Computer Issue

Well, it appears that my computer of one year is dead after trying to get it to POST this morning.

I had left the computer on all night, sitting in Windows XP as I usually do.

Then I woke up this morning, and pressed the space bar to bring the monitor out of its sleep mode. (Note: I have the sleep mode disabled for the OS..not the monitor.) I pressed the space bar again and get the same result. So I had hit the reset button and got no response whatsoever. So, I flipped the switch in the back of the comp, then turn it back on. Suddenly, the computer will not POST whatsover. The screen remains black. So, I think to myself: video card is gone. So I swapped out the ATI card for a Geforce4ti card I had laying around. Again, same response: no POST, hard drive light remains on and not blinking at all. I then conclude that most like my CPU had met an early death. Later I tried clearing the CMOS but again, same response: black screen, no POST.

Thus far, the system hard drive is in working order because I slapped it into my old Dell Pentium II 400. (My newer system: Athlon XP 2600, Epox 8RDA+ mobo, ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, Windows XP Pro).

If the CPU has, in fact, met its early death, my nose has yet to pick it up. There are no signs of it burning out but I have yet to take off the heatsink for a better look. I'm going to try to swap the memory around first (two sticks, Corsair XMS) before taking off the heatsink.

Anyone have anymore suggestions?

Yes, the Epox LED display which gives a handy little code revealing system problems.

code: CF

Yep, I have to replace the motherboard since now I've found a blown capacitor. Thanks for the heads up and thanks for having the same board as I do.

Now, the question becomes: which motherboard do I get?

Honestly, I'm now interested in any new bells and whistles at the moment. I've taken a peek at what's coming up and the PCI-Express is the only thing that interests me. In the future, when I have the funds to build a new system, I'm sure I'll be interested in the latest and greatest technology. Nonetheless, I need to research the BTX standard since I don't know too much about it.

By the way, I logged onto Epox's website and registered my mobo and filled out some info on their tech support page. Regardless of what they say, I'll like order a new mobo by Monday...Tuesday at the latest. The Epox 8RDA3I seems to be the likely choice (Nforce 2 Ultra 400) or the maybe Asus A7N8X-X (Nforce 2 400..no dual channel support).

Wish me good luck.

Epox wants me to send in the board. Unfortunately, I can't find the original invoice and Directron.com (where I ordered the board) hasn't had any luck in finding the invoice. So, out of desperation, I snagged an Albatron Nforce2 for $55 from NewEgg. ($60-$10 rebate + $5 shipping=$55) It's cheap but it also has a 3 year warranty, 1 year longer than Epox . I know a little about the brand and the warranty is great.