Assembled all of my components, cant get the thing to boot

[brtecson]

Ok, I just ordered all of my components from newegg and assembled/installed them. To give you an idea what I'm working with, here's what I have:

Qty Product Item # Unit Price Qty x Price

Thermaltake Black Xaser III Skull Series Screwless Mid-Tower Case, Model "VM3000A" - RETAIL
Specifications:
Case Type: Mid-Tower Case
Color: Black
Material: Chassis 0.8 mm SECC, Front decorations Aluminum made
Drive Bays: External 6 x 5.25" - 2 x 3.5" Internal 3 x 3.5"
Expansion Slots: 7
Front Ports: Dual USB2.0 & IEEE1934 firewire in front
Power Supply: ???No Power Supply???
Cooling System: 4x 80mm
Dimensions: (LxWxH) 17" x 7.5" x 21"
Special Features: 5.25" drive bay kit function: 2 VR function fan speed controller, °C / °F display switch, Temp. LCD Monitor with alarm (with red LED light, detect the pre-setting temperature, Record & adjust pre-set more info-> N82E16811133118 $95.00 $95.00


Vantec "Tornado" Double Ball Bearing Cooling Fan, Model "TD9238H" -RETAIL
Specification:
Compatibility: Case
Dimensions: 92 x 92 x 38 mm
Bearing Type: Double Ball Bearing
Nominal Speed(RPM): 4800
Max Air Flow🙁CFM): 119
Max Pressure: Not Specified
Heat Sink Material: N/A
Rated Voltage: 12V DC
Connector: 3 Pin and 4 Pin
Noise(dBA): 56.4
Special Features: Custom Made Cable For Fan R.P.M Detection more info-> N82E16811999613 $10.05 $10.05


ASUS "P4P800-E Deluxe" i865PE Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU -RETAIL
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Intel Pentium 4/Celeron Processor (Prescott Ready)
Chipset: Intel 865PE + ICH5R
FSB: 800/533/400MHz
RAM: 4x DIMM for Dual Channel DDR400 Max 4GB
IDE: 2x UDMA 100 by ICH5R, 1x UDMA 133 by Promise 20378
Slots: 1x AGP 8X, 5x PCI, 1x ASUS Wi-Fi
Ports: 2xPS/2,2xCOM(Rear 1),1xLPT,1xLAN,8xUSB2.0(Rear 4),2xIEEE1394(Rear 1),1xGAME,Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: ALC850 8-CH
Onboard LAN: Marvell 88E8001 GbE
Onboard 1394: VT6307
Onboard SATA/RAID: 2x SATA RAID 0/1 by ICH5R, 2x SATA RAID 0/1/0+1 by Promise 20378
Form Factor: ATX more info-> N82E16813131492 $109.00 $109.00


ATI AIW RADEON 9600 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-bit, CATV/Video Out/Video In, 8X AGP, Model "ALL-IN-WONDER 9600" w/ REMOTE -RETAIL
Specifications:
Chipset/Core Speed: ATI RADEON 9600/325MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 128MB DDR/400MHz
BUS: AGP 4X/8X
Ports: CATV In+A/V Out+A/V In
Support 3D API: DirectX®9, OpenGL®2.0
Cable/Accessories: Remote Control, USB Remote Receiver, ATI Output Adapter, Scart Adapter, 2 CD, Manual
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@60Hz
Retail Box (See pics for details) more info-> N82E16814102345 $175.00 $175.00


Antec 430W Power Supply, Model "TRUE430" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Type: ATX
Maximum Power: 430W
PFC: No
Power Good Signal: 100-500ms
Hold-up Time: >17ms at Full Load
Efficiency: >68%
Over Voltage Protection: +5V trip point @+6.5V;+3.3V trip point @+4.1V;+12V trip point @+14.4V
Overload Protection: Latching Protection+5V @<47A;+3.3V @ <48A;+12V @ <18A
Input Voltage: 115 VAC / 230VAC
Input Frequency Range: 47-63 Hz
Input Current: 9.0A for 115VAC;5.0A for 230VAC
Output: +5V@36A, +3.3V@28A, +12V@20A, -5V@0.5A, -12V@1A, +5VSB@2A
MTBF: 80,000 hrs. @ 25ºC
Approvals: UL, TUV, CB, VDE, FCC CLASS B, DEMKO, NEMKO, SEMKO more info-> N82E16817103908 $60.00 $60.00


Intel Pentium 4/ 3.0C GHz 800MHz FSB, 512K Cache, Hyper Threading Technology - OEM
Specifications:
Model: Intel Pentium 4 w/ Hyper Threading
Core: Northwood
Operating Frequency: 3.0GHz
FSB: 800MHz
Cache: L1/12K+8K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.525V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket 478
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2
Packaging: OEM (Processor Only) more info-> N82E16819116163 $209.00 $209.00


OCZ Performance Series Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-4200- Retail
Specifications:
Manufacturer: OCZ
Speed: DDR533(PC4200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 3-4-4-8
Support Voltage: 2.8V
Bandwidth: 4.2GB/s
Organization: two 64M x 64 -Bit
Special Features: Extended Voltage Protection, Optimized for High Speed applications on Intel i865/i875 chipsets
Warranty: Lifetime more info-> N82E16820146956 $286.00 $286.00


Western Digital 200GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model WD2000JD, OEM Drive Only
Specifications:
Capacity: 200GB
Average Seek Time: 8.9 ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: Serial ATA
Features: Not specified
Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years
Packaging: OEM Drive Only more info-> N82E16822144153 $135.00 $135.00


