HELP!!!!! Just finished putting together my very first system, power it up, and well, basically nothing happens :(

ryan160

Junior Member
Sep 24, 2001
24
0
0
OK, hello to everyone, today i built (tried to) my first system from the ground up, the specs are as follows:

Asus P4T-E motherboad
Intel Pentium 4 1.80A GHz processor (Socket 478)
512 MB Kingston RDRAM
Visiontek Xtasy **** GeForce3 Ti500 video card
on board sound (not enough $$ for a good sound card right now)
Pioneer 106S slot load dvd
floppy drive..

ok, well, i powered it up, and the fans were spinning, sounded nice, but, the screen didn't look too nice......ok, on the monitor, it was black, but every 2-3 seconds a thin blue horizontal line flickered, and every time it appeared, it moved up and inch or two......when i remove the monitor plug from the video card, the screen goes completely black, so something is making it display that....also, the front lights on the monitor are flashing like it does when its in standby mode or not getting a signal

i tried removing the video card and reseating it, removing ram and changing slots, booting up with only CPU, vid card, and memory, and still, same results......

could it possibly be the monitor? its an old, cheap monitor, doesn't even have a brand on it, so is that a possiblility?

please, any help is greatly needed and will be appreciated, i'm currently running on a Pentium 133 MHz, so, my first upgrade is a much needed one

thanks sooooo very much,
ryan
 

JWilco

Junior Member
Mar 2, 2002
9
0
0
I had the same problem recently - some tips (in order):

1 Try checking power supply to make sure its not set at 220V (should be 115V)
2. Clear CMOS by removing lithium battery and changing a jumper (see your mboard manual)
3. Change to jumper mode as opposed to jumperless and set dip switches to force a standard FSB - 100 for example
4. Did you reseat the CPU and ensure that the heat sink fits completely
5. I assume the CPU fan is hooked in and working

doubt its the monitor

swapping in other video cards or power supplies is always useful for isolating the problem


good luck!
Josh
 

MAMAFUFU

Senior member
Oct 9, 1999
415
0
76
it was black, but every 2-3 seconds a thin blue horizontal line flickered, and every time it appeared, it moved up and inch or two

I'd be very surprise if it is not the monitor's problem.
 

Wolfsraider

Diamond Member
Jan 27, 2002
8,305
0
76


<< ok, well, i powered it up, and the fans were spinning >>



does this mean they stopped?



<< the front lights on the monitor are flashing like it does when its in standby mode or not getting a signal >>



did you try another monitor or different video card ?



<< i tried removing the video card and reseating it, removing ram and changing slots, booting up with only CPU, vid card, and memory, and still, same results >>



are you using crimms in both empty slots or rdram in pairs?



<< could it possibly be the monitor? its an old, cheap monitor, doesn't even have a brand on it, so is that a possiblility? >>



yes but it could be a lot of things

you don't state if the fans stay running, or if you get any beeps so since tyou are upgrading from a p133 i have to ask where are you hooking up the monitor it should be to the video card i make no presumptions so please understand i am only trying to help;)



<< please, any help is greatly needed and will be appreciated, i'm currently running on a Pentium 133 MHz, so, my first upgrade is a much needed one >>



if this is a different monitor can you use it to hook up to the 1.8?

respond back and i will try to help if i can

hope you get the new girl up and running you will love the the speed lol
 

FishTankX

Platinum Member
Oct 6, 2001
2,738
0
0
Like Shide1 said, make sure you have your RAMBUS memory modules setup correctly.

1 CRIMM, one RAMBUS module in every pair of slots. Check the manual for proper setup.

Another posiblity is that you have an older version of the BIOS which doesn't support the northwood CPU.
 

Radboy

Golden Member
Oct 11, 1999
1,812
0
0
If your first system build powers up normally, it means you prolly did something wrong. :)

You will get 'er figured out .. no worry.
 

bendixG15

Diamond Member
Mar 9, 2001
3,483
0
0
Try suggestions and come back with detailed info..
It'll work out just fine.......
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,390
19,708
146


<< OK, hello to everyone, today i built (tried to) my first system from the ground up, the specs are as follows:

Asus P4T-E motherboad
Intel Pentium 4 1.80A GHz processor (Socket 478)
512 MB Kingston RDRAM
Visiontek Xtasy **** GeForce3 Ti500 video card
on board sound (not enough $$ for a good sound card right now)
Pioneer 106S slot load dvd
floppy drive..

ok, well, i powered it up, and the fans were spinning, sounded nice, but, the screen didn't look too nice......ok, on the monitor, it was black, but every 2-3 seconds a thin blue horizontal line flickered, and every time it appeared, it moved up and inch or two......when i remove the monitor plug from the video card, the screen goes completely black, so something is making it display that....also, the front lights on the monitor are flashing like it does when its in standby mode or not getting a signal

i tried removing the video card and reseating it, removing ram and changing slots, booting up with only CPU, vid card, and memory, and still, same results......

could it possibly be the monitor? its an old, cheap monitor, doesn't even have a brand on it, so is that a possiblility?

please, any help is greatly needed and will be appreciated, i'm currently running on a Pentium 133 MHz, so, my first upgrade is a much needed one

thanks sooooo very much,
ryan
>>



You have the wrong BIOS. It cannot recognize the Northwood processor and therefore cannot properly set the clock settings.

Set your Mobo to "Jumper Mode" and set the dipswitches for the 1.8 processor. Flash the BIOS to the new 1005 and then set the dipswitches back to default and the "Jumper Mode" jumper back to "Jumperless."

Trust me, this IS your problem. Everyone who has the P4T-E with the old BIOS and a Northwood goes through this.

From Asus's website FAQ:



<< Mainboard Technical Column

When I install Northwood locked CPU on P4T-E, the system can't boot up. Is there any solution?

Yes, the problem can be solved by updating BIOS to 1005e.awd
>>




 

ryan160

Junior Member
Sep 24, 2001
24
0
0
OK, thank you all very much, yes, it was the jumper/jumperfree thing. ok, i just set the dipswitches for the 1.8 GHz and left it like that, am i really missing anything by not flashing the BIOS? the speed difference is incredible after using that old 133 for sooooooo long!! ok, so anywayz..... what do you thing about flashing vs. not flashing the BIOS? will it mess up the OS or anything like that? thanks a lot
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,390
19,708
146


<< OK, thank you all very much, yes, it was the jumper/jumperfree thing. ok, i just set the dipswitches for the 1.8 GHz and left it like that, am i really missing anything by not flashing the BIOS? the speed difference is incredible after using that old 133 for sooooooo long!! ok, so anywayz..... what do you thing about flashing vs. not flashing the BIOS? will it mess up the OS or anything like that? thanks a lot >>



I'd flash the BIOS (in fact, I did). Do it with a floppy, though. There are instructions on Asus's website.

Doing this allows you to adjust the clock speed and voltage. You can easily get that 1.8 to 2.2 or higher. It will feel even snappier :) Plus, the BIOS adds real support for your processor.