I apologize - I'm wound a little tightly lately - I've been working on my dad's truck for, like, forever (at least three weeks now); it's disrupting my life, my work here, every other thing... I've got thirty or forty cuts on my hands and forearms, a dozed nasty bruises, and a couple knuckles ground away - enough to make anyone somewhat mean!
Quote:
Contacted Gateway, warranty over, $125hr. tech help.
Sounds like a pretty lucrative racket they've got going on!
So, elsewhere, I promised you a 'cogent answer'; let's see if I can provide one?
In this situation, I usually propose the 'standard strip-down', to eliminate as many possible problems all at once... This can be done 'in-the-case', or out: the advantages of 'out' (pull the MOBO completely, & lay it on an insulating surface - the box it came in is ideal, the bag isn't - being 'anti-stat', it is somewhat conductive) are that it eliminates problems with grounding, and the possibility of an incorrectly placed standoff (which you should check carefully - as you
replaced the MOBO, it's entirely possible that the 'pattern' of standoffs is slightly different - and an 'extra' one installed is a major problem, can ruin a MOBO, at worst case...); the advantages of the 'in-the-case' is that it avoids problems with the 'reach' of power and front panel connectors, plus
tests your grounding system - and it's way less work!
The standard 'strip-down':
Power down at PSU switch
remove
everything except
CPU and heatsink/fan (check carefully that the fan retaining pins are fully inserted, completely locked, and not cracked)
one stick of RAM, in slot closest to CPU
video card and monitor connector (if more than one PCIe slot, again, in slot closest to CPU)
all power plugs - 20+4 or 24, 2x2 or 2x4 ATX power, graphics card power
case speaker and power switch connectors
keyboard (don't need a mouse at this point)
place jumper on RST_CMOS pins
remove jumper from RST_CMOS pins
power up at PSU switch
power up by depressing case power switch
If you get video, enter BIOS with <DEL> (may need a <TAB> to get to POST screen, if 'splash' screen is enabled)
Select and execute "Load Optimized Defaults" - save and exit, reboot
power down
reinsert other components, one at a time, testing each time after addition...