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Thread ID: 134352 2013-06-23 08:38:00 MOBO urgent advice wanted jupiter1 (2578) Press F1
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1346728 2013-06-23 08:38:00 I have got a P4-2.53 with 2Gig DDR400 ram running WinXP pro which is right up to date with all updates.
The MOBO is a Elite LAS8A2

At power up it self tests ok and then "detecting hard drives".

Here it freezes.

For many reasons I am certain that it is a MOBO problem.
If I power on/off several times it may boot up OK and will work without fault for days or weeks as long as I don't power down.

I would like to replace the MOBO only.

What is the best, not too expensive MOBO that is compatable with a P42.53 cpu and (up to) 4 Gig ram.

I need to sort this as soon as possible as all accounts and all family history is on the HDD's LUCKILY backed up earlier to day.

Thanks in advance. Phil H.
jupiter1 (2578)
1346729 2013-06-23 08:51:00 The data should be safe if it really is the motherboard. You're probably better off getting a new one? Chilling_Silence (9)
1346730 2013-06-23 09:02:00 Elite \ ECS board? Not surprised... For a system that age and with a cheap motherboard, don't rule out the PSU though.

You won't get any new P4 boards nowadays :( Might be able to find one second hand but in good condition... hmm.
Agent_24 (57)
1346731 2013-06-23 09:36:00 If can't find one second hand and/or aren't willing to buy second hand gear, it's going to be cheaper to replace the cpu+ram as well. icow (15313)
1346732 2013-06-23 09:40:00 I might have a p4 mobo sitting around, I'll check. Nick G (16709)
1346733 2013-06-23 12:14:00 You could try a new CMOS battery also, sometimes weird stuff happens when they are almost flat. Not that hopeful but it's a cheap option to try.
As for replacing the board, it's too old your only option is 2nd hand or a complete MB/CPU/RAM upgrade.
dugimodo (138)
1346734 2013-06-23 21:43:00 Thanks Guys, CMOS battery was replaced about 6 weeks ago and is/was keeping good time and date so is probably OK.

Will take cover off and check PSU later today.
Stay tuned.
Phil H.
jupiter1 (2578)
1346735 2013-06-23 21:47:00 I would get a new PC, ( there is no point fluffing around with P4 mainboards)...a new windows 7 PC and use the drive of the old PC to build a VM of the old PC.... SolMiester (139)
1346736 2013-06-24 01:59:00 Hi Team, Well, it's all fixed.

I took the cover off and unplugged the system HDD to measure the voltages.
On the power plug red to black was 4.96 volts: yellow to black was 11.67 volts.

When plugged back in the beast powered up and is now working fine.
The plug did not appear to be incorrectly seated, none of them did, neither did the IDE cables.

On the outside of the cover, pretty much right alongside of the system HDD I had a piece of homeware stuck on with a magnet.
Could this have caused the problem ?
It has been there for about 3 months, this problem only first happened yesterday !

I thank you all for your assistance. Lets hope all stays well.
Cheers,
Phil H.
jupiter1 (2578)
1346737 2013-06-24 05:24:00 I doubt any magnet that the average consumer would have could do anything to an HDD of a pc. You'd probably need something industrial. If it was the magnet you'd know because you would have irreversibly destroyed all data on the HDD or at least a portion of the HDD. icow (15313)
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