Stumped, cant get system to Post! (all green LED)

[Endersun]

First time poster....

Specs:

MSI P6N SLI Motherboard (NForce 650i)
1 Gig of G.skill DDR800 ram
Geforce 8600 GTS video card
700 Watt Epsilon power supply

My D-Bracket, is showing all 4 green LED's - which is very confusing, because the system wont post. the first thing that came into mind was the video card could be bad, but i tested it on another machine and it works fine.

Ive reset CMOS, and I've tried unplugging optical drives and hard drive, always same response, boots with all 4 green LED's but no video.

has anyone had a similar problem, or any ideas to troubleshoot this?

edit: Also ive tried using 2 different monitors

 

[Endersun]

well I unplugged everything and plugged it back in, except the front panel USB / LED switches, I simply double checked them and made sure they were snug.

I also reseated the processor.

Now the D-bracket shows 1 3 4 Green, and 2 Red.. my manual says this for that coding:

Initializing Floppy Drive Controller
This will initialize Floppy Drive and controller.

I don't have a floppy drive... so I'm not sure what this error means.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[tlmck]

Go into the BIOS and disable the Floppy drive, and "boot up floppy seek". Most BIOS's enable these by default.

 

[akhilles]

I hope you have installed a compatible cpu cuz there's a plague at tom's where builders try to power up a psu alone, a barebone w/o cpu, etc. No kidding.

 

[bcboy]

Ive reset CMOS, and I've tried unplugging optical drives and hard drive, always same response, boots with all 4 green LED's but no video.

Go into the BIOS and disable the Floppy drive, and "boot up floppy seek". Most BIOS's enable these by default.

Some people just can't read...How exactly is he supposed to edit the BIOS on a computer that's not POSTing?

EDIT: Does your mobo have onboard video? If so, try taking the GeForce out, and running off the onboard first.

 

[rgeist554]

If you're not posting at all, you have a hardware problem somewhere. Did you seat your motherboard on the stand-offs?? (The little brass pegs that go between the motherboard and the back of the case)

What CPU do you have? You only list that you have a CPU and give us your motherboard type. Is it Intel or AMD? Only AMD AM2 processors work with the M2N boards.

Other things to try: Put the RAM in another slot and make sure your motherboard can handle that type of RAM. Some boards, like VIA or ECS won't let you put non-dual channel ram in the dual channel slot / force you to put a stand alone piece of RAM in slot 2 instead of slot 1.

Floppy drive: Disconnect the power cable to it completely or make sure you don't have it on upside-down.

*If it was a video card issue, your system would at least POST then give you one long beep.

 

[Endersun]

MSI P6N SLI-FI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6850 - Retail

The Motherboard supports 1333 FSB, and thats what my processor runs at.

I have no onboard video and I do not have a floppy drive either.

I was able to make all nine stand-offs match 9 of the motherboard holes, although I only had 8 screws, so I didnt screw one of them in, but it seems sturdy.

Another thing is that my ram runs at 1.9v - 2.0v and my MB recommends 1.8v ram, but I have heard on more than 1 occasion of people using ram over the voltage and it working. Wouldn't my D-bracket show a memory problem if it was? Anyway, heres the ram I'm using:

G.SKILL 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model F2-6400PHU1-1GBNR - Retail

How can I tell if its dual channel? I'm gonna try sticking it on the DIMM2 anyways though.

Also thanks for the suggestions I just woke up and had my breakfast, so its troubleshooting time....

edit: also... how loud should my processor be? I don't think I'm hearing any processor grinding on power up, but my D-bracket never shows faulty processor. If it doesn't post, then the processor won't make much noise anyways right?

 

[notherdude]

Processors are silent, perhaps you were thinking of the HD? Or was it the CPU fan you were thinking of?

Until you sort this out attempt to boot with barebones only!

1.CPU (along with heatsink/fan of course)

2. I and only 1 stick of RAM!

3. Video card

4. Power to 1. main 2. Aux 4 pin cpu 3. Video card

5. Monitor and keyboard.

Re-set CMOS

If it won't then boot try moving the RAM to different slots and try replacing the RAM stick with another.

Once it boots then and only then add anything else back in.

Since you have tested video card if this barebones will not boot you have either a malfunction of mobo or PSU or RAM, or CPU - not likely RAM if you have more than 1 stick to test. Not likely CPU since they almost never go bad.

Check and re-check all connections power, cpu fan etc. make sure no shorts.

The PSU would be the first to test by replacing it with another, much easier than replacing a mobo

 

[Endersun]

Your right I was thinking of the grinding sound the HD makes. Well I reseated my processor for a 3rd time, and I examined the processor and pins on the MB, and nothing seems to be damaged, I went ahead and put some arctic silver on the processor while I was at it. And according to my motherboard and processor they support each other.

