Computer Wont Boot, Plz Help!...

mekalue · Aug 23, 2006, 10:19 PM

Hey .. i bought a computer that i had to assemble a couple weeks back and got a wicked deal on it .. i set it up and it ran fine .. my buddy heard about the deal that i got on the parts so he wants it too, he has an old case tho and wasnt sure if it would fit .. so i took my computer apart n made sure all the parts would fit in his case .. they did so i put mine back and it the cpu fan runs but nothing comes up on the monitor, i have the ram in ..the cpu is locked in, the cpu fan is plugged in and the main power cable to the motherboard is connected and there is also an ATX connector which is connected, i have a fan on the video card and when i boot it wont spin or else spins very slowly or spins very slowly n stops, like it doesnt have enough power, but i've checked the connections a million times n still the same result.. i also tried a different video card but it has no fan on it so i have no way to tell if its gettin power but i have tried clearing the cmos, different ram, different monitors. Please help!
thanks ahead of time for any help anyone gives

mekalue · Aug 23, 2006, 10:20 PM

oh yea, i've also tried bootin with no drives...

Tipstaff · Aug 23, 2006, 11:01 PM

In all cases the best thing to do is double check everything. Make sure that all the IDE cables are connected properly with the stripe facing the right direction (most times that's the stripe towards the bottom of the board, and towards the outside of the case when hooked up to the components). Double check that there are no bent pins on the drive connectors, both on the board, and the drives themselves. Make sure that all of the drives are connected to their proper cables (both power). Double check that all the power cables are connected to the board, the ram is seated properly, and that the CPU fan is plugged in.

If that fails, then there are a couple things to try in order to figure out what part is causing the problem. Before that you want to test the system with it's bare components: 1 stick of ram, video card (if there is an onboard card, use it), CPU, power connectors. Physically remove all other cables, cards, and extra ram. Do not leave IDE cables connected to the motherboard when trying this out. Also, try booting without external devices hooked up, such as your keyboard/mouse (as well, check the pins on their connectors too). If that fails, try the following:

1) Recheck your auxilary power cables. Depending on the board you may have 1 or 2 more power connectors you need to hookup. Those being a 4 pin square connector (or an 4x4 pin on some of the new Core 2 boards) that may reside near the CPU itself, or/and a 4 pin rectangular molex connector (same as the one connected to your optical drives) near the same location. Be sure those are connected as they are needed for additional power to certain components.

2) Remove the ram completely, and try to boot. If you get an error then it's possible that your ram is bad, or the board is bad. Also, double check that you put the ram in correctly, and that it is completely seated.

3) Remove your video card, and try to boot. If an error occurs then it's possible that your video card is damaged. Also, if the card requires power to bootup then make sure that it is properly done.

4) You should see a little red switch on you power supply. Depending on you location you have 2 choices: for North America you want to have it set to 110 (or 115/120). For Europe you want it set to 210 (or 220). DO NOT try it on another setting just to see if it will work as you can cause permanent damage to your machine.

5) Did you remove the CPU from it's socket at any time during this swapping? If so, double check the pins on the CPU itself, as well as check the CPU just incase it isn't seated properly either.

mekalue · Aug 23, 2006, 11:19 PM

i've tried everything there .. except i didnt remove the video card cuz it needs it, i have no onboard video .. also i did not remove the cpu or heatsink in the switch

Dyre Straits · Aug 23, 2006, 11:24 PM

It's quite possible that in the swap you may have bumped the CPU just enough to dislodge the cooling fan on it. I'd suggest going ahead and remove the cooling fan and clean and redo it by applying new thermal paste as needed. Sometimes, just pulling out or putting in the mobo with the CPU attached already you can bump it against the PSU.

Then, make sure everything is seated and connected securely.

Try to bring it up again with ONLY the video card, monitor, mouse, and keyboard connected. EDIT: And only one stick of RAM.

