new setup, not working, help

[ferr]

just setup this pc (all new stuff purchased from newegg) :
chaintech fx5900xt 128mb
corsair pc3200 512
athlon 64 3000+
chaintech nforce3 mobo (full name escapes me, if needed i can find it)
maxraid (i think that's the name) case + 420w psu

mixed in older parts:
7200rpm 40GB hdd
sblive x-gamer 5.1
cdrw, dvd-rom

--------------------------------

what happens:
everything's plugged in, start up, nothing shows up on monitor.
no beeping at all to alert me.

i have done this after the first no-go and nothing different happened:
1) i took out the vid card, put it back in, took it out, stuck in a different vid card.
2) put the ram into different slots
3) took out the cpu, put it back in
4) unplugged the cdrw, dvd, took out the sound card
5) tried a second monitor
6) put in different ram
7) messed around with stuff like ide ribbons
----------
edit
more:
8) messed with case>mobo panel wires
9) unplugged hdd
10) switched out the psu with another
11) took the mobo out of the case, put it on non-static protective sleeve that came with mobo.
no changes. power on = same screen seen when power is off
---------
two hours before putting this pc together, the hdd, cdrw, dvd, sound card, second video card, second psu, and ide ribbons all worked properly in the previous pc.
i have no idea what the problem could be, the fact that i'm getting no error sounds is what bothers me the most.

 

[Omega6_Virus]

Make sure you have the connections from the case buttons and everything else is connected correctly to the motherboard. Seems like the only source for error if everything else checks out.

I did the same thing you did, only used DVD and CD-RW drives along with video card from an older Dell 8100 series. Recheck power connections to the motherboard and make sure the power supply is set to 110 or whatever it is. EDIT: You may not have a power-supply with a voltage switch, don't fret if you dont have one.

Good luck.


EDIT: Check Chaintech's site for a PDF of the manual or look through the manual to find the diagram that shows the connections for the case wires to the mobo.

Is there a power-switch on the motherboard itself at all? My DFI has a restart and a power-switch on the motherboard. Check to see what your set-up has.

It is possible that you may have faulty hardware, though we all hope this isn't the case. Also, did anything seem to be difficult to install correctly?

Did you just un-plug and re-plug IDE cables? Are you certain they are connected to the motherboard correctly?

Did the processor seat okay during the install? A prong may be bent but you would be able to tell when installing it to the motherboard.

This is all simple stuff, but anything can happen. Good luck again.

 

[ferr]

EDIT: Check Chaintech's site for a PDF of the manual or look through the manual to find the diagram that shows the connections for the case wires to the mobo.

Is there a power-switch on the motherboard itself at all? My DFI has a restart and a power-switch on the motherboard. Check to see what your set-up has.

yeah, i read through the manual and found the diagram on the mobo>case wires, they're all serup correctly. just a minute ago i took them all off, leaving on the pwr-sw on, would this work? or would i need all of them on.. i've never in the past had a problem with panel stuff, and i don't think i usually hook all of the panel stuff up. as far as switches on the mobo itself, i could not find anything about it in the manual, and i see no evidence of it on the board itself.

It is possible that you may have faulty hardware, though we all hope this isn't the case. Also, did anything seem to be difficult to install correctly?

i can't say anything was more difficult than usual, though i did find it odd that when removing the HSF, it almost felt like the HSF was glued down to the CPU.. it is probably just because of the leaps in technology of thermal paste over the past couple of years that i have been absent that it felt awkward.

Did you just un-plug and re-plug IDE cables? Are you certain they are connected to the motherboard correctly?

yes, i did that quite a few times, sometimes tried it without any IDEs in the mobo.

Did the processor seat okay during the install? A prong may be bent but you would be able to tell when installing it to the motherboard.

didn't feel like anything was wrong the times i seated it, i will take a closer look later to check for prong damage.

 

[Stiletto One]

I'm assuming you remembered to put the HSF back on along with the CPU.

Anyhow, it's possible that something's shorting out on the back of your motherboard. Take it out of the case and run it on a slab of cardboard, just to be sure that it's not shorting. And if that fixes it, just be a bit more careful in reinstalling it.

 

[Major_A]

Probably a DOA mobo, I've had a couple before.

 

[GeForceX]

Only two things can affect this (considering the motherboard is actually A-OK).

1) Grounding.
2) Power Button/Reset Button/Etc... pins aren't correctly placed.

Grounding - You must add the yellow-ish screws along with the regular screws what the case included for you. Or you may add some rubber washers instead of those with the screws.

Power Button/Reset Button/Etc... pins aren't correctly placed - Fix it!!! I've had numerous problems with this. Just get the power button pin and try it in various places of the pin set while you turn the PC on / off. Once it works, set the other pins on their correct places. It helps to follow the manual.

-J.

 

[133]

Dead AGP slot or DOA Mobo...

 

[4keatimj]

Sounds like a short. Try taking the mobo out, and boot the system with only the CPU, RAM and vid card in, but with the whole lot on something that doesn't conduct or produce static (timber, the plastic styrofoam the mobo came on). See if that works.

