Boot Problems giving me headaches

[NPelham]

I recently decided to build myself a gaming PC since I was well overdue for an update. I've never built my own pc so I spent the last month or so reading tutorials and watching videoes and generally trying to force every scrap of information on what could possibly go wrong in my head.

I bought a nForce 790i Ultra motherboard, GeForce 9800 GTX+, Core2 Quad, 4gb DDR3 Ram @ 1600Mhz, and various other things that probably dont need to be named. Things I figured Id take from my last PC were the hard drives and my CD and DVD drives.

I spent hours putting it together because of difficulties with the case but finally got it all working without manhandling anything. Then while connecting cables I realized that I cant connect my CD or DVD drives because theres only one cable for them all where in my last PC there was 2. I Hooked up my Hard Drive figuring that since it has an OS Id only have to configure BIOS or whatever, then I turned on the power...

All the fans spin and the lights light up saying everything is connected, the diagnostic display reads FF and then ... it stays just like that. Fans spin, Lights are lit, and nothing shows up on my monitor.

First of all, PLEASE tell me I didnt fry my motherboard. I dont think I can explain how much I would like to hear that. Second, what else could cause this problem.

"Maybe if you tell me the bad news in a good way, it wont sound so bad."
- Prince John, Robinhood: Men in Tights (Paraphrased)

[mattaggie]

you have to reinstall your OS. When you do this, it will erase everything, so back up your data first or use a different HDD. You can pick up a new SATA DVD/CD drive for $20.

[minsonngo]

Did you try the build with only the bare essentials installed first? Try it with only ONE stick of memory, the CPU, CPU heatsink/fan, motherboard, video card, and power supply OUTSIDE of the case.


For the old HDD... what OS is on it? If it is XP... you can try a repair installation. Otherwise you would have to back up your data, reformat, repartition, and reinstall a fresh copy of the OS you want to use.

[not important]

You should be able to get into the Bios. Your MOBO manual should have instructions for the proper key to strike to enter the Bios. You will have to reinstall your OS as mattaggie has pointed out.

[glc]

PROBLEMS with a NEW BUILD? Try This!!