Man, I could use some troubleshooting help! Stuck on new hardware...

[10101a]

Just got the following stuff, and I am scratching my head trying to figure out why I can't get it set up. (I have built quite a number of computers, but that doesn't mean I didn't miss something stupid!):

• Chieftec case w/450 watt PS (DX01WD SPX2 U2F 450W)
  Albatron PX845PEV Pro motherboard
  P4 2.4Gb
  Speeze CPU fan (9T207B1H3G)
  2 sticks Kingston 512 MB 333Mhz DDRPC 2700 RAM (KVR333X64C25/512)
  Western Digital 120Gb HDD (WD1200JB)
  Teac FDD
  Pioneer DVD/CD drive (DVD-117)

and because I'm waiting on a new Video card, I stuck in an old (working) Asus AGP-V7100 card.

Then I fired it up. PS, case fans, CD/DVD drive light, and a red MB light go on.
Floppy drive is buzzing like a beehive!
No video out to monitor. (No POST, error messages, etc.) Hard drive is silent.

(I have plenty of parts to swap stuff out...)
Power down.
Swapped out floppy drive.
Power up: Bees dead, floppy lights up.

Power down.
Swapped out HDD using known good drive.
Power up: Still nothing from good HDD.

Power down.
Check good HDD on another computer: it works.
Re-install good HDD.
Swap power lead from DVD/CD drive that was lit up to good HDD.
Power up: HDD still silent. And still no video out.

So, I'm stumped. Doesn't seem to be a bad power supply, or is it? The V7100 is supposed to handle the 1.5Volt spec that the mobo requires, but maybe that is the real problem?

Any ideas? Please!

Dennis

 

[halkebul]

Could be a grounding issue related to improper installation of a heatsink or metal-to-metal contact between the bottom of the motherboard and the metal of the case.

 

[Arcanedeath]

If your old Asus Card doesn't support 1.5V then thats your problem, no P4 Motherboard works w/ older 3.3V Agp cards, infact many have warnings that if you use a 3.3V only card you will damage the motherboard, and also like the poster above said It could very well be a grounding issue, I'd suggest trying everything out of the case and see if you can get it to work that way if infact the Vid Card supports 1.5V, just my 2 cents....

 

[MadRat]

Its a GeForce2 MX400, so its definitely a 1.5v card.

Did you plug the temperature control into the CPU header by mistake?

Actually sounds like your floppy cable is plugged in upside down.

 

[10101a]

halkebul, Arcanedeath, and MadRat:

First, thanks for taking the time to try to help me.
Tried the mobo out of the case. No change.

The V7100 has the notches of a 1.5v card, and is rated as a AGP 1x,2x,4x card. I could find nothing on the web that states conclusively that it IS a 1.5v card. And I have not read enough to know - do these cards operate on a dual voltage, and autoswitch voltage depending on the AGP socket in the particular motherboard?

Did you plug the temperature control into the CPU header by mistake?

My CPU cooler fan is plugged into the CPU fan header. I have no external temperature probe or control to plug in. Can you explain further what you mean by this?

Actually sounds like your floppy cable is plugged in upside down.

The floppy cable end is keyed, and will not allow the floppy cable to be plugged in upside down.

Anyone have this motherboard... and have any ideas?

Has anyone seen where a 3+volt card is plugged into a P4 motherboard, and can describe the horror?

Does anyone have this case/power supply, and have some special instructions? For instance, there is a 6-wire ganged power plug marked "P6" from the power supply that kinda looks like half of the old style motherboard power connector. What is this for, a motherboard with a dual CPU?

Anyway, I'm still mighty perplexed and completely stuck. Can anyone help?

Dennis

 

[MadRat]

Your P4 power supply will have an extra four prong connector, too, not just the one that looks like half an AT-case hookup. If you didn't plug that in you've named the problem. The P4 pulls alot of juice and this extra plug enables your 3v rail to remain stable under the heavy strain that the P4 puts on the power supply.

 

[Duvie]

definitely need that p4 4 pin square connector connected to get the cpu to power up....

Also...common mistake (and I mean weekly around here) is that the case wire are incorrectly hooked up to motherboard...check them, then recheck them...only install power switch, reset and speaker....try them then flop them around...I have seen this a million times around here..

 

[10101a]

SOLVED

Actual problem: CPU was not seated correctly.
Solution: re-seat CPU

so much for "ZIF", I had to gently push the CPU into the socket. I have never had to do anything but drop the CPU into a fully opened ZIF socket and then close it, but this time it required approximately.000000001 foot-pounds of force to seat it properly.

I had a feeling it would be something stupid!

Thanks again for the help!

Dennis