Member Avatar for phaisal

is it safe to put the foam pad(the on tht comes with the mobo) under the motherboard in a case and
screw it up(tighten it)? because when ever my mobo touches the
case it doesnt boot up but whent i put the pad under it it boots up.
srrry if my eng is bad.
i need reply ASAP. will appreciate any kind of advice

Edited by phaisal because: n/a
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Short answer: do not leave any foam under the motherboard. What you are seeing is a classic case short. When the board touches the chassis, something on the underside is contacting metal and pulling a rail to ground, so it will not POST. is on the right track; fix the mounting so the board is grounded only through its intended screw points and I/O shield, not through random contact.

Quick checklist to find the real fault:

  • Pull the board and test on the cardboard motherboard box (not in the case). If it boots here, the case fit is the issue.
  • Reinstall with only the standoffs that line up with the board’s mounting holes. Your model shows six circled screw points; use those and remove any extra standoffs. See the ASUS P5G41-M LX user manual page indicating the six screw locations.
  • Inspect for a stray screw or an overlong standoff touching the solder side.
  • Reseat the rear I/O shield so its spring tabs rest on top of the port shells, not inside the connectors; the shield must bond to bare metal for EMI grounding per the ATX spec keepout guidance (ATX Specification v2.1).
  • If your CPU cooler uses a metal backplate, make sure the insulating washers/spacers are installed.

Why the foam seemed to help: it temporarily separated the short, but it is not a safe insulator. Black ESD shipping foam is conductive (surface/volume resistance as low as 1e3–1e6 ohms), which can short components if pressed against the PCB (Desco StatFree conductive foam). Pink foam is static-dissipative, typically up to about 1e11 ohms, so it is also not an electrical insulator (ANSI/ESD S541 ranges, example pink foam spec). It also traps heat. Remove it and fix the standoffs/shield alignment instead.

Member Avatar for Seten

is it safe to put the foam pad(the on tht comes with the mobo) under the motherboard in a case and
screw it up(tighten it)? because when ever my mobo touches the
case it doesnt boot up but whent i put the pad under it it boots up.
srrry if my eng is bad.
i need reply ASAP. will appreciate any kind of advice

The motherboard should be in "air" (air circulation, static electricity). The foam is for transport of motherboard. The foam could lead static electricity to your motherboard from PC skeleton. Advice, screw the motherboard on the skeleton without any foam.
Read the manual that should have been included with the motherboard.

Edited by Seten because: n/a
Member Avatar for phaisal

thx! the problem is solved already!
but can u explain the reason y when the motherboard touches the case
it doesnt boot up? i am using asus p5g41 m lx
i never experience this problem with other boards

Member Avatar for Seten

If you look on the holes, you will see that nearby is a lot of metal area. This area is being connected via the screw to the desktop box(metal skeleton). And the metal skeleton via the power supply is connected to electricity ground. Because the whole computer box is something like a Faraday cage. And the vendor-developer of the motherboard expects, that no other part of the motherboard touch the ground. And when you (with the foam) connected some parts with the skeleton, that shouldn't be connected, then that part doesn't work. Bios by start check all devices (beep tells the state) and if something critical is not working or returns error, then bios will just beeps and stop with booting, simply it is a fail-safe and also a recognizable signal for "humans". If the main circle is a problem, then the motherboard act as dead.
This is a general behaviour for all motherboards. Except different vendors have their own beep structure.

It is hard for me to explain it in English. You should ask someone nearby who works with electric devices about the groundwire connection (GND) for an explanation.
GND - Wiki
Some info about bios beeps

Edited by Seten because: n/a
Member Avatar for phaisal

thx
i think i have got the general idea about what u are trying to tell already.

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