Help! new system wont start

WumbologyWumbology
edited October 2005 in Hardware
sry if i posted this twice, i think something went wrong the first time so im trying again. Yes i've read the "Emergency help check here first" thread

System
AMD athlon64 3800+ x2
Thermaltake BIGGG Typhoon Heatsink
Gigabyte K8NXP-SLI
BFG 6600 GTOC (only one not seting up SLI)
OCZ dual 1G (2x512) DDR 3200 (in DDR1 and DDR2 slot like manual instructed)
Enermax 535W

System wont start up, nothing shows up on screen, no beeps, but fans and light in the mobo turns on. Only mobo, dimms, pciE card, cpu are hooked up.

things ive tried
reseating cpu(even replaced Hsink w/ stock), dimms (used only one), graphics card...result= nothing
tried diff combination slot for dimms..result=nothing
replaced dimm with old working one..result=nothing
tried each pciE slot for graphics card..result=nothing
replaced pciE card with old pci card..result=nothing
cleared CMOS..result=nothing
reconnected PSU to mobo (ATX and ATX_12, no connection needed for graphics card)..result= take a wild guess
PSU is in good condition, tested in my old computer.
checked if the damn thing is actually plugged in..yes it was!
checked if still have money in my pockets after buying all this..nope, only lint!

Basically I can't check my mobo or cpu since i don't have any spare, Im thinking more towards the mobo being defective but I could be wrong (i hope it's not the cpu cuz that damn thing's expensive).Place that i got it from has a 7 day return policy, im sure i can still get my money even if it passes 7 days if its defective parts but I don't want to give 'em any reason for them to d*** me around, so gotta figure out by tommorow.

Anyone got any ideas for me to try? any at all? Im desperate, sure hope somebody could come up with something.

Comments

  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited October 2005
    It looks like you've covered the logical things pretty well. :)

    With newer Athlon64 CPU's, especially an X2, you may well need a BIOS flash to the latest version to get things running. If your board was shipped to the retailer before the end of June it is almost certainly the problem.

    Here are the two latest releases:
    GA-K8NXP-SLI

    Version..........Date............Description

    .....F8.......2005/6/28.......1. Support Athlon 64x2 dual core CPU
    .....F9.......2005/7/22.......1. Update CPU code
    What makes this difficult to test is that you have no way to flash the BIOS (or even check the version you have) without borrowing a CPU compatible with your current BIOS. If you have a friend with a (somewhat older) Socket 939 CPU who would let you borrow it, you may want to try that. If not, a trip to your local computer shop might be worth it, unless they want to charge you a fortune to check things out. For about $15-20 you could order a replacement BIOS chip which already has the latest version, with the added benefit that you could keep your old one as a spare.

    None of this is guaranteed, but seeing the long list of things you've already tried I'd say it's worth a shot.

    Good luck. :wave:
  • WumbologyWumbology
    edited October 2005
    Ive already thought about that before i bought the mobo and AMD says that it 'should' still start up only thing is that it would be recognized as a single core cpu rather than a dual. I also have read that some ppl even installed xp with it not fully recognizing their cpu as dual, I even looked up the list that amd recommends for x2 and k8nxp-sli is one of them.
  • WumbologyWumbology
    edited October 2005
    oh BTW thanx for the reply
  • gtghmgtghm New
    edited October 2005
    You could try taking the MOB out of the case and just laying it up on a peice of cardboard, so as to not cause any shorts, or even suspend it spools of thread turned up on end and then just plug in the CPU, RAM, Video Card, and PSU and see if you can get it to kick on with out it being in the case.

    You should be able to hook up your monitor on the video card if you are carefull, I have set up my whole rig out of the case before just suspeneded on wood and cardboard blocks for trouble shooting things. You will have to have a power button that is removable or be close enough to your case that the wires will string over to the power on prongs on the MOB.

    GL,
    "g'
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited October 2005
    Wumbology wrote:
    Ive already thought about that before i bought the mobo and AMD says that it 'should' still start up only thing is that it would be recognized as a single core cpu rather than a dual...
    That could well be true, but I wouldn't be 100% satisfied until I'd at least made sure I had tried the "proper" BIOS.

    ...I also have read that some ppl even installed xp with it not fully recognizing their cpu as dual, I even looked up the list that amd recommends for x2 and k8nxp-sli is one of them.
    I am sure the first part is true. If the system sees one CPU and will POST you stand a decent chance of getting farther along.

