Computer won't post

[t3ch]

I have a brand new ECS k7vta3 v6 and XP 2700, but I can't get it to post.

I've tried:

- 2 video cards, one of which is brand new
- 3 sticks of ram, one is brand new, the other two were tested to work in a
different computer (crucial 256 2100, kingston 256 2100, kingston 512 2700)
- 2 other cpu's (xp1700, barton 2800)
- new power supply
- 2 monitors

I've played with the fsb jumpers and tried all combinations, the PSU is on the right voltage, no ide devices are plugged in, the HSF is on correctly...

I'm stumped, Any ideas?

 

[Delorian]

can you RMA the board? I had an ecs k7ama, and it was horrible, worst board I've had out of MSI, Gigabyte and ECS (others too but I can't remember and were way before any of these recent ones). Only other thing I can think of would be to double check your mobo -> case ground connections. Not enough ground for the board can cause problems (or so I've heard.)

 

[t3ch]

I already got the same combo last week with the 2800 barton, and thought it was DoA, so I returned that...

It was tested there and worked (my cpu/board, their ram), so I'm guessing there's nothing wrong with the 3rd version of the board I have now. There are 6 spacers between the board/mobo, the same amount I had on the k7vta3 v3 I had before this upgrade.

hmmm

 

[Paperlantern]

try a new PSU

 

[t3ch]

it *IS* a new psu. Brand spankin new Antec 350w

 

[mechBgon]

Check the "Clear CMOS" jumper, which is called JP1 in the K7VTA manual that I have. It's shown on page 9 of the manual, if yours is like mine, and you want the jumper capped in the "Normal" position.

 

[t3ch]

Tried the cmos jumper, it won't even power on if in the incorrect position. Popped the battery as well, still no go

 

[mechBgon]

How about an out-of-the-case test like this. And your keyboard is plugged into the correct PS/2 port, the purple one, right?

 

[Match]

You say it won't post. Do you mean you get absolutely nothing by hitting the power button? No leds lighting or fans spinning? Try checking all the connections to make sure everything is plugged in all the way and all cards are seated securely. Is the PS turned on in the back? Is the power button connected to the motherboard? Last time I upgraded, I forgot to turn the PS back on, and was worried I had broken something when I hit the power button and nothing happened.

You said the PS is "brand spankin new." Are you sure it works? To check, unplug it from everything except a couple of fans (for a load). While it is off, use a paper clip or some scrap wire to connect the green wire of the motherboard cable to any black wire on the same cable. Turn the PS on and see if the fans spin up.

 

[t3ch]

Oh sorry for failign to mention that. Yes, the fans power up, and it sounds like it's doing something... just no display.

Yes the keyboard is plugged in the correct slot.

 

[t3ch]

an "ahhh it's still busted!" bump before work

 

[Paperlantern]

Originally posted by: t3ch
it *IS* a new psu. Brand spankin new Antec 350w

sorry, by NEW i meant DIFFERENT... ever heard of DOA? not every new peice of equipment works out of the box, trust me, if they did, your PC would be working thats my only idea though, any other ideas for this dude?? come on guys!

keep us posted

 

[t3ch]

Returned the previously new psu and tried it, still no go. Tried the psu on another computer and it powered up fine, so that's working as it should be.

Any other ideas?

edit -- oh yeah, tried the out of box test (again), still didn't work

 

[t3ch]

 

[NichowA]

Your BIOS could be bad. When I had a bad BIOS, my machine would do the same thing--the fans would spin up, I could hear the hard drive accessing info, but nothing would come on to the screen. I had to send the BIOS chip back to get reflashed.

In my case, I knew the BIOS was abd because the omputer had failed halfway through aBIOS update, and I've never heard of a BIOS being bad on ship, but i suppose it is possible.

Have you tried both AGP and PCI video cards?
Have you tried putting the ram in different slots?
is the heatsink on the processor getting hot after you turn it on?

 

[3chordcharlie]

I've killed a board with a slipped screwdriver while installing the heatsink, and it did exactly what you're describing.

If you've done everything possible to make sure the CMOS has been cleared, and the fsb jumper is correct then ther'es no much else to try - PCI video card maybe, and try setting the fsb down to 100.

 

[t3ch]

I never hit the board with a screwdriver (this time), and have tried all the fsb combinations. I've tried two agp cards, but I don't have any pci ones. The heatsink DOES heat up. This is my 3rd board, so it'd be pretty unlikely that all that I've got were bad boards. Or is it?

Maybe I'll go up to fry's later today and have them test it.

 

[t3ch]

Unplugged the psu, boxed it up, left the mobo as is with all my parts in it and went up to frys.

Didn't boot, took out the vid card and plugged in their gforce, worked fine. Now I need to RMA the new 9600se I bought there and throw away my old 7500 that was apparantly fried. Let's hope once I get this taken care of it works once and for all