FX 5500 = dead PC ???

Hi,

hope someone can shed some light on this problem:

When I try to install a Leadtek LR2969 (nVidia FX 5500) AGP 256Mb in my PC,
it won't boot at all - disks spin up, fans run, CD & DVD drive lights
flash, but no BIOS beep and the monitor never seems to receive a signal
(screen stays blank and yellow standby light never goes green). The PC
can't be rebooted with the keyboard nor the reset button; it needs to be
powered off.

Assuming it may have been a power problem I took out power leads to CD, DVD,
2nd hard disk and DAT tape drive, and removed PCI SCSI card, PCI network
card, PCI sound card then tried again, but the result was the same.

Put it all back together with my old Inno3D nVidia MX2/400 and it booted up
fine.

It looked like the card was dead, but when I put the FX5500 into a 2nd PC it
booted up - at least as far as starting to load windows; I didn't go any
further. This is a very similar setup, with the same PSU.

My PC spec: (ie. the "dead" one)
Asus A7N8X Deluxe/Gold-UAY
AMD Athlon/XP 2500+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Sharp LL-T17D3-B TFT flatscreen monitor

2nd PC spec: (the one in which it worked)
Asus A7N8X-X
AMD Athlon/XP 3000+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Samsung SyncMaster 710s CRT monitor

I have tried the card several times, checking seated correctly, cables in
tight etc. Results are always the same. The card is obviously good, the
rest of the PC is fine, but the two just won't work together. I can't see
any BIOS options different in the PCs that may be the cause. What have I
missed?

Two possibilities you did not mention ...

AGP speed is too high ... you have an 8X AGP card in a 4X AGP slot ...

The AGP slot in the computer having the problem has a fault. Look for any
contamination in the slot ... dirt, sliver of something, crooked contact,
that sort of thing.

Bill Stewart
Cape Coral, FL



"Andrew Woodward" wrote in message
...
Hi,

hope someone can shed some light on this problem:

When I try to install a Leadtek LR2969 (nVidia FX 5500) AGP 256Mb in my
PC,
it won't boot at all - disks spin up, fans run, CD & DVD drive lights
flash, but no BIOS beep and the monitor never seems to receive a signal
(screen stays blank and yellow standby light never goes green). The PC
can't be rebooted with the keyboard nor the reset button; it needs to be
powered off.

Assuming it may have been a power problem I took out power leads to CD,
DVD,
2nd hard disk and DAT tape drive, and removed PCI SCSI card, PCI network
card, PCI sound card then tried again, but the result was the same.

Put it all back together with my old Inno3D nVidia MX2/400 and it booted
up
fine.

It looked like the card was dead, but when I put the FX5500 into a 2nd PC
it
booted up - at least as far as starting to load windows; I didn't go any
further. This is a very similar setup, with the same PSU.

My PC spec: (ie. the "dead" one)
Asus A7N8X Deluxe/Gold-UAY
AMD Athlon/XP 2500+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Sharp LL-T17D3-B TFT flatscreen monitor

2nd PC spec: (the one in which it worked)
Asus A7N8X-X
AMD Athlon/XP 3000+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Samsung SyncMaster 710s CRT monitor

I have tried the card several times, checking seated correctly, cables in
tight etc. Results are always the same. The card is obviously good, the
rest of the PC is fine, but the two just won't work together. I can't see
any BIOS options different in the PCs that may be the cause. What have I
missed?

Wow, that was a quick reply

No One wrote:

Two possibilities you did not mention ...

AGP speed is too high ... you have an 8X AGP card in a 4X AGP slot ...

My m/b manual says the A7N8X Deluxe has an 8X (1.5v) AGP slot - and I have,
in the past, successfully used an AGP ATI Radeon 9600 SE, which is an 8X
card.

The AGP slot in the computer having the problem has a fault. Look for any
contamination in the slot ... dirt, sliver of something, crooked contact,
that sort of thing.

I'll have a look when I can take it all apart again, but since I have
several times immediately put the Inno3D MX2/400 card back in and get the
PC to boot, I don't hold out much hope

Thanks anyway.

