Idea,s Please.

[Jelly Bean]

I have been given two Acer Aspire T310-3970 towers.

 

I have an elderly friend who is rather deaf,his computer is the old block type and runs slow and to be honest is just slow.I have done a cleanup on it for him but he needs a newer model.

 

His nephew gave me the two Acer towers free.

 

Now Raymond is not paying me for this job nore would I charge him this is just to give the old guy a faster working computer.

 

Issue is both computers show black screen on monitor and the going to sleep box.

 

I have tested the RAM etc and all is well.

I have fitted two diffrent graphics cards neither helped still got black screen.

PSU are fine as is all other hardware as far as I can see.

 

I did change the BIOS battery and one of the towers did give me the Acer screen.Rebooted the monitor was black again,I did use the onboard graphics card while doing this.

 

The BIOS battery was older one and I then borrowed another battery and still same black screen.

 

Ok I have had a stressfull few days and my mind is blank maybe I am just missing something totaly simple.

 

I am thinking of stripping both computers and start testing hardware peice by peice.

 

Ok it could still be simple thing as BIOS battery.

 

I also reset BIOS.

 

Any idea,s for me guys?

[Tony D]

Are you using the same monitor for each of these tests? If so, look to the monitor to be faulty.

[Jelly Bean]

The monitor is the same and it works,it is my daughters monitor from her computer.

[Tootech]

Couple of things JB.

 

How did you check the PSU's ? It maybe worth trying a known good one to rule that out.

 

Can you tell if the OS is loading, even though the screen is blank - hard drive activity??

 

If not, and PSU is ok I'd say the boards are knackered.

[Jelly Bean]

No OS to load.No hard drive either.

 

Tested PSU on another computer that I know works and it runs the computer fine.My tester PC that I use to test hardware that is.

 

It is looking at new mainboard,ohhhh well lets wait and see what the boys round here bring me next.

 

However now have spare GPUs,RAM,CD/DVD rom drives and more.

 

I love freebies they cost me nothing to gain and nothing to test.

 

I think I am just over tired,a lot of stress and my mind is blank to think of what I am doing.

[maynardvdm]

Hi JB

 

Get some rest, don't take on too many things at once ;)

 

Who doesn't love freebies ;)

[Dalo Harkin]

I would say that you are right with the boards themselves being broke.

If you changed the CMOS battery and it then loaded the ACER screen and then it did the same thing on the next try, I would say that the BIOS chips are beyond repair or the MOBO is.

 

If the MOBOs are exactly the same you can try swapping one of the BIOS chips - its an easy process, but you need some special extractor like pliers

[Plastic Nev]

Removing any chips from their sockets without extractor tools can be done with care and a good flat blade screwdriver. Remove the motherboard from the case so you can get better access, then insert the screwdriver under one end and twist gently to move the chip by no more than a millimetre, then do the same at the other end. Work between ends a bit at a time till the chip is free, so long as no pins have been bent in the process it will be fine, if of course it was OK before you started. :D

Nev.

[whiterose]

Mind you keep your fingers off the pins when you get the chips out and put them on a piece of paper pins down. It doesnt take much static to blow one. CMOS just dont take to big sparks..

[Plastic Nev]

Yes indeed Whiterose, if you keep yourself connected to ground by wrist strap or similar everything should be OK. Whatever you do though, don't leave yourself unearthed and then move around on a nylon or nylon based carpet or wearing similar nylon based clothing.

I have seen half inch long sparks jump when in those circumstances and they are big enough to sting if jumping from your finger. Goodbye to the chip if the spark jumped from or to it.

Nev.