HELP! Weird computer problem

[CBuxton]

Here's my problem. I have a computer with an Abit BE6-II motherboard, newest bios, P3-550 chip, 128mb mem. The only card it has in it is a network card, 3Com 3C905C-TX. My problem is that when I screw in the network card the computer won't boot. Black screen..nothing. When I leave the card in and unscrew it, everything works perfectly! I figured this out after many many hours, 2 motherboards, new power supply, new NIC. I've tried every PCI slot, and they all do the same thing!! HELP ME!!

 

[The Stigenator]

Yo!
There are a few REQUIRED things for a computer to work:
1. Motherboard - naturally
2. Processor - of course
3. Memory - Ahh
4. Video Card - Doh!
5. Keyboard - Ouch!

Then try plugging in teh NIC.

 

[The Stigenator]

If the dang thing dont screw, then why screw?

 

[Ulysses]

Stop screwing around !!! 😀 😀 😀

 

[CBuxton]

Yes it has a video card...Matrox G200, Keyboard - of course, and it even has a monitor and mouse! The NIC is plugged in. As I said, everything works perfectly as long as the screw holding in the nic is not there.

 

[Wolfie]

Make sure it's not hitting anything on the other side (where the screw screws into) to poss ground it out.?.

Thats what it seems to me.

Wolf

 

[CBuxton]

It seems like a ground problem to me too, but I've had all components together in a different system with no problems.

 

[Wolfie]

Like I said. With the card in. Make sure that there is nothing touching where it shouldn't touch.

Look closely. It doesn't take much to ground out.

Good luck! 🙂

Wolf

 

[CBuxton]

I'll take a look. Thanks!

 

[Ben_Tech]

That happend to me too on more than one system I have built... the case was just slightly torqued so that when I fastened an expansion card onto the case, it would slightly depress the mainboard a bit, thus causing the AGP card to lose it's steating by about 1/16th of an inch. A different case fixed the problem. I find that AGP cards have to be steated just so, otherwise you will have the very problem you are experiencing. Even if it seems to be in all the way, it is not. This is a very, very common problem with system OEM's when shipping a new system to the end user, they almost never make it through UPS with the AGP card seated properly unless a retention backet is installed, thus leading to many fustrated tech support calls. Good luck with that 🙂

 

[PowerJoe]

The screw might be pushing your PCI card a bit to deep, as Ben_Tech says. Try putting a 1mm washer between the card and the case where the screw goes.

-PJ