Broken time machine!

[kidzer]

Hi folks, I got given an old Time PC to diagnose yesterday (AthlonXP 2200/512MiB PC133 RAM/onboard video/etc), the problem being...it doesnt want to turn on, having randomly shut off that day.

I've tried a different power supply (the PC user said they did smell some burning prior to it happening, whether they did or just think they did because the machine is now a bit decked, I dont really know), and I have swapped the CPU into a test machine I have here, and it still boots with that CPU, given that it doesnt turn on at all, my suspicion is that the power supply in it (probably a cheap one), has taken a funny turn momentarily and overvolted something on the motherboard, rendering it...well, dead.

I tried bridging the 2 pins to turn the machine on incase it was just the switch having worn out, then remembering they said it just suddenly shut off.

I have also built it out of the case, on cardboard, to rule out any shorting on the case.

Any hexites with other things for me to try/suggestions of what the problem might be?

Cheers,
David

[staffsMike]

If you smell burning somethings generally bit the big one. In this case the mobo most likely.

I think i have a board with that socket,pretty sure it shorted itself to death at xmas and I havn't bothered to turn it back on yet lol

[SiM]

Well once its fixed use the time machine to go back in time and tell they guy not to buy a machine from time
(I honestly thought you meant a time travel machine after reading the thread title ,lol...)

To me it sounds like its definately the motherboard... If the cpu is fine it should at least power up and beep if there was something wrong with anything else.


PS: Back to the future rulez!

[staffsMike]

I did too..only reason I opened it

was all ready to diagnose..flux capicitor..time circuits? lol

[dave87]

I don't know why, but I instinctively knew it was a Time PC. May just have been due to the 'broken' bit in the title.

[SiM]

I actually had a socket A motherboard commit suicide too...

It was a stormy evening and I think a power surge came down the phone line, took out my router, and sent a surge down the ethernet cable too... and motherboard death resulted...

[father smurf]

good job it wasn't a 1.21 jigowatt spike

[staffsMike]

GIGAwatts...some people

[Clunk]

It may be too cryptic for some.

[SiM]

Yeh it would not have been nice being stuck in 1958... Although I would have a faster computer than NASA then

(Of course assuming it came back with me)

jigo, lol

wtf clunk! talk about being off topic! this thread is about time machines and socket A stuff, and socket A time travel machines only

[Clunk]

wtf clunk! talk about being off topic! this thread is about time machines and socket A stuff, and socket A time travel machines only

I said it'd be too cryptic for some didn't I eh? didn't I? eh?

[kidzer]

roffle, sorry to dissapoint everyone with the thread content

I shall deliver the bad news to the PC owner tonight then!

One more thing, it uses PC133 RAM, which I noticed today has 2 notches in the ram, I take it it wont work in a newer socket A Motherboard that works with 266/333MHz RAM?

Ooh, one more thing...the machine has I guess an OEM Windows XP License, if i stick in a new motherbord and potentially new RAM, will that license still be valid, or will replacing the RAM aswell make it no longer the same machine?

[SiM]

I said it'd be too cryptic for some didn't I eh? didn't I? eh?

I meant the pic... it should have been a pic of a delorrian or something... and Back to the Future talk won't be cryptic to anyone because this is Hexus... we all have PhDs in geekiness

Yeh that ram won't work in a DDR ram motherboard... time to upgrade I think... SD Ram motherboards are fairly extinct now... in fact if you wanted one, I would say you would have to go back in time to get one...

Not sure about the XP licence... IMO its fine to do it.

[Clunk]

I would ring microsoft and tell them that you have had a damaged board and they will reactivate it for you.

SiM, the pic is related to the film.

[Perfectionist]

It may be too cryptic for some.

You're calling it a gay topic?




Oh..... and to fix the time machine, reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.

[Clunk]

Nope.