Bill Stewart
Cape Coral, FL



"Andrew Woodward" wrote in message
...
Hi,

hope someone can shed some light on this problem:

When I try to install a Leadtek LR2969 (nVidia FX 5500) AGP 256Mb in my
PC,
it won't boot at all - disks spin up, fans run, CD & DVD drive lights
flash, but no BIOS beep and the monitor never seems to receive a signal
(screen stays blank and yellow standby light never goes green). The PC
can't be rebooted with the keyboard nor the reset button; it needs to be
powered off.

Assuming it may have been a power problem I took out power leads to CD,
DVD,
2nd hard disk and DAT tape drive, and removed PCI SCSI card, PCI network
card, PCI sound card then tried again, but the result was the same.

Put it all back together with my old Inno3D nVidia MX2/400 and it booted
up
fine.

It looked like the card was dead, but when I put the FX5500 into a 2nd PC
it
booted up - at least as far as starting to load windows; I didn't go any
further. This is a very similar setup, with the same PSU.

My PC spec: (ie. the "dead" one)
Asus A7N8X Deluxe/Gold-UAY
AMD Athlon/XP 2500+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Sharp LL-T17D3-B TFT flatscreen monitor

2nd PC spec: (the one in which it worked)
Asus A7N8X-X
AMD Athlon/XP 3000+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Samsung SyncMaster 710s CRT monitor

I have tried the card several times, checking seated correctly, cables in
tight etc. Results are always the same. The card is obviously good, the
rest of the PC is fine, but the two just won't work together. I can't see
any BIOS options different in the PCs that may be the cause. What have I
missed?

Andrew Woodward wrote:
Wow, that was a quick reply

No One wrote:

Two possibilities you did not mention ...

AGP speed is too high ... you have an 8X AGP card in a 4X AGP slot ...

My m/b manual says the A7N8X Deluxe has an 8X (1.5v) AGP slot - and I have,
in the past, successfully used an AGP ATI Radeon 9600 SE, which is an 8X
card.
The AGP slot in the computer having the problem has a fault. Look for any
contamination in the slot ... dirt, sliver of something, crooked contact,
that sort of thing.

I'll have a look when I can take it all apart again, but since I have
several times immediately put the Inno3D MX2/400 card back in and get the
PC to boot, I don't hold out much hope

Thanks anyway.
Bill Stewart
Cape Coral, FL



"Andrew Woodward" wrote in message
...
Hi,

hope someone can shed some light on this problem:

When I try to install a Leadtek LR2969 (nVidia FX 5500) AGP 256Mb in my
PC,
it won't boot at all - disks spin up, fans run, CD & DVD drive lights
flash, but no BIOS beep and the monitor never seems to receive a signal
(screen stays blank and yellow standby light never goes green). The PC
can't be rebooted with the keyboard nor the reset button; it needs to be
powered off.

Assuming it may have been a power problem I took out power leads to CD,
DVD,
2nd hard disk and DAT tape drive, and removed PCI SCSI card, PCI network
card, PCI sound card then tried again, but the result was the same.

Put it all back together with my old Inno3D nVidia MX2/400 and it booted
up
fine.

It looked like the card was dead, but when I put the FX5500 into a 2nd PC
it
booted up - at least as far as starting to load windows; I didn't go any
further. This is a very similar setup, with the same PSU.

My PC spec: (ie. the "dead" one)
Asus A7N8X Deluxe/Gold-UAY
AMD Athlon/XP 2500+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Sharp LL-T17D3-B TFT flatscreen monitor

2nd PC spec: (the one in which it worked)
Asus A7N8X-X
AMD Athlon/XP 3000+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Samsung SyncMaster 710s CRT monitor

I have tried the card several times, checking seated correctly, cables in
tight etc. Results are always the same. The card is obviously good, the
rest of the PC is fine, but the two just won't work together. I can't see
any BIOS options different in the PCs that may be the cause. What have I
missed?



first things first the mobo you are using has an AGP 8X slot so its not
the slot's fault
what i would suggest is using the old card first access the Bios menu
and check the settings for the slot and set them all to Auto that way
when you insert the FX 5500 it should then power up correctly and work.

