Homebuild with a few odd problems

Neon_Genocide

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Mar 26, 2006
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Been working on a slight update to hold me over till win vista.

After fixing problems one by one, I ran into one that I have never heard of. I pluged everything bare minimum, (mobo, video card, hardrive, cdrom). When I plug my psu in to the surge strip and hit the switch on the back on the psu some parts of the computer come on, fans mostly though no boot up. The light on the button at the front of my computer is on as if I had pressed it but it won't turn on / off by using it. I can't hear the hardrive start up. I know the cpu works as I have tryed it in another computer. All the parts are new. Any thoughts?

Specs

cpu - Athlon 3200
mobo - MSI K8N Neo 4 platinum edition
video card - GeForce 7900 Gt XFX
psu - Aerocool Turbine Power 550w
hard drive - Western Digital Caviar SE WD1200JS
 

shadowduck

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Been working on a slight update to hold me over till win vista.

After fixing problems one by one, I ran into one that I have never heard of. I pluged everything bare minimum, (mobo, video card, hardrive, cdrom). When I plug my psu in to the surge strip and hit the switch on the back on the psu some parts of the computer come on, fans mostly though no boot up. The light on the button at the front of my computer is on as if I had pressed it but it won't turn on / off by using it. I can't hear the hardrive start up. I know the cpu works as I have tryed it in another computer. All the parts are new. Any thoughts?

Sounds like you might have the power switch connector on the wrong pins. Check out your motherboard manual. The LED has nothing to do with the switch and might still come on when the button is pressed if its on the wrong pin by one.
 

Neon_Genocide

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replugged everything back into the mobo and no dice it still turns on just by the back switch, actually I tryed it just with the 24pin inserted into the mobo and nothing else inlcluding the case wires and it turned on like that.

possible bad psu?
or might it be the mobo?
 

pat

Expert
Been working on a slight update to hold me over till win vista.

After fixing problems one by one, I ran into one that I have never heard of. I pluged everything bare minimum, (mobo, video card, hardrive, cdrom). When I plug my psu in to the surge strip and hit the switch on the back on the psu some parts of the computer come on, fans mostly though no boot up. The light on the button at the front of my computer is on as if I had pressed it but it won't turn on / off by using it. I can't hear the hardrive start up. I know the cpu works as I have tryed it in another computer. All the parts are new. Any thoughts?

Specs

cpu - Athlon 3200
mobo - MSI K8N Neo 4 platinum edition
video card - GeForce 7900 Gt XFX
psu - Aerocool Turbine Power 550w
hard drive - Western Digital Caviar SE WD1200JS

Yes.. it is a very good PSU, with everything normal happening. But your lack of knowledge, coupled by the fact that you obviously did not read the manual, or you simply flipped the page would have tell you to:
1- The PSU switch is simply to turn on the PSU and send basic power to the motherboard ...
2- you need to connect the case switch to the header on the motherboard to actually start the computer... as it is not the purpose of the back switch
3- You need both 24 pins AND 4 pins power connector connected to the system, no only the 24 pins one...
4- The 4 pins needed in the 4 pins connector has 2 balck wire and 2 yellow wire.
5- your video card may need additionnal power connector..


So, it may look like a harsh answer, but you need to read the manual.. not just flip the page, You'll learn were to plug power switch (as well as all the other goodies0 or, if you prefer, where to jump it to actually start the computer. You are blaming perfectly normal behaving hardware instead of you.. do your lessons.
 

Neon_Genocide

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Mar 26, 2006
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Actually that was my original set up and why it confused me. Even with the 24 pin connected, the 4 pin to the cpu, the 6 pin to my video card and my case connected correctly to the mobo it still turns on like this.

And yes I have read the manual which is why I am posting my question since it had not addressed this problem.
 

triggerhappy

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Apr 7, 2006
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sounds like a possible ram issue. try a ddifferent combo of ram as i have run into that problem before from setting mem timings too tight.
 

pat

Expert
Actually that was my original set up and why it confused me. Even with the 24 pin connected, the 4 pin to the cpu, the 6 pin to my video card and my case connected correctly to the mobo it still turns on like this.

And yes I have read the manual which is why I am posting my question since it had not addressed this problem.

