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Core2Duo rig not starting up at all, motherboard to blame?

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Right so this is just to make sure Im not missing anything here in regards to a motherboard possibly being dead.

The motherboard is an Asus P5N-T Deluxe, I have never used this motherboard before and it has been sitting in a cardboard box for a few years now.

Ok so what have I done so far, I googled the issue and tried most of it.
I now have the motherboard sitting on cardboard, CPU (e6750) installed, CPU cooler installed, 1 Ram stick installed and PSU hooked up (Yes both the big 24pin connector AND the 4/8pin cpu connector)
The CPU, the Ram and the PSU all work 100%, they have all been taken from another PC that works 100%.

I have tried to directly start the board using that "short circuit the start pins trick", but nothing happens.
(to make sure I was doing it right I tested it with an even older Pentium D + motherboard + ram stick and that started up fine)

The light on the motherboard does come on as soon as I flip the powerswitch on the psu.
Also the light on the Ethernet connector lights up for a second.

I also removed the battery for 5 minutes as the manual stated and moved that jumper back and forth numerous times. (could the battery be the problem or is it so irrelevant it should be able to start even without the battery installed (like the harddrive or videocard etc))?


So yeah Im a bit at my wit's end here, I kinda dont want to believe the motherboard is dead.
I mean visually it looks perfectly fine....

Is there more I can test? can I perhaps force start it a more direct way, circumventing that pin array your power button etc normally hooks up to?
Can I test things with a multi meter to see if everything is getting power etc and if it is, what could be wrong then?



UPDATE:

So the mobo lives now, how?
I used a heatgun on it...why? well honestly I dont really know why I tried it.
Recently I "upgraded" my ps3 and it involved heating up the mobo a bit so I could remove the IHS from the cpu and gpu.

During this endeavor I learned about reballing, the act of heating up a chip so much the soldering would melt and re-seat it self.
Because if this I thought a little heat...maybe it can fix something.

A well..it ffing did, I was/am super surprised but the motherboard now starts up
Wether or not its fully functional Ill update on later but for now, lets just say Im stunned.


UPDATE 2:

So the thing does "start", that is fans spin up.
At this point its still at a bare minimum setup, that is Mobo + CPU + 1 Ram stick + Videocard (also usb powered but analog signal speaker to hear the beeps).

If I leave the ram out I hear the appropriate beeps from this chart:
https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1029959
that is the: "No memory detected" beeps.

If I plug one ram stick in....I hear nothing at all.
The PC does not power down by itself either, it just keeps running but no beeps.

Problem is, there is no video signal either seemingly.
I tried 2 videocards which I know work fine.

So it starts up, there are no beeps and no video signal.
Only with no ram installed do I get the corresponding beeps indicating that at some level the beep producing part works.

Now googling this comes with a world of people with the same complaint which is a lot to get through, so I thought it might bare fruit to ask it here.

I did once again remove the battery and moved the jumpers around, that did nothing.
 
Last edited:

CAPSLOCKSTUCK

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Are you shorting the correct pins?

Rub a screw driver across them.
 
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I'd reinstall the CPU and make sure it is installed correctedly. The mobo's symptoms seems similar to cases where CPU is installed incorrectly.

If not, then it's dead as GPU debates.
 
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Also can be a faulty bios, I recently had a problem like that with mine. Does the cpu fan spin?
 
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Are you shorting the correct pins?

Rub a screw driver across them.

Yes I am shorting the ones I am suppose to but I tried actually shorting everything, tagging every possible 2 pins with my screwdrivers and other metal objects.

I'd reinstall the CPU and make sure it is installed correctedly. The mobo's symptoms seems similar to cases where CPU is installed incorrectly.

If not, then it's dead as GPU debates.

Very well, I shall double check that to make sure.
 
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Also can be a faulty bios, I recently had a problem like that with mine. Does the cpu fan spin?

Nope, no reaction from anything at all, like Im not doing anything to start it, the only indication I have that something is getting proper power is the light on the motherboard and the light on the ethernet port.
 
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Since you mention multi meter could you check the CMOS battery. I once read it could matter if it was too low. I think that I might have a similar problem in one of my older rigs, it reads just above 3 V and I never got around to replace it.
 
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Nope, no reaction from anything at all, like Im not doing anything to start it, the only indication I have that something is getting proper power is the light on the motherboard and the light on the ethernet port.

