new build starts up but turns off after a few seconds

[stringcheeseincident]

i just help my friend put together a new rig, and everything seems to work fine, except it only powers on for a few seconds, then simply turns off. everything's getting power, but we can't get any image on the monitor. also, the onboard speaker doesn't seem to be giving any beep codes. i'm not sure how else to describe it...there's power and the fans spin up, the motherboard gets power, but nothing shows on the monitor, and it just turns off. i've tried flipping the onboard speaker connector, but i can't get any beep codes. the setup is as follows..

ASUS "A7N8X-X"
AMD Athlon XP 2700+
Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200
Western Digital 200GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive
Lite-On 16X, DVD Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive
SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9600PRO

his CPU cooler is this crazy one without any instructions, so we had to try to figure out how to work it...the heatsink fits onto the processor ok, but there was no way to get the fan onto the heatsink, so we just used some superglue...the fan spins fine and it's connected to the motherboard where it has to be...that couldn't be it, right? help is appreciated, ask questions if needed. thanks.

 

[Nocturnal]

It's probably the CPU overheating and shutting off. Try going to CompUSA and picking up a normal CPU HSF.

 

[mechBgon]

Also note the third and fourth photos on this page since that issue is a common cause of overheat --> auto-shutdown.

 

[mechBgon]

Also, a couple other things:

1) if the WD hard drive will be alone on its own data cable, jumper it for Single Drive rather than Master or Slave. Single Drive is when there's no jumper on the pins at all.

2) take worm-proofing measures. Don't connect the network cable until you at least have the Internet Connection Firewall running to keep the worms out. ICF is renamed to "Windows Firewall" in Service Pack 2. If possible, download the whole Service Pack 2 installer, burn it to CD and patch the new build offline, which will close wormholes and enable the Windows Firewall for you.

 

[Nocturnal]

Yes and I highly doubt this possibility but you never know, check to make sure the fan on his video card is actually spinning.

 

[imported_fatal]

Superglue!!!!!???? :|

This really sounds like a heatsink problem, either not on straight or ?

 

[meltdown75]

This is jumping the gun but I've had an A7N8X that wouldn't post or would post very sporadically. If you run out of options try a CMOS reset. If you come to the conclusion that the X-factor must be the mobo, like I did (and it was), you'll have to RMA it like I did mine. I hope that's not it though... like Nocturnal advised you should try a standard cpu hsf. Superglue... eek! sounds funky. good luck.

edit: oh yeah and make sure the case's power switch isn't broken. i've seen this problem before and it shuts down the PC after about 2 seconds.

 

[stringcheeseincident]

crap, just realized that the HSF he ordered was a chipset cooler for the northbridge, not for a processor at all. i feel friggin stupid, so i guess it is the overheat issue. i'll pick up a good ol HSF for him and get it set up then, thanks for the help.

 

[UsandThem]

Originally posted by: stringcheeseincident
crap, just realized that the HSF he ordered was a chipset cooler for the northbridge, not for a processor at all. i feel friggin stupid, so i guess it is the overheat issue. i'll pick up a good ol HSF for him and get it set up then, thanks for the help.

That would make a difference :Q

 

[stringcheeseincident]

haha