System won't boot (won't enter BIOS) NEW GUY IS DROWNING....please help me

[MichaelD]

Damn. Just when I was feeling semi-smug. I guess I crowed too loudly. I just built my system and it was running for two days. Here's what's in it:

Abit KT7-RAID
TBird 1GHz
256mb Atlas 133 CAS2 mem
Creative Blaster Geforce 2 Vidcard
Maxtor HD
TEAC floppy
Hitachi CDR
Imation CDRW

It was running fine for the past two days. Win98SE up and running, no bugs. I started installing cards and the various drivers and programs that go with it.
After each hardware/driver change, you have to reboot, right? Right. So, on reboot #50 (or whatever) the system powers down and then doesn't restart.

Pushing the system reset button and/or power button has no effect. They were working fine prior to this.

Per system instructions, I unplugged the power, reset the CMOS jumper. Nothing. Will not enter BIOS. I tried taking out the button battery on the mobo. Nothing. I tried removing all the cards, including the vidcard. I put the vidcard back in, reset the CMOS and tried. Nothing.

I called PCBOOST where I bought the board. Their tech guys are only there Mon-Fri, so I have to wait until Monday. Thank God I still have the Dell, pitifully slow as it as, it's working.

Please help me. I honestly think my mobo is fried. BTW, on power-up, all the fans spin, drives click and clack, so I know there's power. This sucks. Help!

Formerly The Happy New Guy
Mike D

 

[corkyg]

Could be that the video card is kaput. Why not try the one from the Dell to see if you can at least get a POST display and enter BIOS? Then set it for safe defaults. If that doesn't produce anything, then I would hazard a guess that your BIOS chip somehow got zapped.

 

[MichaelD]

Hey Corky, thanks for the reply.

The vidcard is brand new...it worked fine for two days. Sheesh...a $250 vidcard that I didn't even get to play any 3D games on...what gyp. I'll try the one from the Dell (PCI card.)and see if that works. Thanks.

 

[TravisBickle]

what power supply are you using? the fact that all the fans spin gives me hope for the motherboard. just wondering if your power supply was over stressed. what did you last add? did you fit the heatsink properly to the cpu?

 

[Smbu]

Did you try removing the CMOS battery from the motherboard and then putting it back in?

 

[MichaelD]

I'm using an Antech P303X power supply which is on AMD's approved p-supply list. I removed the CMOS battery, and moved the jumper. I tried a good PCI video card. Nada. This really stinks. It's gonna take PCboost about a week and a half to turn it around. Who knows, maybe they wont' even replace it. They'll probably say I did something wrong. I didn't. The stuid thing just stopped working.

The last thing I added was a c-labs XGamer sound card. It installed fine. I didn't like one of the programs that came with it, so I went to uninstall the progam. It said "uninstall successful, you must reboot for your settings to take effect" so I hit "restart". The screen went blank like it's supposed to, but windows never came back up. You know the rest. I guess the mobo is fried. I really hope PCboost replaces it, or I'm out $150.

 

[MichaelD]

I'm using an Antech P303X power supply which is on AMD's approved p-supply list. I removed the CMOS battery, and moved the jumper. I tried a good PCI video card. Nada. This really stinks. It's gonna take PCboost about a week and a half to turn it around. Who knows, maybe they wont' even replace it. They'll probably say I did something wrong. I didn't. The stuid thing just stopped working.

The last thing I added was a c-labs XGamer sound card. It installed fine. I didn't like one of the programs that came with it, so I went to uninstall the progam. It said "uninstall successful, you must reboot for your settings to take effect" so I hit "restart". The screen went blank like it's supposed to, but windows never came back up. You know the rest. I guess the mobo is fried. I really hope PCboost replaces it, or I'm out $150.

ps.
The HSF is on properly; the one thing that's stressed over and over when dealing with Athalon's is how hot they run. I made sure that the hsf was on right. This stinks.

 

[emjem]

I am a little confused with what you said re the power buttons. If the buttons don't have any effect when pushed than you shouldn't be getting power to the fans.

I guess I am just misunderstanding what you said. Whenever I see problems like this I first think ps problem because they are the weakest link in the chain. I guess one more step wouldn't hurt -- power supply transfusion from the Dell.

If you hadn't tried the Dell video card I would have guessed you had a video problem because it sounds like the pc is booting but you can't see it. Hdd "clicks and clacks", no beeps. Do you get a floppy drive call during this period? Is your monitor OK? Or are we sure that the Dell vid card would work in the new pc?

Sorry for the rambling MichaelD == just trying to generate some ideas.

