Mobo shuts down upon startup

[BasementTechies]

I recently acquired a MSI Kt3 Ultra MS-6380e Motherboard. I popped it into my case and connected:

250w Power Supply
Fans
ATI 9200SE 128M Sapphire Radeon video card
Hard Drive
CD-ROM

Fit into case perfectly.

So, anyway, when it starts it runs for a bit (roughly 2 seconds) then turns off. no beeps. I can hold the power button down for longer than the two second period and let go and it would stay on for over 20 seconds (the time it stays on is arbitrary).

P.S. I lost the Video Card's manual so if you tell me to check it for the jumpers or CMOS I cant :/ Anyone who could tell me where I could find the manual online, though, go ahead. Or just tell me how to do it.

Please help. I even tried putting the case on a stack of bibles when I started it, so it's not possessed by demons, don't worry

 

[nickc]

we need to have so more specs of the computer, and what video card u are using before anyone can help much.

please

 

[KingCody]

given the limited information you provided, my first 4 guesses would be:

1. overheating CPU
2. electrical short circuit
3. bad/inadequate power supply
4. bad bibles

1. it only takes a few seconds for a CPU to overheat if the CPU and heatsink are not making good contact.

did the motherboard already have the CPU installed or did you "swap" it yourself? if you installed the CPU yourself, did you clean all the old thermal [compound/paste/tape] off both the CPU and the heatsink with isopropyl alcohol, then apply new thermal [compound/paste] onto the CPU die?

2. if you know the CPU is not overheating, then next you should check for an electrical short. this is usually caused by a metal standoff where there is no motherboard mounting hole. it can also be caused by a loose screw or other metal object wedged behind the motherboard.

to rule out a short, remove the motherboard from the case and "table test" it (hook everything up to it while it is not installed in the case). verify that there are only standoffs where there is a corresponding motherboard mounting hole before reinstalling it into the case.

3. if you've ruled out overheating and short-circuits as possible culprits, then your PSU may be bad, or simply inadequate. (250w may not be enough power, or your +12v rail may not be able to provide enough amperage).

try hooking up only the bare essentials (CPU/HS, 1 RAM stick, and video card, *and nothing else*) if the system stays on, then add 1 component at a time and boot up again. if even when hooked up to the bare minimum it still doesn't stay on then I would suspect a bad/inadequate PSU.

4. if after taking all the steps mentioned above, you computer still refuses to stay on. try switching to a different stack of bibles in case the first stack was defective. maybe try putting the bibles on top of the case instead just in case those computer-possessive demons were hiding in the top of the case

:wave: