System powers on for a second, then cuts off...

[RigorVK]

Hey, I've got a quick question. I've fully assembled my build hopefully correctly inside the case, but when I hit the power switch, things turn on for perhaps a second before cutting off again. About two seconds after that, they turn on again. By "things turn on," I mean the two case fans, front LEDs, and the CPU heatsink fan. I don't know what happens next because I haven't ventured to leave my system on longer than that. It seems like some sort of problem with drawing power, but I've tried it in a couple of different outlets with no change. If you had to take a guess, what would you suspect?

For those wondering what the setup consists of hardware-wise, it's exactly the one found here: http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/05/09/system_builder_marathon/page7.html

P.S. I haven't tried an out of case build yet, but I shall in the morning. I thought I'd still throw something up here before I crash for the night to see what you guys think. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Zorg]

Your link didn't work for me. Your next step is out of case build. One poster had his HS backing plate on upside down and it was shorting, even out of the case, obviously. You have classic MB shorting, or other shorting, symptoms, except the restarting. Usually the PS will shut off and not restart until it is turned off at the back or unplugged, but with all the PSs out there I'm sure that there are plenty that will reset and try to power up again without a power down.

 

[RigorVK]

The link is fixed. About to try the out of case build.

 

[RigorVK]

Did the out of case build. When I power it on, the CPU fan starts turning and I immediately get a high pitched sound from the motherboard that lasts for about two seconds, then everything shuts off. When I flip the power supply switch off to cut power, things whir to life for another half second, then stop. I've double and triple checked my connection and don't know what to do. Any advice?

Edit: Poking around MSI's (my motherboard manufacturer's) site, I found these beep codes (http://www.msicomputer.com/support/sup_tshoot.asp#1_4) that seem to suggest something is wrong with my CPU or cooling...

 

[aziraphale]

High pitched sound? From the speaker? Other components that make high pitched sounds are usually defective capacitors. Try to locate it exactly...

 

[sweetpants]

If you can try using the CPU in another system or try putting another CPU in this motherboard and see if you got the same thing?

I actually had this problem before, and what was causing it was one of my backplates fell out of my case and I didn't realize it. It was resting halfway out the case and the rest was resting on the video card and causing it to short.

Not saying this is your problem, but if your beep codes indicate a bad CPU, try it in a different motherboard.

 

[RigorVK]

Zorg: What is a backing plate? I'm not familiar with the term.

Aziraphale: The high pitched sound appears to come from the motherboard, though I don't think I can localize it any more than that. There are no speakers, I'm doing an out of case build to try to get this thing to work.

sweetpants: I don't have easy access to other components, so switching them could be a pain, but I'll see what I can do. You also mentioned backplates/backing plates. What are these and how will I be able to tell if something is wrong with one or more of them?

 

[Hatman]

Trial and error mate, if you got spare parts swap em around til you find the one that doesn't work.

It sounds like your motherboard may be shot.

 

[RigorVK]

A possibly related question: How long will an uncooled CPU take to overheat to the point of damage? The CPU in question is an Intel C2D E6600.

 

[Crashman]

Try leaving it on. The squeel is from the video card's "PCI-Express power connector disconnected" warning buzzer. On some systems, it will squeel briefly whenever you power the system up or down. If it squeels continously, it's not getting enough power through the 6-pin connector.

 

[RigorVK]

Crashman: I will try connecting the 6 pin power connector to the graphics card. Will a graphics card that isn't recieving enough power shut down the system? Because if it doesn't typically do that, then there's still the issue of things starting to run for a couple of seconds then cutting off.

 

[sweetpants]

What I'm referring to in back plate is different than what the other person mentioned... you know those PCI plates that you have to remove from the back of your case before you can put in your video card and such? Yea one of those was shorting out of my video card because it was resting on the external enclure and the PCB of the video card. Should have nothing to do with your problem..

 

[lordszone]

as far as i know, u have a defected or burnt motherboard. because this exactly same thing happened on my friend's pc, and the final result was that it was burnt. hope i helped.