"Sir-Les-MP" wrote in message
...
Andrew Woodward wrote:
Wow, that was a quick reply

No One wrote:

Two possibilities you did not mention ...

AGP speed is too high ... you have an 8X AGP card in a 4X AGP slot ...

My m/b manual says the A7N8X Deluxe has an 8X (1.5v) AGP slot - and I
have,
in the past, successfully used an AGP ATI Radeon 9600 SE, which is an 8X
card.
The AGP slot in the computer having the problem has a fault. Look for
any
contamination in the slot ... dirt, sliver of something, crooked
contact,
that sort of thing.

I'll have a look when I can take it all apart again, but since I have
several times immediately put the Inno3D MX2/400 card back in and get the
PC to boot, I don't hold out much hope

Thanks anyway.
Bill Stewart
Cape Coral, FL



"Andrew Woodward" wrote in message
...
Hi,

hope someone can shed some light on this problem:

When I try to install a Leadtek LR2969 (nVidia FX 5500) AGP 256Mb in my
PC,
it won't boot at all - disks spin up, fans run, CD & DVD drive lights
flash, but no BIOS beep and the monitor never seems to receive a signal
(screen stays blank and yellow standby light never goes green). The PC
can't be rebooted with the keyboard nor the reset button; it needs to
be
powered off.

Assuming it may have been a power problem I took out power leads to CD,
DVD,
2nd hard disk and DAT tape drive, and removed PCI SCSI card, PCI
network
card, PCI sound card then tried again, but the result was the same.

Put it all back together with my old Inno3D nVidia MX2/400 and it
booted
up
fine.

It looked like the card was dead, but when I put the FX5500 into a 2nd
PC
it
booted up - at least as far as starting to load windows; I didn't go
any
further. This is a very similar setup, with the same PSU.

My PC spec: (ie. the "dead" one)
Asus A7N8X Deluxe/Gold-UAY
AMD Athlon/XP 2500+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Sharp LL-T17D3-B TFT flatscreen monitor

2nd PC spec: (the one in which it worked)
Asus A7N8X-X
AMD Athlon/XP 3000+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Samsung SyncMaster 710s CRT monitor

I have tried the card several times, checking seated correctly, cables
in
tight etc. Results are always the same. The card is obviously good, the
rest of the PC is fine, but the two just won't work together. I can't
see
any BIOS options different in the PCs that may be the cause. What have
I
missed?



first things first the mobo you are using has an AGP 8X slot so its not
the slot's fault
what i would suggest is using the old card first access the Bios menu and
check the settings for the slot and set them all to Auto that way when you
insert the FX 5500 it should then power up correctly and work.

Also does this card need extra power from the PC's power supply? If it does
and it's not plugged in, then you'll get what you described. JLC

JLC wrote:


"Sir-Les-MP" wrote in message
...
Andrew Woodward wrote:
Wow, that was a quick reply

No One wrote:

Two possibilities you did not mention ...

AGP speed is too high ... you have an 8X AGP card in a 4X AGP slot ...

My m/b manual says the A7N8X Deluxe has an 8X (1.5v) AGP slot - and I
have,
in the past, successfully used an AGP ATI Radeon 9600 SE, which is an 8X
card.
The AGP slot in the computer having the problem has a fault. Look for
any
contamination in the slot ... dirt, sliver of something, crooked
contact,
that sort of thing.

I'll have a look when I can take it all apart again, but since I have
several times immediately put the Inno3D MX2/400 card back in and get
the PC to boot, I don't hold out much hope

Thanks anyway.
Bill Stewart
Cape Coral, FL



"Andrew Woodward" wrote in message
...
Hi,

hope someone can shed some light on this problem:

When I try to install a Leadtek LR2969 (nVidia FX 5500) AGP 256Mb in
my PC,
it won't boot at all - disks spin up, fans run, CD & DVD drive lights
flash, but no BIOS beep and the monitor never seems to receive a
signal (screen stays blank and yellow standby light never goes green).
The PC can't be rebooted with the keyboard nor the reset button; it
needs to be
powered off.