I took the motherboard out of the case, and just put the skeletal crew in, my D-bracket, video card, ram, and CPU.

I plugged the power accordingly, 24pin, and my 4+4pin into the 8pin ATX CPU power connector. Plugged in monitor and keyboard, and reset CMOS.

All my fans boot up, and the MB lights light up saying its charged when I power it on, Im doubtfull it is the PSU.

On boot, my D-bracket goes all 4 Green LED's but im not getting any video... no POST, or Beep. Back where I started it seems.

But at least I got it narrowed down. Im thinking its the RAM. the RAM I have isnt in the supported list on my MB manual, and it runs at 1.9v-2.0v when my motherboard supports 1.8v.

Well at least I know what the next step is, I just need to find someone with DDR2 RAM, dont think i got the cash to buy it at best buy.... and i sure as hell dont want to wait for an ordered part....

I had a picture of my skeletal krew setup but this old labtop has no drivers for my phone ):

Thanks for all the advice so far.. I guess the rest of the day is contemplating where to get another stick of ram....

 

[notherdude]

It's hard to say.

RAM .1v below spec ought to at least boot. I stick by itself at least should. But do try a stick that runs at 1.8. This RAM undervolting problem has been stopping a lot of people lately.

Keep in mind that PSUs do sometimes die a partial death. They need to put out a pretty specific output to give you a relaible boot. So you might very wll get some fans or other things to spin up but no POST.

 

[Endersun]

Okay... I went to the local comp store like 2 minutes away and got a stick of Kingstonx1GB DDR2 4200, which my manual says it supports, exact same response.... 4 Green LED - No post.

Im gonna try another power supply now, I just hope I have one compatable with my MB, but I do have several laying around.

gosh this is getting frustrating!

Edit: Also the spare PSU's I have are no more than 250Watts, I hope thats safe enough to run even on my skeletal crew setup....

 

[Endersun]

*sigh* - EXTREMELY frustrated at this point. I just tried a different PSU... still... exact same response. 4 Green LED - No post

I'm at a loss... the video card has to be compatable with the MB, its an SLI video card for an SLI motherboard, and I have already tested it on another machine.

If the motherboard was messed up... why would it show 4 green LED on the D-bracket?

Is my CPU really broken? I mean its pinless.... and i have literally installed hundreds of CPU's (worked in a dell factory).

heres my motherboard supports CPU specs:

Supported CPU
CPU Socket Type LGA 775
CPU Type Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo / Pentium D / Celeron
FSB 1333/1066MHz
Supported CPU Technologies Hyper-Threading Technology

and my CPU compatability:
CPU Socket Type
CPU Socket Type LGA 775
Tech Spec
Core Conroe
Multi-Core Dual-Core
Name Core 2 Duo E6850
Operating Frequency 3.0GHz
FSB 1333MHz

Not sure what the next step is.... any ideas?

 

[tlmck]

RMA the MB and get an ASUS, EVGA, or Gigabyte 650i. At their best, MSI is a middle of the road board.

On my previous post, I meant to say, when it does POST, and you get to BIOS, turn off the floppy stuff to get rid of the red LED's.

 

[bcboy]

? wouldn't that be like 'okay we'll fix the cancer, but while we're in there we'll just get rid of that extra kidney for you...'

 

[Endersun]

Well the sad thing is I mailed in a rebate for this motherboard.

Rebates are basically designed for companies to capitalize on profits, by the inconvenience's of mail and of course to ruin RMA's.

Newegg already rejected me, I surely hope MSI will let me RMA my board, especially considering it isn't damaged, its just a board that for some random reason wont work for me.

rebates = devil

 

[bcboy]

take my advice...get the Asus P5N32-SLI Plus that I got...purrin like a kitten

 

[tlmck]

Well the sad thing is I mailed in a rebate for this motherboard.

Rebates are basically designed for companies to capitalize on profits, by the inconvenience's of mail and of course to ruin RMA's.

Newegg already rejected me, I surely hope MSI will let me RMA my board, especially considering it isn't damaged, its just a board that for some random reason wont work for me.

rebates = devil

Unless they changed their policy, Newegg will let you RMA a defective for the same product. Hopefully the replacement will actually work.

One tip though, put a little ink dot or something on the motherboard sticker to make sure they do not send back the same board. Make it small so only you notice it.

The other draw back to mail order, is that you have to pay to ship it back, which cuts into the rebate.

 

[notherdude]

Okay... I went to the local comp store like 2 minutes away and got a stick of Kingstonx1GB DDR2 4200, which my manual says it supports, exact same response.... 4 Green LED - No post.

Im gonna try another power supply now, I just hope I have one compatable with my MB, but I do have several laying around.

gosh this is getting frustrating!