Tipstaff · Aug 24, 2006, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mekalue

i've tried everything there .. except i didnt remove the video card cuz it needs it, i have no onboard video .. also i did not remove the cpu or heatsink in the switch

Were there any errors when you tried suggestions 2 and 3? Or was it still do the same thing?

The first things I would do (if I were trying to troubleshoot this in person) is look at CPU to make sure there are no bent pins, and that it is sitting properly in the socket along with making sure everything else is connected right. Then I'd try the ram, and video card, paying close attention to any errors. I'd then try a new power supply. If I've gotten up to this point with no resolution to the problem I would be turning my attention to the motherboard itself.

Question: I know you mentioned that you rest the bios and all, but how did you reset it? Did you unplug the power, remove the battery, then change the jumpers to reset the bios? I ask cuz this is the best way to make sure that there is no power to the system that might keep it from resetting properly.

Oh, one last thing: hook up the floppy drive to the system (power and cable), and pay attention to the indicator light. Does it come on at all during the attempted bootup?

mekalue · Aug 24, 2006, 12:43 PM

with suggestions 2 and 3 there was no error as far as i know? the monitor didnt turn on and there was no beep from the pc speaker, and the pc speaker is workin, because when i ran it b4 i did the swap it worked. I never removed the cpu to make any pins bend plus i dont wanna check that because i have none of that thermal paste, but i would buy some if i had some, do you know any stores that carry it? would Future Shop? or somethin like that? Also to reset my cmos (you said i reset my bios? but i dunno if you can do that) but, i went and followed the instructions in the book, "Remove The Power Connection and Wait 15 Seconds, Put a Jumper On The Clear Cmos pins, Wait For 5 Seconds and Remove The Jumper" so i did so. I did not remove the battery because it did not tell me to. I'm considering now that it may be the powersupply, its either that or the mobo, im pretty sure of it, especially considering my video card isnt getting power. So right now i'm going to go and change the power supply and i'll come back with the results.

Dyre Straits · Aug 25, 2006, 02:13 AM

Yes, FutureShop should have thermal compound/paste. Any store that sells anything related to PCs should have some.

It is beginning to sound more like a PSU problem. Is there any chance that the 230/115 switch got moved to the wrong position? Most PSUs have that switch on the back so make sure it's in the 115 position.

Does the fan turn on the PSU when you try to start it up?

It's also possible that the mobo is shorting out against something. You can try taking the mobo out of the case and placing it on some non-conductive material and see if you get a POST screen.

Sure wish you some good luck...and a little prayer.

Tipstaff · Aug 25, 2006, 02:22 AM

As it stands that is the same conclusion I come to: motherboard, or power supply. If you get no errors at all when you remove the ram or the video card that leads me to believe it's the motherboard, either because of the bios, or some other part of the board. However, as suggested trying another power supply might fix the issue, cuz the same lack of errors can occur if the PSU isn't giving the board enough juice to function.

PangingJr · Aug 25, 2006, 02:51 AM

as i remember i used to tell a co-worker of mine when he tried rebuilding the systems and he came back to me with the similar problems... i gave him a spare supply to try on and the system was back on okay. so, likes Tipstaff have mentioned before and before, try a new power supply.

mekalue · Aug 25, 2006, 06:46 PM

alright .. i just tested the power supply, no luck! .. its still doing the same thing, i also noticed that when i have my hard drive plugged in and try to boot .. it doesnt spin, but if i take off the ribbon cable and reboot it'll spin but it just wont spin with the ribbon cable in. i just borrowed my friends power supply and now i'll have to try taking it out and putting it on a piece of bristol board or sumthing and bootin it that way, i'll get back again with the results, i'll prolly do it tomorrow... thanks for the help guys although my problem isn't solved, i appreciate it.

Dyre Straits · Aug 26, 2006, 02:14 AM

Make sure that ribbon cable's colored edge is plugged in with the colored edge nearer the power connector. Also, make sure the ribbon cable is connected onto the motherboard correctly. Usually, the colored edge will go nearer to the IDE number designation.