New system won't boot, video card problems

Benji2212Benji2212
edited December 2004 in Hardware
I'm building a new system, and I can't get it to boot. The problem is that when I turn the machine on, the monitor acts like it's not connected to anything, all I get is a blank screen. Here's what i'm running:

ASUS A7N8X-X motherboard
AMD Sempron 2800+ processor
2 sticks of 512 MB DDR RAM
Radeon 9600pro video card
CDRW/DVD combo drive
80GB HD
480watt power supply

The mobo has no built in video, so I have the monitor plugged into the 9600pro (which obviously is in the AGP slot). It's as if the card isn't recognized. I can't boot even if I take it down to just the video card, the motherboard, processor, and i stick of ram. Don't know where to go from here, so any help is appreciated.

Comments

  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited December 2004
    Try clearing the CMOS using the jumper on the MB. If it still doesn't work try setting everything in the BIOS down to low performance levels. Once things are rolling you can jack it back up to whatever your system can handle.

    Can you try a different video card in your new system, and try the 9600pro in another computer?
  • Benji2212Benji2212
    edited December 2004
    clearing the CMOS didn't do the trick... and editing the BIOS is tricky without being able to see anything on your monitor. I don't have another video card readily available to try, but i'll try the card in my bro's dell. Thanks for the reply, got anything else good?

    ~Ben
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2004
    You can find out what key it is to reset to safe defaults in your manual. Just spam the key to get into your BIOS as your computer's booting, count to 20, hit the safe defaults key and then the save and exit key. Good chance you can do it without the monitor.
  • Benji2212Benji2212
    edited December 2004
    It seems I have bigger problems that I originally thought... my keyboard doesn't respond, or even startup when I turn the thing on, no lights, even caps lock doesn't work. Also, my cdrom drive will open if it's plugged into the power supply, but not if it's also plugged into the motherboard via the IDE cable. I don't know what the problem is, but I apparantly have serious problems with this system. Any ideas?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2004
    Sounds like a motherboard short.

    Take the motherboard out of the case and run it on a piece of wood or cardboard. Only plug in the essentials. A stick of RAM, a video card, a keyboard, the CPU + HSF, the power, and the on switch.

    No mouse, no harddrives, no reset switches, no extra cards.. Nothing. See if it runs like that.
  • Benji2212Benji2212
    edited December 2004
    It doesn't run like that... it gives me the same results I've been getting. The cpu fan and the little fan on the video card both run, so there's some power coming through the motherboard into at least the fan connectors and the agp slot. any suggestions?
  • Benji2212Benji2212
    edited December 2004
    Figured it out. Turns out I had the processor in wrong :shakehead
    I know I'm sad. Thanks for all your help guys. I love proving I'm not too swift.

    ~Ben
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2004
    How do you do that? :wtf: It only fits one way.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited December 2004
    Thrax wrote:
    How do you do that? :wtf: It only fits one way.

    I would like to know that too! :wtf:
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited December 2004
    muddocktor wrote:
    I would like to know that too! :wtf:
    Count me among the curious as well. :scratch:
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2004
    uhtooooh :eek:
  • flyriceflyrice
    edited December 2004
    Here here...how is the processor in wrong? If it's in wrong, you may have a damaged processor.
  • Benji2212Benji2212
    edited December 2004
    well, ya see it was like this:

    stuck the processor in... all the pins lined up, but i didn't clamp it in right.
    so the processor wasn't damaged at all.
    Coulda happened to anyone... right? :rolleyes:

    anyhow, it runs great now... 'cept the onboard sound doesn't work... and i got all the latest drivers and whatnot. If anyone wants to help me out with that i'm open to suggestions. Although that's not really a problem for this forum, But thanks again for all your help guys.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2004
    Onboard sound problems are also within the scope of this form. ;) What onboard audio? Do you have an add-in sound card also?
  • Benji2212Benji2212
    edited December 2004
    I don't have an add-in card, but i'm about to go out and buy one.
    I can't get the sound on my ASUS A7N8X-X motherboard to give me anything.
    It didn't work with the drivers on the cd, it didn't work with drivers i downloaded for the nForce chips, it didn't work with drivers downloaded from ASUS. It's enabled in the BIOS, and windows seems to think it's working. The speakers are good, and they're plugged in to the right place. I would appreciate any bright ideas, before i have to go spring for a soundcard. TIA for the help.

    ~Ben
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2004
    stuck the processor in... all the pins lined up, but i didn't clamp it in right.
    Whew! So glad you didn't destroy a new processor. Don't be embarrassed - many of us have done much worse than that! :rolleyes:
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited December 2004
    Leonardo wrote:
    ...many of us have done much worse than that! :rolleyes:
    ...much worse... :rolleyes::rolleyes:
  • GobblesGobbles Ventura California
    edited December 2004
    its called build fever... you get so excited about building the rig.. you forget the little things...
  • GobblesGobbles Ventura California
    edited December 2004
    Benji2212 wrote:
    I don't have an add-in card, but i'm about to go out and buy one.
    I can't get the sound on my ASUS A7N8X-X motherboard to give me anything.
    It didn't work with the drivers on the cd, it didn't work with drivers i downloaded for the nForce chips, it didn't work with drivers downloaded from ASUS. It's enabled in the BIOS, and windows seems to think it's working. The speakers are good, and they're plugged in to the right place. I would appreciate any bright ideas, before i have to go spring for a soundcard. TIA for the help.

    ~Ben

    unfortunately speakers being plugged into the right place could be wrong. If its soundstorm, certain check boxes and options in the sound setup change which plug is the right one. Also there are about 3 places in windows and the sound software where you have to unmute the sound. scour the sound config carefully make sure nothing is muted and all the volume sliders are up. Do this for the onboard sound software and windows sound setup.
  • Benji2212Benji2212
    edited December 2004
    Done and done. I had checked and double checked those at least three times each, but i found the problem. On the motherboard there's a place to hook in front panel audio. At first I decided i wanted to use it, so i removed the jumpers and hooked the FPaudio wires in there, but then i changed my mind and found it easier to acess at the back, so i removed them, but i didn't put the jumpers back on. The manual said nothing about there needing to be jumpers on those pins, so i had to find something online that told me where to put them again. So, for future reference, if you have an ASUS A7N8X-X and you get no sound and you tried everything else in the world... check that Line out_R and BLINE_OUT_R are jumpered and Line out_L and BLINE_OUT_L are jumpered. Voila, beautiful sound.
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