Machine Won't Turn On :-(

[rolandrodriguez]

Hi everyone,

I recently put together a machine at home and am running into a problem. After loading everything into the case, there was this issue where pressing the power button on the case would only turn the machine on if I pressed it twenty or so times and the moon was in the fourth quadrant of Orion. …sometimes. There was just no rhyme or reason as to what would make the thing turn on but when it did it would run fine until I needed to turn it off for anything, then I’d have to hit the power button a million times until it decided to turn on again.

So now I’ve taken everything out of the case to troubleshoot. Have the motherboard on a non-conductive surface. I have one stick of RAM in it, the CPU and heat sink, and the video card and verified quadruple times that everything is seated. I’ve got both the atx power connection and the 4 pin power cord connected to the motherboard as well as the CPU fan. Nothing else.

After connecting power, there’s a green power LED on the motherboard that turns on to indicate the motherboard is powered. I’m attempting to start the computer by momentarily touching the power switch pins on the board with a screwdriver. I can’t get it to power on. Nothing happens. Doesn’t work with the power switch of the case either. Any clues/tips on how I can troubleshoot it further or what the problem might be?

TIA,

Roland

[shadowpr]

Please list parts, make and model, including power supply.

[rolandrodriguez]

MB: Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe
Proc: AMD Athlon 64 3000
Video: ATI Radeon X800 XL 256M
Power supply: Antec NEO480 480W max
I've got a 1G stick of DDR RAM in each A bank slot which I've verified works in another machine

Thanks for the help.

- r

[doubledragon5]

Only thing I can think of is swap it out with another psu.. If your touching the right pins then anohter psu should be tried..If that doesn't work then a new mb might be the answere.. I have that same exact board and haven't had an issues in 2yrs now..

[>:() - Tiki Man]

an other thing to look into is if your powersupply's 4 pin motherboard cable is a P4 4-pin, or an AMD 4-pin; as they are different, and can cause the problem you are describing. Some powersupplies have one, and not the other; where as some have both. Worth looking into, because usually u can just buy an adapter for like 5 dollars instead of a new system.

[rolandrodriguez]

I've got another MB I can try it with which I'll do. Can't I rule out the powersupply since the green LED on the MB indicates it's receiving power ok?

[rolandrodriguez]

Same symptoms with an ASUS A8N32SLI (non-deluxe) MB. So what are my options now? Either the processor or the PSU? Is there a way to test the PSU without running out and buying another one?

[flanzig1]

The green light on the motherboard only indicates that the PSU is putting out a standby voltages. One of the other voltage outputs could be bad or the turn on circuit in the PSU or the motherboard could be bad.
The CPU is the least likely to be the problem.

[rolandrodriguez]

Cool, thanks for the info. So if I turn on the PSU (do I need to use the paper clip trick?) can I use a volt meter to see if it's pumping out the appropriate voltages as per the PSU's manual? Is there a tutorial somewhere that'll show me how to do it safely? Thanks again! This is all very helpful.

-r

[doubledragon5]

It would be safer and better to just pick up another psu.. It is better to have a spare just for things like this..

[rolandrodriguez]

Picked up a new PSU and all's well. Thanks very much for everybody's help. I learned a lot with this breakdown.

- Roland