Re: hardware help Off Topic

Lots of good help from all of you.  

Some clarification and more information.  The bios and Windows reported 
64MB memory.  When I opened it up, it had two 128MB dimms and one 
unidentified dimm.  I tried swapping them around and found exchanging 
the 128MB dimms caused the computer to not boot up (but the power 
supply still came on).  

There were no new dimms; I was just swapping the dimms that were in it 
originally, trying to figure out why 256+ MB of ram was reported as 
64MB.

At least once, I am sure I swapped dimms without turning off the switch 
in the back.  OOOPS!!!  (This wouldn't be a problem with the old 
computers I am used to.  Welcome to the newer technology.)

I did try cleaning the dimm slots and reseating the dimms.  No help.  
Checked and reseated all the cables.  No help.

On tip number 5, below, the power supply "power-on" pin reads 42 ohms 
to ground with switch off and 13 mv with switch on.  So grounding it 
wouldn't be right.  I tried +5 volts from +5VSD to the "power on" pin 
and nothing happened, so I am guessing that the power supply may be bad.
Don't have another computer to try it in so Anne's suggestion of 
getting National Computer to test it looks like a good idea.

Thanks to all of you,
bruce

On Thursday 03 April 2003 01:19 pm, you wrote:
> You said you swapped DIMMs.
>
> some trouble shooting tips would be:
>
> 1.  check and reseat the DIMMs, making sure they are fully latched
> into place.
> (A DIMM that is not fully seated can cause this.  This includes
> making absolutely sure the dimm slot is clean)
>
> 2.  remove the new DIMMs and reinstall the original
> (Newer MOBOs should be able to configure whichever type you have, but
> there are several different types of memory and not all MOBOs support
> all types)
>
> 3.  verify the new DIMMs match the original.  ( pc100 vs pc133, 
> parity vs non-parity, etc )
>
> 4.  check any cable connections you might have disturbed
> (a loose cable may interfere)
>
> 5.  if all of the above don't fix the problem then consider the power
> supply as Anne suggested. You can test the one you have by jumpering
> the power-on pin to a ground pin and then testing the other output
> voltages, or better yet, try it in another computer you know is
> working so the only change is the power supply.
>
> 6.  As a last resort you might replace the mobo, but only if it can
> not be gotten to work when in the exact original configuration where
> it was previously working.
> (a broken trace on the MOBO can prevent power on, and replacing DIMMS
> does cause some stress on the board)
>
> If the new DIMMs you are installing are not supported by the old MOBO
> then there will be no option but to get different memory for the
> upgrade, or get a MOBO that supports what you have.
>
> bruce wrote:
> >After swapping memory DIMMS on a friend's computer, the computer
> >refuses to power up.  It has a push-button switch on the front which
> >has to be held in for four or five seconds to power down and one
> > push normally powers it up.
> >
> >The power cord on the back is okay (tried another cord) and the
> > front panel switch is working (used an ohmmeter) and the power
> > supply is at least partly working as there is 3.7 volts on the pin
> > labeled "power on" on the power supply when it's unplugged from the
> > motherboard.
> >
> >Can't seem to find any help on the web.  Does anyone know enough
> > about these newer power supplies and how they are turned on to
> > suggest a solution?  I don't want to have to buy a new motherboard.
> >bruce
> >
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