 

[hagbard]

Then definately check the power supply...they're a pos.

...hag

 

[Bignate603]

Try the connection from the power supply to the board. You may have knocked it loose and now your board isn't getting the power to turn on. were you overclocking anything?

 

[340mopar]

Try holding down the insert key while powering up at least 4 times and between each cycle turning off ps switch or unpluging it.
Ya never know

 

[erub]

can't believe nobody has said this

take out everything cept for the AGP card, the memory, the CPU and the PS - see if you get anything on bootup, perhaps try reseating the CPU (I know getting those HSF on the CPU are a bitch) or at least the RAM. Try another stick of RAM, etc..trial and error..sorry to hear that your in a predicament - Hopefully you can get something on the monitor, and then you'll be back up rollin

 

[Tominator]

The only time I ever had the exact same thing happened, I traced the problem to a defective power plug on the floppy drive.

I'd check and double check all power connections.

Start by removing the mb from the case. PLace it on a non-conductive surface. With only the CPU, memory optional, jump the power leads with a screwdriver. If the fan on the CPU runs, the board probably isn't 'fried.'

Start your installation over.

I've seen an IRQ conflict do the same thing. Always happens when the soundcard and something else don't get along. Try a different slot.

Good Luck!

 

[MichaelD]

Hey guys,

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. This was a "Daddy Weekend"; had my 5-year old son over. Hard to do troubleshooting with a hyperactive 5-year old bouncing around like an out of control superball. Anyway....

Well, I have to admit, the thought of starting the installation over had not crossed my mind. I am going to call the PCBOOST tech guys today and appraise them of the situation. I'm not looking forward to shelling out $25 to ship a dead board back to them in LA, so they can take 14 days to ship me a new one.

I guess I can clarify a few things.

1. The power switch. When I hit the power switch, the fans all start spinning, and the hd clicks and cdroms click. I don't recall the floppy doing anything; I think I will at least try to disconnect and then reconnect all drive cables and power connectors. Hmm...however, once the board "hangs" (no bios boot), you can't restart using the power OR the reset switch. You have to yank the plug out of the back.

2. I have taken all cards out (including the vidcard) and then put back only the vidcard. Nothing. I tried my pci vidcard out of the Dell. Nothing. The Dell's vidcard is good, because after trying in the new box, I put it right back in the Dell and it works just fine.

3. I'm still pissed. I have $1,000 worth of stuff that doesnt' do anything.

4. I really appreciate you folks helping me out.

If I remove the HSF to reseat the CPU, doesn't that ruin the connection of the thermal paste peel n stick thing? Can I just put it back on, or do I need to go buy some thermal paste? I have my work cut out for me tonight.

 

[nuttervm]

i agree with tominator. do what he says then report back. it is important to remove the mobo from the case because there might be a short somewhere in the case where it it not in proper contact.

personally i hate abit boards, they are pieces of crap no matter how many bells and whistles they have. get an asus or msi if you have to return it

 

[DaddyG]

You need to check that your mobo is not shorting a trace to ground on a standofff or some other metal object. Mobo shorts don't always show up immediately. Adding the sound card, and screwing it down could cause enough extra pressure that the standoff rubbed through to the trace. Since you have to remove the mobo to return it, look carefully on the underside for tell tale scratches that are caused by extra stand-offs.

 

[MichaelD]

*****UPDATE*****:Q

Well, I just got off the phone w/the PCboost tech guy. He seems to think that the CPU is fried. He said that T-birds will just self destruct with no warning. He said that the memory might be bad, but he thinks it's the CPU. He wants me to send the whole mobo, with CPU and memory to him for inspection. I'm really confused. I have an AMD approved mega HSF (CoolerMaster..dont' know the part#) While the rig was running, the CPU temp never got above 40 celsius. The default CPU overheat temp in the hardware monitoring program is 50. 40 isn't even close to 50....what gives?

I refuse to believe that I made a mistake in going with AMD. So many of you use a TBIRD....with astounding results.

I will go home tonight and recheck all my connections. If that doesn't work, I'm sending the whole thing back with the cpu/hsf attached. I know for a fact:| that I mounted that HSF correctly. This may be funny to some of the really experienced guys out there, but I actually printed out the AMD visual tutorial on how to install a HSF on an Athalon processor. I did it right. How could the CPU have overheated. I wasn't overclocking and the only thing I was doing was adding/removing programs and hardware. Hardly a CPU-taxing event.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR>


Thanks for your help. I report back as soon as I hear something or something actually runs.