Having problems with a new build? Try this.

[HAL9000]

5.20.2007 Update I have updated this procedure slightly to reflect new build procedures. Please follow the steps carefully before starting your own thread. Thank you. -Alaron, BYOPC Moderator.

We're going to start from scratch.

1) Remove EVERYTHING from the case
2) Set the motherboard on a non conductive surface. The motherboard box is perfect for this. DO NOT PLACE THE MOTHERBOARD ON THE STATIC BAG! It can actually conduct electricity! We are going to try and assemble a running system outside of the case.
3) Install the CPU and heat sink.
4) Install 1 stick of RAM.
5) Install the video card and attach the power supply connection to the card if your card needs one.
6) Connect the monitor to the video card.
7) Connect the power supply to the motherboard with both the 24pin main ATX Power connection and the separate 4 or 8 pin power connection.
8) Connect power to the power supply.
9) Do NOT connect ANYTHING else. Make sure you have the power connector on the CPU fan connected.
10) Use a small screwdriver to momentarily short the power switch connector on the motherboard. Consult your motherboard manual to find which two pins connect to your case's power switch. Then touch both pins with a screwdriver to complete the circuit and boot the system.

If all is well, it should power up and you should get a display. Then assemble the parts into the case and try again. If the system now fails to boot, you have a short in the case and need to recheck your motherboard standoffs.

If the system does not boot after this process, then you most likely have a faulty component. You'll need to swap parts, start with the power supply, until you determine what is defective.

When starting a thread about your computer, be sure to include full specifications including brands, models and your power supply. This is important to help us help you.

:)

Special thanks to HAL9000 for creating the original procedure that has helped countless PCs come to life.

[Floppyman]

Thanks for the list Hal, will keep those in mind if I have trouble with my next build.

[Obraxis]

Thanx for the above - might help some newbies :)

[DrZaius]

Good tips HAL.

Just to add a little, it's always a good idea to have a stick of RAM in your computer toolbox that you know works for sure (16 or 32 MB stick) so you can test for bad RAM.

[Eric H.]

Sorry, but can you please elaborate on "Use a small screwdriver to momentarily short the power switch connector on the motherboard?" I'm not too sure what you mean or how to short something..

[glc]

On ATX systems, the front panel power button connects to a pair of posts on the motherboard. You just take a small screwdriver and touch it to those 2 posts at the same time.

[Werewolfdaddy]

Computer Gods reside here.

[matura95]

It works the fan works as soon as i hit the switch
What do i do next?

[mairving]

Man, Hal, I thought that you would say remove that AMD chip and Motherboard and install Intel chip and Motherboard.

[HAL9000]

Good point, it would solve a ton of problems :D

Nah, although I'm probably not going to build an AMD system anytime soon, those people out there insisting on a system > 1Ghz should build an AMD. The P4 + Rambus just isn't an economical solution until SDRAM/DDR support becomes available.

[HAL9000]

Originally posted by matura95
It works the fan works as soon as i hit the switch
What do i do next?

Put the bare basics back into the case making sure that you are not shorting out the motherboard anywhere and try again.

[Madog51]

This process didn't work for me... i get the same symptoms as i did with everything installed in the case... no display, no beeps. anythign else i can do?

[HAL9000]

Double, triple, quadruple check that your RAM, video card and your CPU are fully seated. If you still can't get things to go from there, you pretty well need access to another machine for which you can test your parts individually as something is most likely a dud.

[highrisemech]

Thanks for the tip Hal, this helped me a great deal on my build,
I found that the Athlon slot a cpu was not seated all the way also found a dimm not seated properly. Once I calmed down and followed your advice, the Tyan s2380 board posted without any problems.

[Ramer]

thanks for the tips

[Ramer]

does anyone know how to make the pic smaller

[glc]

Save the pic to your hard drive, resize it with an image editing program, upload it to your webspace, and link to that in your signature. I don't think you can define size in the {img} tags.

[Mark S.]

Took everything out and powered up fine, but got no display. Only a black screen. The video card is an ASUS V7100pro brand new out of the box. Could this be the problem?

[highrisemech]

Use only one ram chip make sure it is seated properly. Also make double sure the video card is fully seated. Make sure the motherboard is not grounding lay it on cardboard works good.Make sure the cpu is fully seated. Go over each one of these carefully and post your result. We will try to get you on the right track. Also if you can hook up the speaker and let us know if you get a beep code. If you do get a beep code post the code.

[Mark S.]

Rechecked RAM, video and CPU all are seated well. Attached speaker cable. Got no beep at all.

[highrisemech]

If the speaker is connected properly and there is no beep this sounds like a cpu problem. But I'm not sure lets get some more input from some of the veteran members.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Thanx for the tips.

I didn't know that the anti-static bag is capable of conducting electricity.

And to think that I've been placing the MoBo on it!! Oh, boy!! I've been very lucky till now.

[jackel_2]

I'm having the same problems as Mark S. did. I pulled it out, followed the instruction above, and nothing... is there someone who has the time to I.M. me on AOL Instant Messenger? Maybe talk me through what I have done wrong?

My buddy name is Murr43.. I will be logged on all afternoon. Thanks!

[Werewolfdaddy]

I recently built a computer for my girlfriend. It works great, but the other day, while I was opening it up to add memory, I noticed that the case is lightly magnetic. The screwdriver I was using wanted to stick to it and so will little screws. What's up?

[kentfoxx]

It powers up out of the case. Next step??


By the way, thanks

[HAL9000]

OK, if it's running there, time to take just those pieces and re-assemble in the case. Pay carefull attention to see if there is anywhere the motherboard is grounding out on the case itself. If not, there's no reason why it shouldn't work there as well.

[juanito]

Hal:
Been doin it that way for years (laying everything out on the work bench) and never had a problem, but several friends think I'm nuts and going to fry a MoBo.
I use a formica covered counter top, rather than the shipping box, but its non conductive.

Appreciate all the good info I get from these posts.

Juanito

[haptry]

What is the "white wire" in the wiring for the hdd led, reset, etc. I know one is positive and the other is negative, and which one goes on the #1. I think it is the positive

Thanks - Henry

[HAL9000]

Look very close on the connector and you will see a very small triangle on one side, that designates the positive wire.

[glc]

If you can figure out ONE of them, the others will all have the writing on the connector facing the same way.

[haptry]

Hal9000 - Thanks for moving my post - and directing me to this page. I am up and running, with the exception of some small details - as you notice.

But thanks again - Henry

[haptry]

When building a system, how do you know if you fried the CPU?? I am haveing a rebooting problem with Win98SE installation. Have done several of the suggestions - Still Rebooting every few minutes or so. Is the CPU fried, can I check??

[HAL9000]

If you fried the CPU, it wouldn't work at all. Most likely you have either a software problem or a hardware conflict. There is the possibility of bad RAM or motherboard.

