A little troubleshooting can save you the cost of a new motherboard.
From time to time, K7SOM motherboards fail for various reasons--a chip shakes loose, a pin bends, a stray screw causes a connection between the motherboard and case, or, the most common, a piece of hardware fails. Any of these can cause the computer to stop booting. Diagnosing the source of the problem and subsequently fixing it is no simple matter. However, by following a few logical steps, you may be able to save yourself the cost of a new motherboard--or a new computer.
Instructions
The Basics
1. Disconnect the power cable and open the case. Remove all unnecessary hardware--disconnect any extra sound or video cards and remove any extra RAM.
When finished, the motherboard should only have one stick of RAM, a CD-/DVD-ROM or a floppy disk, and a hard drive attached.
2. A power supply cable for the motherboard.
Check the power supply connections. One large power connector should clip into the motherboard with one smaller plug running to the ROM and hard drive. Also check the power connectors for the fans--the CPU fan is the most important.
3. Note the silver rings around the holes.
Inspect the motherboard for any charred spots. Check the screws on the motherboard to make sure it's seated properly in the case. The screw heads should always be within the metal ring around the hole.
4. Shake and inspect the case to clear out any debris causing a connection behind or around the motherboard.
5. Check all of the pins and chips on the motherboard--the pins should be straight and the chips should be firmly in place.
6. Jumpers for most motherboards.
Check the jumpers on the motherboard. Pay special attention to the CMOS jumper setting--the "Clear" setting will prevent the computer from booting. Also check to make sure that the speaker is plugged into the motherboard.
7. Check the motherboard specifications to see if it supports the CPU that's installed.
8. Close the case and check the power and monitor cables. The monitor cable should be screwed into the motherboard VGA port.
9. Start the computer and listen for the POST (Power-On Self Test) beeps. Check the beep code against the list in Resources and make note of the problem (if any). The K7SOM motherboard is typically an AMI BIOS.
10. Open the case If everything works and try re-attaching the devices one at a time, restarting after each addition.
Other Problems
11. Make sure the voltage is set to 110 or 220 volts (the switch on the back of the power supply), depending on your location. Replace with another power supply to test this. If the computer doesn't power on, the power supply is probably bad.
12. Make sure the CPU fan is running properly and that the CPU isn't overheating--an overheated CPU can cause a powered-up computer to shut down. Take note of any error messages if any appear.
13. Check the RAM by making a boot disk with "Memtest86.exe" and starting the computer with the boot disk in the drive.
14. Replace the CMOS battery if you see any messages about the CMOS battery being low. These batteries are available in most electronic stores.
15. Flash the BIOS with the most recent BIOS upgrade. Double-check the BIOS version to match the motherboard and follow the instructions carefully.
16. Contact the manufacturer's technical support if problems persist.
Tags: power supply, into motherboard, motherboard Check, Also check, boot disk, check power, CMOS battery