First PC build problems :'(

[datahar]

Hi,
so i thought it was about time i made my own computer, but im software not hardware so...
well i collected all the parts i need (can post these but i reckon this problem is a general one) I assembeled the computer making sure i was wearing the grounding strip, and connected all the pins according to motherboard manual ect. But when i go to turn it on there are 2 major problems,
1. the monitor doesnt show anything but a no signal sign, ive tried with and without graphics card plugged in, also tried the s-video on a tv to make sure my monitor hadnt broken in the 5 mins of it being used on my other computer but still no result.
2. The keyboard either isnt getting any power or the lights arent showing.

any help would be much appreciated! thanks

 

[halo71]

Welcome to Techspot datahar!

Well first thing I would check is to make sure all connections are made securely. And that your video, memory etc. cards are seated properly.

btw...How come you can not post the specs?!?

 

[Ididmyc600]

Hi datahar and a big welcome to the TS Forum :wave:


Its never easy building your first PC (sigh I remember mine) but they are pretty modular and if they dont work then the cause is usually one of a few things.

First did you check that all the components were compatible, this means things like the memory being the right speed and the correct type to work on the board.

Is the CPU correct for the board ( dont laugh you lot i remember people putting the old Athlon slot in the Pentium boards) have you damaged the CPU in anyway (again i cite the old Athlon where the cores crushed easily) when fitting the fan.

The Video card, is it an AGP card, some of the newer 2 (or is it 4) speed dont work in the older 1 (or is it 2) speed slots.

And lastly my favourite, there is a Jumper on the board that sets the CMOS or BIOS back to defaults, many boards are delivered with this jumper set to CMOS Clear position and the PC wont boot up when set to this position, consult the manual for the board and check. if it is this dont feel to bad many people have done this on their first build (although they wont admit to it).

If after all the above it still doesnt work then its time to go to basics, remove all items from the board such as IDE connections and leave just the video card in and 1 stick of memory ( if you have more than 1 stick try each) and see if it boots, if not then either the board is faulty, the CPU or the VGA card, the only option is to take it to a shop or borrow spares from someone and do a process of elimination test.

Once the faulty part is identified take it back (if its new that is) and get it changed.

Im sure someone else will have some more ideas.

Oh yeah one more thing as your new can you take a few minutes to read these threads It will help to make your Techspot experience a more pleasurable one.

Techspot FAQ.

A message for all newcomers.

SNGX1275`s A guide to making a good post/thread.


Any other help please post back, oh and please post the specs, there are some on here who can advise on compatibility

Regards

 

[datahar]

re

hi thanks for reply,
my specs are:
asus 775i65g motherboard
sata samsung 500gb hdd
HIS radeon x1650pro agp (just tried old x900 and that hasnt solved problem)
2bg (2x1gb) of pc3200 ram
sony dl dvd rw (which ejects fine)
pentium 4 dual core processor (
just about to try a amd athlon but dont really want 2 risk breaking my current computer as i now have no confidence in my skills
)
my psu is 400w
ps mouse is a usb with ps2 convertor and that seems to power up fine, should the keyboard have the lights on for a first time power up or am i just looking at a graphics error?
~EDIT~
my psu, case, motherboard and processor were all bought together as a package so i assume compatability

 

[Daveskater]

i'd pretty much say what Ididmyc600 said, really

definitely check all the cables inside are plugged in tight though. the amount of times i've wondered why it won't recognize my hard drive when i haven't plugged the power back in to it

for things like the graphics card and the ram make sure they're in properly and the clips are holding them in.
if you haven't built a pc before there's lots of things that can go wrong.

edit: as far as i can tell everything should be compatible, i'm comparing it to this board. don't try the amd processor because this is an intel motherboard. your pentium 4 is ok. somebody will have to confirm this for me but from memory i think pc3200 is equivalent to DDR400, but somebody will have to confirm that for me because i could be mistaken.
if your psu, motherboard and processor were a bundle then they'll be ok together. it could be possible that a component got damaged when you were installing but don't worry, try what Ididmyc600 said first to test your basic components.

 

[mailpup]

The X1650 pro should have an extra power connector on the inside end. Make sure it is connected. The connector is probably a floppy drive power connector. I have one of these (made by Sapphire though) for one of my older PCs.

 

[Daveskater]

that's a good point.

graphics cards these days need some extra oomph. the nvidia geforce 8800 ultra needs 4 molex connectors on it

 

[datahar]

yes it was plugged in, the fan was even spinning i also tried my old card and that produced the same results, im dreadfully thinking i might have somehow damaged the processor, as that would cause this error wouldnt it? would all other components like lights, hd spinning, dvd ejecting still happen if the processor was broken?
tomorrow ill try putting my amd athlon processor into the board to see if this helps (ill check to see wether its compatible first but im guessing it wouldnt be as its a pentium board?)
but first i think ill take it all apart again and start again, maybe i have got my wires crossed, would a wrong connection of the front panel cause this?
i checked the cmos bridge but there were no jumper present.
if i change my ram around the next time i turn turn it on, it powers up for a few seconds then powers down for a second then back up? this symptom help? also does it show signs of process or life?
~EDIT~
well that was fun, i removed both sticks of ram and kept hdd plugged in so it would use virtual memory (i read in a post that someone did it) and got lots of beeping, thats a good sign right? maybe it is the ram, tho i cant see why as its pc3200 which if it its ddr400 is ok as thats the highest type of ram the board can handle, so ill try my old ram sticks next

 

[mailpup]

Just in case, did you use motherboard standoffs?

 

[Daveskater]

don't try the athlon processor, amd athlons have 462 pins on the back and your motherboard has a processor socket with 775 pins so it won't fit. all you risk is damage to eh processor and the motherboard.

a computer will not start up without ram in it, it could be that the ram is faulty. as long as your otld ram is supported by your motherboard then by all means try it, but make sure you don't touch the gold connectors that run along the bottom or any components on the sticks themselves.

the hdd and dvd drive would spin and eject because they have power to them so it doesn't mean that it's a good thing but it doesn't mean anything bad either. if fans and drives etc are spinning then it is good because it helps us rule out the power supply but not entirely rule it out because the problem could lie iwth the processor in several different ways.

it is by all means possible that you got a wire wrong somewhere by mistake so for things like the front panel take the wires out and put them in again.

 

[Myzz617]

If it were processor errors usually u would recieve beep errors. I would say like everyone else is saying. Try re-wiring, perhaps you have a bad board if your having keyboard issues also. If the lights on the keyboard do not light up then i would say try youtr monitor on another computer. Try swapping out parts like Hard drive and videocard, as long as the parts on this build are compatable with another PC u own, try truobleshooting and swapping out parts...

 

[k.jacko]

datahar..... just a thought here.
Your mobo has onboard graphics right? Have you tried taking out your 1650pro and putting the vga cable into the onboard gfx port?
If it works, you may need to manually switch the gfx control in your bios to AGP and not onboard before you use your 1650pro.

 

[datahar]

thanks for all the posts and suggestions, i found the problem! it was my ram, i stuck 512mb of pc2400 in and it all works fine, so im getting my new ram checked out on monday to see wether its broken and if so theyll need replacing as theyre definatly compatible.
thanks again, this is a great community, which i'll be using regularly from now on also as it was hardware issues i have regained abit of confidence in my pc building lol

 

[Tedster]

https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic53866.html

 

[Myzz617]

So basically u did what i said and tried swapping out parts??
It usually works for me to @ work, Oo must love the trouble shooting skills