[highrisemech]

Also try resetting the cmos either by jumper or removing the battery for 1-5 mins do this with the computer unplugged then re-install the battery. God knows how many times this has worked.
Another thing you can try, I had an instance last week where I set the jumper to auto detect but no post so I set the actuall FSB for the cpu with the jumpers once I done this it booted right up. don't ask me why auto should have worked but did not. Setting the jumper to the cpu recommended FSB did the trick.
Also if you get a beep during power up decipher your beep code here (http://www.pcmech.com/show/troubleshoot/14/) before doing anything else. Usually it is a simple problem you can workout, particulary with a new build. Most new builds are an error on the builders part during the assembly process or the incorporation of incompatible parts. Very seldom when using new quality parts is there a problem with the actual part. If you are at your wits end and you suspect you have a faulty part you can have the indivual part tested at a local computer store, or post your problem in the forum and maybe one of the members can help you further.

[haptry]

Thanks again for the info, can't wait till I get home from work to try this agin. Glad to know I did not fry my CPU.

Henry

[KlumpDud]

Originally posted by glc
On ATX systems, the front panel power button connects to a pair of posts on the motherboard. You just take a small screwdriver and touch it to those 2 posts at the same time.

Do you have to hold it there the whole time to allow power?
If not, how do you turn it off?

[highrisemech]

Well ah it is very technical.
Just touch the two posts with a screwdriver and remove it
you will see it power up.
You unplug it lol.

[KlumpDud]

Woah, buddy! Slow down! Not all of us have a degree in Hyper-Physics! ;)

[KlumpDud]

Ok, so I did that and the fans start going but no beeps and no display on the monitor (it just says "no signal"). What does that mean?

[Hpro]

Originally posted by highrisemech
Well ah it is very technical.
Just touch the two posts with a screwdriver and remove it
you will see it power up.
You unplug it lol.

NO you use that screwdriver again at the same post - if the computer did power up right - meaning your monitor got a picture or at least the computer beeped for the monitor - then a single touch is enough to powerdown - if it didn't boot successfully, or it hung - then you have to make contact for more than 4 SECONDS on the Pins of PW or the two posts you call it.. that does it..

[highrisemech]

Klumpdud
(Check to make sure your video card is fully seated also memory chip is fully seated), read the trouble shooting tips above.

[Alfie]

The problem lies between the monitor and the video card,hence no signal display message.
If there are jumpers on the board,make sure they are set to default values.
Reseat the video card, make sure the cable is inserted the right way into video card.
Many times when you install AGP cards,they tend to ride up and a clean contact isn't made,this is more than likely your problem.
Another possibilty is a faulty video card,is it possible for you to test the video card on another computer?
Do you have access to another video card(AGP or PCI)?

[kraken]

Hal

Back to basics, This topic shold have a page of its own with diagrams and pics.

When something aint right back to basics.

The trick is knowing what the basics are. Well written and well done.

Back to basics could and should be a topic in its own right.

[HAL9000]

You're right, I should work on something with some pics. There ain't nothing better than "make it look like the picture". The only problem being if I do it, some people will have to throw out their AMD stuff and get Intel stuff :D;):eek:

[Werewolfdaddy]

I am Intel to the core, but after building both an AMD and Intel computers, the experiences were similiar. They are both easy to install and fun to work with systems. I am not, however, including the AMD PC Chips MB my friend had originally bought. PC Chips changes the rules. It was a nightmare of incompatibility. Everything from the AGP to IDE controllers had to be patched.
BTW, we broke that sucker box that it came in down and put a Gigabyte MB in there and it runs twice as fast as it did before. A file we downloaded from a lan connection had originally taken 35mins, this last time it took 6mins. There was a big ide issue with the PCChips motherboard. It ran, but like a cow with no legs. :)

[Cricket]

Hey Werewolfdaddy,

That was a very interesting post. I remember all the trouble you were having with your friend's computer and that PC Chips motherboard. Have you seen the PC Chips Motherboards thread over in Assembly/Overclocking?http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23886

By the way, good move replacing the PC Chips with the EPoX. Amazing what a difference a good motherboard will make.

:) Cricket

[Werewolfdaddy]

Thank you, cricket. I read that post and it livened up my day a little.

[kraken]

Hal

Regardless of Intel Vs AMD fights, the basics are still the basics.

Tommorrow 1800XP takes on 2GHz P4 in a fight to the death. Who will win, tune in this weekend to find out.

Back to you Matt.

[HAL9000]

LOL... I know... failed attempt at humour I guess :D

[Paul Victorey]

Originally posted by Nuclear Krusader
Thanx for the tips.

I didn't know that the anti-static bag is capable of conducting electricity.

And to think that I've been placing the MoBo on it!! Oh, boy!! I've been very lucky till now.

I believe what was meant is, don't place the Mobo on it if you're going to run your computer outside of the case. For parts storage or for putting parts on something, you WANT the surface to be conductive; it can't build up a local static charge, and the entire thing will be at the same voltage. Aluminum covered workbenches are semi-common in electronics shops.

Just don't give the thing any juice at all when it's on a conductive surface(remember that an ATX board will always have power unless you unplug it at the wall).

[breathtaker]

i am having a probelm with my computer to see here http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=178363#post178363

i tried 1) Remove EVERYTHING from the case
2) Set the motherboard on a non conductive surface. The motherboard box is perfect for this. .DO NOT PLACE THE MOTHERBOARD ON THE STATIC BAG! It can acually conduct electricity! We are going to try and assemble a running system outside of the case.
3) Install the CPU and heat sink.
4) Install the RAM (only install 1 stick for SDRAM, 2 for RDRAM)
5) Install the video card
6) Connect the monitor to the video card.
7) Connect the power supply to the motherboard.
8) Connect power to the power supply
9) Do NOT connect ANYTHING else. Make sure you have the power connector on the CPU fan connected.
10) Use a small screwdriver to momentarily short the power switch connector on the motherboard

and still does not work

[highrisemech]

Breathtaker.
I suggest you reseat your video card also reset your cmos then try.
You can also look here (http://www.epox.com/html/english/support/motherboard/Get.asp?Article=1051) at this trouble shooting guide for your particular board.

[breathtaker]

thx for the link but what is cmos ?

[highrisemech]

Check your manual there is a jumper for it. You should always do your homework before attempting a build. You can read about cmos at the home page of this site. You can also reset your cmos by removing the battery for three mins with the computer off then reinstallit then power up. In my opinion though you should locate this jumper and make sure it is not in the reset position.

[breathtaker]

what do you mean by jumper ? cause i removed the cmos for 3mins then installed and nothing still.

[highrisemech]

Breathtaker you should read the build your own tutorial at the home page of this site.

Try hitting the insert key during boot up.

Jumpers are small pins on the board with plastic or metal devices that go over the pins. This device is called a bridge. When the bridge is connected to any two pins, it completes the circuit between those pins, telling the computer what it need to know. Jumpers are much more common than switches, but they are harder to use. If asked to remove a bridge, always save it for later. A little trick is to leave the bridge hanging on one pin. The computer will think the bridge is gone, but its still there so that you don't lose it. Also, knowing the jumper settings for your device can be a chore. You must have the device's manual to do it.

