Computer Wont Start Up?

MikeDaMan · May 1, 2005, 10:13 PM

Alright I always seem to run into little problems with my computer but this is the worst yet. I took apart my computer to clean it with some canned air. I cleaned every piece indivisually and then put it back together. Now when I turn the computer on the fans all turn on and I can hear the hard drive and dvd drive running. However there is no picture on my monitor. I switched graphic cards but still no picture the yellow light on the monitor just flashes. I ended up putting my older motherboard and processor in to see if it was one of those but I still get the same problem. I think I've hit a dead end in this problem......Any Suggestions?

Thanks

ReDGuiTaR · May 1, 2005, 10:23 PM

Your system isnt booting properly .. i know u can ear the HD but that does not mean it boot .. try repluging/replacing the HD power and data cables, make sure it also have the good jumper setting : master/slave/cable setting. You might also want to try to reset the Bios and reseat the memory module. It happen to me once and i found that it was the HD cable . Since you tried different mobo/proc it could be the same problem.

hope it help

ReD

MikeDaMan · May 1, 2005, 11:15 PM

I appreciate your help. I tried everything you said including using different cables re-checked all the dip switches and jumpers took out the ram and put only one in. i also checked the power supply wires and they are all connected properly. However I still have the problem.

Mort_Cinder · May 2, 2005, 12:43 PM

could it be a problem with the monitor?

its the only thing i can think of, seeing as how you said everything else works fine.

MikeDaMan · May 2, 2005, 01:17 PM

I have two monitors connected to the computer and neither one works.

*RyderOCZ* · May 3, 2005, 04:14 AM

MikeDaMan,

What mobo, CPU, Vid Card, etc?

Tipstaff · May 3, 2005, 04:46 AM

This sounds more like something isn't seated properly, or isn't connected right.

Even though you double checked all the cables, do me a favour, and recheck them. Make sure that the data cables are all lined up properly for the red stripe towards the power connector on the drives (red stripe towards the bottome of the board connector. Also, don't forget to double check the power connector leading to your video card if it requires it. I have had people look right at the card, see that it is connected for power, but completely forget that they used the splitter cable that came with the card. So, while it's connected to the video card it may not be connected to the power rail (cable) from the PSU. Some don't realize that the newer cards require the extra power. While your at it, take out the video card, use some compressed air to clean out the AGP/PCIE socket, and reseat the card. Also, double check the power connectors leading to the motherboard. Some people forget that on the Pentium 4 boards they require the extra voltage, and forget to connect the smaller 12v power connector. Broken record here, but double check everything again.. slowly.

One thing of note: Double check that the pins on all the connectors are fine, and not bent. This includes the ones for the monitor cable. Best thing to do would be to use just one monitor until you can figure the problem out.

Lastly, a few things to try when troubleshooting: remove all uncesessary devices/cards. That means remove all IDE/Floppy cables directly from the motherboard, as well as any PCI cards. If your motherboard has an onboard video card then remove the AGP/PCIE one, and connect to it. Remove all but 1 stick of ram. This will help you to single out specific problems. If the system boots up then start adding devices until the problem occurs. If your board doesn't have onboard video, and the system doesn't boot up I would recommend trying another video card for testing, at the very least a PCI video card if you can get one.

Again though, it sounds like something is improperly seated, so start from that assumption first. Reseat the ram, and reseat each of the cards, in particular the video card.

Hope that helps you out.

-Tip

MikeDaMan · May 3, 2005, 05:36 AM

I really do appreciate all of the help you guys are giving me except I've tried everything and I still have this problem. I'll tell you exactly what I have and what I currently have hooked up.

The original computer consisted of

PSU: Antec 400W
Processor: AMD Athlon XP 2100+
Heatsink: Thermaltake Volcano 7+
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-7VRX version 1.1 (BIOS Is the latest)
Ram: 2 X 256 Pc-2100 DDR Ram and 1 X 128 PC-2100 DDR
Graphics: ATI AIW Radeon 9700 Pro

Now all I have hooked up is:
1) PSU - Same
2) different graphics card PCI Nvidia GeForce 2 MX 400 (dont hate me for that)
3) One stick of 256 Pc-2100 RAM, there are three slots I've tried the different sticks in different slots one at a time
4) Processor and Heatsink and motherboard are the same.

