...Cannot....Get...PC...To work! HELP!!!

[Teclis2323]

HEy all! This is my second attempt to boost up my bro's computer. I ordered an MSI KT2 Combo and a Gigabyte Radeon 9200 (he doesn't game, so don't ask). Still, I cannot seem to get any monitor feed. I originally tried this with the mobo and an MSI FX5200. The same problem arose.

both times that I have tried this, the mobos have been new and different, as have the VGA. I have tried 3 diff. sticks of ram, both DDR and SDR, and NOTHING! Everything seems to boot up fine, except that I don't get any monitor feed =(

Any suggestions?

 

[mechBgon]

There are two rows of electrical contacts in an AGP slot, so start by making sure the card is ALL the way to the bottom of the slot and engaging both rows of contacts

Nextly... the cards are power hogs and they require 1) a beefy power supply, not a skimpy one; and 2) the auxiliary 4-wire power cable to be hooked up on the card's auxiliary-power header. If it were me, I would stick with a quality-brand 350W+ power supply like Enermax, Sparkle Power, Antec or maybe Enlight.

It could also be other problems. What CPU and heatsink/fan unit are you using? What brand & model of memory modules? What PCI cards, if any, do you have installed? The devil's in the details sometimes...

 

[Teclis2323]

I am using an Athlon 900mHZ, an AMD stock HSF (my coolermaster is on my box). I am currently using PNY DDR ram, but was using a stick of crucial SDR, which had been working before the mobo switch!

 

[mechBgon]

Hmm, what brand/model/wattage of power supply, if you happen to know?

 

[Teclis2323]

It's an Xtreme Power Supply, and has worked very well for the past two years It is set to 115V output, but when I try to put it at 230V output, the fan starts and fizzles out...it seems like it wants to get power but I can't or something like that :|

 

[Teclis2323]

oh yeah! 320 power supply!

 

[R2D2]

Sounds like your monitor's toast.

 

[mechBgon]

I'm having a hard time getting through to MSI's site to download the owners' manual for the KT2 Combo, but oftentimes there turns out to be a jumper needing adjustment. For instance, if there's a 100/133 jumper for the CPU's front-side bus speed, it should be set to 100 for your 900MHz Athlon, but the board might ship with the jumper at 133. If you have the manual, double-check your jumper settings. Good luck there!

 

[Teclis2323]

The thing is, my ol' PCI voodoo3 doesn't get monitor signal either

How would I know if it was my proc?

 

[Teclis2323]

thanks!

 

[mechBgon]

Also make really sure that the stepped end of the heatsink's base is matched to the raised, solid-plastic end of the CPU socket, and that there's fresh thermal compound between the CPU core and the heatsink base.

This is particularly important since the 900MHz Athlon isn't equipped with a thermal-emergency shutdown capability. If the heatsink's installed backwards on the older Thunderbird-series Athlons, the CPU will simply fry, whereas the AthlonXP family will tell the motherboard "I'm overheating... shut down, NOW." If you had the heatsink reversed earlier, then there's a very high likeilhood that the CPU is toast as a result. Let's hope that's not the case

 

[Teclis2323]

It was the jumper! THANKS!

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Teclis2323
It was the jumper! THANKS!

Sweet