[breathtaker]

i hit insert then the code went to 00 but on the site does not have that . also i played with the jumpers and still nothing.

[highrisemech]

You wat to reset the cmos buy removing the battery then reinstalling then hit insert during bootup. Also make triple sure that the video card is fully seated.

[breathtaker]

hmm i pressed insert and did not work now ill remove it again and then press insert.

[breathtaker]

just found out that my cpu is BAD is i just emailed mwave to replace it

[JimB]

So, I have reset the cmos and made sure (several times) that everything is seated (memory wasn't). Still it does nothing!

[highrisemech]

Jim B.
Does the fan in the power supply spin up? If not check the switch on it make sure it is set to 110 or 115. Also if the power supply fan does not spin you may have a bad power supply, which is not uncommon if it is a cheap one. Post your result.

[JimB]

The fan does NOT spin on but then it won't until the motherboard tells it to and since it is not participating I think the Motherboard is bad.

Thanks

[highrisemech]

Very good reasoning. Are you sure you are making contact with the proper start switch leads on the motherboard. I would try this board with another power supply or take the board to a computer repair shop and have it tested. If this is a brand new motherboard and if I were a betting man my money says that power supply is bad.

[NoCloning]

:confused:

I tried starting up my machine after a normal shut down the night before. Someone hit a telephone pole about 4AM and I had a tripped A/C breaker, and a burned out stove top light bulb along with a dead PC. Before all this happened I had been hard pressed to explain why my Microsoft optical USB mouse was slowing down on screen. The cursor simply wouldn't move as much anymore. I replaced the mouse with a Logitech optical USB mouse, and it worked fine. I know I had my computer maxed out with 6 additional USB ports, lazer led, and 2 CD-ROMS. Still if there was a spike in the electric line, it could've fried the motherboard regardless of load.

I have a P-4 motherboard light on between rimms, which means the board is getting power from the old PS. I bought a new PS and have installed it already since I could not get the fan to spin on the old PS. My next move is to send back the motherboard to the vendor. The biggest hassle is of course going without my PC while I try and trouble shoot it. And even if you take it to say COMPUSA or Best Buys you will be on hold for parts.

[highrisemech]

Hi Nocloning,

In my opinion the cpu and ram are probably still good the rest of the system including the drives are probably shot. The reason why I say this is because I tore down a system that was fried by a spike and then tested each part. the power supply and the drives along with the motherboard were blown out but the cpu and ram were still good. This is most likely due to the fact that the motherboard circuitry blew before reaching the cpu and ram circuits.

[raftero]

did just what hal said and it posted first time,and thanks for the tip about the little triangle i found it and like glc said put every thing on same way sure beat trial and error.

[bonzai]

What do you mean by when u say make sure the motherboard isn't being shorted out anywhere when being placed in the case? My motherboard uses studs, which are metal. And I assume that my case is metal. I screw the studs in into the case, then put the motherboard, aligning the holes with the studs, and screw em in with metal screws. Am i shorting out the motherboard like this??

[Alfie]

bonzai,
The metal studs are aligned with specific holes in the motherboard,these act as grounding posts for the motherboard.
A motherboard will short when the circuit connections(solder points,etc.) make contact with the case.
The standoffs serve the purpose of keeping the motherboards circuitry from making contact with the case.

[Theed]

System Specs:
1ghz AMD athlon k7
Soyo k7VIA mobo
Turtle Beach Santa Cruz - sound
Diamond Viper 200D - video
supramax 56k modem
linksys 10/100 ethernet
16x toshiba dvd
3.5" floppy

Problem:
I was away from my computer and when I returned it was turned off. Each time I attempted to turn it on I recieved no response. At first I thought it was the chip and/or mother board that had been fried on me. I sent both back to the manufacturers and both companies said both products were working fine. I then realized how stupid this was and I simply tried a new power supply... problem solved. Well, after a few minutes of this computer working it simply just craps out. What I mean by this is that it can freeze while booting into windows (yes it's win98se box, my gaming machine). Or it can also do it while in windows, or just after it cleared the bios. It usually takes longer for it to occur after the computer has been off for awhile shorter if it's been on. I have no possible idea to the cause of this. Basically the ONLY thing that has changed is the power supply and now it doesn't work. There isn't a problem with this power supply because it's a 250 watt atx ps that I transplanted from a p2 233 of the exact same wattage and both are atx, so I do not believe it to be a ps problem.

Also, I do not believe it to be a conflict between windows or the hardware because I have never updated any drivers or versions of windows in the 8 months this computer ran flawlessly.

[HAL9000]

The power supply could still potentially be a problem. The AMD chips are fussy about power supplies and I would recommend a quality 300w instead of the 250. While the old one may have been a 250, it may have been of better quality and met the power demands of your system. This is all of course assuming that nothing else has changed in your system (hardware or drivers).

[Theed]

Yep, I noticed earlier today in retardation, that tigerdirect, whom i bought the barebone from slipped in a 300W ps of the same company instead of the 250W they wrote down on the invoice... I just never bothered to look... so I'm going tomorrow and throwing down as much money that is required to buy a 300W or higher... I'm just mad and happy at the same thing that I found this out... thanks for the help though.

*walks off a cliff in stupidity*

[Alfie]

It's not the 300watt that counts,but rather the quality of the power supply,make sure you get a good one.
Antec,Sparkle,highpower,etc.

[Theed]

Grrrrr.... After waiting 2 weeks for my power supply to come in with high expectations they were immediately shot down when after about 10 minutes the problem repeated itself.

The only possibilities I see are that there could be a problem with the motherboard, cpu, or hdd (this is highly unlikely because when I put another hdd into this computer I get similar errors).

So.... that leaves me with the mobo or cpu and quite frankly if it is either of these I am going to go nuts. Why? do you ask. Because about 7 months ago I sent both back because I thought the problem was with them, to their manufactuers, and both replied they are working 100%.

Anyone have any NEW suggestions?

[highrisemech]

Theed,
Obviously you have an intermitant problem which needs to be isolated. Now that you changed out the power supply and your 100% sure this is good, we can eliminat this as a problem. Also you said you sent the cpu and motherboard back and as well you were subsequently told these were good.

Well lets look at the vaiables here.
Where is the board mounted? Are you sure it is not shorting to the case? Is the fan turning on the cpu? Have you tried another stick of known good ram in bank#1? Either way you have to go through the basic process of elimination until you zero in on the culprit. Me I try everthing that is known good on the board until I finally blame the board.

[Theed]

Originally posted by highrisemech

Well lets look at the vaiables here.
Where is the board mounted? Are you sure it is not shorting to the case? Is the fan turning on the cpu? Have you tried another stick of known good ram in bank#1? Either way you have to go through the basic process of elimination until you zero in on the culprit. Me I try everthing that is known good on the board until I finally blame the board.

I reseated the board in another case today with 4 risers and each screw has 3 washers on it so I do not believe anything could be shorting out, I did check the back to make sure and I cannot find anything touching.

Yes, the fan on the cpu as well as the case fans are turning. And if it makes a difference all led's light up; power, reset, hdd.