No IDE cables are connected like Tipstaff said (I should at least be able to get into the BIOS.

Clear_CMOS jumper is inserted correctly (after I reset everything by switching it and takin the battery out.

Like I said before I took the gigabyte motherboard out with the processor still on it and put an old ECS motherboard in with a Celeron 1.1 GHZ processor in with the same problem. I also changed power supplies but same thing.

All the case cables are connected correctly, Power button works, leds flash, reset works, etc.

I just think this is crazy, I've built 5 computers which all worked fine from start, now I clean out my good one with an air duster and this happens.

I know my options are very limited now but if anyone still has any suggestions please let me know. It may come down to the smallest thing not working right but i dont think I'm going to find that out on my own, I've tried everything that I myself knew.

Thanks again to all that has posted in this thread, I really do appreciate how your computers are working and seeing how this doesnt effect you yet you guys are still willing to go the extra step in helping me.

Picture of what is connected http://usera.imagecave.com/MikeDaMan34/MVC-004F.JPG

The_Neon_Cowboy · May 3, 2005, 12:41 PM

reseat and recconect everything...

ReDGuiTaR · May 4, 2005, 12:37 AM

You tried the ECS / Celeron with the nf2 mx400 in ? if it works then your Gygabyte mobo is dead , tell me you were wearing a anti-electrostatic bracer or at least grounding your other hand on the case when u did the cleaning ??? if not your Mobo might have been damaged by electricity discharge when you touched it...

Tipstaff · May 4, 2005, 05:24 AM

Wait a sec.. this is too wierd. "...I took the gigabyte motherboard out with the processor still on it, and put an old ECS motherboard in with a Celeron 1.1 GHZ processor in with the same problem." So, your saying that you couldn't get the old board working too, right? If that's the case you need to take a look at the consistant parts: the monitors, the ram, and the case.

Might be obvious, but take a look at the power bar/power socket you've got your montiors plugged into. Do you have other things that are verfied working, and using the same outlets? Also, disconnect all the cables from the case except the power switch. IF possible, hot jump those 2 pins using a flathead screwdriver just to rule out the power switch. Lastly, the ram. All I can say is to try each of the 3 seperately.

That's about all I can suggest. You've tried different board, different video card, different PSU, and unhooked all devices. The system gets power, but doesn't boot/post (I assume this is the case for both of the boards, right?). Other than the last couple suggestions I've made, I can't see anything else at the moment. If I do, I'll be sure to post.

Sorry man.

-Tip

MikeDaMan · May 5, 2005, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tipstaff

Wait a sec.. this is too wierd. "...I took the gigabyte motherboard out with the processor still on it, and put an old ECS motherboard in with a Celeron 1.1 GHZ processor in with the same problem." So, your saying that you couldn't get the old board working too, right? If that's the case you need to take a look at the consistant parts: the monitors, the ram, and the case.

Might be obvious, but take a look at the power bar/power socket you've got your montiors plugged into. Do you have other things that are verfied working, and using the same outlets? Also, disconnect all the cables from the case except the power switch. IF possible, hot jump those 2 pins using a flathead screwdriver just to rule out the power switch. Lastly, the ram. All I can say is to try each of the 3 seperately.

That's about all I can suggest. You've tried different board, different video card, different PSU, and unhooked all devices. The system gets power, but doesn't boot/post (I assume this is the case for both of the boards, right?). Other than the last couple suggestions I've made, I can't see anything else at the moment. If I do, I'll be sure to post.

Sorry man.

-Tip

Well here is how far i've gotten, I put the ECS Motherboard with celeron processor in a different case, then tried a different hard drive, everything else is the same, and it works the good hard drive works in it too, so I think somehow the case is messin it up maybe the data cables are messed up....not sure

May 1, 2005, 10:13 PM	#1
MikeDaMan DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 874 Rep Power: 0	Computer Wont Start Up? Alright I always seem to run into little problems with my computer but this is the worst yet. I took apart my computer to clean it with some canned air. I cleaned every piece indivisually and then put it back together. Now when I turn the computer on the fans all turn on and I can hear the hard drive and dvd drive running. However there is no picture on my monitor. I switched graphic cards but still no picture the yellow light on the monitor just flashes. I ended up putting my older motherboard and processor in to see if it was one of those but I still get the same problem. I think I've hit a dead end in this problem......Any Suggestions? Thanks __________________ DFI Lanpart UT 250GB motherboard. 1GB 2X512 Crucial Ballistix PC 3200. AMD Athlon 64 3400+. Retail ATI Radeon X850XT PE AGP