 

[ferr]

Power Button/Reset Button/Etc... pins aren't correctly placed - Fix it!!! I've had numerous problems with this. Just get the power button pin and try it in various places of the pin set while you turn the PC on / off. Once it works, set the other pins on their correct places. It helps to follow the manual.

-J.

this is what sort of confuses me about the panel stuff.. if i'm able to turn it on in the designated pin location assigned by the mobo manual, i don't see why there's a problem.. can you turn it on while the pwr-sw pin is any pin location on the main panel?

this one hasn't been answered: do i need all of the pins on the panel for it to work, or can i just use the pwr-sw to have a functioning pc. i cannot recall ever having problems in the past with panels, and i don't think i ever put them all on.

unrelated question: do most motherboards these days not have beep alerts? all of the ones i used to build had useful beep alerts that would help solve a problem like this. is there a new way of alerting the user?

 

[ferr]

Only two things can affect this (considering the motherboard is actually A-OK).

1) Grounding.
2) Power Button/Reset Button/Etc... pins aren't correctly placed.



-J.

are you saying the cpu is more than likely ok?

 

[Major_A]

Yes they have beeps, when you turn on the computer do the HDDs show any activity?

 

[ferr]

Yes they have beeps, when you turn on the computer do the HDDs show any activity?

i can't confirm it, but i do not think that it does. i hear nothing, and i feel no vibration at all from the hdd.

 

[diablo111]

Hey, I just had the same problem with my new Athlon64 setup. Turns out my psu didn't have the extra ATX 12v (4pin) mobo hookup. It would turn on and most of the fans would spin...except the video card fan. I scrounged up a PSU that had that hookup and it roared into life...so it could be your PSU.

 

[4keatimj]

Hey, I just had the same problem with my new Athlon64 setup. Turns out my psu didn't have the extra ATX 12v (4pin) mobo hookup. It would turn on and most of the fans would spin...except the video card fan. I scrounged up a PSU that had that hookup and it roared into life...so it could be your PSU.

True that... that could well be what it is.

 

[ferr]

Hey, I just had the same problem with my new Athlon64 setup. Turns out my psu didn't have the extra ATX 12v (4pin) mobo hookup. It would turn on and most of the fans would spin...except the video card fan. I scrounged up a PSU that had that hookup and it roared into life...so it could be your PSU.

you nailed it, the 4-pin was hidden under a part of the case, never noticed it. turns on now, but only sort of. it detects my HDD just fine on the first screen, but says there's no system disk later on, tried to boot in with a winxp cd-rom and the only thing i saw for 5 minutes was a black screen and "setup is now checking your hardware..." then 5 more minutes of black screen. i'm going to search high and low now for a floppy to try and get in with a ramdrive.. kind of pissing me off.

 

[Stiletto One]

you nailed it, the 4-pin was hidden under a part of the case, never noticed it. turns on now, but only sort of. it detects my HDD just fine on the first screen, but says there's no system disk later on, tried to boot in with a winxp cd-rom and the only thing i saw for 5 minutes was a black screen and "setup is now checking your hardware..." then 5 more minutes of black screen. i'm going to search high and low now for a floppy to try and get in with a ramdrive.. kind of pissing me off.

Erk. That sucks.

You said it's some 40GB 7200rpm drive, right? Is it a Western Digital? If it is, and it's the only drive on its channel, take out the jumper. That's right, take it out. No jumper sets WD drives to "Single Drive" mode; Master and CS only work right when there's actually another drive on the channel.

 

[ferr]

Erk. That sucks.

You said it's some 40GB 7200rpm drive, right? Is it a Western Digital? If it is, and it's the only drive on its channel, take out the jumper. That's right, take it out. No jumper sets WD drives to "Single Drive" mode; Master and CS only work right when there's actually another drive on the channel.

just took the jumper off, now i'm nervous. when it gets to loading windows i see a flash of a blue screen then instant reset. after the reset i can get as far as "windows crashed, choose which way to enter" no matter which way i choose (safemode, normal, etc) i get the reset, but i don't get the blue flash in safemode. think i'll go toss another hdd into it to see if that makes a change. and yes it is western digital.

 

[GeForceX]

You do NOT need all pins to just start the PC up. But, it is a convenience to have the reset button pinned in to actually use one and to see HDD activity by having the HDD LED pin in and also onboard speakers to use it (but that's more likely already connected). It's just a diagnostic/convenience issue.

You may want to reformat the drive. It must be an old drive issue.

-J.

 

[GeForceX]

unrelated question: do most motherboards these days not have beep alerts? all of the ones i used to build had useful beep alerts that would help solve a problem like this. is there a new way of alerting the user?

It must beep after a cold boot or a shut down / boot up. When it restarts as you hit the reset button, there could be a beep (or two) or not any at all considering the previous boot was "fine". If you do a restart within Windows then there shouldn't be any beep. I guess that's how it goes.

-J.