And, yes I did just try all ram slots with a ram stick I am sure is good and I still recieved the same similar errors.

[highrisemech]

Post a thread with the exact errors and problems you are having so that we can better zone in on your particular problem. I have a few ideas floating in my head but I think you would be better served posting a seperate thread so that we can get responces from the other members as well.

[Theed]

I moved it to here (clicky) (http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=36105)

[wilcopshot]

Just a minor point..Its always a good idea to putt a folded up piece of normal paper or some other non conducting surface under the MOBO when installing ram. A friend of mine split about 2 inches of the copper tracks on the MOBO trying to push the RAM in and beding the MOBO

[glc]

That's why we recommend installing your ram with the motherboard out of the case on the table.

[Goog]

Thanks to everyone for all their help in this post! It's really awesome...

I followed the instructions and my computer just turns on, then the motherboard gives a loud, pretty long beep and turns off. That's it. It was doing pretty much the same thing for me in the case as well.

It's a 1.2 Duron with a asus a7v mobo.

[Alfie]

Either mobo is bad or cpu is bad,double check all jumper settings,etc.
Pull the memory and see if the motherboard beeps.

[Kil]

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=255787#post255787


please help me

[Downtown99]

Well I've already tried most everything you have listed here.

Unfortunately I can't take the motherboard out of the case, since it is a Dual-XEON system (P4 and XEON Cpu's have a mounting bracket which, unfortunately, has to be mounted to the case).

I did remove the system board to check to make sure it wasn't being shorted somewhere, however I have the board mounted exactly as specified in the MB mounting documentation.

And as I mentioned earlier, I've pulled the CPUs and remounted them; I've tried booting the system with just one CPU, and also tried rotating out all of the memory.

One thing I have noticed is that there is a discrepancy in the documentation in reference to the memory type this system board takes - On Intel's online support documentation and system specifications, it says that this system board supports DDR200/266 ECC Registered 2.5V memory. However the Quick Start Guide which accompanied the system board indicates that this system board uses 3.3V DDR200 memory. Which one is right ? Anyone know ?

No matter what I do, when I power on the system, only the CPU fans come on, the keyboard lights blink, and that's it. No POST codes, no nothing.

The video is integrated (its going to be a web server anyway, so it doesn't matter), and there are no other cards installed in the machine. The power supply is a 470W Intel-certified PS. I've checked and rechecked all connections and configuration. Even as a last resort I reset the system CMOS hoping that maybe it had a bogus configuration.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Grakmor]

Hey,

I'm in serious problems. I've started up my new built and it gives 1 long beep and 2 short ones. I've looked this up in the beep code page of pcmech, but there were only other codes. Can someone help me? Is it my brand new DDR Ram?

Thanx,

Grakmor alias Bart Jacobs

[Grakmor]

Btw,

The Mobo is a Soltek - SL75DRV5.

[highrisemech]

Grakmor

You have the Award Bios---

1 Long, 2 Short indicates a problem with the video card or the memory on it , I suggest reseating your video card. Make sure it is fully seated.

[Grakmor]

Hey Highrisemech, you're right about it. If I replace my newer videocard (3D Prophet 4000XT 64MB TV-OUT) by a very old model (S3 Virge PCI) then it does work, but if I change them back the problem repeats itself. How come? Btw, thanx for detecting the problem, nice job.

Grakmor

[Grakmor]

Btw, the Prophet does work, cuz I tested it on another computer.

[glc]

Grakmor: Let's be mindful about double posting and posting to the appropriate forum, please. I moved your duplicate post out to the Hardware forum, which is more appropriate for starting a thread on a specific problem such as this. Let's continue the discussion on your issue out there!

[Grakmor]

The problem is solved.

[Padaxus]

10) Use a small screwdriver to momentarily short the power switch connector on the motherboard.


Im a little confused as to what the power switch connector is.

Is this the long bracket power lead for the motherboard??

Whta exactly should i do in simple steps would be nice.

Thnx

[HAL9000]

Since you have built out of the case, unless you can get the power switch leads from the case to reach your motherboard, you need some way to close the contacts on the motherboard itself. Identify the pinouts for the power switch and momentarily bridge them with a screwdriver (or whatever) to start the system.

[Padaxus]

well the power lead will reach so ill just plug it in and switch on

thnx Hal

[Padaxus]

Got back to working on comp today followed what u posted and removed the MB etc etc

hooked up the power switch jumper and the little speaker jumper

pressed power and turned it on

still nothing
no picture no beeps nothing

so now what?? as im stumped oes this mean something is expensibly wrong???

its not the Gcard cos im using it now!
i just get nothing on start up

I also set eveything to Default.

[glc]

No beeps at all, the CPU isnt starting. Some boards require that a CPU fan be plugged into the correct header on the board - but if that's OK, you have a bad CPU, bad mobo, or bad power supply.

[Padaxus]

ok so the question is now, how do i find out which it is??

The fan spins on the Heatsink and the Green LED lights up.

as for the correct header im using the only one thats close enough to the fan.
So now the Mobo or the CPU how can i find out what has gone poof.

In order to hear beeps im assuming the speaker lead needs to be pluged in correct???

Should i try reseting the Cmos?? or will this not help at all?

[mike breck]

In order to hear beeps im assuming the speaker lead needs to be pluged in correct???

Yes, unless the mobo has a little onboard piezo speaker, you will have to connect the PC Speaker.

ok so the question is now, how do i find out which it is??

When the mobo is out of the case, the first thing to do is reseat the CPU/Heatsink Fan (HSF), making sure the Heatsink is on the right way and sitting perfectly level on the CPU. Also reseat the Video Card and Ram.

"Some" mobos won't boot unless the HSF is connected to the Fan header on the mobo. The mobo manual or manufacturer's website should tell you.

Some mobos won't boot if the HSF draws too much power off the Fan header on the mobo or gives a bad signal to the mobo. In that case, you need to connect the HSF directly to the PSU instead of the mobo.

With your mobo manual in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other, chech and double-check all the jumpers and dipswitches on the mobo are set correctly. If in any doubt about a setting, then just ask. Someone's bound to know.

Once you have stripped the system down to the Mobo, Cpu, Video card, and Ram, you can try narrowing the troubleshooting even further by taking out the Ram. If the Mobo and Cpu are healthy, you should usually hear "missing ram" beeps from the mobo.

If you hear nothing, then you have probably narrowed it down to the CPU or Mobo.

However, the only effective way to to determine which part is faulty is by substituting "known working parts" for each in turn.

You try different Ram, a different video card, a different PSU, another working CPU with the mobo, or the CPU in another working mobo.

When it comes to substituting Ram or a PSU, there is no point in substituting cheap generic Ram or a cheap PSU; otherwise you may just be replacing one problem with another. Go with good quality Crucial Ram and Sparkle, Enermax, or PC Power and Cooling PSUs. By using good-quality parts, you will have a solid base for troubleshooting.

If you do not have spare parts to do this, then you can either get a local PC shop to do the testing for you (this will cost you a fee unless you bought the parts from them) or as most people seem to do, just send the parts back (RMA them) and have them replaced.

