[tlug] Home Hardware Problem -- Please Check My Findings

[CL <az.4tlug@example.com>]

I think I have developed a need for a new motherboard in one of my old 
ancillary-service PCs but wanted to bounce the information off of others 
and see if the same conclusions are reached.

I have a couple of P4-powered IBM ThinkCentres: one a 2.8GHz model for 
games and for my daughter to use when looking up stuff for school, and a 
3.0GHz model; both connected to a 32" AQUOS television with a CPU 
switch.  I had been configuring the latter as a torrenting machine and 
was getting it set back up to go on line with a 1TB SATA HDD (replacing 
a 320Gb IDE unit) and another 1.6TB in attached USB storage.

Friday night I installed Xubuntu on the HDD, made a couple of changes to 
the BIOS setup (hardware boot order, quiet fan, plug n' play software 
notification) added Azureus and KTorrent, tested access to all drives, 
then shut everything down.  Saturday morning, The machine started, 
POST-tested the hardware, and kept spinning.  No video, no POST beep codes.

Clearing the CMOS had no effect.  During CMOS clearing I got a 3-1-4-3 
beep code but none of my IBM manuals say what that could mean.  The IBM 
Lenovo web site isn't telling, if it knows.  No beeps when I replaced 
the jumper and rebooted.

I have tested the hardware, by connecting the TV, keyboard and mouse 
directly to the 2.8GHz machine and swapping in all major hardware from 
the torrenting machine, including:

The HDD
The DVD/CD player/burner
The video card
The PCI riser
The memory

All work in the 2.8GHz box; separately (swapped one piece at a time) and 
together (all installed in the box at once).

I then connected the TV, keyboard, and mouse to the CPU controller, then 
 each set of connections of the CPU switch to the 2.8GHz machine and 
find no switching error or hardware issues there.

My conclusion is that there is "something wrong" with the motherboard 
that is beyond the reach of someone with a large, well stocked toolbox 
and a circuit tester.  I am not thinking that the CPU is gone simply 
because boot and POST initiates ... and that the solution is to exchange 
motherboard for one that was known to be working when I took it out of 
another box.

Other suggestions gratefully received.

Oh, and if anyone has any 512 Mb or 1Gb DDR400 CL3 DIMMs laying around 
unused, I'd be happy to give them a new home.

CL