OS Doesn't Boot After Move - Possible A7N8X-E Deluxe Probl..

In article <1140717151.745812.57810.TakeThisOut@i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>,
weidman.TakeThisOut@gmail.com wrote:

> I recently relocated and my computer didn't make the trip. I knew I
> should have brought the machine in the car with me.
>
> Computer Specifications
> ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe
> Athlon XP-M 2300+ overclocked to 2300Mhz
> 2x512 Corsair XMS DDR400
> 9800 XT A.I.W.
>
> After unpacking the computer, I saw that the heatsink (a screw on, not
> a clip on) had become loose during the trip, and at first I worried
> that it had cracked my processor. I checked the processor and it looked
> fine, re-applied some arctic silver, and tightened the heatsink. When I
> turned on the computer it would POST and then go into GRUB (I dual boot
> XP and Linux). After selecting either OS, the computer hangs with a
> blank screen. I tried booting with an Ubuntu Live CD but get a 'CRC
> Error' at the same point during the boot.
>
> At first I thought the shaking had wrecked my MBR and tried to boot
> with a bootdisk and run fdisk /mbr. The bootdisk brought me to the
> command prompt, but anytime I ran a utility, the computer would hang.
> So I swapped the hard drive into another machine and ran fdisk /mbr.
> The problem persisted. While in the other machine, I switched the 'bad'
> hard drive to slave and installed a 'good' hard drive as master so that
> I could recover my files. I also scandisked and defragged it. I then
> installed the 'good' hard drive in the 'bad' computer and had the same
> problem, which led me to believe it is not an issue with the hard
> drive.
>
> So, I downloaded a copy of Memtest86 and tested my memory. It failed
> test 2 and hung on test 4. Thinking I had the problem solved, I
> doublechecked and put some memory I knew was good into the computer,
> and had the same results. I then put the original memory into a 'good'
> computer, tested it and it passed. (i know that is hard to follow,
> basically i ruled out the memory as being the faulty hardware)
>
> So now I am thinking that it is the motherboard which was damaged in
> the move. The problem is that I don't know of a good way verify that. I
> have a multimeter, but have no idea what I should do with it. Any
> suggestions/questions?

If the screws were loose on the heatsink, the computer has
probably received a mechanical shock, and the motherboard may
have been flexed by the shock. Only a certain amount of flexure
can be tolerated, before copper traces or solder joints will be
affected (cracks, intermittent connections).

I would pull the motherboard from the computer, and build the
system up on a table top (the so-called "cardboard test").
That will give you an opportunity to visually examine both
sides of the motherboard, for signs of damage. If enough
stress is applied, is it even possible to crack resistors
in two pieces, with only a hairline crack showing on the
surface.

It almost sounds like something has happened to the IDE interface,
and I'd try a spare cable, and inspect the area around the
IDE connectors, on the underside of the motherboard.

There are a couple of ways that the factory could detect
broken connections. Some factories use an X-ray machine, to
X-ray the PCB after the soldering step, to see if the
solder connections were made properly. That is a process which
would be used on high value products, but may be too expensive
a process for a motherboard manufacturer.

There are also machines that do continuity checks on the copper
tracks in the motherboard. A machine like that could detect
a broken connection, as long as the break was consistent and
not an intermittent. Some intermittent connections are
sensitive to any mechanical stress applied to the board,
and pressing on the motherboard with your finger, while some
software test is in progress, might uncover such an
intermittent connection. I would use a Knoppix read-only
boot disk and put test programs on floppy disks, to avoid
the possibility of corrupting a Windows install, while doing
that kind of testing.

Also, if the heatsink was loose, the shock event must have
given the CPU a good kick in the head. Were the edges of the
silicon die damaged at all ? A CPU can only survive a limited
amount of "normal force", or pressure on the top of the
silicon die. You can take small chips off the edge of the
die without a problem, but if the surface is cracked, anything
is possible.

Paul
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