Problem with power on

I have been given four IBM M51 (8144) machines to clean up two and have the others if I want them.
So have done up the two to go back to the school and am left with one that seems to work fine, but the other just roars like a 747 taking off when I apply power.

I have tried taking the battery out to reset the BIOS and made sure the CPU was getting power by feeling for the heat coming through - which is does but cannot understand why no boot?

The other thing with these machines is they will only work with the RAM that they came with as I tried some higher capacity RAM that I had and the machines just keep up a double beep and no screen power up. The original RAM is IBM (256 sticks) and I have tried the spare 512 sticks including some IBM stuff I have but still the same result.

I have used all the original RAM for the school machines (1GB each) and am left wondering what I can use in the machines I have left?

These machines are really well built and finished with cavernous cases and SATA connections and I would like one to be another tester and one I can give to a young person who cannot afford a computer.

The boards support Pentiums up to 3.8Ghz and 4GB RAM and seem to be way ahead of their time (2005) and it would be a shame to trash them.

So any ideas on the non power up and what is going on with the RAM issue please??

Could be bad ram, does any of the other three "good" machines have ram that matches the 747's?

The other thing with these machines is they will only work with the RAM that they came with

I'm thinking, even if the machines are different.
If you haven't tried the ram in them just other IBM ram you happen to have, do a swap, and see if the 747 takes off for you.


EDIT:

How old are these machines? I don't know the specs, but I ran across another thread, said the M51 might have that bad sandybridge processor.

Hiyya Anak no mate these machines are about 2005 -2006 vintage. I have tried the same original RAM in all of them it is only one machine that roars the others all perform spot on.

Why the RAM I have spare makes the good machines beep though - has me puzzled - maybe a setting in the BIOS? (stab in the dark).

Well specs are - make you know and here Overview - ThinkCentre M51 (type 8144) picture of the unit and some specs > more detailed Detailed specifications - ThinkCentre 8144 the drive is an 80GB not the 40GB stated the rest is as is.

Do you at least get a POST beep?
Any other visual clues like HDD drive light blinking?

With them being that old check for bad capacitors Badcaps.net - How To Identify

There is an old trick to check the MB it may or may not work in this case.
Pull all ram, and power up if you hear a series of beeps the board should be okay.

Check PSU voltages.

Try the CMOS trick with a known good quality battery.

Start disconnecting items that aren't necessary for starting the OS, HDD first.

Re-seat any cards especially VGA if it has one.

Sorry late reply - tried all those Anak no beep, the CPU you could fry an egg on, caps look ok (something I always go for first up) with nothing attached at all no RAM no drive.

Haven't been game to check the PSU volts yet as the CPU gets so hot like as in right then as if one has turned on a flame. Though I suppose I could try shunting the green and black with a small fan hooked up eh?

No worries on the time :)

I would try the jumper you don't want to fry that processor.

We used to use a touch method to estimate the temp of an electric motor, went something like this if I remember correctly.

• Tepid - 34C (93F)
• Warm/Hot - 37C (100F)
• Too Hot to Hold - 42C (107F)
• Too Hot to Touch - 48C (120F)

No mate the volts tested out ok although the colours are a tad different than some of the diagrams I Googled. There are some that have no connector at all certainly no purple or white. Having said that the other machines are exactly the same layout and no probs.

Maybe the mobo has gone to that great recycle centre in the sky ? voltage reg / heat sensor for the CPU?

Did anyone give any reason why that machine won't boot?

You wouldn't happen to have a spare processor laying around for testing would you?

Is there any method you could use to test the ram sockets?

I don't know 'bout you, but it's getting hard for me to think, been up tooo long so I thought I'd post these to help in going over our steps.

I gotta step away from my machine, and take a break. I'll check back later.

Lots of reasons why a machine won't boot: upgradenrepair | nopost

The booting process: upgradenrepair | bootprocess

No Anak I tried a couple of the other machines CPU's - same result - the CPU seems to go flat out and get really hot in seconds. I don't know of any way to test the RAM sockets to be honest and as the RAM will not work in any of the machines unless it is the original stuff, has got me stumped too.

I think the mobo is dead and it might be just as well to throw in a new cheap mobo and "E" series Pentium plus some DDR3 too. But it would have been nice to know exactly what caused it eh?