Ok computer won't initiate anything.
I turn it on and everything sounds ok, fans etc, but no POST beep and nothing on the screen. Now it was working ok before, and I haven't changed ANYTHING so a bit bimused as to why it just sits there... The CPU heatsink seems to get quite hot, even with the fan running. Could it be toast? the mobo reports "FF" Fully Functioning, normally goes thru a few differnt numbers as it POSTs but nothing...

Its a cobbled together beast from random spare drives and ebay if that helps?

Can you bring up your BIOS setup? Can you hear the hard drive spinning up? It could very well be the CPU is shot - what CPU do you have in it? (If it's not the CPU in your sig?)

THe drives spin up yes, as does the cd drive. Other than that and the fans and lights coming on, nothing.

Its an AMD @ 1200Mhz, not sure _which_ amd tho.

Hmmm... do the "Num Lock" and "Caps Lock" lights work too, meaning you can toggle them off and on? This COULD also be a problem with one of your other cards, like video/sound/modem/network cards if you have any, and even any memory modules. Assuming everything's not onboard, you might want to try removing EVERY card in the box and restarting. If you do get a POST beep, then start by adding the cards in one at a time (starting with the video)... In the past I've had bad cards do this to my system, it can be a PAIN to determine exactly what the problem is...

Numlock et al flash initialy but won't toggle.

/me goes to get screwdriver

/me removes graphics card, ethernet card, ram and unplugs IDE drives...

Nope. Nothing more, nothing less.

Well, that's the limit of my ability to diagnose remotely Could be CPU, BIOS, or some component on the mobo itself gone bad...

Just taken the heatsink off, and it doesn't look good for the paste being even vaguely on the die. I could put some photos up? Can't find any paste....

Yep. Sounds like it could be toast. No beeps, no diagcodes, no... nothing. Hmmm.... take out the processor and turn it on, see what happens

Edit: oh, and sorry for copying the sigline, could not resist...

Put it this way, its not much different without the cpu in, its quieter without that fan tho...

Last time i toasted a cpu it involved smoke, not it just keeling over

edit: hehe, i did the same, works better with the code handles tho

Last time _I_ toasted the cpu, my box just stopped responding, and it was a good 15 minutes before it started to emit any smell. Lol.

I was wondering if I got attacked by the piece of code from the Mitnick case, i mean the one which makes your processor go over the same thread 33k times (authored by mr.Shimomura), I was young and stupid then, though. (yeah, those Mitnick affair files still bounce around the net, you just have to know where to get them... they're old and useless though,tried the HD hack at my university lab, no luck. SO KIDS! DO NOT EVEN TRY!)

I've reset the cpu with new paste but no luck...

Its a socket 462 if anyone has a nice cpu hanging about?

Last time I didn't put the heatsink on (was testing a motherboard) nice pulmb of smoke

ok, got a free "unknown" amd, it's socket A and fits but has no better luck than the old one. Could it be the mobo?