Assuming it may have been a power problem I took out power leads to
CD, DVD,
2nd hard disk and DAT tape drive, and removed PCI SCSI card, PCI
network
card, PCI sound card then tried again, but the result was the same.

Put it all back together with my old Inno3D nVidia MX2/400 and it
booted
up
fine.

It looked like the card was dead, but when I put the FX5500 into a 2nd
PC
it
booted up - at least as far as starting to load windows; I didn't go
any
further. This is a very similar setup, with the same PSU.

My PC spec: (ie. the "dead" one)
Asus A7N8X Deluxe/Gold-UAY
AMD Athlon/XP 2500+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Sharp LL-T17D3-B TFT flatscreen monitor

2nd PC spec: (the one in which it worked)
Asus A7N8X-X
AMD Athlon/XP 3000+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Samsung SyncMaster 710s CRT monitor

I have tried the card several times, checking seated correctly, cables
in
tight etc. Results are always the same. The card is obviously good,
the rest of the PC is fine, but the two just won't work together. I
can't see
any BIOS options different in the PCs that may be the cause. What have
I
missed?



first things first the mobo you are using has an AGP 8X slot so its not
the slot's fault
what i would suggest is using the old card first access the Bios menu and
check the settings for the slot and set them all to Auto that way when
you insert the FX 5500 it should then power up correctly and work.

Also does this card need extra power from the PC's power supply? If it
does and it's not plugged in, then you'll get what you described. JLC

No, the card doesn't have an extra power connector. Wish it was that
simple

Ryan Hatfield wrote:

JLC wrote:
"Sir-Les-MP" wrote in message
...
Andrew Woodward wrote:
Wow, that was a quick reply

No One wrote:

Two possibilities you did not mention ...

AGP speed is too high ... you have an 8X AGP card in a 4X AGP slot ...
My m/b manual says the A7N8X Deluxe has an 8X (1.5v) AGP slot - and I
have,
in the past, successfully used an AGP ATI Radeon 9600 SE, which is an
8X card.
The AGP slot in the computer having the problem has a fault. Look for
any
contamination in the slot ... dirt, sliver of something, crooked
contact,
that sort of thing.
I'll have a look when I can take it all apart again, but since I have
several times immediately put the Inno3D MX2/400 card back in and get
the PC to boot, I don't hold out much hope

Thanks anyway.
Bill Stewart
Cape Coral, FL



"Andrew Woodward" wrote in message
...
Hi,

hope someone can shed some light on this problem:

When I try to install a Leadtek LR2969 (nVidia FX 5500) AGP 256Mb in
my PC,
it won't boot at all - disks spin up, fans run, CD & DVD drive lights
flash, but no BIOS beep and the monitor never seems to receive a
signal (screen stays blank and yellow standby light never goes
green). The PC can't be rebooted with the keyboard nor the reset
button; it needs to be
powered off.

Assuming it may have been a power problem I took out power leads to
CD, DVD,
2nd hard disk and DAT tape drive, and removed PCI SCSI card, PCI
network
card, PCI sound card then tried again, but the result was the same.

Put it all back together with my old Inno3D nVidia MX2/400 and it
booted
up
fine.

It looked like the card was dead, but when I put the FX5500 into a
2nd PC
it
booted up - at least as far as starting to load windows; I didn't go
any
further. This is a very similar setup, with the same PSU.

My PC spec: (ie. the "dead" one)
Asus A7N8X Deluxe/Gold-UAY
AMD Athlon/XP 2500+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Sharp LL-T17D3-B TFT flatscreen monitor

2nd PC spec: (the one in which it worked)
Asus A7N8X-X
AMD Athlon/XP 3000+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Samsung SyncMaster 710s CRT monitor

I have tried the card several times, checking seated correctly,
cables in
tight etc. Results are always the same. The card is obviously good,
the rest of the PC is fine, but the two just won't work together. I
can't see
any BIOS options different in the PCs that may be the cause. What
have I
missed?

first things first the mobo you are using has an AGP 8X slot so its not
the slot's fault
what i would suggest is using the old card first access the Bios menu
and check the settings for the slot and set them all to Auto that way
when you insert the FX 5500 it should then power up correctly and work.

