Computer stuff - I need a hand here please my hardware guru brothers/sisters!

My PC died earlier in the week (I believe a it was a lightning storm took out the power supply… and yes, I had it on a surge… but that will be another thread!). When I replaced the PS, it still didn’t boot. Mobo diagnostic LEDs on the K7T Pro2a showed a bad CPU.

So, I ordered a new P4-2.8C, Asus P4P800 and 1GB RAM. Time for an upgrade, anyhow! :slight_smile: I planned on re-using my HD and GF3 in the new PC.

Well, I wanted to be safe and test my GF3ti200 in my wifes computer, just to make sure it didn’t die when the power supply cratered, too.

Her PC is an old P3-500 in an Epox BX3 Mobo.

When I put the video card in, the fan would power but I would get no signal to the monitor. The PC wouldn’t even boot (no HD activity). I am hoping her mobo (the Epox BX3) isn’t supporting the video card somehow, and that is the cause of it. The EPOX website isn’t much help.

Should a GF3ti200 work in a BX3 (AGP2) mobo? Or, do you think its dead too?

Secondly, I wanted to save my HD. I hooked it up as a slave in her system. BIOS recognizes it, but windows wont. It doesn’t show. Could it be shot?

Actually, I just thought of this as I am typing this messsage. My HD in my dead system is XP home, I think NTFS. Her system is 98SE. That’s probably my problem right there, isn’t it?

My guess is the GeForce 3 requires more power than your wife’s old computer can give it. Or it might be fried.

And I think you’re right about the HD – I don’t think 98SE can access an NTFS file system.

That’s quite a tangle. It’d have to be a hell of a hit to blow out the CPU and the PS .

Umm… as an experiment remove all the cards from your “blown” PC. Put the new PS in and use your wife’s (working) video card for video and see if the system starts.

Good idea Astro. Tried it, still dead. I believe the CPU is dead, Vid card and likely the mobo. A DIMM of RAM looks bad too (the other two seem OK)

Quite possible you need to adjust the bios settings for AGP.

Hi bernse
Along with the excellent advice already given, you might want to test your ram with this. for elimination purposes.
As for your old board… have you taken a look at your capacitors to see if perhaps you’ve blown a couple? The last board I worked on, I stared at for well over a half hour, before I noticed I had 3 ruptured capacitors staring back at me.

Daizy

It’s a little tough to adjust any BIOS settings if the system doesn’t give any video signal, let alone post. I am tending to believe the CPU is dead, just as the mobo says it is. The mobo may be OK (MAY being the key word) but it doesn’t make much of a difference as I already ordered replacement stuff.

Daizy, I was able to try the RAM in my wifes system. 2 sticks are good, 1 is only posting about 128MB (its a 256 stick).
Thanks.

Met,
On re-read are you talking about adjusting the AGP settings on the BX3? My wifes system? Her vid card is AGP too, so it’s already set to use it.

There was a thread I read earlier today in GQ that dealt with the question of being able to see an NTFS partition from a 98/95 partition.

It can be done.

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/ntfswin98.shtml

This is a free ware program which will allow you to see the NTFS partition in read only mode.

I would keep an eye on that RAM. Chances are that it is “walking wounded” and will cause no end of grief. I would give it a chance but if your new PC starts going nuts turf that RAM first thing.

Video card - I got nothing to add. Unless that MB has the AGP Bus set to 8x (which I’m pretty sure that MB does not support), then the card and the board should have no problems. For shits and giggles try putting your wife’s card back in, set the AGP Speed to 1x and retry your video card again.