HTH

[Padaxus]

Well

I removed the ram and started the board with just CPU and fan still no beeps im not even sure if the speaker works but ill assume it does.

Ill trya few more variations and get back to ya all

[gladiator]

AAhh the sweet smell of success

Thanks HAl for the guidance

My second comp build went without a problem at all.

MSI-KT3-ULTRA2 "bios 7.00"
AthlonXp1800- FSB133@1533MHZ
512DDR PC2700- Samsung
Chaintech-TNT-32mb
WD407200BB

MSI MB came with on board sound that sounds excellent just on 2 channel I can up it to 6 channel if I buy a adapter

It also came with PChealth where i can see the CPU temp and fan speeds and all voltages.
and it came with fuzzy logic where I can adjust fsb-voltage etc. without going into the Bios- so cool :D
Me and my 13 yr old son built it together.

right now I'm running bios defaults except I upped the FSB to 133
I left it on all night and it was running smooth this morning

[wickedstyle]

THx alot dude!!!

[Rusty1]

This is my first attempt at building a computer and I am having some problems just getting it boot up.

I bought a barebones kit with these parts:

AMD Athlon XP 1700+ Processor
K-byte premium 128 MB PC2100 DDR 16X64 266MHz
Soyo K7ADA DDR Socket A barebone w/300W AMD PS
Seagate 40.8GB EIDE HD 5400/2MB/8.9/ATA-100
Speeze Socket A/370 Cooling Fan up to 1.4 GHz

We assembled the unit and started it up, we have no display or beep sounds. We have double checked switches, jumpers and wiring. We tried the test of removing the motherboard, we still have no display or beep sounds. The mother board will power up even though I have not shorted power pins. When we had the system first assembled the system would come up as soon as we turned on the power switch on the back of the computer. The power switch on the front will not turn system on or off, the dvd rom drive will not open or close, we suspect our cpu is faulty. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

[catch23]

The only problem I've had like that with socket A mobos/cpus is when a motherboard shorted, and fried the CPU in it...would not give any display, though it would turn on...then fried another CPU when it was put into the motherboard...

You may want to go down to a local computer store and ask if they can test the mobo and CPU.

[highrisemech]

Rusty1 it sounds like you may have a power supply problem....
I say this because the cd drive is not funtioning properly which is not system dependent for it's door funtion.

[Rusty1]

highrisemech,

What do you think is not getting powered? How can I check it?

[highrisemech]

There are ways to check it but I'm on my way out the door right now. But it does appear that you have a faulty power supply.
I would try another. You need a quality one for AMD's

[progex]

I hope I can butt in here quick. ;)

I just have a brief question: I just built my first computer (btw, it's does not POST. So I'm going to RMA it)... And the Hard Drive LED doesn't blink/light up. The HD is up and running and is spinning.

So, what I'm asking is: Even if the computer won't POST, will the HD LED be active or not?

Thanks. :)

[highrisemech]

Progex,
You probably need to reset your cmos either by jumper or with the computer unplugged take out battery for a minute, then put it back in. Power up.

[udayagiri_ramana]

Hi
I assembled the new pc from the parts. I am trying to setup the software part of the assembly. when I turn the power switch, i see the fan in the power supply and fan on the CPU are rotating. But as the manual says there is no display on the monitor but there was some beeping sound. IS there any thing i should do to enter in to BIOS?
I am using S2390/Trinity KT (from Tyan) mother board and AMD Duron processor.
Could some body suggest me some idea.
thanku

[kilim1376]

P4S8X and Kingston 512MB DDR PC2700 333MHz 184pin DIMM KVR333X64C25/512
Like the title: P4S8X and Kingston 512MB DDR PC2700 333MHz 184pin DIMM KVR333X64C25/512 are they compatible.

I jumped and Bought myself the Asus P4S8X and the Kingston 512MB DDR PC2700 333MHz 184pin DIMM KVR333X64C25/512.

Has any1 here tried that and find out anything wrong or is it working well?


I am a newb here so pls help me out.
Ok...I just tried to put it all together.

turned it on w/ just Mobo, Systems states no CPu..ok
Turned on w/ Mobo & CPU, states no memory...ok
Turned on w/ mobo, CPU & my stated above memory, states NOTHING...Not a thing!...Bad

I guess its either the memory socket is bad ( need replace mobo) or its the Kingston memory is nt compatible

Gonna get just a 256 ddr at this CPU show n sale tomorrow and hopefuly that will do it.

I am a noob here so bear w/ me.

When I log everything on, video monitor dont even tun on!


What could I be doing wrong?

heres what I have:

20GB HDD IBM (Master)
40GB HDD WD (Slave) (edit) I have both drives in one cable and put in IDE 1)
3.5 Floppy
Sound Blaster Audigy gamers
Ge Force 4 MX 4400
Intel 2.4 MHZ 533 FSB Processor (w/ included retail HSF)
CDRW
DVD/CD-Rom
Thermaltake TT-420apd PSU
Xaser II 5000 Case

and the P4S8X w/ the 512 kingston pc2700 333mhz ddr ram.

like I stated I tried to see what is wron by turning it on parts by parts and find out what is wrong via the asus help voice thing.

it runs ok until I put the Kingston memory in.

what could I be doing wrong?
I am thinking either bad memory socket (hence replace board...hope not) or bad kingston memory stick.


please help me out.


PS: How can u manually change all that u are stating when my Vdeo dot even turn on (my monitor just stays in amber mode)

(edit) And like I said, once I power on, amber monitor and that is it.

green power light is on in the mobo, fans working, power light on in the case...
HDD & CD/DVD seems to be humming on.

[ur4dr]

thanks for good list, Ram stic is neccessary because I solved 70% of my fault by cleaning Ram stics. battary is also important 10% of my fault solved by battary.

[wickedstyle]

thx alot man!!

[Toolman35]

ok, I have just dont this and I get just a shot of power and thats all. after turning it off and doing it again I get same results everytime... That all I get just enough power long enough to just spin the fans. I never actually hear the ps running...(My last build was with AT board so I know nothinh about these ATX boards)
Man I need some help here....
thanks.
..

[geeoh]

Maybe of some help

After using the valuable information posted in this forum (thanks HAL9000 for starting the tips and tricks) I had a situation that was a variant of several different ones. I am putting a computer together using a couple of older computers and there parts with a "new power supply" and a newer amd athlon 1.4 and ddr motherboard. These parts all worked on there own in there respective cases but when I assembled them in the "Best Of Parts Case" all that worked was the light on the cdrom and the case fan (the cdrom drawer would open and fan on the power supply was working) but there were NO beeps and the monitor stayed in its sleep mode. After going over the various parts as HAL9000 and other forum members suggested I connected a different PSU and now the computer starts and runs. Somewhere in changing out the new PSU (during testing) in one case to the better case one of the 20 Pin connector wires failed as I have checked it for continuity and it is where it is attached inside of plastic housing onto the metal connector. Hope this may help someone else.

