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StandOff question


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#1
b1ad3

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When i Built my first PC i had no idea what standoffs were, so i didnt use them, after taking my motherboard out about 10 times and putting it back in, everything still worked. Then when i bought a new case, it broke my motherboard. Any idea why it didnt happen in my first case? My second case was all aluminum and my first was steel. Also is there any chance anything else might have gotten damaged?
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#2
123Runner

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Some cases have built in standoffs. Could be plastic or metal. You probably did not notice.
What do you mean by "It broke my motherboard"? Were you installing the CPU and heatsink while the board was in the case. Because if you were, too much pressure (of which you usually need alot) will crack the board.
Generally a board will not align with the back slot on the case properly if standoffs aren't used.
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#3
b1ad3

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short circuit my mobo when i didnt use the standoffs, and the other case didnt when i didnt use them. It didnt have any standoffs. Anyway is it possible anything else was damaged that was in the mobo like my CPU or RAM when the short circuit accoured?
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#4
123Runner

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Standoffs, as you now know are to protect the boards power on the underside from shorting to ground,
It is possible that other things were damaged, but you won't know till you put it back together.
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#5
b1ad3

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is there a high chance or low chance that something else was damaged? the board still has power, but when i start the pc, it turns off in less then a sec
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#6
Neil Jones

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If a board has been shorted through lack of standoffs and is now displaying symptoms both outside the case and inside the case, its probably damaged beyond economic use and should be replaced with a new one and appropriate case stand offs :whistling:
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#7
b1ad3

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I put the standoffs the wrong way, i put it on top of the motherboard. I know its stupid i didn't know what else to do with them since i never used them before. Anyway my new motherboard is coming tomorrow its a p6n MSI 650i motherboard. Im just afraid the CPU or graphics card got damaged as well
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#8
dsenette

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as stated...there's a chance that the short on your board also damaged the devices attached...there's a chance that such an event could have damaged ANYTHING attached to the board (and i mean anything..the PSU, the CPU, your graphix card, hard drives, RAM...anything) but WE cannot give you a probabilty rating on that nor could we tell you what is damaged....you'll just have to hook everything up and see what happens...also...chalk this up as a life lesson....always use the supplied parts unless their listed as optional
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#9
b1ad3

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I just got a new Motherboard, I put it in, connect everything... turns on and turns off within a sec.. I take out a new 1gb stick of ram i put in, and disconnect a sata 160gb drive, turn it on again it works... same exact thing happened with my last motherboard.. But also i still have to get the video to show.. i have a MSI p6n motherboard and theres somekind if card there that you gatta change if your using SLI or if your not... maybe thats the problem i dont know but i have a feeling its my 500W power supply. I have 2gb of ram, pentium D 805, 2 fans, x800GTO and 2 drives with 2 HD's



looks like its my video card.. the fan is spinning but nothing on the monitor. might it be the motherboard?

Edited by b1ad3, 04 June 2007 - 12:39 PM.

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#10
Samm

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Hi there

Please follow these instructions exactly. If you have any questions, please ask before following these steps.

NB First of all, you need to make sure that the thermal compound between the cpu & heatsink is ok. Because you have moved your original cpu into a new motherboard, you'll probably need to renew the thermal compound. This entails cleaning off the old compound with isopropyl alcohol & a lint free cloth, then applying fresh compound as per manufacturer's instructions.

If you have already done this, then follow the remaining steps :

1. Wear an anti-static wrist band, or discharge your static by touching a bare metal surface prior to touching the motherboard or any components. DO THIS BEFORE EACH STEP.

2. Disconnect the mains power lead from the PSU, then disconnect the 24 pin ATX power lead from the board & all remaining power cables.

3. Remove the motherboard from the case & place on a pile of matt paper or cardboard (non-gloss). Ensure that the entire underside of the board is covered by the paper. (no standoffs required!) DO NOT AT ANY POINT PLACE THE BOARD OR COMPONENTS ON CARPET OR ANY SIMILAR SURFACE!!

4. You should have no drive cabling etc connected to the board. Install one pci-e video card in the first SLI slot. Install either one stick of ram in slot #1 or 2 sticks in slots #1 & #2 (or as per the instructions in your motherboard manual). NB In the P6N-SLI manual, the ram slots are numbered 1-3-2-4.