NEC 8X Black DVD+RW/-RW Drive, Model ND-2500A, OEM Bulk
Specifications:
Write Speed: 8X DVD+R, 4X DVD+RW, 8X DVD-R, 4X DVD-RW, 32X CD-R, 16X CD-RW
Read Speed: 40X CD-ROM, 12X DVD-ROM
Interface: ATAPI / E-IDE
Buffer: 2MB
OS Support: Windows XP/2000/Me/98SE
Features: Vertical operation possible, anti-dust seal
Packaging: OEM Bulk Pack more info-> N82E16827152012 $74.99 $74.99


Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 PCI Sound Card, Model "SB0244" -OEM
Specifications:
Channels: 6.1
Max Sampling Rate: 192KHz
Signal-Noise Ratio: 106dB(SNR)
Hardware Decode: Dolby Digital EX 6.1
Digital Audio: 24-bit
Hardware Polyphony: 64 Voices
PC Interface: PCI
Connectors: Line-out, Line-in, Mic-in, SB1394/Firewire, Analog/Digital CD Audio in, Telephone Answering Device in, GAME/MIDI port via extension header(See Details)
External Box: N/A
Remote Control: N/A
Package included: See pics
Special Features: DVD Audio, THX, EAX Advanced HD more info-> N82E16829102158 $72.00 $72.00


Arctic Cooling Silver Thermal Compound -RETAIL
Specifications:
Composition: 25% Silver
30% Silicon
30% Metal Oxide
15% Carbon
0.5 g (10-40 applications)
Thermal Conductivity: >7.5 Watt/m-K
Thermal Resistance: <0.06 °C-in2/Watt
Specific Gravity: 2.5 g/cm3
Operation Temperature: -50 ~ 240°C
Evaporation: < 0.1%
Bleed: none more info-> N82E16835100202 $3.99 $3.99


Thermalright SLK-947U Copper Heatsink for both Intel and Amd -RETAIL
Specification:
Compatibility: AMD: Athlon XP Palamino, Thoroughbred, and Barton 2800+ and up Intel: Pentium-4 socket-478 3.06 GHz and above
Material: Copper
Dimension: L67 x W81 x H45 mm
Weight: 570g (Heat sinkonly
more info-> N82E16835109112 $39.99 $39.99

So everything is mounted/installed/plugged in and I cant get it to work. When I turn on the power, all i get are the fans running and a green light on the mobo turns on. I'm not getting anything to show up on the monitor, and I cant get the dvd drive to open either. I'm pretty much a noob at this stuff, so if you guys have any advice, or a link to a troubleshooting guide or anything, plz help. 🙂

ps, i tried searching but i couldn't find anything.

 

[Cheetah8799]

Unplug all the extras and get it to work with just the mobo, cpu, ram, and video. If that doesn't work, you have problems. Once you get it to work, then you can worry about the hard drives, cd drives, sound card, etc.

 

[brtecson]

Originally posted by: Cheetah8799
Unplug all the extras and get it to work with just the mobo, cpu, ram, and video. If that doesn't work, you have problems. Once you get it to work, then you can worry about the hard drives, cd drives, sound card, etc.

ok i'll try that tonite.

 

[Brule]

First things first. Double and triple check that the base components are all plugged in right. #1 CPU fan plugged in, #2 RAM is seated correctly, #3 vid card seated correctly. Since it powered up I assume the 12v connectors are tight, the mainboard power cable(s) are connected, and the power supply is plugged in/switched on. Sorry if I sound basic, but those are the things I always look at first.

I had the same thing happen to me(fans spin, no vid) with an AMD setup and figured out I had a tricky mobo. ASUS is a little better so I can just pass on what was suggested to me.(and for an AMD machine)

Make sure the CPU is seated correctly. I discovered that mine drifted slightly as I pushed down the lever. Two fingers holding it in place helped. Also with such a large heatsink there can be problems of it not setting correctly. If your CPU fan doesn't send the correct signal the mobo may not boot. Holding down the insert key while booting can help bypass this check, but make sure the fan IS working.(was told on my soyo, but found it common among other boards) Finally, the bios may need a reset by shorting the proper jumpers.

Just a few thoughts from a tired person who had a similar problem. Good luck, that'll be a SWEET machine when it's working and I'm jealous.

 

[brtecson]

I took this comp to a professional repair guy to trouble shoot it. He found that the heatsink was on there too tight, and it pressed the processor out of alignment with the socket. He loosened it so the mounts are just barely torqued down and it works fine now. It only cost me $20, which was a lot less than I expected, so I gave him a hefty tip😀

Any of you guys have this problem before? I have never heard of anything like this.

And by the way, the online instructions for the thermalright SUCK. They are written in jap-arab-span-chin-glish.

 

[mrakman]

wow i actually have the same problem as you

interestingly enough it is the same exact mobo

my cpu is 3.0e as opposed to your 3.0c

and its a ati 9800 128mb video

other components should not matter cuz i used them in another computer before

but my problem is the same, i tried your solution that you have done, it did not work, in no way has moving the fan or anything been helpful solving this problem

the second i press the power botton the PS fan starts on for about 1/4 a second and then it turns off

and thats the only thing that happens. the green light on the mobo is lit though and i am all out of ideas

does anyone have any more advice?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: brtecson
I took this comp to a professional repair guy to trouble shoot it. He found that the heatsink was on there too tight, and it pressed the processor out of alignment with the socket. He loosened it so the mounts are just barely torqued down and it works fine now.

That's a rather unusual problem. It's possible for "board stress" (that could be caused by anything applying undue pressure to the mobo) to cause failure to boot in some cases.

Originally posted by: brtecson
It only cost me $20, which was a lot less than I expected, so I gave him a hefty tip😀

Not sure how much time he took to diagnose the problem, but kudos for giving him a good tip. He gave you a good deal IMO.

Originally posted by: brtecson
Any of you guys have this problem before? I have never heard of anything like this.

Like I said, if that explanation is true, then that is indeed rather unusual.