_________________________

Remember Murphys Law "the last thing you replace is the first thing that goes bad"

[Truth]

There is one little item I haven't seen posted, and this may help. Check the voltage switch on the power supply. If set wrong it may keep the PS from powering up. Yep, I learned this myself a few years back.

[Andrewxcav]

Hal, what about attching a pc speaker?
my mobo tries to tell me htings with that about what components arent working.

[glc]

Yes, attach a speaker if you can. Some new motherboards have an onboard piezo speaker and you don't need a case speaker with those.

[ILLPHIL]

after I short the power connectors to turn it on, how do I turn it off afterwards to move into case?

[Alfie]

You can turn it off by the switch on the back of the psu or simply unplug it.

[ur4dr]

You can also turn off pc by pressing powerswitch for 30 second

[mousepotato]

Hi HAL, thanks for those tips!! Good God, I HAD been laying Mobos on those 'anti-static' bags thinkin' they were SAFE!!

[Propain]

Originally posted by Werewolfdaddy
Computer Gods reside here.

You are so right. When I was on IRC I asked someone some help on my first build and was directed to this site. The rest is history. You guys really know your sh1t. If you guys got plumbing problems just let me know lol. Thanks

[HAL9000]

LOL... right on.. another plumber.... we got plumbers, telco ppl, electronics wizards, you name it around here.

[werwin]

Hi Hal,

This is Walter, I have assembled my motherboard outside the case. I installed only one stick of memory. I installed the atx power connecter to the motherboard, and also plugged in my vga card and connected my monitor cable. I jumped the power pins and I still did not getting any display.

I then tryed another VGA card that I took from my wifes computer that I know works, and did the same thing, I still did not get any display.

Any suggestions on what part I might have bad?

Thanks Walter

[glc]

I'd suggest you go back and continue your original thread. This thread is primarily a reference that we point people to for a procedure.

[Joeberg]

Good Info Hal, followed it and got my first build to POST :D

[weezer134]

Hey guys, I'm a newbie who wants to make my own gaming computer, at the lowest possible price (asking to much?). Since I don't know much about parts, I was wondering if you could give me a good list of parts to get a good gaming computer. Thanks a ton.

[glc]

If you would post a new thread in the appropriate forum, I'm sure people will be happy to help you.

[mnorris]

Copied this from a separate thread for clarity.

This is my first computer build. Lemme start with the info and then the problem:

P4 2.8C processor

D865PERL Intel Motherboard

Twin Corsair 512 RAM (total 1 gig on 2 sticks)

Radeon 9600 AGP video card

80 GB Western digital HD

Sony DVD Rom drive AND Teac DVD-CDRW drive

Ok so the problem is that my system is failing to post. No video whatsoever. The lights come on, the fans run, the HD and CD lights go on etc. but there is NO system beeps or anything, and nothing is coming up on the monitor screen (fails to post).

What I have done so far: Put in 2 different AGP video cards.. 1 is new (the RAdeon), another i took from my other computer which works fine (Nvidea GEforce 2mx). Neither succeeded in displaying anything on the monitor... and still no system beeps saying something is wrong. (I also checked 2 different monitors, so its not the monitor either).

I thought I might have a bad stick of RAM, so i put each one individually in...and nothing happened. I put them in dual mode (1 in slot 0 for each bank) and that didnt work either.

Ive tried reseating both video cards.. and still nothing is appearing on the monitor, and there are no system beeps.

Since then, I have tried putting in a PCI video card which didnt work either.

SO! I tried Hal's tip, and took everything outside the box. and did exactly as he said in the first post.

After starting it with the screwdriver, the fans came on, but no video.

I checked the video card seating, and even changed to a video card (AGP) from a different machine (one that i know works).

During this, I only had 1 stick on RAM installed, and also made sure that it was properly seated.

Any other things I can try? Or things I can do to find out if it is the CPU?

Thanks again for all your help!

Mnorris

[mnorris]

Aparently there was no problem with any component of my system...

All I needed to do was change the jumper from Normal (pins 1 and 2) to Bios Config (Pins 2 and 3). Once I changed to bios config, it Posted and allowed me to edit Bios settings. After editing them , i put the jumper back to Normal setting, and everything went fine from there.

This is NOT in the motherboard manual, so if you have a similar problem with one of the newer Intel boards, try looking at the bios config jumpers.


Thanks again Hal, your simplification of the situation allowed me to solve this much faster, by eliminating so many variables.


Mnorris

[HAL9000]

That jumper is actually quite common on Intel boards and has been around for some time.

[glc]

Also, on the Intel boards, you can start tapping F2 on powerup and you will get into the bios. The jumper simply forces this if F2 doesn't work for some reason. I haven't HAD to use the jumper yet - but I suppose there will be a first time!

[HAL9000]

G... I had some BX boards that I could get into the BIOS with F2, but if I changed anything... it absolutely refused to keep the settings.

[byfarrthebest]

I have set up this system as you suggest and i have also connected the case speaker to listen for post beebs.
when i short the power switch for 4 secs the CPU fan stops spinning but there is still no post.

[Chester]

Hi,
Thanks for the tip. I know this is posted over 2 years ago. But Still helpful.

I just brought a A7N8X Deluxe nForce2 mother board and AMD Athlon XP 2500 and 2 cruical 500 MB ram. a Thermalright SLK-700 heatsick and a Y.S. TECH TMD 70x70x15mm Fan(5800RPM). I used an old PCI video card from my old computer (Diamand ?)


When I put everything together, it would not post. The case fan and CPU will on for 5-10 seconds and stop, there is no beep from the speaker. I switched to another speeker from another machine and still no beep.

I then follow the procedures in this tread and removed everything except for
memory (2), a PCI vedio card, CPU with heatsick and fan. Now the CPU fan will continue to run, but there is no beep and no display signal from PCI Video card

How do you proceed ? Any suggestions ?

thanks in advance.

Chester

[sfuhrman]

ok I'm going for it and will reply thank you-sounds like you know what you are doing sir

[ajil]

edit: I actually did everything the thread said to do and I am getting results, will update soon.

[ajil]

okay, got a display, gonna put it back in case.

[ajil]

everything is working, now I just need an operating system.