5. If possible, connect the internal case speaker to the board (Header JFP2 pin2:black wire, pin4 red wire)

6. If you have one, connect the diagnostic (D-Bracket) - this connects to a USB header & the JDB1 header (SEE MANUAL)

7. Locate the small button on the motherboard called SW1 & press it once.

8. Connect the PSU to the motherboard - 24 pin ATX & the 4 pin ATX 12V connector to JPW1. (NB you may need to remove the PSU from the case in order for it to reach. If so, stand the PSU next to the motherboard but do not let the PSU itself touch the board)

9. Connect a PS2 keyboard (mouse optional) & monitor only.

10. If the soft power switch on the front of the case reaches the board, then plug it in (pins 6 + 8 on JFP1). If it doesn't reach then make a mental note of exactly where these 2 pins are located.

11. Plug the mains power lead into the back of the PSU & connect up to wall socket (turn PSU power switch on if there is one).

12. If the soft power switch cable reached the board, then power the system on as usual. Otherwise, using a small flat bladed screwdriver, briefly bridge the soft power pins (pins 6+8) together to turn the system on. DO NOT LET THE SCREWDRIVER MAKE CONTACT WITH ANYTHING ELSE ON THE BOARD.

Make a note of any beeps you hear (assuming case speaker connected) & make a note of the diagnostic code on the D-Bracket.
Let me know what happens
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#11
b1ad3

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ok, i got 1 beep for about 1 sec, then 6 beeps that were about half a sec.. I got the open box version of the mobo, so i didnt get the bracket thing

still no image, the monitor didnt even turn on.. tried 2 different monitors. Also i have a feeling its that SLI-non SLI card i have to switch.. of course i put it to non sli... btw i have a ATI x800GTO

I have 2 different power supplys, both 500W, I have 2 ram sticks, but only one processor and one gfx card.. and i dont know anyone that has extra parts except if i go to like geek squad for them to check the parts, which will cost 39 bucks... I have 24 hours to ship out the mobo if its the motherboard... just got a RMA thing from newegg

Edited by b1ad3, 04 June 2007 - 08:40 PM.

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#12
Samm

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Not sure what you mean about the SLI-non SLI thing....

Can you repeat the previous steps exactly but this time power on the system with no video card installed at all & make a note of the beeps you hear.
Replace the video card & remove all the ram, then power on & make a note of the beeps.

Reinstall the ram & power on one more time & make a note of the beeps (Obviously you should hear the same beep code as earlier - 1 long, 6 short - but do it anyway)

Let me know exactly what beeps you get each time. Also, the 6 shorts beeps you are getting now, are these evenly spaced?
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#13
b1ad3

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Not sure what you mean about the SLI-non SLI thing....

Can you repeat the previous steps exactly but this time power on the system with no video card installed at all & make a note of the beeps you hear.
Replace the video card & remove all the ram, then power on & make a note of the beeps.

Reinstall the ram & power on one more time & make a note of the beeps (Obviously you should hear the same beep code as earlier - 1 long, 6 short - but do it anyway)

Let me know exactly what beeps you get each time. Also, the 6 shorts beeps you are getting now, are these evenly spaced?



1 beep thats one sec long, and then 6 beeps that follow it are half second long.. yea evenly spaced.. The Chip your supposed to change when you use SLI, and non SLI. next to the first PCI-E slot..
i take the ram out, and theres a LONG beep.. dont know if it stops, i turned the system off after 5 sec. and without the video card but with the ram, same 1 sec beep and 6 half sec..
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#14
Samm

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OK, cool. That suggests the problem is with the video card then.
I've just decided to follow my own advise re. read the manual and as a result, I want you to double check the following....

1. You already said the SLI switch is in non-SLI mode (it's alright, I know what you're on about now!) & obviously the SLI bridge is redundant as only using one card. Double check that the switch is locked securely in place

2. The single PCI-E video card must be in slot marked PCI_E2. This doesn't necessarily mean the second PCI-E slot (I don't know as I don't have a clear picture of the board), just the one marked E2.

3. Make sure that the video card is securely inserted into this slot. Obviously do NOT re-seat card without disconnecting power from motherboard first. Also remember that if the board is out of the case, then it must be positioned on the edge of a table (for example) to allow for the bracket of the video card to hang down further than the board. (This should make sense once you've tried to insert any add-on card into the board).

Double check all these things & try again.

NB Bare in mind that I'm working from the P6N-SLI manual. If your board is a slightly different model to this, then please let me know. Just in case....
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#15
b1ad3

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yea i know what you mean. The Sli switch card thing isnt perfectly seated i guess, because the clips your supposed to secure it with, the left one wont work correctly, but its all the way in tho. Yea, its probably my video card. Do you think I can get a new one from ATI if i call them?
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