any way around this seeing as nothing has technically changed?

Thanks