So...

My computer is a rather motley assortment of bits and pieces as I have few funds to support my needs. Here are a few specs.

AOpen NCK804u_LFS motherboard
AMD Athlon 3600+ 64-bit w/HT (2.0 GHz)
1.25 GB RAM (2x512; 1x256)
2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA 80-GB HD
2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ATA 40-GB HD
WD Caviar 1600 ATA 160-GB HD
nVidia something-or-other GPU (not so great, 256)
AOpen 350-watt generic PSU



So, I bought a new 512-mb RAM stick, and decided to put it in my computer. I then pulled out the PSU cable in my customary impatient fashion. This genrally does no harm other than sometimes refusing to turn on, which is easily fixable via a CMOS checksum jumper reset.

This I performed duly, only when I turned the computer on again, the machinery started whirring, but my screen remained disconsolately blank. From what I've already read on the site, this is a POST problem. Therefore, I went about rearranging my RAM sticks, among other things, because I've suspected for awhile I've had a bad one in there.

Okay, I have an admission to make. I didn't actually buy the ram stick. It came out of my brother's computer. I swapped it for a 256 of my own, hoping he won't notice. This is a rather unwise statement, seeing as I'm using his computer to compose this. If he walks in on me...but I digress. I suppose the logical course of action would be to get my stick back and fool around with my original set and try to get a hit. However, I might as well write out as much as I can now, before I crack open his computer and retrieve my karma.

Um, so. I switched around some of my memory sticks. As mentioned above, I'm the impatient lazy type, so I have to admit that during some of my tests I didn't unplug the power cord while rearranging the RAM chips. This could, I suppose, have been my mistake seeing as my brother's trusty Upgrading and Repairing PCs for Dummies (Windows 95 Edition!) forbids this in the most forbidding of forbidding ways.

To sum up though, I tried all of the above, plus unplugging all my hard drives and CD drive (not listed above, LG generic supermulti), taking out the video card, switching the CMOS battery and then doing a CMOS jumper reset, reseating my meeb power plugs, the lot.

No dice, though.

So, if anyone cares to confirm what I fear, which is that somewhere along the line I fried my entire collection of silicon and semiconducting matter, please do so laughingly, and rightly so. But I'll sign off for now, to try and salvage what I can. I have quite the collection of old motherboards and such, so if it gets so far as that, I'll have to try and reconstitute one of those old relics into my setup. Anyway.

Have a look here: Tutorial: No POST (Power On System Test)

Thanks, I have. That's where I got most of my present knowledge. I'm just stumped.

Actually this may be more apropriate then:

Updating ram & troubleshooting

Resolved!

Well, everything's back to normal. As I mentioned above, my computer has severe attitude problems. I went to bed last night, went to school this morning, came back home, and lo and behold, POST! Clearly, computers are as finicky as women, I guess mine just needed some alone time.

Hmm

You may have a connection or even dust issue
If it happens again, you might want to think about re-connecting all connections and removing any internal dust