That's how a motherboard reacts when it's not getting signal from CPU. Remove everything and reinstall CPU and try to boot. See how it goes.
 
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Nope, no reaction from anything at all, like Im not doing anything to start it, the only indication I have that something is getting proper power is the light on the motherboard and the light on the ethernet port.
Try to plug a speaker and let's see if there are some beep codes. In my case the fans worked and it was like it tried to start up but continuously rebooted, I don't know what can be in your case.

Like the others said, try to reinstall the cpu first and let's see.
 
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Since you mention multi meter could you check the CMOS battery. I once read it could matter if it was too low. I think that I might have a similar problem in one of my older rigs, it reads just above 3 V and I never got around to replace it.

Ok tried it, took the 3v battery from the working motherboard and put it in the not working one, sadly no result.
In fact, I put the battery of the non working mobo in the working one and that still started up fine.

That's how a motherboard reacts when it's not getting signal from CPU. Remove everything and reinstall CPU and try to boot. See how it goes.

Well I took it out and put it in again, the handy thing of tech these days is that I cannot even put it in wrongly, there are sticking out plastic parts that correspond with little ermm dents? in the cpu, to make sure you can only put it in one way.
But unfortunately, no result.

I even put the cpu back into the working motherboard to make sure I did not bust the cpu in the transfer and yep, that one still starts up fine.

So yeah, it all points towards this Asus motherboard being broken.
Still though, is there no way to force start the motherboard any other way? ignoring the usual pins, just to see if the fault lies there?
Or are there points to connect with a multi meter to make sure everything is getting the power?
At this point its not really about saving the motherboard, just find it hard to accept that a motherboard that looks in perfect fine order, does not show a single sign of life....well apart again from the LED light but yeah....
 
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Well I took it out and put it in again, the handy thing of tech these days is that I cannot even put it in wrongly, there are sticking out plastic parts that correspond with little ermm dents? in the cpu, to make sure you can only put it in one way.
But unfortunately, no result.

Some odd sockets let you install CPU in wrong direction. 2011-v3 is prune to that. I think 1155 was also.

Mobo is the fault, it seems. Give it a funeral with a hammer.
 
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Is the cpu power connector plugged in?
Silly question, but easy to overlook.
 
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Some odd sockets let you install CPU in wrong direction. 2011-v3 is prune to that. I think 1155 was also.

Mobo is the fault, it seems. Give it a funeral with a hammer.

Ah very interesting, never had such a socket/motherboard, odd that they go backwards like that :p
But, GOOD FFING NEWS, the device LIVES!

And ill tell you how, I did something I never saw anyone advice me to do, I just a heatgun on it, I warmed the shit out of it.
I know reballing needs a lot more heat then that but I thought, screw it, its broken anyway so what is the worst that could happen?
and low and behold....Life has sprung back into it!

Now if it will work probably in every way I cannot yet say, will report on that later :)

Is the cpu power connector plugged in?
Silly question, but easy to overlook.

Well thats why I typed in red that indeed it is :p
Thanks anyway ;)
 

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You're a funny guy man, congrats haha
 
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Right so more help is still much wanted :p


Here is the new needed info:

So the thing does "start", that is fans spin up.
At this point its still at a bare minimum setup, that is Mobo + CPU + 1 Ram stick + Videocard (also usb powered but analog signal speaker to hear the beeps).

If I leave the ram out I hear the appropriate beeps from this chart:
https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1029959
that is the: "No memory detected" beeps.

If I plug one ram stick in....I hear nothing at all.
The PC does not power down by itself either, it just keeps running but no beeps.

Problem is, there is no video signal either seemingly.
I tried 2 videocards which I know work fine.

So it starts up, there are no beeps and no video signal.
Only with no ram installed do I get the corresponding beeps indicating that at some level the beep producing part works.

Now googling this comes with a world of people with the same complaint which is a lot to get through, so I thought it might bare fruit to ask it here.

I did once again remove the battery and moved the jumpers around, that did nothing.
I tried the videocards in all 3 PCI-E slots as well, no change.
 
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Kanan

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Maybe bake it in a oven do it properly compared to that heat gun. :p maybe you have some luck again.
 

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I've seen bad ram not able to allow a machine to boot, its either that or the motherboard.
 
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