technical question about t43 MB (intel graphics)

[richk]

I have a motherboard (39T0324) that should probably go into my graveyard/spare parts pile, but perhaps someone can offer advice. When I plug it in, the charging light comes on and power is available on the PCI bus. (post card shows power) When I try to power up, the fan never spins and POST never starts. It's like the CPU doesn't sense good power. I've checked all the fuses I could find and there is no sign of a spill or a burn. Inside the case, I found several tiny, hard red balls (plastic/glass). There is a small (1/8") spot of the same color near the modem connector (right next to the 1.5 amp fuse (F17), on the side closer to the parallel port. It looks almost like translucent red paint. Whatever it is, it is non-conductive. On the underside of the board, right under that area, there is a piece of black plastic stuck to the board. (like all T4x boards), but under the plastic, there are lots of the red balls stuck on. I don't have a similar board to look at, so I wonder whether the balls are normal spacers that keep the plastic cover away from the board, or if they are "extra parts". Also if anyone has any insight on what else to look at (if anything).

thanks