I have a computer that my son helped me put together. It has worked great for the last 3 years but yesterday when I left it after net surfing the blank screensaver would not return to the desktop presentation when I pressed any key or moved the mouse. I removed the power source and tried to turn the computer back on and and the light came on and the hd started spinning but the monitor stayed black, no bios info, no nothing. I swapped another video card and tried another monitor, no luck. I'm thinking that the motherboard has shot craps (that's where the bios chip is, right?). I want the try to replace the motherboard but I can't find the same model board anywhere. The board is a Gigabyte Pentium 4 Titan Series GA-8PE800. Where can I find this board for sale or what other board can I use as a replacement and still use all the other components now installed in my computer? As you can see, I'm far from being a computer expert so any help you can offer will be greatly apperciated.

First off try removing all the RAM and then power on.

If your motherboard is working you will receive a series of BEEPS indicating that the motherboard cannot find any RAM.

Here is a basic Google on the board:

http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...f8&q=GA-8PE800

A couple on e-bay:

http://search.ebay.com/ga-8pe800_W0QQfnuZ1

I removed all the RAM and sure enough heard constant beeping. Does this insure that the motherboard is 100% OK? If the motherboard is OK what is the most likely reason for the black screen (no monitor display when the machine is turned on)?

Thanks for your reply

I'm not one to think anything is 100% certain but Beeping is much better than silence. No beeps would have been a 99% faulty motherboard.

Try putting back one "stick" of RAM and power-on.

If no go: try different "sticks". Try different slots. Does the behavior ever change during this "trial and error"?

As to the monitor:

Do you get the message > "No Signal Input"?

Does the monitor LED go to GREEN then AMBER?

Yes, I get "No Signal Input" message on monitor. Does this help narrow down the possible cause of the problem? Thanks again for your help.

It let's us know that the monitor is working.

Did you try different RAM and slots etc.?

If that doesn't help try this: Unplug the computer from the wall then hold in the Power button for a full minute. This will clear residual current from the motherboard. Then plug back in and see if it will boot.

If not I would try next to clear the CMOS.

If you want to erase CMOS...
1.Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord.
2.Remove the battery, wait for 30 second.
3.Re-install the battery.
4.Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer.

The battery is a flat disk battery. Yours is at the end of the PCI slots between the 2nd and 3rd from top.

I moved RAM around in different slots. Cleared current from motherboard. Removed and replaced battery after 30 seconds. Still won't boot. Removed all RAM truned power on, this time no beeps. I'm willing to try replacing the motherboard and/or processor. Is there different model motherboard that I could buy new that would be a straight across swap with the Gigabyte GA-8PE800 that is now installed? By straight across swap I mean a replacement that would support the other components already a part of my computer. I really apprecitate your help and especially the clear explanations you have given. As you can, see I'm not a computer expert and a lot of instructions assume that I'm more proficient than I really am.

I found a motherboard comparison sheet at the Gigabyte web site, but I' not sure I'm smart enough to use it to find a replacement model number board, one that I can go to a local store and buy over the counter or at least order on the net. Please take a look and see what you find.

Here is a very detailed review of your board:

http://www.mbreview.com/8pe800.php

When looking for a new one you need the same socket for the CPU:

Socket 478 for Intel® Pentium® 4 with HT Technology

The same RAM type compatibility:

Type: DDR 266/333 ( PC2100/2700) Non-ECC

The same Graphics card type slot:

AGP 4x/2x AGP 2.0 Compliant

Most new boards are AGP 8x/4x so assuming that your card is 4x it will run on new boards. Unfortunately if it is 2x then you probably will have a hard time fitting it into a new board.

Also the Form Factor is ATX. You do not want a mini or micro ATX but a full size ATX board.

For a starter in looking here is a Google for Socket 478 motherboards:

http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...++motherboards

Thanks gain for all your excellent help. I've bid on a identical motherboard on e-bay. If that don't fix the problem I'll replace the processor. If neither fix the problem maybe I'll use the computer as a boat anchor.