Re: System Won't Power Up Anymore

I don't understand any responses to known facts. For example, 'Test
DMA Channel 1' has no relation to CMOS battery, SCSI cable, etc.
After all that work, we don't know a single thing about your problem
other than it still exists. To solve a problem, each system component
must be identified as definitively good or definitively bad. After
all that work, not one item is known definitively anything. Nothing
yet has been accomplished.

First item that can make everything appear defective is the power
supply 'system'. That means taking voltage measurements on any one of
purple, red, orange, and yellow wires from power supply. Somewhere
was implication that those voltages were good. What were the
numbers? Were they taken when every peripheral (CD-Rom, NIC, modem,
hard drive, complex graphics displayed on video, sound card, etc) was
working simultaneously (multitasking)? And did every number exceed
3.23, 4.87, or 11.7 volts? Finally you should post each number to get
further useful information.

What did system (event) logs report?

If the system did not come from a responsible computer manufacturer,
then locate, download, and execute diagnostics from each component
manufacturer. This is made simpler by limiting those diagnostics to
devices that can shutdown a system - memory, sound card, video
controller, CPU, and some motherboard functions. Then repeat each
test with hardware at much higher (completely normal) temperatures;
maybe heated with a hairdryer on highest heat.

However if 'Test DMA Channel 1' was really failing, the failure
would probably only be recorded by the system (event) log AND the only
solution would be a motherboard replacement.

Don't replace a video card, suspect a CMOS battery, or blame dirty
contacts on a whim. Nothing posted previously even implied those
actions would fix the failure. Dirty contact problem is a classic
myth promoted without technical knowledge.

A computer must work just fine when room is 40 degrees or over 100
degree F. Massive temperature changes must cause no failures.
Temperatures in extreme are used to find defective hardware. Adding
more fans accomplished nothing; may only cure symptoms of defective
hardware.

Mentioned were voltage measurements from motherboard monitor. Those
numbers are for monitoring - detecting changes. If not first
calibrated with a 3.5 digit multimeter, then those numbers cannot
identify voltages as definitively good or bad. Those numbers must be
collected under maximum load (multitasking to all peripherals).

Above is an abridged discussion. First information necessary are
voltage numbers from a multimeter and problems recorded in system
(event) logs. Those numbers then posted here to obtain additional
useful conclusions.

On Oct 25, 10:44 am, nob...@xxxxxxx (Kevin the Drummer) wrote:
Last night I checked the POST code. It was 37, "Test DMA channel 1".
Per the ABIT troubleshooting section in their manual, I tried
resetting the CMOS. Still no joy. I replaced the CMOS battery.
Still broken. I disconnected my internal 50-pin SCSI cable along
with the power connectors for tape and CD drives attached to that
cable. The system booted right away after that. Of course, it
complained about a CMOS checksum and reloaded the defaults. But,
other than that it was a normal boot. This is starting to look
like apower supplyissue to me. That could be because I've
overloaded it, or it could be because it's a bit on the weak side
for the load.

My PCI slots are all full with ABIT's uGuru external display,
two sound cards, serial port card, and a SCSI card. Of course
the AGP slot is full, nVidia in my case. In the drive bays I
have a CD burner, tape drive, DVD burner, floppy drive, and 3
hard drives. I also added two big fans to the system. Mypowersupplyis a Q Technology 460W unit. Did I over do it on the
loading?

.

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