May 1, 2005, 10:23 PM	#2
ReDGuiTaR DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Quebec , Canada Posts: 746 Rep Power: 0	Your system isnt booting properly .. i know u can ear the HD but that does not mean it boot .. try repluging/replacing the HD power and data cables, make sure it also have the good jumper setting : master/slave/cable setting. You might also want to try to reset the Bios and reseat the memory module. It happen to me once and i found that it was the HD cable . Since you tried different mobo/proc it could be the same problem. hope it help ReD __________________ Zing a ling... zing a ling a ling ... A8N-E - A64x2 4600, 2048 Mb Kingston ram 400mhz cas 2.5 ( 2 x 1024 DualChannel ), Seagate 320 Gig 7200 16Mb cache S-ata 2, GeForce 7900GT 512MB, Enermax 460watt power supply, WindowsXP SP2.

May 1, 2005, 11:15 PM	Thread Starter #3
MikeDaMan DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 874 Rep Power: 0	I appreciate your help. I tried everything you said including using different cables re-checked all the dip switches and jumpers took out the ram and put only one in. i also checked the power supply wires and they are all connected properly. However I still have the problem. __________________ DFI Lanpart UT 250GB motherboard. 1GB 2X512 Crucial Ballistix PC 3200. AMD Athlon 64 3400+. Retail ATI Radeon X850XT PE AGP

May 2, 2005, 01:17 PM	Thread Starter #5
MikeDaMan DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 874 Rep Power: 0	I have two monitors connected to the computer and neither one works. __________________ DFI Lanpart UT 250GB motherboard. 1GB 2X512 Crucial Ballistix PC 3200. AMD Athlon 64 3400+. Retail ATI Radeon X850XT PE AGP

May 3, 2005, 04:46 AM	#7
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	This sounds more like something isn't seated properly, or isn't connected right. Even though you double checked all the cables, do me a favour, and recheck them. Make sure that the data cables are all lined up properly for the red stripe towards the power connector on the drives (red stripe towards the bottome of the board connector. Also, don't forget to double check the power connector leading to your video card if it requires it. I have had people look right at the card, see that it is connected for power, but completely forget that they used the splitter cable that came with the card. So, while it's connected to the video card it may not be connected to the power rail (cable) from the PSU. Some don't realize that the newer cards require the extra power. While your at it, take out the video card, use some compressed air to clean out the AGP/PCIE socket, and reseat the card. Also, double check the power connectors leading to the motherboard. Some people forget that on the Pentium 4 boards they require the extra voltage, and forget to connect the smaller 12v power connector. Broken record here, but double check everything again.. slowly. One thing of note: Double check that the pins on all the connectors are fine, and not bent. This includes the ones for the monitor cable. Best thing to do would be to use just one monitor until you can figure the problem out. Lastly, a few things to try when troubleshooting: remove all uncesessary devices/cards. That means remove all IDE/Floppy cables directly from the motherboard, as well as any PCI cards. If your motherboard has an onboard video card then remove the AGP/PCIE one, and connect to it. Remove all but 1 stick of ram. This will help you to single out specific problems. If the system boots up then start adding devices until the problem occurs. If your board doesn't have onboard video, and the system doesn't boot up I would recommend trying another video card for testing, at the very least a PCI video card if you can get one. Again though, it sounds like something is improperly seated, so start from that assumption first. Reseat the ram, and reseat each of the cards, in particular the video card. Hope that helps you out. -Tip __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

May 2, 2005, 12:43 PM	#4
Mort_Cinder I want some ATI lovin' Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: MK, UK Posts: 1,034 Rep Power: 0	could it be a problem with the monitor? its the only thing i can think of, seeing as how you said everything else works fine.

May 3, 2005, 04:14 AM	#6
RyderOCZ OCZ Staff Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Kalamazoo, MI Posts: 205 Rep Power: 0	MikeDaMan, What mobo, CPU, Vid Card, etc?

