Need advice
So... I got all the parts for my new computer today, I assemble it, make sure everything gets connected and has juice, and turn it on. Nothing happens.
No POST beeps, nothing on screen, not a damn thing. My first thought is that one of my components has to be interfering with POST, so I go through everything, unplugging one at a time, to see if it starts the wheels a turning and I get angry beeps for not having a component present. No dice.
The soft power light is on, and when I activate it all the fans start spinning, the hard drive and DVD drive engage, but so far as I can see, nothing else happens. It's in full Helen Keller mode.
So far as I can figure, a number of things can be wrong:
1: I could have a bad motherboard.
2: I could have a bad CPU.
3: Both the video card and the case speaker could be broken.
The problem with those assumptions is: because it's in Helen Keller mode, the only thing not getting POST beeps tells me is I'm not getting POST beeps. That could mean it isn't POSTing, it could mean the case speaker is busted, it could be that the case speaking is busted AND it's not POSTing. Same with no display. I know the monitor works, and that the cable is fine, but it could be the video card is broken, it could be incompatible drivers, it could be that the computer isn't starting at all, and while the video card is fine, it's got nothing to show, it could be the motherboard is broken so it doesn't POST, it could be I've got a bad CPU so it's brain dead on the table.
Not sure what else... anyone have any suggestions for me? Otherwise I'm stuck with a $1,700 paperweight.
First, strip down the system to bare essentials.
CPU, power supply, mobo, RAM (ONE stick), video. You always put those together and fire the system up before you continue building.
If that doesn't boot, reset the CMOS.
If you're still not booting, NOW we can start troubleshooting and considering what might be wrong. Until then, we've simply gotten ahead of ourselves.
Gaming / PC Tech Blog: www.blastprocessing.net
Xbox Live: Legion SB / PSN: Legion_SB / Steam: legion028 / Twitter: legion
tits || gtfo
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but won't the mobo at least beep, etc if the CPU is bad (or not present)? My money's on a bad mobo.
I generated a virtual world in the toilet bowl this morning.
-- Podunk on the PS3's mystical, magical abilities
I doubt the case speaker is broken because when it would beep DOS would normally show up on your monitor. Do what legion said.
If not my guess its the Mobo.
Thanks for standin' still Wanker!
-XBox Gamertag: Tempest Blaze (Without the Y)
This is good advice. If you get no POST here, then we can begin to look at other things.
If it doesn't POST in this configuration, three (edit) possibilities spring to mind:
1. You missed the secondary power connector to the mainboard. With new power supplies and mainboards, it is usually an extra 4-pins added onto the main motherboard power connector (the mainboard has a 24-pin socket instead of the 20-pin socket), but with older ones, there is an extra 4-pin (square) connector elsewhere on the mainboard that requires a 4-pin connector from the power supply.
2. The motherboard is somehow not grounded properly. Something is touching the underside where it shouldn't be. I've had this happen with builds. Removing the mainboard from the case and firing it up outside the case will tell you something here. (Difficult to do if you have a separate video card, I know, but it's possible. If the mainboard has onboard video, use it instead of the separate card for testing purposes)
edit:
3. Actually check this first, I just thought of it. Long shot though. Most power supplies come with a voltage selector switch inset on the back near the on/off switch. Rarely, it is set to the wrong voltage for the country you purchased it in. I once had a build that did exactly what you are saying, everything spun up, but no video or POST. I got so frustrated with it that I took the half-built rig to the local computer parts shop I had bought the parts from and while wringing my hands, told them I could not figure out what was wrong with it. The guy behind the counter turned it around, flipped the voltage switch, and said, "There you go," and grinned smugly. The voltage switch was set to 240v, not 110v.
"I have not supped of Buffy, nor have I supped in any wise during the absence of Firefly. When Firefly returns again in glory, then shall I sup at the table of Whedon." - Fedaykin98
Did you plug in all the motherboard power cables? Remember that there's generally at least two.
edit: Oh wow, I was going to add Uberstein's #3. Definitely check your power supply input voltage range.
What video card is it? Does this card require its own separate six-pin power cable from the power supply? (Most new mid-range to high-end 3D cards do, in fact some require two six-pin cables.)
More info about the components in this build might help.
"I have not supped of Buffy, nor have I supped in any wise during the absence of Firefly. When Firefly returns again in glory, then shall I sup at the table of Whedon." - Fedaykin98
Well... let's see... all good ideas. Yes, both the 24 pin and the 4 pin motherboard power cables are in. I already tried those things Legion said. Also, my video card does require a six pin connector from the power supply.
As for the voltage selector switch: the corsair power supply I have automatically detects it.
Sorry about the brief response, I'm on my way out the door to class. More info upon my return.
Some cards require two six-pin connectors. You might want to look again.
Does your mainboard perhaps have onboard video that you can test with in lieu of your video card?
I understand you were rushed to go to class, but I wish we had more component info.
"I have not supped of Buffy, nor have I supped in any wise during the absence of Firefly. When Firefly returns again in glory, then shall I sup at the table of Whedon." - Fedaykin98
No on board video, and it just needs the one connector so far as I can see.
