computer turns on but that's about it

[utdarktroll]

I have just finished putting a new computer system. Here are the specs:

Pentium III 1 GHz 133FSB FC/PGA
Abit SA6R Motherboard
Asus A7700 Geforce2 GTS
Sound Blaster Digital player 5.1
256MB 133MHz RAM
Plextor 16/10/40 CD writer
Generic 32X CD-ROM
Generic 3.5" floppy drive
IBM 30GB 7200 RPM hard drive

I connected everything and turned the power on. The computer powered on but it made no sounds. Nothing appeared on the monitor and the floppy drive light and the light on the plextor turn on and stay on. Neither CD drive will open. The light on the motherboard lights up and the chip fan turns on. All of the lights on the outside of the case including the hard drive light. I have disconnected and reconnected the power and IDE cables numerous times and only possible problem that I have thought of is that the hard drive is bad since I cannot feel it vibrate in my hand. However, I don't know how much it should vibrate normally so I am not sure if there is something wrong with the hard drive or not. However, even with no hard drive, shouldn't the BIOS at least send some sort of signal to the monitor before detected the presence of the hard drive? All other equipment seems to be fine and I have followed all of the guidelines of the Abit instruction booklet.

Thanks for all your help

 

[Petro89]

Sounds like a power issue to me. How strong is your power supply (number of watts). You'd want at least 300W, and even then, Geforce2 cards have issues. They are VERY power hungry.
Yes, I think you should see your system POST, even if you don't have a hard disk installed. Try borrowing a different video card (preferrably PCI) and see if it works. If it does, you probably need a new power supply.

Good Luck

 

[LordEdmond]

try it without any hd cdrom or floppy connecter up , just vidio card and ram it will complain when it starts but this will prove the md cpu and ram

try reseating cpu and ram ect.

good look you will get a better responce in the general forum


hope this helps

 

[GregMal]

That's an Intel 815 chipset. AGP SVGA is built in.
Only install the M/B (w/processor), Ram, and floppy. Connect your monitor to the built in SVGA port. Worry about installing your
graphics card later.
Boot with the minimal stuff. Install the others one by one later!
Boot with the emergency win floppy.
Good luck!
Greg

 

[Wik]

Do what the others said and go only with the CPU/Ram and onboard video. Make sure to check your jumper settings if any for onboard video. Reset both the ram and the CPU (actually remove them then put them back in) Also try the ram in different slots and maybe try other ram.

 

[utdarktroll]

Thanks for all your help. I disconnected every part except for the motherboard, cpu, and RAM. I connected the monitor the built in graphics card but still the same thing happened. I tried a different RAM stick and nothing changed. The computer would turn on but nothing would be displayed on the screen. In addition, the computer speaker would not make any noises. Thus, I'm not sure what is wrong but I suspect the motherboard. What are some tell tale signs that the motherboard doesn't work even though the computer can be turned on and the CPU fan goes on?

Thanks for the help

 

[Monkey177]

Something similiar happened when I was building my new comp a couple weeks ago. All the fans were running but here was no beep and nothing showed on the montior. Found out that it was the CPU...it got fried when I was building the thing. Somewhere on the mobo shorted so there was no power going to the CPU fan when I first powered it on and the CPU fried instantly.

 

[utdarktroll]

That sounds exactly what mine did. However, I know that the fan was running the whole time. I took out the cpu and noticed that the thermal conduction material had rubbed off a little. However, I hope that that was not enough to fry the cpu. The 1GHz chip comes with a large heat sink as well as a fan that goes on top of it. How long do you think it would take for it to fry with that type of thermal protection as opposed to none? Thanks for all the help.

 

[Barefoot]

I've had this problem a number of times. Whenever it has happened to me, the cause was either a dead peripheral or not enough power. If you have another computer, which you apparently do, take each card and test it in your other computer to make sure they work. If they all do, then it's probably your power supply. It's worth the money to buy a strong, well-renowned power supply, because they have a good reputation for a reason.