Any ideas what's wrong with this thing?

[iKhan]

Gateway GT4016 no OS will install.

Installing XP Pro I get 0x0000007B
Installing Ubuntu 10.10 it turns off

I've tried everything. I initially thought the CPU (939 Sempron 3700+) was overheating, but the heatsink is cold and there's plenty of ventilation CPU temps hover around 60 degrees Celsius.

Definitely not the RAM as I've tried with each stick of RAM individually.

Two different hard drives, same thing.

Two different optical drives, same thing.

Any suggestions before I just toss it?

[trickson]

Well that is a boot device error. So I would say the drives are bad or the MB is bad.

[eidairaman1]

http://www.aumha.org/a/stop.php#0x7b

read that.

perhaps the data cables or even motherboard are jacked up.

maybe even the powersupply.

check to ensure your drive jumpers are properly configured, go into the BIOS and reset to factory defaults. Ensure all connections are properly seated. if you have to take the machine apart and clean and run the motherboard with necessary components on a bench that isnt metal.

[trickson]

Originally Posted by eidairaman1

http://www.aumha.org/a/stop.php#0x7b

read that.

perhaps the data cables or even motherboard are jacked up.

maybe even the powersupply.

check to ensure your drive jumpers are properly configured, go into the BIOS and reset to factory defaults. Ensure all connections are properly seated. if you have to take the machine apart and clean and run the motherboard with necessary components on a bench that isnt metal.

Yes DO THIS!

[iKhan]

Originally Posted by eidairaman1

http://www.aumha.org/a/stop.php#0x7b

read that.

perhaps the data cables or even motherboard are jacked up.

maybe even the powersupply.

check to ensure your drive jumpers are properly configured, go into the BIOS and reset to factory defaults. Ensure all connections are properly seated. if you have to take the machine apart and clean and run the motherboard with necessary components on a bench that isnt metal.

Haven't tried any new data cables will try that. Doubt it's the Psu because it was used in a different computer before fine. Tomorrow I will tear it all down and re-apply thermal paste. In the mean time I'll read the link and swap cables.

[Fitseries3]

take the board out of the case and look at the back of it in bright light. could have "burn" from electric/lightning damage. i see it alot in prebuilt desktops.

[Yin]

have you replace the thermal paste?

If I remember right my 3700+ cpu would be around 50degrees on load =/

[iKhan]

Alright an update.

I managed to install Ubunut 9.04. Why XP and Ubunutu 10.10 would not install I have no clue.

This eliminates the possibility of the dvd drive, hard drive, and RAM being bad. The minute I log in to Ubunutu it turns off. It happened twice in a row.

I'm beginning to feel it might be the power supply, which is odd because it was used in a different pc in the past without an issue. I'll do some more tinkering tomorrow as it's 12 am right now and im not in teh mood to keep messing with it.

the sempron idles around 53 degrees Celsius and hits around 61 on load. are these temps normal?

[radusorin]

Originally Posted by iKhan

Gateway GT4016 no OS will install.

Installing XP Pro I get 0x0000007B
Installing Ubuntu 10.10 it turns off

I've tried everything. I initially thought the CPU (939 Sempron 3700+) was overheating, but the heatsink is cold and there's plenty of ventilation CPU temps hover around 60 degrees Celsius.

Definitely not the RAM as I've tried with each stick of RAM individually.

Two different hard drives, same thing.

Two different optical drives, same thing.

Any suggestions before I just toss it?

Do a bios reset and start from the default setting. If that dosn't work then you have a hardware problem. If that work then start whit setting cpu reboot then ram and so on till you get to the problem.

[Bambooz]

Originally Posted by iKhan

I'm beginning to feel it might be the power supply, which is odd because it was used in a different pc in the past without an issue.

Just because it worked in another (possible lower power!?) PC doesn't mean it's okay. I'd definitely take a look.
Also check the capacitors in the PSU (where all the wire-salad exits the PSU). If they're domed on top or there's stuff oozing out, there's your problem.

[iKhan]

Tried known working power supply out of my main PC same problem. Swapped power supplies when I woke up. Turned it on and it powered off while loading Ubuntu. It's very cold in my room and was off all night...no way is it overheating.

It's not the PSU.
Not the hard drive.
Not the RAM.

Gonna pull the board and re-apply theremal paste/re-seat CPU. If it don't work it's getting trashed.

[Fitseries3]

im tellin you... look at the back side of the mobo for dark spots and burns. i've seen it too many times and it will give you these issues you are having.

[jsfitz54]

Originally Posted by Fitseries3

im tellin you... look at the back side of the mobo for dark spots and burns. i've seen it too many times and it will give you these issues you are having.