 

[Zorg]

What I'm referring to in back plate is different than what the other person mentioned... you know those PCI plates that you have to remove from the back of your case before you can put in your video card and such? Yea one of those was shorting out of my video card because it was resting on the external enclure and the PCB of the video card. Should have nothing to do with your problem..

The plates that you are referring to are called blanking plates not backing plates.

@OP What I am referring to is the CPU heat sink back plate that is used with after market heatsinks. It is placed on the back of the motherboard to distributed the weight of the heavy heatsink. This guys was metal and had foam insulators on the side that is supposed to contact the MB but he had it on backwards and it was shorting the MB. If you are using the stock heatsink than there is no backing plate.

It could be a bad power supply. I checked Newegg reviews, I know they can't be trusted, and there were a few that indicated DOA etc. Try getting a tester like this one.
http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=77203

Also try removing the Graphics card and seeing if the mobo or PS squeals.

 

[Hellboy]

Ok,

Take the motherboard out of the case and make sure and check and if not sure check again that the heatsink is correctly installed and the "plugs" which hold the fan in place are in the holes and plastic lugs are not bent in anyway if so remove and insert again.

Second --- usb ports on front if broken will bring down a pc because if 5v goes to ground the board protects it self from booting up therefore stopping damage..

last but not least powersupply but i recon heatsink is not installed correctly

Intel 775 need extra care and attention when installing its not a quick rush job to install as some are eager to get their pride and joy up and running.........


Good Luck

 

[Crashman]

No, it's normal for many of todays boards to start just long enough to read configuration data from the CPU and RAM, shut down, and restart.

 

[Zorg]

Take the motherboard out of the case

Did you read the entire thread before you posted, including this?

Did the out of case build.

... and make sure and check and if not sure check again that the heatsink is correctly installed and the "plugs" which hold the fan in place are in the holes and plastic lugs are not bent in anyway if so remove and insert again.

... When I power it on, the CPU fan starts turning and I immediately get a high pitched sound from the motherboard that lasts for about two seconds, then everything shuts off.

I don't believe that a bad stock HS installation would cause the squealing that is occurring.

Second --- usb ports on front if broken will bring down a pc because if 5v goes to ground the board protects it self from booting up therefore stopping damage..

If the mobo is removed from the case then the front USB ports will not be connected.

last but not least powersupply but i recon heatsink is not installed correctly

Again, probably not the HS mounting for above reason. Possibly PS or short or bad mobo, or even remotely, possibly CPU.

 

[Zorg]

No, it's normal for many of todays boards to start just long enough to read configuration data from the CPU and RAM, shut down, and restart.

I agree, at this point he should let it run until it POSTs or the second reboot. It does take balls when the machine is screaming at you.

 

[Techfan]

Probably is a short circuit somewhere. What I will advise you is ask a friend of yours who has a computer with compatible motherboard for your parts. Then try them one by one on his or her computer until you find the faulty part. Don't worry it won't cause any damages.

 

[notherdude]

I could be sadly mistaken but did he say the 8800 was not plugged in to power?

 

[Crashman]

No, it's not a short circuit that's triggering that particular alarm, it's the graphics card alarm that accompanies a low power condition (such as line undervoltage or no PCI-E cable connected).

 

[Zorg]

No, it's not a short circuit that's triggering that particular alarm, it's the graphics card alarm that accompanies a low power condition (such as line undervoltage or no PCI-E cable connected).

That's why I suggested that he power the MB with the video card removed to see if the squealing would go away.

 

[Crashman]

Someone needs to post a link to wave files for system sounds

 

[notherdude]

A possibly related question: How long will an uncooled CPU take to overheat to the point of damage? The CPU in question is an Intel C2D E6600.

Why do you ask? Did you or are you attempting to power up with no heatsink? It also sounded like you are attempting to boot with no power connected to video card. Could you please clarify?

 

[ajw84]

A similar problem occurred with my mate's new build. we simply reset the cmos and everything worked, i suggest u try that. consult your motherboard manual on how to do this if you are unsure.

A.