Fried Mobo?

[UberMoo]

after freshly installing windows xp ( I had to replace the harddrive ) I had shut off my computer and installed my second mushkin redline. When i turned the computer back on, it would freeze at the bluescreen before you would choose to logon to one of your administrators. (Screen would be partially light blue, partially dark blue, mouse would have the litte loading hourglass in the middle)

attempting to boot up twice with failure, i turn off the computer again and decide to remove the second added stick of ram. When botting up that third time, the Screen wouldnt detect a signal, the mouse wouldnt light up, ( I assume the keyboard isnt working either, but im unsure. the num lock key didnt light up ) but the fans lit up and rotate and the mother board lights up.

Ive yet to reset the CMOS (in hopes it can fix it) and unplugging/replugging the ram/cables. All of which ill get too today ( i hope)


any suggestions or tips that i may be able to use before truly assuming that my mobo fried?

Specs:
Intel 8400?(dont quite recall exact name) 3ghz dual core
evga 9800 gt
4 gigs mushkin redline
asus p5q
pc power and cooling silencer 500watt

[Perineum]

I've never had a motherboard "fry". I've had one be unstable from dead caps, and one that literally had the northbridge blown off by a bad PSU, but never a "fried" motherboard.

I've gone to jobs where "techs" have installed a NIC card because the on board ethernet was "fried". I yanked the card and the onboard ethernet was fine.

Err, anyway.... your computer.... That's a great machine, mid level powerhouse made from good quality parts.

I would test your RAM first using memtest86. Alternate sticks one by one and then together. If that is successful then I'd almost immediately suspect WinXP crapped itself.

I have seen where a bad stick of RAM will reset the BIOS or make the computer refuse to POST.

[Phobia]

do what perenium said. Take all the ram out except one stick, and clear cmos.

[gingerbee]

Originally Posted by Phobia

do what perenium said. Take all the ram out except one stick, and clear cmos.

+1 to that

[UberMoo]

well i replaced the first ram stick with the second one in its place, which made it boot up properly, (alogn with resetting the CMOS) all is fine. Updated the Motherboard Bios which now let it run 4 gigs. The only thing that catchs me off guard is that only 1 of the two sticks worked for inital boot up but after bios update all 4 gigs work. Plan to run a little memtest like suggested.

Thanks Guys, can always count on hardwarecanucks

[gingerbee]

a lot of boards do this for some reason

[Perineum]

Yeah, seems after a few BIOS revisions the motherboard isn't near as cranky about RAM.