+1

Also, look for buldging caps on front of motherboard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDGjWOabJ2E

[iKhan]

Originally Posted by Fitseries3

im tellin you... look at the back side of the mobo for dark spots and burns. i've seen it too many times and it will give you these issues you are having.

I'm about to pull the board in a minute. A few screws left.

[iKhan]

Caps and board look fine to me.

Screw it...I give up.

EDIT: I left some details out previously.

So the south bridge gets extremely hot. Much hotter than the north bridge and cpu heat sink. I thought this was normal. I asked myself why it only turned off while installing the OS or using the OS and not in the bios without a hard drive.

I removed the south bridge heat sink and I think i've found the culprit.

Is this normal?

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

Originally Posted by iKhan

Caps and board look fine to me.

Screw it...I give up.

EDIT: I left some details out previously.

So the south bridge gets extremely hot. Much hotter than the north bridge and cpu heat sink. I thought this was normal. I asked myself why it only turned off while installing the OS or using the OS and not in the bios without a hard drive.

I removed the south bridge heat sink and I think i've found the culprit.

Is this normal?

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/u...9/DSC00599.jpg

Those temps are to high also. I have 2 s939 crunchers and neither goes over 50 loaded.

Those caps don't look to healthy either

[trickson]

Originally Posted by iKhan

Caps and board look fine to me.

Screw it...I give up.

EDIT: I left some details out previously.

So the south bridge gets extremely hot. Much hotter than the north bridge and cpu heat sink. I thought this was normal. I asked myself why it only turned off while installing the OS or using the OS and not in the bios without a hard drive.

I removed the south bridge heat sink and I think i've found the culprit.

Is this normal?

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/u...9/DSC00599.jpg

No. you can try and clean it up re-apply thermal past and see if it is fine then.

[iKhan]

Originally Posted by trickson

No. you can try and clean it up re-apply thermal past and see if it is fine then.

Alright I'll try that and give an update. Do I need specific type of thermal paste for the sb or any that goes on a cpu fine?

[trickson]

Originally Posted by iKhan

Alright I'll try that and give an update. Do I need specific type of thermal paste for the sb or any that goes on a cpu fine?

What you put on the CPU will be fine. Just clean both the Chip and HS really good. Also what is that on them caps? They look like they are leaking.
Clean them off with Alcohol as well. And keep an eye on them too.

[iKhan]

Some gooey stuff is on the caps. They aren't bulged or cracked so I doubt the caps are bad.

[eidairaman1]

Originally Posted by iKhan

Some gooey stuff is on the caps. They aren't bulged or cracked so I doubt the caps are bad.

if the top of the cap has something on them, they are failing, they dont have to appear to be buldging to appear bad

[jsfitz54]

Medical grade isopropyl rubbing alcohol 91% to clean off all old thermal paste off SB and heatsink...use a smaller amount of paste when reapplying to SB side only.

Those caps with the brown stickey ooze.. clean each one and mark the ones you cleaned with a Sharpie permanent marker pen... so you know where you've been. They may be bad, they should be clean. Did someone spill soda?

[Bambooz]

Originally Posted by jsfitz54

Did someone spill soda?

I highly doubt it would end up only on the tops of those caps and nowhere else.
Combination of junk caps and a hot-running nvidia chipset with crappy thermal pads instead of proper grease. Only intels pink gunk on their chipset heatsinks is worse. Consistency (& stickyness) of chewing gum.

Not surpising considering it's a gateway. bottom of the barrel junk.
Elite capacitors are known to dry up without showing any visible signs of failure.

[eidairaman1]

Originally Posted by Bambooz

I highly doubt it would end up only on the tops of those caps and nowhere else.
Combination of junk caps and a hot-running nvidia chipset with crappy thermal pads instead of proper grease. Only intels pink gunk on their chipset heatsinks is worse. Consistency (& stickyness) of chewing gum.

Not surpising considering it's a gateway. bottom of the barrel junk.
Elite capacitors are known to dry up without showing any visible signs of failure.

Thats what happens to OEMs normally.

My Grandfather had 2 Skt A Motherboards and I noticed one had buldging caps, I told him those are bad and he said nonsense and ran it and it kept crashing then finally failed to boot at all so he scrapped the motherboard

[iKhan]

Well I cleaned up the SB and heat sink as best as I can. Re-applied thermal paste...same thing. Turns off in Ubuntu. I'm positive it's the SB because the heat sink gets VERY hot.

I give up at this point, no reason to beat the dead horse. E-waste it goes!