oops ... uh need some help i think

trainmaster77

OSNN Senior Addict
Political Access
Joined
19 Feb 2005
Messages
509
I updated the bios on this computer ... one of mine. said restart ..which i did ...came back on as normal with that stupid annoying beep saying chipfan speed too low ... its just some error that has plagued the a8nsli deluxe mobo i guess ...

anyway ... i hit delete to get to the setup menu to turn it off ... and the computer turned off. odd i thought.

then i turned it back on like before and hit delete again ..same thing ..turned off.


then i turned it on and something was nice and toasty ...mmm the smell of burning computer parts.

any ideas what is broken? i dont have the patience right at this very moment to take the **** apart .... but im guessing ill have to and somehow i am hoping it is just the cheap ultra powersupply that is ****ty. Anyway ... just would like some input before i dig into this thing.
 
It sounds as if a cooling fan wasn't spinning fast enough so something overheated (possibly your CPU) hence the computer switching off.

Without opening it up and taking a look there isn't much you can do, though buring smells don't sound very good.
 
Check in the bios if something called or close to "Q-Fan" is enabled.
that, would make the fans run slowly, i had this problem when i updated bios, it might be the computers notion to automatically put it on.
 
Assuming it isn't the PSU...

You may be ok but the risk is high that either the MB or CPU got toasted. The system should have shut down before you got enough overheat to make a noticeable odor. ASUS used to have that "Q" something or other for fast overheat protection in the MB hardware.

Before powering up again disconnect the fan from the MB header and plug it directly into a power supply cable with an adapter so it runs at full RPM continuously during and after the bios flash.

Open the case and look for physical damage. discolored MB areas, etc. Considering the overheat smell I would pull the MB and check the back side also.

Disconnect anything that you value (HD, DVD, extra ram, gaming video cards) before repowering.

The bios may be the wrong one for that MB or the flash was corrupted. Double check it. On the up beat side I think you can reflash a bad bios now on most MBs.
 
I had this problem last year. I got the overheating, the 'beep', and the computer turning itself off. I went into bios mode i think and noticed that one of my fans wasnt spinning. I opened it up and there was just loads of dust clogging up the fan. I don't know if this will fix/ is your problem, but i thought it may help.
 
Yeah, what bobs said too. My CPU temp had risen by 15 degrees (~55 deg C). The fine fins they use these days get totally packed really fast. Especialy in the dry heat during the winter.

Back to 40C after a few shots of canned air.
 
well ... hmmm i just plugged in the ps and the fans start automatically spinnin and that awful smell persists.
 
i guess i will take this piece of poop apart and find the bad part. what to look for? just odd it happened when i replaced the bios. and the computer worked fine until i tried to enter the bios menu. when i did that the computer turned off.

looking it over nothing is lookin bad.

again ... without taking it apart i plugged the power back in powersupply and the computer fans run and the awful smell persists.
 
i just took everything apart and even more odd. .. nothing looks burnt. i would think the processor would be blackened some or some of the pins would be. i did take off the northbridge cooler ...the stupid asus cheap fan since it has been making noises as of late ...and smelled underneath it ..and it seems to have that same smell.

would that cause this problem?

i remember a ways back asus had issued replacements for this and i had requested one but never received it.

anyone have any other suggestion? sux its socket 939 fx55 processor. im fixin to buy an asus a8n32sli mobo and would hate if thats not the problem.

*** i pulled off the fan from the housing ... a cheap little fan and its definitely burned ... my question is ..would a shorted northbridge fan keep a system from booting properly?
 
Last edited:
Everything in the PC will smell for a while now. Finding the problem that way won't work.

Visual inspection of all components, removal of all add ins is requried. I'd spread the MB and PSU out on the bench and check it that way. Look for browned areas on the circuit cards. And quit turning it on until you have the problem isolated. You can do substantially more damage that way. Bruning does not go away on it's own.