Edit: Also the spare PSU's I have are no more than 250Watts, I hope thats safe enough to run even on my skeletal crew setup....

two fitty? I don't know dude. I actually doubt that would be enough. It MIGHT boot, but then again it probably won't. I'm thinking you need a 300-400 (quality) unit to answere this question. As a permenant unit I'd get a 500+ QUALITY unit with plenty of 12v rail for that 8800.

Since RMAing the board is such a PITA try to find a better PSU if you can. You could always buy one and then retutn it.

What is the 12v rail on that 250? It will be on the lable. You need about 28 amps for that video card and probably a minimum 400 watts.

 

[bcboy]

two fitty? I don't know dude. I actually doubt that would be enough. It MIGHT boot, but then again it probably won't. I'm thinking you need a 300-400 (quality) unit to answere this question. As a permenant unit I'd get a 500+ QUALITY unit with plenty of 12v rail for that 8800.

Since RMAing the board is such a PITA try to find a better PSU if you can. You could always buy one and then retutn it.

What is the 12v rail on that 250? It will be on the lable. You need about 28 amps for that video card and probably a minimum 400 watts.

Agreed. My system runs with a 585w PSU, 28A 12v rail

 

[Endersun]

two fitty? I don't know dude. I actually doubt that would be enough. It MIGHT boot, but then again it probably won't. I'm thinking you need a 300-400 (quality) unit to answere this question. As a permenant unit I'd get a 500+ QUALITY unit with plenty of 12v rail for that 8800.

Since RMAing the board is such a PITA try to find a better PSU if you can. You could always buy one and then retutn it.

What is the 12v rail on that 250? It will be on the lable. You need about 28 amps for that video card and probably a minimum 400 watts.

Im talking about running it on the skeletal crew aka bare minimum. Just CPU/Video/Ram, surely I dont need that many watts for the bare minimum?

 

[bcboy]

The theoretical maximum for the PCI-ex16 is 150w. Call it 20w for RAM, 65w for CPU and throw in 20 watts for bus inefficiencey, fans, and general dissipation. Thats 255w, but just an estimate.

 

[notherdude]

two fitty? I don't know dude. I actually doubt that would be enough. It MIGHT boot, but then again it probably won't. I'm thinking you need a 300-400 (quality) unit to answere this question. As a permenant unit I'd get a 500+ QUALITY unit with plenty of 12v rail for that 8800.

Since RMAing the board is such a PITA try to find a better PSU if you can. You could always buy one and then retutn it.

What is the 12v rail on that 250? It will be on the lable. You need about 28 amps for that video card and probably a minimum 400 watts.

Im talking about running it on the skeletal crew aka bare minimum. Just CPU/Video/Ram, surely I dont need that many watts for the bare minimum?

I just don't know. But it sure does not seem obvious to me that it will work, barebones or not. You probably have a bad MOBO but I hate to see you go to all that trouble of replacing it if there is any question about the PSU. Do you have an old video card you can put in there? Like an old PCI card which basically needs very little power?

 

[Endersun]

I just don't know. But it sure does not seem obvious to me that it will work, barebones or not. You probably have a bad MOBO but I hate to see you go to all that trouble of replacing it if there is any question about the PSU. Do you have an old video card you can put in there? Like an old PCI card which basically needs very little power?

I don't have access to any PCI video cards, I do have a friend with a PCI video card but he lives like 30 min away, not sure if he would let me use his....

but IF it did post, wouldn't I hear a single beep?

I just sent in an RMA to the manufacturer (MSI). I just hope I dont get another board and have the same problem, but at least it would eliminate the board being the problem.

I mean the PSU I got has very good ratings on newegg, meaning alot of people have used it without problems. Also it was new and its 700W of power.

But I have an old dell that I used underwattage for a long while, which wasnt smart, but it would still work.

but about my question, do all motherboards give a single beep when they post?

 

[bcboy]

When they post properly, yes, one beep. At least all mobo's I've ever owned. Also, did you try switching out the RAM, the CPU? You did wear a static strap when you installed them, didn't you? Static electricity is the nuke of the microchip, so let's hope you did... And in the case of CPU or RAM failure you may not see any errors in your fancy LED setup, because the mobo's working just fine. But you won't get a post either.

There's a saying in the factory industry: "If it doesn't work right, always blame the part you first started with last." In this case, that would be your mobo. Switch out all the rest of the parts first before blaming it. In the case of a 250w PSU, I'd consider that suspect, as well.

 

[Endersun]

well keep in mind the original PSU ive been doing all the testing with is a 700w PSU.... the only reason i used a 250w was just to test a different PSU, and thats all i had laying around, and i dont exactly have a 1333/1000Mzh CPU FSB CPU laying around.

but i did try other ram sticks, I really hope its not the CPU, but for the motherboard to process the LED lights, i thought it required a CPU.

the way i see it, i mean the motherboard is the body, and the CPU is the brain, the motherboard cant do anything w/o the CPU right?

but ya ive never heard a beep so, no post ):