Need some help -– Static probs ...

[pragmathen]

Hey, my blasted floppy drive (win98) decided to not work anymore, so I went in to see if I could tinker with it and fix it myself. Not only did I not fix it, but I think I may have been a bit careless (didn't wear a static wrist-guard) because now my computer will not turn on.

I have an ASUS7V133 Motherboard (basically six months old) and when I turn the power on and then punch the ATX power button, the indicator lights flicker but nothing else. The thing is, it was working great before I went in and messed with the floppy drive.

So, did I short-circuit the motherboard and, if so, is there a cheap way of wiping the board so that I can continue to use it?

Any help this way would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

prag

 

[Stryder]

It's pretty hard to guess what you've done, all I can do is write what usually happens in certain cases.

Cable not connected properly usually means that the system doesn't pick up the drive in question, this will only effect boot up if the drive is your harddrive with the OS on.

If a processor has been accidentally pulled out then it will not work AT ALL! unless you put the processor back correctly.
(When this occurs there will be no BIOS/CMOS or Graphics Adapter information. Check your RAM as well)

If you've accidentally removed a jumper, or a jumper is misconfigured it too can cause similar problems to either of the above. (A working or non working BIOS)

Perhaps you might have Jogged the Power cables to the Board, this would mean no power to the board, and the light flickering would just be what power was left in the board glowing.

----

In the future, even if you don't wear gloves understand that a Power cable even unattached from the wall socket can still carry a charge, so unplug the cable fully.

When handling your system, touch the cage with one hand, this will mean any static charges will short out on the cage not your board.

Be careful with the screws you use and the screwdrive you use, old fashioned + headed screws aren't the best in the world, as a screw driver can chew the + up and deposit little metal fragments as dust particles across your board and processor. (This can cause alsorts of failures and lots of damage through shorting out.)

If you have to, find a magnet and "HOVER" it over your board (don't wipe it across any metal, just "Hover" it to collect the metal fragments up)

Try to use Hexagonal/octagonal headed screws. (It makes sense, more surface area for torque/friction and less chance of metal fragments.)

 

[pragmathen]

Just to update

Thanks, <b>Stryderunknown</b>, for your advice and suggestions. I went and took it in to the local computer service place and they confirmed that it was my power cable, which makes for an inexpensive fix.

Thanks!

prag