If the PSU starts up without pushing the power button the PSU and/or the MB is fried.
 
Last edited:
*** i pulled off the fan from the housing ... a cheap little fan and its definitely burned ... my question is ..would a shorted northbridge fan keep a system from booting properly?
Yes if it caused the chip to overheat, the system would shutdown automatically to protect it.
 
is there a way to visually tell if a processor is effed up? I figure it shouldnt be much of a problem to take it to a computer shop and see if theyd plop it in a standard 939 mobo to see if it boots ... unless there is another way.

right now it seems with vista around the corner .... its not really worth investing in anything spectacular .... especially with the vast amount of ram vista supports.

i think if the processor is fried ill buy some cheap ass 939 processor and wait for the vista specific stuff to arrive.

thanks for the help so far yall.

im sure the n4 northbridge chip is burned ... even the plastic mouting pad which supported the fan was semi-melted.

since the motherboard has a 3 year warranty ... what happens? Do they actually expect a customer to wait 3 weeks with no computer for a replacement? Or does one simply purchase another mobo and they reinburse you for it somehow?
 
Yes, they expect you to wait three to 6 weeks for a replacement. Assuming they don't decide that your bad bios install caused the damage in which case they can decline to cover the repair/replacement. Warantees are not worth the paper they are printed on. You will also be required to show registration of the product or still have proof of purchase.

You need a known good MB to check the CPU. I keep a cheap junker around for this purpose. It also becomes my backup machine if the primary goes down. Sadly I only have one 939 socket MB right now and with AM2 out I will not be buying a backup. AMD has pissed me off with their new "socket a year BS". Intel is looking better every day...

If the north bridge died from heat then the CPU is also at risk. If the CPU died from collateral damage you might get ASUS to replace the CPU also. Worth a shot.
 
Yes, they expect you to wait three to 6 weeks for a replacement. Assuming they don't decide that your bad bios install caused the damage in which case they can decline to cover the repair/replacement. Warantees are not worth the paper they are printed on. You will also be required to show registration of the product or still have proof of purchase.

You need a known good MB to check the CPU. I keep a cheap junker around for this purpose. It also becomes my backup machine if the primary goes down. Sadly I only have one 939 socket MB right now and with AM2 out I will not be buying a backup. AMD has pissed me off with their new "socket a year BS". Intel is looking better every day...

If the north bridge died from heat then the CPU is also at risk. If the CPU died from collateral damage you might get ASUS to replace the CPU also. Worth a shot.


thanks again. would a processor show some sort of visible damage? i personally dont think the bios did it ... the northbridge fan had been making a somewhat grinding sound the last few times i rebooted ... thinking very little of it other than i wondered why they had not sent a replacment.

I realize there are much better mobo's for 939 including teh a8n32SLI ... but ... do you have any other suggestions? If asus tomorrow on the phone proves unsatisfactory i will definitely give up on them. the 3 year "paper" warranty was the biggest factor in buying into asus in the first place. I had always been an avid gigabyte fan.

i saw some processors on newegg ... damn already a socket f ...what happened to am2 and 939 was supposed to stick around for a while. geezus 400+ for socket f mobo? thats nuts. mobos arent supposed to cost more than processors heh.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Latest profile posts

Also Hi EP and people. I found this place again while looking through a oooollllllldddd backup. I have filled over 10TB and was looking at my collection of antiques. Any bids on the 500Mhz Win 95 fix?
Any of the SP crew still out there?
Xie wrote on Electronic Punk's profile.
Impressed you have kept this alive this long EP! So many sites have come and gone. :(

Just did some crude math and I apparently joined almost 18yrs ago, how is that possible???
hello peeps... is been some time since i last came here.
Electronic Punk wrote on Sazar's profile.
Rest in peace my friend, been trying to find you and finally did in the worst way imaginable.

Forum statistics

Threads
62,015
Messages
673,494
Members
5,621
Latest member
naeemsafi
Back