In the BIOS, there is an option to resume from power loss, can be last state, on or off. if you set it to on, then it will turn on.
 

drkspidr

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Mar 17, 2006
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That behavior can be caused by your hard drive ribbon cable, actually.

Try disconnecting your hard drive only and see if the whole thing boots up.

To Sandmannight:

Bengals do rule!!!

Dark Spider
 

Neon_Genocide

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Mar 26, 2006
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as for the psu it is new, and not from the case. my case is to old anyways I don't know if the psu that came with the case would even have enough power for everything. Besides the fact of them being generaly unreliable.

I know the ram work, just took them out of my other computer. And I have yet to make it to the bios. I only have 1 of the ram strips in for now since i have also heard that having 2 gig's doesn't always work for a clean start.

I only think that the fans turn on as I can't hear the hardrive start up, and the light to my cd rom don't turn on. So the bios is out of the question as of now. That would make my life so much easier if I could get to it.

I'll check the cables to the cd rom and the 3.5 drive. Don't think it would be the hard drive unless SATA can do that.
 

pat

Expert
as for the psu it is new, and not from the case. my case is to old anyways I don't know if the psu that came with the case would even have enough power for everything. Besides the fact of them being generaly unreliable.

I know the ram work, just took them out of my other computer. And I have yet to make it to the bios. I only have 1 of the ram strips in for now since i have also heard that having 2 gig's doesn't always work for a clean start.

I only think that the fans turn on as I can't hear the hardrive start up, and the light to my cd rom don't turn on. So the bios is out of the question as of now. That would make my life so much easier if I could get to it.

I'll check the cables to the cd rom and the 3.5 drive. Don't think it would be the hard drive unless SATA can do that.

Are you still trying to start it with the PSU power button or with the case power button?
 

kittle

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Dec 8, 2005
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sounds like something is plugged in wrong.
flipping the switch on the back of the PSU should NOT power up the system.

try this:
unplug ALL components from your motherboard - cpu, ram, video, hd, etc.
hook the speaker and power switch up according to the motherboard manual. Then remove the power switch from your case, wires and all. Lay the wires out where you can see they arent getting pinched, shorted, etc, and plug it into the motherboard.

flip power switch in the back. nothing should happen -- if it does, this points to a bad PSU, or mislabeled pins on the motherboard or messed up wiring on your case.

If the system stays off when you flip the switch in the back of the PSU, click the power switch. the motherboard should beep at you because nothing is plugged in, and this is what we want. From there you should be able to add things back in one at a time.
 

pat

Expert
sounds like something is plugged in wrong.
flipping the switch on the back of the PSU should NOT power up the system.

Actually, if the BIOS option that allow to start after power loss is enabled, then yes, the computer will start with the PSU switch, as the BIOS believe that it was a power outage.

But normally, BIOS don't come with this option enabled as defaul.
 

Neon_Genocide

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Mar 26, 2006
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Took everything apart and reput it all back together again this time with another psu just to take out that possibility. And the same problem happens. Some of the components turn on when I hit the switch on the back of the psu. Wish I had a second mobo to test everything out on but all mine are older p3 boards.
 

pat

Expert
Took everything apart and reput it all back together again this time with another psu just to take out that possibility. And the same problem happens. Some of the components turn on when I hit the switch on the back of the psu. Wish I had a second mobo to test everything out on but all mine are older p3 boards.

maybe there is something grounded.. try it outside the case
 

weskurtz81

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using your cases PSU?..... if you are referring to the PSU that came in the case.... some acutally come with good PSU's..... so that is not always the correct assumption.
 

ZOldDude

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Apr 22, 2006
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Unplug the on button from the case to the MB.

If the computer stops turning on when you use the PSU switch then the button on the case is bad.

Z
 

PCKid777

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Uhm... you did use those brass standoffs right???? Just curious b/c on my first build, the manual FAILED to mention that I needed them. My PC symptoms when trying to fix it: It would TURN ON BY ITSELF when I walked by it.
 

Neon_Genocide

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Mar 26, 2006
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cmos has been cleared though it did nothing for the problem. I may just have a bad mobo which is also the only thing besides my video card that I am unable to test.