Also does this card need extra power from the PC's power supply? If it
does and it's not plugged in, then you'll get what you described. JLC



If this isn't the solution, have you tried a BIOS update? I had a
similar situation with a 3dfx card seven years ago.

I've looked on the Asus website and I have the latest available BIOS. It's
quite an old motherboard - though still going strong - and there haven't
been any BIOS updates available for a long time.

Sir-Les-MP wrote:

Andrew Woodward wrote:
Wow, that was a quick reply

No One wrote:

Two possibilities you did not mention ...

AGP speed is too high ... you have an 8X AGP card in a 4X AGP slot ...

My m/b manual says the A7N8X Deluxe has an 8X (1.5v) AGP slot - and I
have, in the past, successfully used an AGP ATI Radeon 9600 SE, which is
an 8X card.
The AGP slot in the computer having the problem has a fault. Look for
any contamination in the slot ... dirt, sliver of something, crooked
contact, that sort of thing.

I'll have a look when I can take it all apart again, but since I have
several times immediately put the Inno3D MX2/400 card back in and get the
PC to boot, I don't hold out much hope

Thanks anyway.
Bill Stewart
Cape Coral, FL



"Andrew Woodward" wrote in message
...
Hi,

hope someone can shed some light on this problem:

When I try to install a Leadtek LR2969 (nVidia FX 5500) AGP 256Mb in my
PC,
it won't boot at all - disks spin up, fans run, CD & DVD drive lights
flash, but no BIOS beep and the monitor never seems to receive a signal
(screen stays blank and yellow standby light never goes green). The PC
can't be rebooted with the keyboard nor the reset button; it needs to
be powered off.

Assuming it may have been a power problem I took out power leads to CD,
DVD,
2nd hard disk and DAT tape drive, and removed PCI SCSI card, PCI
network card, PCI sound card then tried again, but the result was the
same.

Put it all back together with my old Inno3D nVidia MX2/400 and it
booted up
fine.

It looked like the card was dead, but when I put the FX5500 into a 2nd
PC it
booted up - at least as far as starting to load windows; I didn't go
any further. This is a very similar setup, with the same PSU.

My PC spec: (ie. the "dead" one)
Asus A7N8X Deluxe/Gold-UAY
AMD Athlon/XP 2500+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Sharp LL-T17D3-B TFT flatscreen monitor

2nd PC spec: (the one in which it worked)
Asus A7N8X-X
AMD Athlon/XP 3000+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Samsung SyncMaster 710s CRT monitor

I have tried the card several times, checking seated correctly, cables
in tight etc. Results are always the same. The card is obviously good,
the rest of the PC is fine, but the two just won't work together. I
can't see any BIOS options different in the PCs that may be the cause.
What have I missed?



first things first the mobo you are using has an AGP 8X slot so its not
the slot's fault
what i would suggest is using the old card first access the Bios menu
and check the settings for the slot and set them all to Auto that way
when you insert the FX 5500 it should then power up correctly and work.

Yep, I've changed the BIOS settings, but I'll check again & I'll compare
them again to the 2nd PC in which the card works. There must be something
I'm missing...

Andrew Woodward wrote:

Sir-Les-MP wrote:

Andrew Woodward wrote:
Wow, that was a quick reply

No One wrote:

Two possibilities you did not mention ...

AGP speed is too high ... you have an 8X AGP card in a 4X AGP slot ...

My m/b manual says the A7N8X Deluxe has an 8X (1.5v) AGP slot - and I
have, in the past, successfully used an AGP ATI Radeon 9600 SE, which is
an 8X card.
The AGP slot in the computer having the problem has a fault. Look for
any contamination in the slot ... dirt, sliver of something, crooked
contact, that sort of thing.