    As for the second part, "Recommended" could mean merely that they've had good luck in testing their CPU's in that MB. I'd bet they had the latest BIOS installed when they checked it out, though. ;)

    I have an MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum with a Newcastle core 3500+. When MSI recently released an X2-compatible BIOS I thought I'd give it a shot, thinking I'd be ready for a CPU upgrade when I get the dough. The system wouldn't finish the POST until I disconnected nearly everything hooked to the MB. Thank goodness my reliable floppy drive still worked, allowing me to flash back to the previous BIOS version. I know this is the exact opposite of your situation, but the point is that I wouldn't eliminate the BIOS as being the source of the problem until I was able to try a different version. :)
  • WumbologyWumbology
    edited October 2005
    thats interesting gtghm, doesnt hurt to try i guess, Thnx. profdlp you're right I need to make sure that I have the proper BIOS. thnx I'll try that too. Any more ideas? any at all is welcome. Thnx
  • WumbologyWumbology
    edited October 2005
    gtghm wrote:
    You could try taking the MOB out of the case and just laying it up on a peice of cardboard, so as to not cause any shorts, or even suspend it spools of thread turned up on end and then just plug in the CPU, RAM, Video Card, and PSU and see if you can get it to kick on with out it being in the case.

    You should be able to hook up your monitor on the video card if you are carefull, I have set up my whole rig out of the case before just suspeneded on wood and cardboard blocks for trouble shooting things. You will have to have a power button that is removable or be close enough to your case that the wires will string over to the power on prongs on the MOB.

    GL,
    "g'

    tried it, look like a puppeteer had my mobo hanging on strings, unfortunately it didnt' work :( i was so hoping that it would work..sigh. Anybody else? im gonna try to take my mobo in a store to update the bios 2mrw so anyone else got any ideas for me to try? any? except updating bios
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited October 2005
    Sometimes it takes more than just moving the jumper to really clear the CMOS. Unplug the PSU, move the jumper over to "clear", then remove the CMOS battery and leave it out for at least half an hour. I've seen this work when a "normal" reset didn't help.

    You've done a great job of checking all the obvious things, so much so that it's hard to think of much that you haven't already tried. If something comes to mind I'll be sure and mention it.

    Anyone else out there have a suggestion? :)
  • WumbologyWumbology
    edited October 2005
    yeah im in the middle of clearing the CMOS again, its the only thing in the list that i've done that only tried once so im doing it again. Does it matter if I only move the jumper for a few sec? then i took off the battery and PSU connection on the motherboard its bout 15 min already, guess another 20 to make sure.
  • WumbologyWumbology
    edited October 2005
    I took out the battery for about 45+ min, and it didnt work still nothing, no beep, nothin :bawling: . Next?...
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited October 2005
    I think your best hope at this point is either a BIOS update, or start swapping out parts (most of which you've already replaced).

    If you're sure the Video Card, RAM and PSU are good, about all that's left is the MB and CPU. It's extremely rare for a CPU to be bad right out of the box, you've juggled the RAM around, tried a different Video Card, and tested the PSU in another computer. That kind of narrows it down... :(

    Hopefully, the BIOS update is all you need. If it turns out that you got a bad MB, at least it's better to find out early while it's still under warranty. We've all been in your shoes at one time or another and it truly does suck. I'm sure that once you get this glitch behind you and have your new computer up and running you'll feel a lot better. Remember, this setback is only temporary. :)
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited October 2005
    Wumbology wrote:
    Place that i got it from has a 7 day return policy, im sure i can still get my money even if it passes 7 days if its defective parts but I don't want to give 'em any reason for them to d*** me around, so gotta figure out by tommorow.

    I'm curious- "passes" what? Do they have a test? Possibly something they can check the BIOS version with? Where did you get it from? Might they have the facility to flash your BIOS?

    Sorry, I know it's a long-shot and many places are not so equipped. But sometimes you luck out on a blue moon.

    If you could borrow a single core somewhere and try it maybe help set the BIOS ... or know someone or someplace that might help.

    Hope something turns up.
  • WumbologyWumbology
    edited October 2005
    I guess the only left is wait till tommorow and go to the store and get bios update or a replacement for this mobo....thnx 2 everyone for the response..ill let you all know how it turns out.
  • WumbologyWumbology
    edited October 2005
    well it turns out i was right it's defective mobo but the tech at the store was a "mr knowitall" with a major attitude kept talking to me like I'm an idiot, telling me it's the bios (should have gave him the finger but had to be nice still needed to get my money back :D ), so after watching him struggle trying make the mobo work for about 20 min, he finally gave up and gave me my money back...I told him "I TOLD YOU SO!" :P LOL dummy. Anyways got a new one now works finally with new bios F9! yey
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited October 2005
    Thanks for letting us know. Good to hear you're back in business! :thumbsup:

    :celebrate
  • WumbologyWumbology
    edited October 2005
    not quite in business yet, I got the dreaded "setup is starting windows" frozen screen, reading up some posts, looks like it's gigabytes bios (f8,f9 which i need to use my x2 cpu). Why did I ever changed from Asus..sigh..just when you thought everythings fixed then somethng else pops up.
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