[Looneycooney]

woohooo!!
tnX hal9000 ! it worked..well first time it didnt do anything then we switched cpu again and this did work now..
after that , cause cpu's had to be other way round...we again switched it after the mobo had been running for 5 mins ...and oohh yes now it worked!!!!
*hugs to hal9000* we were getting desparate hehehe
i'll remember this..in fact i stored it in me famous txt-file where i store all my faults or errors i make/get :)
i also didn't knew a static bag must be used for putting on me mobo...i've done this several times *blush* tnx for the great tips ;)

[Sir]

ok, well here we go:
I originally installed everything in the case, here are the exact specs:
Case = Thermaltake Xaser Lanfire Series VM2000A
Power Supply = Thermaltake Xaser Silent Purepower 480W
Processor = Intel P4 2.8C Ghz 800 Mhz HT
Motherboard = ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe
Sound Card = Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS (not platinum or pro, just the standard)
Video Card = ATI Radeon 9600XT 128mb
RAM = 1GB Kit HyperX DDR 400MHz (2 x 512) (Kingston)
Floppy = Standard 1.44mb
Hard Drive = Western Digital Internal SATA 160GB 7200RPM OEM (WD1600JD)
CD-RW Drive = Lite-On 52x32x52 [Model = LTR-52327S]
DVD Drive = Lite-On XJ-165H 16X DVD-ROM Drive

I then turned it on, everything began running smoothly and it gave me the first screen and told me to press DEL to enter setup...POST then started to take place. It seems to be great, then all of the sudden (without any beeps), it mentions a CMOS error and the computer shuts down. I try to turn it on, no response, i then unplug the power cord and wait 10 seconds. After that, I plugged the power cord back in and attempted to turn on the computer, it then started up (fans included), and half a second later, shut down. I immeaditley tried turning it back on...same result as earlier. This process could be repeated endlessly.
Then I did what HAL told me to do in post #1, same result, the cpu fan began to run for half a second and then shut off. I then tried switching out the RAM with a 64 mb stick, same result, then removing all RAM, same result.
I'm stumped, plz help me :(

[Cricket]

Try another power supply. I remember reading about Thermaltake power supplies having a problem supplying clean power through the 5v rail.

:) Cricket

[Sir]

what do u recommend
and does any1 else have other solutions?

[Cricket]

If you have another P4 compatible power supply handy, just swap it in to test with. If the system starts up, you'll need to replace the Thermaltake.

You're working with just the core parts, right...motherboard, CPU, heatsink, RAM, video card, power supply, PC case speaker and monitor. You're trying to isolate the problem so don't connect anything else up yet.

I like Fortron Source and Sparkle Power power supplies...very clean power on the rails and the ability to go beyond their rated wattage.

:) Cricket

[Sir]

ya, i havnt, just the core parts
*EDIT*: and if it is indeed the PSU, could it have damaged any of my other parts?
*EDIT #2*: are you sure it is the psu, because if that is the case, then I would want to put everything back into the case, and once I get a new one, then i can just install it

[Cricket]

Originally posted by Sir
and if it is indeed the PSU, could it have damaged any of my other parts? That's always a possibility. You'll have to check the parts after you swap out the power supply.

:) Cricket

[Sir]

k, what PSU do u guys recommend
im going no lower than 450W, and dont try to argue with me :D
and I obviously want one that will work instead of this PIECE

[HAL9000]

450w is a total waste of money... 350w is more than ample.. look at Enermax and Sparkle.... I'm holding off on Antec for a bit again because I'm noticing a slight downward trend with them again.

[Cricket]

Yeah, I agree with HAL900...450 watts is really not necessary for the system you have, 350 watts from a good quality power supply will easily handle what you have. More doesn't necessarily mean it's better.

:) Cricket

[Sir]

well im scared here, u guys say it will easily handle it
but how "easily" are you talking...how many Watts is my system really using up, and I do want to ofcourse leave room for upgrades. Also, when I overlcock, the system will overheat, I'm sure there will be effects there. And if all of these are issues are OK, then what PSU do u recommend
two more Questions:
1) difference between digital and analog sound
2) can I go ahead and put everything back into my case and just wait for the new PSU?

[HAL9000]

Well... I run

P4 2.0
512MB
AIW 8500DV with firewire
USB powered receiver for the above card
NIC
USB 2.0 card
SB Live
120GB 7200RPM hard drive
Floppy
CDRW
DVD
USB powered scanner
USB powered web cam
intake and exhast fan
2 fan bay cooler

All easily on a 350w power supply

Not enuf.... I have in the past year REMOVED

Adapted 2940U2W SCSI card
18GB 7200RPM SCSI drive
20GB 7200RPM SCSI drive

So even with that... everything ran fine.

300w will run your system fine... I suggested the 350w to give you that extra headroom.

[Sir]

double posted

[Sir]

well im also running an additional stick of RAM, also a 2.0 card, also a usb scanner/printer, also a usb web cam, 6 case fans, thermaltake's "hardcano", foppy, cdrw, dvd, sblive, radeon 9600xt, and i plan on getting an additional hdd...so wuld i still have ample room (also keep in mind that I am most likely going to overclock at 20%)
that is ofcourse assuming that the computer does eventually work :D

so if I could plz get reccomendations on a GREAT psu (350W if all i have listed still leaves ample room, if not, then 400 or 450)
ty

and the difference between digital and analog?
and can i put the other stuff back in my case?

[glc]

No, you should not put the other stuff back in your case until you get the thing running on the table with minimums - you do not know for sure that the problem is the power supply till you try a different one - ANY power supply - and I would not go out and buy one until yours is PROVEN bad.

[Cricket]

Originally posted by Sir
well im scared here, u guys say it will easily handle it
but how "easily" are you talking...how many Watts is my system really using up, and I do want to ofcourse leave room for upgrades. Also, when I overlcock, the system will overheat, I'm sure there will be effects there. And if all of these are issues are OK, then what PSU do u recommendIf I'm not mistaken, this is your first build, right? And you're basing your decision to go with a 450 watt power supply on what? Something you read or heard somewhere? Well, HAL9000 has built over 4000 computers (maybe over 5000 by now) and I think he knows what he's talking about when he says a 300 watt PSU will run your system fine, but you can go with 350 watts for more headroom for future expansion. From my own experiences (almost up to 60 computers), a good quality 300 watt power supply will run a nicely spec'd out computer fine.

Of course, it's your money and you can buy what you want, but you came here for suggestions and we've tried to give you some sound advice to save you a few bucks.

Really good 350 watt power supplies would come from Enermax, Fortron Source, HEC, PC Power & Cooling, Sparkle Power and Verax. I like Fortron Source / Sparkle Power because tests have shown they provide very clean power to the rails and they're actually able to provide more power than they're rated at...and they're very reasonably priced.

:) Cricket

[Sir]

ok, well yes it is my first build, and I guess all I had to base my decision on was Maximum PC's Gear of The Year :D
but thanks for the help, and I'll go find a good 350W from one of those companies listed

[Sir]

k, what do you guys think of this one:
http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/products/power_supplies/highperformance/turbocools/index_hp_atx.htm
the 350 or 425...I got a few extra bucks this weekend so I have the money for the 425 (so what are your opinions on the two)

and does this look good to you:
http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/products/alarmandaccesories/accessories/popups/index_tester.htm
It sure does to me, but I'm not sure if they're just trying to sell it to me

[glc]

PC Power and Cooling power supplies are probably one of the best power supplies on the planet. 350 watts is ample, 425 would give you even more room for expansion.

That looks like a simple go/no go tester, it's not going to test under any kind of meaningful load.

Have you tried a different power supply yet to make SURE that's the problem?

[Sir]

I can't tell with the 425 (which is what I'm going to order)...does it have active PFC?

and if not, how much of a disadvantage will this be?

[Cricket]

What is active PFC?

