HELP - Won't even boot

[RupertS]

My system worked. Then I changed the CPU cooler, which involved taking out the motherboard to install a backer plate for the new cooler. So I disconnected everything, changed the CPU cooler, then reconnected everything.

I took out the graphics card, the sound card, the power connections, everything but the memory sticks.

Now there's no signal to the display, and there's no beep code. The chassis fan, the graphics card fan, and the CPU cooler fan all spin up. The system power lite comes on, and the disk lite shows disk activity when I start the computer.

My motherboard puts all the connectors from the chassis front (power button, reset button, power lite, disk activity lite etc) into one big Q-connector and then the Q-connector plugs into the motherboard. I left all the connections to the Q-connector, just removed it from the motherboard then reconnected it - so I'm pretty sure the chassis speaker isn't connected wrong.

What does it mean when the system seems to start, but there's no BIOS beep code, and no signal to the display?

ASUS P5K Deluxe, Q6600, 8800GTS 640 Meg

 

[robisbell]

did you reconnect all the motherboard power cables and the video card power cable?

 

[RupertS]

I'll recheck the power cables. The fan on the video card spins up, and the power connector is tight. Is there a specific power cable that might cause this?

 

[Fardringle]

If you are sure that the case speaker is connected properly and you don't get any beep error codes, I would suspect a problem with the video card itself (it either isn't seated firmly or doesn't have the proper power cable attached). Reseat the video card and RAM and try again. Make sure the monitor cable is plugged in securely as well. If it still doesn't work, try pulling the video card out completely and see if you get any beeps when you turn the computer on.

 

[RupertS]

I reseated everything, no change. Removed the graphics card and tried to boot, no change.

ASUS suggested I remove the memory to see if I received the beep code for no memory. I did and I got the right beep code!!! Then I removed one of the two sticks and tried the first stick in all 4 memory slots, no luck.

Then I tried just the 2nd stick, and it booted!!!

Figured I had a bad stick. To see if the 'bad' stick would stop the boot, I reinstalled it along with the 'good' stick. IT BOOTED and is now running with full memory.

What should I do? Am I stuck with an intermittant problem? Remember this all started when I removed and reinstalled everything BUT the memory sticks.

Are RMA's effective with intermittant problems?

Don't know what to do.

 

[Laputa]

That memory may be not sitting in all the way and cause all your trouble.

 

[robisbell]

if it does this again, rma the board.