May 3, 2005, 05:36 AM	Thread Starter #8
MikeDaMan DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 874 Rep Power: 0	I really do appreciate all of the help you guys are giving me except I've tried everything and I still have this problem. I'll tell you exactly what I have and what I currently have hooked up. The original computer consisted of PSU: Antec 400W Processor: AMD Athlon XP 2100+ Heatsink: Thermaltake Volcano 7+ Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-7VRX version 1.1 (BIOS Is the latest) Ram: 2 X 256 Pc-2100 DDR Ram and 1 X 128 PC-2100 DDR Graphics: ATI AIW Radeon 9700 Pro Now all I have hooked up is: 1) PSU - Same 2) different graphics card PCI Nvidia GeForce 2 MX 400 (dont hate me for that) 3) One stick of 256 Pc-2100 RAM, there are three slots I've tried the different sticks in different slots one at a time 4) Processor and Heatsink and motherboard are the same. No IDE cables are connected like Tipstaff said (I should at least be able to get into the BIOS. Clear_CMOS jumper is inserted correctly (after I reset everything by switching it and takin the battery out. Like I said before I took the gigabyte motherboard out with the processor still on it and put an old ECS motherboard in with a Celeron 1.1 GHZ processor in with the same problem. I also changed power supplies but same thing. All the case cables are connected correctly, Power button works, leds flash, reset works, etc. I just think this is crazy, I've built 5 computers which all worked fine from start, now I clean out my good one with an air duster and this happens. I know my options are very limited now but if anyone still has any suggestions please let me know. It may come down to the smallest thing not working right but i dont think I'm going to find that out on my own, I've tried everything that I myself knew. Thanks again to all that has posted in this thread, I really do appreciate how your computers are working and seeing how this doesnt effect you yet you guys are still willing to go the extra step in helping me. Picture of what is connected http://usera.imagecave.com/MikeDaMan34/MVC-004F.JPG __________________ DFI Lanpart UT 250GB motherboard. 1GB 2X512 Crucial Ballistix PC 3200. AMD Athlon 64 3400+. Retail ATI Radeon X850XT PE AGP Last edited by MikeDaMan; May 4, 2005 at 01:44 AM.

May 3, 2005, 12:41 PM	#9
The_Neon_Cowboy HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 16,009 Rep Power: 92 System Specs	reseat and recconect everything... __________________

May 4, 2005, 12:37 AM	#10
ReDGuiTaR DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Quebec , Canada Posts: 746 Rep Power: 0	You tried the ECS / Celeron with the nf2 mx400 in ? if it works then your Gygabyte mobo is dead , tell me you were wearing a anti-electrostatic bracer or at least grounding your other hand on the case when u did the cleaning ??? if not your Mobo might have been damaged by electricity discharge when you touched it... __________________ Zing a ling... zing a ling a ling ... A8N-E - A64x2 4600, 2048 Mb Kingston ram 400mhz cas 2.5 ( 2 x 1024 DualChannel ), Seagate 320 Gig 7200 16Mb cache S-ata 2, GeForce 7900GT 512MB, Enermax 460watt power supply, WindowsXP SP2.

May 4, 2005, 05:24 AM	#11
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	Wait a sec.. this is too wierd. "...I took the gigabyte motherboard out with the processor still on it, and put an old ECS motherboard in with a Celeron 1.1 GHZ processor in with the same problem." So, your saying that you couldn't get the old board working too, right? If that's the case you need to take a look at the consistant parts: the monitors, the ram, and the case. Might be obvious, but take a look at the power bar/power socket you've got your montiors plugged into. Do you have other things that are verfied working, and using the same outlets? Also, disconnect all the cables from the case except the power switch. IF possible, hot jump those 2 pins using a flathead screwdriver just to rule out the power switch. Lastly, the ram. All I can say is to try each of the 3 seperately. That's about all I can suggest. You've tried different board, different video card, different PSU, and unhooked all devices. The system gets power, but doesn't boot/post (I assume this is the case for both of the boards, right?). Other than the last couple suggestions I've made, I can't see anything else at the moment. If I do, I'll be sure to post. Sorry man. -Tip __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.