No POST, power problem?

[edu835]

Hello everyone,

I have a Gateway P4 desktop from 2001 and I haven't used it for a long time until a couple days ago. It turns on, every fan spins but I don't get POST and as soon as I connect the VGA cable to the video card (AGP), the monitor led turns yellow and the monitor doesn't display anything.
No beeps, no POST, no nothing. The PS is good because I used it on another computer and it works. I took out the RAM, HD, drives, etc. and same thing. Changed BIOS pin to startup on recovery mode...nothing. Changed the BIOS battery with no luck either.

Should I throw away the MB or processor? Any ideas before that?

Thanks a lot!

 

[G0AOZ]

Just because you've used the PSU on another machine, it doesn't necessarily follow it's still good for the Gateway. Try another PSU of the same or better (Wattage) rating.

You could also try another video card...

ROGER - G0AOZ.

 

[edu835]

Thanks Roger,

I have used two different ones of different W's but still doesn't work. Also tried other AGP and VGA cards and still the same thing.

Thanks for the help anyway.

Other ideas?

 

[stduc]

Time to get drastic?

Remove everything - inc RAM and just leave CPU.
Any post beeps then? It should complain like mad!

Add back RAM - test - then video card - then disks (floppy first)

If no beeps with no RAM etc though it comes down to.
Would it beep the mobo speaker (you do have a mobo speaker?)
Or
Time to try re-seating the CPU (remove - clean heatsink etc - new heat pad and re-assemble.

 

[edu835]

okay, someone is gonna have to explain this one to me...

I have four slots for Rambus (RIMM) RAM...and I thought they had to be paired, so I used 2 64MB chips that were giving me all the trouble I told you.
Then I added one 128MB chip and a "Continuity Module" that I didn't know where, why and how I got'em...and before taking it to tech-support I booted just in case and...I got POSTed!!

Wouldn't have to be paired with another 128MB chip instead of with a piece of plastic that I thought it was worth nothing? Weren’t the two 64MB chips enough to get going?

Thanks a lot anyway!!

 

[attrofy]

There was a stint there that those "continuity modules" were required - they had their own slot for a while - before paired ram was on the scene. I never heard them called that - but it makes sense. I know the systems will not boot without those modules in there. I am guessing it is some early attempt at "security" or "authentication" for genuineness - but I could be wrong. They don't appear to have anything in them, but there must be a set of resistors or or something somewhere in them. I only had one or two Gateways that had this, and I never bothered to explore them out further to see what was the reason behind them (or their names for that matter).