New motherboard powers on, no boot or power to usbs.

[alextpedro]

Hello!

A while back, my mother's desktop, an HP desktop with the model number M01-F0001np, had an issue where it would start up then make clicking noises for a bit before booting. Sometimes it required a few power cycles to boot. When connecting the main power pin to the motherboard, it sparked.

I took it to a repair technician who tested the PSU and determined it was outputting the appropriate voltages and that the motherboard would have to be replaced, so I managed to track down a supplier who still had one in stock and bought a replacement motherboard (HP itself no longer stocks these, last I checked).

After replacing the motherboard, the computer booted up, no clicking sounds. The BIOS required an update so I let it do that but once it rebooted it only came up with a blank screen.

I thought the CPU had given up on life due to this and bought a replacement. Now that is installed but the same behavior remains.

I've tried to clear the CMOS both by pulling the battery and using the little blue jumpers. I think I might have misremembered their original position though and I cannot find it on HP's specifications for this motherboard. I also tried resetting the RAM, testing it on the other channels, and testing using a different stick which I know is working. Nothing.

I downloaded and installed the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI tool and made a USB with it. When I plugged a usb mouse and keyboard into the computer and turned it on to try to diagnose the problem and/or recover the BIOS I discovered that the usb ports (I tested all of them) were not being powered. I suspect this is also why I am not getting video output, though the ethernet port does get powered, so not all ports are dead.

At this point I don't know what else I can do and would appreciate guidance.

Here is the current state of the motherboard, while plugged in and fans working. No beeps at all. Please note that the lit keyboard you see is plugged into another computer.

[erico]

It is unfortunate that you have gone down a rabbit hole with this.

I have no idea as to your ability to troubleshoot the PC. That requires knowledge of the base requirements of how a PC works.

Teaching that to you is far beyond the intended scope of this forum.

I suggest taking it to a qualified  desktop repair shop and asking them to repair it for you.

[alextpedro]

I know how a PC works, I only lack a fully-equipped PC repair workshop in my home.

You may notice that I am asking for ideas as to what to try next before spending money on a repair because I might have missed something, however, short of obtaining the means to flash the BIOS chip it's starting to look like it isn't the case.

[erico]

Clicking noises before booting is called the click of death and it is a precursor to a failed legacy hard disk.

I suggest disconnecting the hard disk and then powering the PC on to see if the BIOS displays a message such as OS not found.

At that point, you can use the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI USB flash drive to run system and components tests.

If you understand how a PSU works, you must be aware that simply checking for voltages at the output connector does not let you know if it is failing. PSU's frequently do not fail until they are under a load. That is why the simple and cheap PSU checkers sold on Amazon are pretty worthless.

Whenever you consider removing a jumper it is smart to use your mobile phone and take a photo first. That is actually a good rule of thumb when you are working on anything. Let the photo be your fail proof memory.

[alextpedro]

The PC in question does not have a legacy HDD so that was not the issue. As per my post, it was happening in the power connection to the motherboard. The screen is blank and there is no power to the USB ports so the UEFI USB flash cannot be used, even after clearing the CMOS multiple times.

The PSU was deemed not faulty by technician (not by a cheap amazon PSU checker) and the motherboard replaced. However, I see your point and I wish I had a compatible PSU to try it myself. I hope the repair shop I am taking this computer next week will have better luck.

You have a point about the jumpers and I regret not taking a picture. However, thanks to the help of a user on another forum, I was able to locate a document from HP showing the motherboard and labeling everything, though it required using the Wayback Machine. Turns out I do have the jumpers in the correct position for normal operation.

[erico]

Are you sure that you plugged the 4-pin molex power connector into the correct motherboard header?

Can you post the image of the motherboard that you found?

Nevermind, I found an image and see that the black 4-pin molex header is for HDD power.

Your  new motherboard might be DOA or perhaps the PSU is faulty.

BTW, not all of the technicians in PC repair shops are electronic technicians, but there is usually someone there who is the go-to guy in the shop who has all of the certs.

[alextpedro]

I don't think the mobo is DOA because it definitely worked for a while when I first set it up. I even got into Windows that first time, the issue started after updates (including the HP software updating the BIOS). On the next restart, I got a grey screen briefly, mentioning BIOS update, then another restart and no image from then on, which is what is leading me to believe that I'm dealing with a deeply corrupted BIOS.

Of course, that doesn't immediately rule out the PSU being faulty, especially if it was the cause of that reboot during the update. Either way, I will be taking it to a shop which specializes in electronic-level component repair and hopefully I will get to find out exactly what is the problem.

[erico]

If USB flash drives can't be used from boot that does indicate a firmware level problem, possibly a corrupted BIOS.

It is rare to have a corrupt BIOS where a blink code is not seen onscreen.

The repair at the shop is likely to cost more than the motherboard.

I have a 50% cost rule of thumb that I use to keep things economically sound.
If the repair costs 50% or more than the current value of a PC, I won't put more money into it.

[alextpedro · Accepted solution]

Turns out the original motherboard was short-circuiting, and the new one had a factory chipset issue. By using one as a donor board, the shop I took it to managed to make 1 functional motherboard.