Member Avatar for jaimasani

Recently I had a new motherboard installed to replace my old one that overheated. The new motherboard is a MSI H55M-E23 that has an Intel core i5 650 chipset installed. After getting all the drivers to work, I then installed my old XFX Geforce 9500 gt (512mb gddr3) in the pci-e x16 slot. When I went to turn my pc back on it wouldn't boot. I then removed the graphics card from it's slot and it booted up just fine. The same thing happened with my DIAMOND XtremeSound 5.1/16 bit Sound Card when I put it in the PCI slot. They worked just fine in my old motherboard only 4 weeks ago so I'm not sure what the problem may be. Is is a driver I'm missing for my motherboard or some type of BIOS or maybe a hardware error?

Windows Vista 32bit
4gb ddr3 RAM
Intel core i5 650 Chipset

Edited by jaimasani because: forgot some info
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When an expansion card causes a system to fail POST only when it’s installed, the cause is usually one of a small set: the card itself is shorted or damaged, the motherboard slot or case is shorting the card, the PSU isn’t providing required rails, or the firmware is stalling while initializing the device. ’s suggestion that the cards might be ruined is possible, but a quick, systematic check will reveal which component is at fault before buying replacements.

Steps that reliably isolate the problem (power off and ground before handling hardware):

  • Clear CMOS (battery or jumper) and restore BIOS defaults, then try a POST with the card installed.
  • Perform a minimal boot with CPU + one RAM stick + onboard video (no expansion cards) to confirm the platform and PSU behave.
  • Test cards one at a time: install only the video card and attempt POST; if it fails, remove it and test only the PCI sound card in another slot if available.
  • Inspect hardware visually: look for bent pins, burned components, bulging capacitors, solder splashes, or standoffs/contact points that could short the PCB. Smell for burnt components.
  • Check power: confirm any required auxiliary PCIe/PCI power cables are connected and that the supply has adequate capacity; try a known-good PSU if possible.
  • Firmware options: with a working boot, set display/init options to prefer the add-in slot and, if available, try forcing PCIe to Gen1 for older cards. Update BIOS only from the vendor site and only after a stable boot method is available.
  • Cross-test: install the suspect cards in a different, known-good system and test a known-good card in the new motherboard to determine which part is faulty.

If the cards work elsewhere they’re fine and the new board/assembly (or a slot short) is the problem; if they fail in another machine they were likely damaged (consistent with the earlier motherboard failure mentioned by ). Avoid repeated power cycles when a short is suspected and handle components with ESD precautions.

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Member Avatar for rubberman

Whatever burnt out your motherboard probably toasted your video and audio cards as well. Time to get some new gear!

Member Avatar for jaimasani

Well I guess it is time for a change. The Capacitor closest to my RAM on the old motherboard failed and I didn't feel like replacing it plus my board was outdated by a few year anyhow. Kinda hate having to buy a new sound and video card all over again but I'll see if that'll work.

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