tyring to build computer-won't boot up

[rockhead21784]

i am trying to build a computer from scratch. i have been a few lesser models from scratch for my parents and myself. i am having a very basic problem that i can't solve.

i have loaded everything that is listed below. When i turn on the power button all the fans start and there is power to the hard drive and other floppy drives. but the computer won't boot up-i see nothing on the screen and i don't hear the HD booting up(but it does have power). everything looks like it is hooked up right.

all the jumpers are set to default. i am lost.

any suggestions?

[Tex]

You could have a bad cpu or MB but for starters... unhook everything but the video card and a single stick of memory. No cards no anything but video.

Unplug the psu from the MB. Do not turn it off or do anything but EXACTLY as I say. Unplug it from the MB. Remove the battery and go have a beer if you are of legal age or a milk shake oif your not and come back. Do not come back for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Reinsert the battery. Reconnect the PSU.

Hit the switch again and see if you get anything.

Report back

[shwaip]

before you have that beer, try just clearing the BIOS the old fashioned way, using the clear cmos jumper. It will be located near the battery.

Also, if you're going to be using Tex's method, do not do it too often, or your computer may never work again....when you've had that 15th beer and are still trying to fix it. ;D

[Tex]

Correct the beer method is limited to once a day.

Tex

[LawnMM]

Make sure the CPU is properly seated and try moving the ram to another slot

[derek]

also make sure your video card is in all the way.
had a couple myself that took that extra hard push to click in.

derek

[Clutch]

I would also try the motherboard outside of the case, place it on the box it came in and power it up that way. It will be easier then to re-seat the cpu, memory, and will test to see if your case is not shorting out the motherboard.

[Leonardo]

I would also try the motherboard outside of the case, place it on the box it came in and power it up that way. He meant to say place the motherboard on the anti-static bag in which it was packaged.

[Clutch]

He meant to say place the motherboard on the anti-static bag in which it was packaged.


The box shouldn't short the board out, but just for safety measures place it on the bag as well. Better safe than sorry.

[muddocktor]

I wouldn't set it on the anti static bag myself. That bad is slightly conductive (hense, anti static). The cardboard box should do very well for isolation, as well as a plastic or wood chopping block to run the mobo on for testing purposes.

[Leonardo]

Arrrggghhh! OK, as long as I started the nitpicking - Rockhead, just place the motherboard on top of...the anti-static bag; bag on top of the box, box on top of a wooden cutting board; on top of a table; insulate the table legs; turn off the lights. :banghead:

;D

[Geeky1]

I wouldn't put it on the anti-static bag either

[Clutch]

haha don't forgot the anti-static gloves and wrist strap as well Leo, haha

[Armo]

if the case is shorting the PSU the fans should make about 1 rotation and stop, at least that what itdid for me on 2 occasions, stoopid screw between the mobo and the case

[edcentric]

rock, the times that I have had trouble they were:
1. support post/scres shorting mobo
2. inporperly seated cpu and/or hsf
3. memory not seated

Trust me, s6it happens. Take it out of the case and start a square 1. There is no prize for being fast, only for being correct.

[Tex]

But that depends entirely on whats getting shorted. Sometimes it just appears dead. Sometimes the fans run. Sometimes you smell smoke....

Picture that screw you had under your mb but instead under the cpu socket lets say...

Tex

[Tex]

I just put my new opteron sk8n together this morning and it wasn't happy with the memory in the slots I had them in and it did the same thing.

I have stuuf like that happen on some boards with the cool new low rpm fans on some coolers and stcikinga stock cooler on long enough to disable some crap in the bios solved it...

Tex

[rockhead21784]

ok folks-wow that was a lot.

took out the motherboard-only had video card-one samsung 2700 256mb momery stick-cpu amd 2200+-and thermolight volcano 9 installed.

cleared cmos and took out battery.

no luck-i get same-power to everything, but nothing on monitor. i will try switching monitors, but i don't have spare cpu to try. only two memory sticks and bought both from ebay. will keep trying,

[TheBaron]

i doubt its your cpu, we know from elimination that it has to be your cpu/mobo/ram. and from experience ram is very often bad, so i think thats the first thing you need to find a way to test. try using only one stick in dimm slot 1, if it doesn't work try the other stick.

[Tex]

Move the single stick of ddr around. If thats a dual channel board it may only go single channel in certain slots. Try one stick in each slot one at a time.

Tex

[jlb1028]

I know this sounds stupid...but you made sure all the IDE cables were on correctly...Right?
Simple problem, but is happens to all of us, and it can cause the problem you described.
Most new cables are keyed so it is not possible to reverse or flip them upside down but it is just an idea.

[rockhead21784]

I have cleared the CMOS and took out the battery to clear everything. I installed everything before putting in case to make sure no shorts. in can't get it to boot up.

I have brand new kingston memory. listed on asus website.

my conclusion is that it is either the motherboard or CPU. how can i determine which it is? if either? the power light goes on, on the motherboard. and the fan connections work on the motherboard. i don't have another cpu to test.

do i need to connect the hardrive in order to get to the bios?

any suggestions?

[Xyphus]

If it was posted earlier, I missed it. What type/size PSU do you have in the box? It may be underpowered for the hardware you have. I know that when I built my very first Athlon based system, (Athlon 1GHz on an Abit KT7-Raid) I was using a no-name brand 300W PSU. It was fine for my old P3-500MHz, but I ended up with the same results as you were describing. Fans, lights, but no boot. Tried swapping ram, removed cards and tried with just the video card, etc. Finally decided to swap out the PSU from the 300W to an Enermax 430W. The system fired up fine first try after the new PSU.

Your milage may vary, but if your PSU just meets the 300-350W specs, and is a no-name brand, it may be the culprit.

Worth a shot at least. I know that Best Buy carries Antec PSU's now. You should be able to pick up a decent 350W+ for around $50.

[rockhead21784]

thanks-i bought an antec case from newegg that came with an Antec 350W smartpower model sl350.

i tried to turn on the computer only with the cpu fan(thermaltake volcano 9) and the video card and not the case fans. no luck.

[dodo]

do you get any beeps? they usually can tell you something.

[rockhead21784]

not a sound-

is the power supply large enough-350watt

[Thrax]

This will seem a weird question:

Do you have the volcano 9's fan attached to a fan header on the motherboard? If so, disconnect it and move it to a power-supply molex. There have been issues where a computer will not boot if a fan attached to the motherboard draws too much power.

[Tex]

And if it was just shutting down it can be caused by one of the new low rpm fans as many bios's default to monitoring that a fan is attached to the cpu fan header and the low rpm fans do not register as running fast enough and it will shutdown

[Thrax]

Good thought, Tex. I hadn't even considered that one. :D