[mythtv-users] Hardware death - CPU vs motherboard?

[Kawayanan]

Thanks for the suggestions.

As for the RAM, I know its compatible.  There were 2x 1GB stick in it for
two years.  Neither changed anything alone in either slot.  A new stick of
the same type (DDR2 800) in either slot didn't help either.

I have removed everything that is not integral to the motherboard for
testing (sound and video are built in, but I removed tuners, cdrom, HD,
etc.).  Adding thing back carefully doesn't change anything either.

I have already reset the BIOS (according to instruction - remove battery and
change jumper to discharge).  No help there.

The P1-AH2 is an Asus barebones that is not a conventional size/shape.  I
can't try it in another case.  If its the motherboard, I pretty much just
need a new computer.  If its the CPU, I can get a replacement for around $40
I think, but if its not thats a waste (no point in getting a new MB to use
it since its outdated).

I'll check if one of the PSU's on old computers I have might be usable to
try.

Anyone have suggestions of good, reasonably inexpensive frontend/backend
machines that can take a Hauppauge PVR-500?  :(

Thanks again.

On Sat, Oct 24, 2009 at 8:35 AM, Kawayanan <kawayanan at gmail.com> wrote:

> I have a mythtv box that I have been using for almost 2 years now.  It is
> based on a Asus Pundit P1-AH2, with a Athlon X2 4000+ CPU.  Recently, when I
> got up one morning it was not running.  When I tried to reboot, it would
> freeze up during boot (generally somewhere shortly after POST).  I checked
> the BIOS setting and everything seemed fine.  To see if it was a OS problem,
> I tried to run an Ubuntu live CD.  This also froze during boot.  My first
> guess was a RAM problem (I couldn't get a RAM test to boot up enough to run
> though).  I got ahold of a different stick of RAM, and that didn't fix
> anything.  Somewhere in all this testing it went from freezing in boot
> (sometimes during post), to not even getting evidence of POST activity.
> Now, when I turn it on, the fans start but nothing else happens (no beeps,
> no video).  To try and diagnose the problem, I removed everything I could
> (except the CPU).  Without RAM, it get the beep code for bad/no RAM.  If I
> install the RAM, I get nothing (no beeps, no video, just fans turn on).
>
> My question is whether there is a way to determine if this is a CPU or
> motherboard problem?  I don't have access to a different CPU to test, and I
> don't want to buy a CPU and have it turn out to be a motherboard problem.
> If its a motherboard problem, I guess that means starting over with a
> effectively new system (the Asus is a barebones with most everything
> onboard).
>
> Any suggestions?  My wife and kids are missing DVR. :(
>
> Thank for any help!
>
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