PC will not start

[Kam]

Hi

I have just installed my motherboard and all pc parts into the new case (antec sonata 2) and the pc does not start up. Sometimes it starts only when I turn off the power switch and turn it back on after about half hour, the system then starts normally and then after a few hours it would freez up and I would then have to switch it off via the main power switch. If I hit the reset button on the pc all I can see is the two dvd drives lights go on and the drives make a reading noise and the screen goes blank with no beeps or bios. The power light comes on but no hard disc and the screen stays blank with just the 2 dvd drive's lights flash. I set the dvd drives to master and slave, used the two connectors from the IDE cable to connect onto the drive and I can't see why it's doing this. Can anyone please help?

 

[N3051M]

we need to know the specs please.

N30's simple troubleshoot guide (post new custom built pcs..)
1. open up the case, see for any signs+smells of physical damage: eg. leaky/buldging capacitators, burns, chips/scratches etc
2. recheck the motherboard is sitting correctly, not shorting with the case
3. pull out everything and reseat everything again, ram, pci the lot including cables
4. if you're still stuck, goto basics -> cpu, motherboard, psu, vga, sound. everything else disconnected.
4a. If you do get somewhere (ie it turns on and gets to a screen) then reconnect each device one by one untill you find the culprit.
4b. if you only get sound eg beeps note down how many beeps and if its long/short, then refer to the manual/manufacturer's website to see what tehy mean
5. swap parts with another pc one by one to see what is wrong
6. post back results

N3051M

 

[Kam]

The specs are:

Antec Sonata 2 450Wt SmartPower 2.0
Gigabyte GA-81865P
Intel P4 3.2 800FSB
Corsair XMS3200 C2PT 2x512
ATI Radeon 256MB X700pro
Hitachi Deskstar 7K250 SATA 150GB
Pioneer DV108
Pioneer DV110
Sony FD


Regarding this problem, the PC does start sometimes after I leave the power off for a while, when it starts everything works accordingly, however the system freezes up after a while, sometimes after 3 hrs, sometimes arfter 5-6 hrs. When I restart the PC, it justs doesn't start and the lights on both the dvd drives just flash and it makes a sound like how it does when the system normaly starts up. I changed the CPU fan, tried it with just 512 memory, changed the hard disc, tryied it with 1 dvd drive and with another graphics card.

 

[Mimentor]

Had similar problem with Gigabyte Mo'board in Antec Sonata. Started perfectly a few times then stopped and wouldn't restart at all. Checked everything -found nothing so replaced all; part by part (including power pack) the problem disappeared when I swapped the Mo'Board. Put the Mo'board in another (non Antec) case and it fired up twice then never again. Mo'board is now landfill somewhere in Melbourne (Australia) and replaced with ASUS P4P800SE mo'board.

Best reliable way is substitute parts one by one, till it starts up then put the old part back in and see if the problem recurrs.

 

[N3051M]

still, do step 2 & 3 just for the sake of it (nothing ventured nothing gained)
what psu is it? make/watts (on the label on the underside of the unit) -> it does point to a power problem, hardwarewise
download Everest (google it, free) goto sensors. temps (exept cpu) dont worry about just check the voltage..

I changed the CPU fan, tried it with just 512 memory, changed the hard disc, tryied it with 1 dvd drive and with another graphics card.

its a good start but still doesnt realy pin down anything. try step 4, without the hdd, ram etc. just power, outputs, processor. Cpu fan should stay on.. (duh lol..).
If you had to remove the cpu & heatsink make sure the thermal paste is correctly applied.

and i forgot to add one more thing...: if you can get into bios check that all settings are correct or just reset the bios..

 

[Kam]

Thanks, I'll try that. I've never reset the bios before, will it just go back to the defualt settings. The PSU is Antec 450w smart power 2.0.

 

[N3051M]

it will bring the mobo to its factory default settings.. reseting is usualy just finding the relevent jumper and set it to reset for a few seconds or taking out the CMOS battery for a bit. refer to your mobo manual to its method of how to..

see how it goes and post bak..
good luck