Another "Computer won't boot" thread...

[AnitaPeterson]

Sorry, folks, it looks like this question keeps coming back with a vengeance...

I hope the AT hive mind mind be able to help - after all, many of the veterans here know more about computer hardware than I can ever hope to learn.

Anyway, here's my situation. I have a computer which refuses to turn on. I mean, it turns on, but there's no signal to the monitor.

The components are as follows:

Intel Core i5 760
MS-7613 (Iona-GL8E) motherboard
2x4 Crucial DDR3 1333
1 TB HDD

The specs for the computer are here:
http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/si...ac.admitted=1413849813474.876444892.492883150

The motherboard is described here: http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/si...x.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken

This is one of the infamous Socket LGA1156 combos, so I won't have spare motherboards and/or CPUs to try the components separately.

Note that the integrated video (on the motherboard) is disabled (I believe the Core i5 760 does not have integrated graphics?), so I'm temporarily using a Radeon 6450 - known to be good - to send signals to the monitor.

But here's the kicker: With the CPU, the RAM, the HDD and the videocard, turning on the machine won't do anything. The fans start spinning, the LEDs in the case turn on, and I hear the HDD spinning... but there's nothing on the screen.

If I take out the RAM, and I turn the machine back on, I get a long beep (and no image, but that's to be expected)

I tried clearing the CMOS, but it didn't help.

What am I missing here?

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*edit* Fixed now, scroll down to see what I did.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Note that the integrated video (on the motherboard) is disabled (I believe the Core i5 760 does not have integrated graphics?), so I'm temporarily using a Radeon 6450 - known to be good - to send signals to the monitor.

But here's the kicker: With the CPU, the RAM, the HDD and the videocard, turning on the machine won't do anything. The fans start spinning, the LEDs in the case turn on, and I hear the HDD spinning... but there's nothing on the screen.

If I take out the RAM, and I turn the machine back on, I get a long beep (and no image, but that's to be expected)

I tried clearing the CMOS, but it didn't help.

What am I missing here?

Hmm. It's good that you get a beep code with no RAM, that generally indicates that the CPU, and at least part of the mobo is working. I'm wondering, does the 6450 have too new a PCI-E standard? I mean, I know that they are supposed to be forward- and backward- compatible, but sometimes the OEM system BIOS may not fully support them.

You've tried unplugged the HDD and optical, and trying to boot that way?

Have you tried swapping out the PSU with a known-good one?

I would try both of those things. Also, perhaps re-seat the RAM, although if you removed it, that would also do that I guess.

Edit: I hate to say it, but that rig is probably old enough to scrap, if the board or some major part has issues. And 1156 mobos aren't really common these days either, in case you need a replacement.

 

[Charlie98]

Did you swap the GPU into a different slot?

EDIT: Whoops. Guess not, with that board. 🙁

 

[AnitaPeterson]

On top of the attempts mentioned above, I also did the following:

a) tried another PSU (brand-new Corsair)
b) tried a Geforce 8500 (also known to be good)
c) tried using one stick of RAM (tried both of them separately in DIMM 1)

I haven't tried booting without the HDD yet, will try it this afternoon.

 

[Burpo]

Is the 4-pin ATX power connector plugged in?
Is the Clear CMOS jumper set to pins 1 &2?
Are you installing your single stick of ram in the DIMM socket closest to CPU?

 

[Termie]

It sounds like you've tried just about everything, but just to confirm:

(1) Try both sticks of RAM individually in both RAM slots, making sure they completely snap in.
(2) Unplug and re-plug both motherboard power connectors (24-pin and 4-pin).

I'm 100% sure this is not a video card or power supply problem. Your system simply isn't booting. That's potentially a CPU problem, or more likely, the motherboard or RAM.

 

[goobernoodles]

If you've reseated the video card(s) and they're tested and working along with the PSU and you've completely reset the CMOS, I'd say the problem lies with the motherboard or specifically the PCI x16 slot.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Ha! Fixed it!

A couple of days later than I wanted (well, it's been a crazy week with the shooting on Parliament Hill and the aftermath), I decided to try all the RAM slots, one by one. And it turned out that the putting the memory in the blue ports - not the black ports! - made the machine boot up beautifully. So, in this case, the traditional wisdom ("Start populating DIMMs beginning with the one closest to the CPU") is wrong.

The other thing I did was to try an older monitor... I have a nagging feeling that the monitor I initially used for testing has the bad habit of going to sleep if there's no signal detected, but it never comes back even if the VGA card sends a signal to it.

I am not a fan of prebuilt computers, and HP ranks quite low in my esteem, but I must say I like the way this machine is put together. The lack of more PCI slots is partly offset by the fast integrated WiFi, the sound quality on the ALC888S chipset appears to be solid (if not stellar), and the inclusion of Firewire and a larger-than-usual number of USB ports rounds things up pretty nicely. And the i5-760 is no slouch, sitting right in between the Q6600 and the i5-2500.

Thank you all for input - maybe all this information can help others, as well.

Cheers!