Did you get another power supply and try to start the system with it yet? If you don't have the new power supply yet, then there's not much we can do for you at this point.

:) Cricket

[Sir]

no, I havn't gotten one yet...
but here's my previous post quoted:
"k, what do you guys think of this one:
http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/pr...ndex_hp_atx.htm
the 350 or 425...I got a few extra bucks this weekend so I have the money for the 425 (so what are your opinions on the two)

and does this look good to you:
http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/pr...ndex_tester.htm
It sure does to me, but I'm not sure if they're just trying to sell it to me"

[Cricket]

The 350 watt power supply will easily run most systems today. Since the PC Power & Cooling PSU's are so high quality, they provide really clean power to the system and I wouldn't be surprised if a 350 watt couldn't actually push out over 400 watts at peak usage. I wouldn't waste my hard earned money on a 425 watt PSU knowing I didn't need that much power.

That PSU tester is a nice thing to have, but how often do you think you'll use it? I put a couple of computers together a month and I don't own one of those. I've seen the Antec PSU testers at CompUSA, but never thought I needed one.

:) Cricket

[Sir]

the reason I would get it is because I don't have a working backup PSU...so now I could use this instead

[Russbo]

Hi all!

I posted this on another thread and I was hoping someone here might be able to help me. I'm at my wits end....



"Okay... I have finally gotten all of my parts for my computer and I hope Ihaven't messed it up to where I'll have to buy new parts. I'm sure these questions have been asked before but I can't find an accurate answer for the problems I've been having. Okay, first, here are my specs (as far as I can think...)

Abit NF7 MOBO
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ (Barton Core)
Gigabyte Technologies ATI Radeon 9200SE graphics card
512 MB PC2700 RAM
Pacific Digital 52X CDRW drive
40 GB Western Digital 2 MB Cache hard drive
Raidmax Scorpio 868 case (Yellow)
19" CRT monitor

Okay, I hooked it all up Friday night and as I assembled the CPU and heatsink together, I ended up putting too much thermal paste on the CPU and as it started up, part of the paste burned. I quickly turned it all off and cleaned off the CPU and heatsink. Room smelled to high heaven.

I got up the nerve to hook things back together Saturday night and after only putting a dab (half a grain of rice) on the core of the CPU, I reassembled the CPU and HSF and started it all up. All was well with no smell.

Last night, I started back into everything and managed, after much sweating and fretting, to get the CDRW to work - door opening and everything. On the MOBO, there were two lights - amber and green - that came on in the order and stayed on. I would turn on the computer and it would come on and stay on. I couldn't get the power button to shut off and I guess the reset switch didn't/doesn't work but both are connected correctly. I had to shut it off from the PSU switch - I know that's not a good idea. I assume the hard drive is working as I hear no bad noises nor good ones. It's quiet.

This morning, I jumped once again into the fray. This time, I'd start up the computer and it'd stay on for a minute or so, then, shut down. This went on for a while. Somehow, it seems like I've managed to get it on and stay on AND I can now turn it off from the power switch. As for the reset switch, I can't get it to do anything. Here come my problems...

The monitor has always had a screen that says "no signal input" and I see no BIOS or POST or CCMOS. I have the monitor plugged into the video card as there's nothing else to plug it into. My wife's old eMachines has the video port built in to her MOBO but mine doesn't. I've taken the card out and reseated it and still nothing. I tried an older 17" monitor but all I get is just a black screen. I have no OS to install yet - would that make a difference? Do I need the drivers for all of this junk in my case to make them all work?

Now, on to my lovely case. I got it b/c I thought it would work well with what parts I was adding. That sucker has so many plugs and I have no clue where the smaller white ones with the tiny holes in them go (gee, and to think someone like me with such a limited knowledge of computer terminology is trying to build his own computer).

And to make matters worse, I may have a piece that won't go back on... it's a small piece with the letters and numbers SS22... any idea? Please tell me I don't need this piece...

Okay, there's a start. Could someone get back with as soon as you can? Thank you."

Sincerely,
Russell

[Russbo]

And it's not the SS22.. it's the SS12...

[HAL9000]

First of all... did you say you're not getting any display.. did that happen since the burning smell.... it's almost sounds like you didn't have the heatsink on quite right and may have fried the CPU.

[Russbo]

The CPU isn't fired... I just over "goopified" the core with thermal paste. The burning smell is gone and the system powers up. Lights come on and fans whirr it acts like it's working but I'm not getting any display. The monitor is hooked up to the video card but I have it seated in nice and snug. About the paste - there was only a small burnt spot on the heatsink and no damage to the CPU core - it looked pristine. Helpful?

Russell

[Mackem]

Ok,
I've powered up the mobo out of the case with just the video card (ATI Radeon 9200SE), monitor and 2 sticks of DDR RAM and i still get the message CMOS/GPNV Checksum Bad error message.

Any ideas?

Mackem ;)

PS I've tried 3 different sticks of DDR RAM now which I know are good

[Rof_lmao]

ity might be that u need an agp card if u are using pci, i think thats my problem... on a second note... for some odd reason i try to turn on my drives, but when they are plugged into the mobo(ide) they dont work, as soon as i unplug that ide from teh mobo it starts up like a bat outta hell... whats going on!

[HAL9000]

Originally posted by Russbo
The CPU isn't fired... I just over "goopified" the core with thermal paste. The burning smell is gone and the system powers up. Lights come on and fans whirr it acts like it's working but I'm not getting any display. The monitor is hooked up to the video card but I have it seated in nice and snug. About the paste - there was only a small burnt spot on the heatsink and no damage to the CPU core - it looked pristine. Helpful?

Russell

There shouldn't be any kinda burnt spot on the heatsink... if the CPU fried, yes, it will still power up and if circuits are already damaged, you won't get any burning smell as the damage would be done.

[HAL9000]

Guys... I'm going to suggest you use this thread as a guideline, but actually post your probs in General Hardware. A lot of regulars don't cruise thru here.

[Sir]

ok, and when the pc power & cooling ATX PSU tester gets here, i'll tell you guys what the results are

hopefully it was the PSU that I rma'd so then i can just get a new one

[pipefighter]

Hal9000
Reply from pipefighter on beep codes. I tried to start the system out of the box nothing happened. all I get is the green light on the mother board. Does this indicate the power supply is doing its job?

Thank-you for the suggestion!! I was excited for a moment.

[Zachman]

Originally posted by Rof_lmao
ity might be that u need an agp card if u are using pci, i think thats my problem... on a second note... for some odd reason i try to turn on my drives, but when they are plugged into the mobo(ide) they dont work, as soon as i unplug that ide from teh mobo it starts up like a bat outta hell... whats going on!

Them exact same thing happens to me!!!! I think It may be the power supply. Anyone have suggestions?

[smnsam]

I tried as u told but no video coming, so do u think my motherboard is bad or memory?

[glc]

Originally posted by HAL9000
Guys... I'm going to suggest you use this thread as a guideline, but actually post your probs in General Hardware. A lot of regulars don't cruise thru here.

Concur, and I'm going to lock this thread for now.