Here's a list of everything I've ordered from newegg:
11-144-151 CASE APEVIA(ASP)|CASEX-CRUISER-BK R
20-145-197 MEM 2Gx2|CORS TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF R
22-136-073 HD 500G|WD 7K 16M SATA2 WD5000AAKS
23-126-009 KB LOGITECH|967929-0403 G11 GAMEING
14-102-761 VGA SAPPHIRE 100225-1GL HD3870 1G R
36-121-014 SPK LOGITECH|S-220 2.1 980-000023 %
26-104-066 WEBCAM LOGITECH|961687-0403 RT
11-999-123 ACCES FAN|THBLADE 80 A1908 RD TT RT
33-342-001 NIC BIGFOOT|M1 400MHZ RETAIL
13-131-277 MB ASUS P5K EPU P35 775 RT
19-115-036 CPU INTEL|C2D E8500 3.16G 775 45N R
24-009-151 MNTR ACER|LCD 19" 5MS X193Wb RT
27-118-011 DVD BURN SONY-NEC|AD-7200A-0B 20X R
28-102-258 PRT CANON|ALL IN 1 MX700 R
17-139-006 PSU CORSAIR|CMPSU-750TX 750W RT
32-116-493 MS WIN VISTA ULTIMAT SP1 64BIT 1PK%
Well, my suggestion is so send back the mobo to newegg and get a replacement. This has happened to one of the many comps I built. Unfortunately it comes with the territory of building a PC.
Wish there was more I could help with. It's always a guessing game when this happens.
Thanks for standin' still Wanker!
-XBox Gamertag: Tempest Blaze (Without the Y)
Indeed. At least sending things back to NewEgg is pretty painless, at least everything I've ever had to send back has been.
Gaming / PC Tech Blog: www.blastprocessing.net
Xbox Live: Legion SB / PSN: Legion_SB / Steam: legion028 / Twitter: legion
tits || gtfo
Well, before you do that, simplify the problem as much as you can. Pull the motherboard out of the case and run it on a flat, non-conductive surface. (cardboard is usually good.) Double check the installation and seating of the CPU. Install only one pair of the RAM sticks. If you have no onboard video, hook up a video card. Connect a power supply and see if you can get any response.
If you can't, try another power supply if you have one available. If not, or if that doesn't work, first try swapping the RAM sticks to the other slots, and then try the other pair of RAM sticks in both pairs of slots. If none of those things work, and you get absolute silence (and a speaker is hooked up), and you're certain that all the cables are hooked up (and that the monitor is working properly), then the mobo is probably the next thing to try replacing.
If it works in the simplified setup, then start reassembling and testing it, step by step, until it's either together and working or you know what's making it break.
Oh, one other thing to check: make sure your IDE cables are in tight, if you're using any PATA devices. I've seen boards that wouldn't power up when the IDE cables were loose.
See I had a problem like this and it boiled down to me not looking hard enough and feeling dumb on the customer service line. I had the same exact issues you were having and as it turned out there was a very tiny tiny button on the mother board that turned out to be a power button. Now I have built a good many systems and not one mobo had a separate power switch to it. Try looking for this before you send the mobo back. Good luck.
I felt so dumb after the guy on the phone told me that, ugh.
The Gaming Chronicles
PSN ID: Harbinger01
Steam ID: [GWJ] CrashedHardrive
Elysium wrote:
Alright, thanks all. I wish I could just get it up and running so I can play AoC or something... I'm going to take it to a repair shop in the morning and see what they think, because I'm not having any kind of luck whatsoever.
A power button on a motherboard? That's a new one on me.
Thanks for standin' still Wanker!
-XBox Gamertag: Tempest Blaze (Without the Y)
An apology to Malor for ever doubting him:
Asus shipped me a motherboard without a BIOS, that's what was wrong with it. Never even heard of that happening before...
A motherboard without a BIOS? That's bizarre. How on earth would you even know? Sans BIOS, the board would indeed not power up, but there's a million possible reasons for that. It would look like 'dead board', not 'missing BIOS'. How does he know? Is there an empty chip socket?
I'm really wondering if the tech you took it to is talking out his ass. That's one of the weirdest diagnoses I've heard. Either he's extraordinarily good or spouting bafflegab, and I'm inclined toward the second.
Honestly, in this one spot -- the manufacture and delivery of actual motherboards -- ASUS is still amazingly good. It's all the ancillary stuff about the company that sucks.
I guess he just tried loading the bios off a flash drive, or something, and it worked. I try not to ask too many questions.
Although, now that you mention it, it does sound a bit odd.
Oh it wasn't that it didn't have a BIOS, but the BIOS needed updating? That's not that unusual. I wouldn't ding ASUS too badly for that.
I try to be fair about my dislikes.
So you're up and running?
That's crazy, I never knew that could happen. I guess you learn something new every day. I've had asus boards in the past and think their great but if you are pissed off at them and want to get a different brand the aBit IP35pro has been very nice to me so far.
Probably just easier to get a replacement though from NewEgg.
Thanks for standin' still Wanker!
-XBox Gamertag: Tempest Blaze (Without the Y)
Tech hasn't given it back yet. Says something about his wife having cancer so he's watching her get chemo or something today. I don't know. I just smile and nod whenever someone uses a go-to excuse like cancer, pregnancy, or physical/mental handicap. Not HIV though, what is this? The 70s?