URGENT!! brand new system wont post! Whats wrong!!!

[digitalduck]

Okay, long story short...just got parts for a brand new system for father in law comprised of this:

Abit NF7
2500XP athlon
512mgs ram

enlight case with 300 PSU


Anyway..hooked everything up and MB would light with that red light, then a yellow one next to it, but it wouldnt post...had everything attached... cdrom, video, monitor..etc...no bios or beep to say it found bios...nothing on monitor...yes its the exact same setup I have except I have a better processor and video card.... nothing...I tried unhooking everything except the video and nothing..then tried just the mobo and no beep...(speaker was attached) What is wrong? Its it the mobo? I got it from Newegg, so ill have to return it.. but what was worng?

The only things I did that would have any affect on it was I just treid to make sure the mobo was working out of the box with the PSU attached by using the screwdriver method of connecting the power leads to make the mobo boot without the switch and it worked just fine, but ive done that to mine and its a fairly common thing...so other then that I did everything by the book....what can I try? :shocked:

 

[mechBgon]

What video card did you use? Do you have your ATX12V cable plugged in? The keyboard's not plugged into the mouse port by mistake? Power supply is set for 115V input and not 230V?

One of the usual troubleshooting techniques is to remove the motherboard and bench-test it on cardboard using just the essentials: keyboard, one memory module, video card, CPU, heatsink/fan unit. No drives, no case. If it continues to give you problems, try that next.

If it works while it's out of the case, double-check that there are standoffs only in the positions where the motherboard has holes, nowhere else. Also be sure that the springy finger things on the I/O shield don't get into the USB or network jacks.

 

[digitalduck]

mechBgon, good advice..UPDATE: I took the NF7 home and tried it in my system...i tried it with my ram, my CPU, video and it worked fine! Posted and everything....so when i tried it here though it didnt post beep without the CPU in...i thought bios would at least post with just mobo and PSU, i guess not...anyway i put just my cpu in and it worked fine...post beep i mean...

so ill have to try there with his cpu and see if it does...if it doesnt would you think it was the cpu?

Also the video was an Geforce 2 MX (hes getting a new one right away) and also ill have to check the I/O shield....it didnt post with the mobo and PSU and when we had the whole system together it didnt work....but maybe something was touching something else...

Also the enlight case comes with a 300w PSU is that too small? I figured it was ok..i have a 350, but i have more intense requirements...not enogh power?

 

[mechBgon]

It could be the CPU, yeah. I've also seen where low-RPM fans can make the motherboard freak out and not POST.

If you have the ATX12V connector hooked up, I would think it would POST with a 300W Enlight PSU. I asked about the video card because some older cards aren't 1.5-volt compatible, but anything from the GeForce onwards ought to be fine. Do ensure that the video card is getting fully seated into both layers of contacts in the AGP slot, and not just halfway down. Good luck, hope it's nothing major