I'll have a look when I can take it all apart again, but since I have
several times immediately put the Inno3D MX2/400 card back in and get
the PC to boot, I don't hold out much hope

Thanks anyway.
Bill Stewart
Cape Coral, FL



"Andrew Woodward" wrote in message
...
Hi,

hope someone can shed some light on this problem:

When I try to install a Leadtek LR2969 (nVidia FX 5500) AGP 256Mb in
my PC,
it won't boot at all - disks spin up, fans run, CD & DVD drive lights
flash, but no BIOS beep and the monitor never seems to receive a
signal (screen stays blank and yellow standby light never goes green).
The PC can't be rebooted with the keyboard nor the reset button; it
needs to be powered off.

Assuming it may have been a power problem I took out power leads to
CD, DVD,
2nd hard disk and DAT tape drive, and removed PCI SCSI card, PCI
network card, PCI sound card then tried again, but the result was the
same.

Put it all back together with my old Inno3D nVidia MX2/400 and it
booted up
fine.

It looked like the card was dead, but when I put the FX5500 into a 2nd
PC it
booted up - at least as far as starting to load windows; I didn't go
any further. This is a very similar setup, with the same PSU.

My PC spec: (ie. the "dead" one)
Asus A7N8X Deluxe/Gold-UAY
AMD Athlon/XP 2500+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Sharp LL-T17D3-B TFT flatscreen monitor

2nd PC spec: (the one in which it worked)
Asus A7N8X-X
AMD Athlon/XP 3000+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Samsung SyncMaster 710s CRT monitor

I have tried the card several times, checking seated correctly, cables
in tight etc. Results are always the same. The card is obviously good,
the rest of the PC is fine, but the two just won't work together. I
can't see any BIOS options different in the PCs that may be the cause.
What have I missed?



first things first the mobo you are using has an AGP 8X slot so its not
the slot's fault
what i would suggest is using the old card first access the Bios menu
and check the settings for the slot and set them all to Auto that way
when you insert the FX 5500 it should then power up correctly and work.

Yep, I've changed the BIOS settings, but I'll check again & I'll compare
them again to the 2nd PC in which the card works. There must be something
I'm missing...

Finally got round to doing this ... set all options to default/auto ...
still no good Oh well sigh time to move on.

Thanks

Andrew Woodward wrote:

Hi,

hope someone can shed some light on this problem:

When I try to install a Leadtek LR2969 (nVidia FX 5500) AGP 256Mb in my
PC, it won't boot at all - disks spin up, fans run, CD & DVD drive lights
flash, but no BIOS beep and the monitor never seems to receive a signal
(screen stays blank and yellow standby light never goes green). The PC
can't be rebooted with the keyboard nor the reset button; it needs to be
powered off.

Assuming it may have been a power problem I took out power leads to CD,
DVD, 2nd hard disk and DAT tape drive, and removed PCI SCSI card, PCI
network card, PCI sound card then tried again, but the result was the
same.

Put it all back together with my old Inno3D nVidia MX2/400 and it booted
up fine.

It looked like the card was dead, but when I put the FX5500 into a 2nd PC
it booted up - at least as far as starting to load windows; I didn't go
any further. This is a very similar setup, with the same PSU.

My PC spec: (ie. the "dead" one)
Asus A7N8X Deluxe/Gold-UAY
AMD Athlon/XP 2500+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Sharp LL-T17D3-B TFT flatscreen monitor

2nd PC spec: (the one in which it worked)
Asus A7N8X-X
AMD Athlon/XP 3000+
512Mb memory
480W PSU; +3.3V=28A +5V=35A +12V=25A -5V=0.5A -12V=0.8A +5VSB=2.5A
Samsung SyncMaster 710s CRT monitor

I have tried the card several times, checking seated correctly, cables in
tight etc. Results are always the same. The card is obviously good, the
rest of the PC is fine, but the two just won't work together. I can't see
any BIOS options different in the PCs that may be the cause. What have I
missed?

Thanks to all who took the time to reply. I've had zero success Time to
give up, I think, and play with my ATI Radeon 96000SE again ... I've
installed PCLinuxOS 2007 (and love it :-) - best Linux distro ever IMHO! )
I tried the ATI card but couldn't get the 3D drivers to work properly - I
read that nVidia Linux support is better than ATI, which is why I bought
the FX5500 in the first place - oh well sigh back to square one; guess
I'll be posting soon in the ATI newsgroup, ;-) ...