system doesn't boot

[SteveRoads]

I got a brand new PC delivered today, but when starting it up, I don't get any output from my video-card ... well, it at least looks like that, as my monitor screen stays black.

Of course, all cables are connected correctly, and the monitor works okay with my other PCs.

On start-up, I don't see a RAM check, no bios info, not boot-up screen, it's all black.

The seeler told me Windows XP is installed, even when I put in my bootable Win98, all stays black.

The DVD drives obviously are reading the inserted media, I am not sure if I hear any HD activities ...

I think not even the keyboard is detected, as the LEDs for NUM, CAPS, SCROOL don't flash up ( ... nor do I get an error beep when unplugging the keyboard ... I think I should get that, right)

Any help would be appreciated,

Thanks in advance

[Stompy]

Is the 4-pin 12v cpu power plug in?

[SteveRoads]

Is the 4-pin 12v cpu power plug in?

Good question .... as said, all cables are connected correctly, but I have to admit, this was meant in regard to the connectors on the rear.

I bought this new PC via ebay. It has a warranty of two years, however, only if I do not open it ... okay, the guy sent me the bills of the stores where he bought the components, so I actually have still warranty even if I open the PC ... but first I wanted to check if someone comes up with a non-hardware related idea ... I actually already knew this would be a hardware problem, nevertheless, I gave it a chance and asked.

So, in less words, I can't tell yet, I guess I will open it tomorrow the latest ... first I have to check back with the seller, as it seems as if the computer chasis got damage on transport ... maybe some internals got damage, too.

Thanks so far for your help, will check that tomorrow, I guess.

Other opinions are still welcome, thanks.

[vincent]

give the spec mate ;-)

things liek the Mobo,PSU,CPU etc....

when i couldnt get a gf 2 Ti working on a Asus Mobo, it turned out that it didnt like the APG voltage of the card......

Question

does your monitor light go on standby?
if so,it could be the wrong AGP voltage... try another GPU to test ;-)

[SteveRoads]

According to the seller, the system ran okay before sending (am I overcredulous, hehe)

The Components are ...

- OS: XP Home SP2
- CPU: AMD Athlon @ 3500 Cache 512KB (Barton 2600 mobile I think, my system however is not a Mobile PC ... the seller had choosen this as it has great overclocking performance ... according to him)
- RAM: 1024MB = 2x512MB in Dual Channel,CL @ 2,0
- Motherboard: ASUS A7N8X - E Deluxe
- gfx card: AOpen Geforce 6800 LE
- HDs: S-ATA Samsung 2x 80GB in RAID 0, 2x 8MB Buffer
- a DVD recorder and a DVD player
- a Zalmann copper cooler

Power supply is 350 Watt, no idea how's the manufactorer, but could get the info if needed ... is there anything else of interest regarding the power supply?

[alterion]

deffo give us the power supply info as that would seem to be a little low for such an overclocked cpu - if it is a dodgy make/ generic then athta could well be the problem..

[SteveRoads]

Hmmm, sorry, can't give you any more details on the power supply. I checked the bills that the seller sent along, but it seems as if it the power-supply came with the chasis, so all I can say is that it delievers 350 Watt ...

[vincent]

according to js custom pcs Power calculator, your currently running at 278Watts.
possibly even more becuase of Overclocking...

see if u can get it precise (including all PCI cards and fans) click the link below
http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_sup...or.php?cmd=AMD

me thinks that the PSU cant handle the system :shock:
a upgrade would be nice

Try Hiper
i currently have the Triple Fans 525W one and it's really good

[mike_w]

Do you get any beeps when booting up? One or two (not repeated) should mean that the system is booting up normally.

[SteveRoads]

No, there are no beeps at all ... even when unplugging the keyboard ... I think then I should get a beep, not?

Anyway, never heard a beep yet.

[mike_w]

No, there are no beeps at all ... even when unplugging the keyboard ... I think then I should get a beep, not?

Anyway, never heard a beep yet.

That means that the system isn't booting properly i.e. it isn't just a problem with monitor output.

First thing to try would be to take out all non essential components e.g. PCI cards, hard drives, optical drives, floppy drives. That should leave you with the case, PSU, motherboard, RAM and graphics card. If it then boots, you should start putting things in one by one to try and find the culprit.

Failing that, try taking out the RAM. If the computer doesn't then beep, it probably means the motherboard is broken.

Do you have any other computers from which you can swap in components?

[Jonny M]

Ship it back to the guy who sold it to you would be my suggestion. Let him prove that it was working.

[JimmyBoy]

what u could try is remove the battery on the motherboard for a few mins to clear the cmos, put the battery back then try powering it on, could be that it decided not to post when the previous owner was tweaking it and decided to send it out as it was

this would mean the bios is back to stock settings though so the overclock would be gone but shouldnt be hard to get back

[Matt1eD]

Shipping it back would cost a bit, do you have a spare monitor to try

I don't get beeps on my PC (can you here fans)?

[piggeh]

also try a different power cable. Someone once went and bought a new PSU only to find after it was fitted, that the power lead wasnt working.

[Taz]

You should be able to take the side cover off the case without invalidating any warranties. Power it up and see if any LED's glow on the motherboard. Most motherboards usually have diagnostic LED's. If you've got the motherboard manual then you can look up what the LED sequence means.

Also, when you say you get nothing on startup, does it make any noises from the fans? Do the front panel LED's glow?

One other thing, are you sure the fuse on the mains power lead has not blown?