It just won't go...

[EchoXero]

So, today I was working on a new system with this http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4320034&CatId=1916, plus another SATA 250GB Hard Drive that already had my OS and everything on it and got it all set up and ready to go, so I plugged it in, attached my monitor and fired it up. I was on it for about 15 minutes, attempting to install driver software for a new network adapter so that I could go to the nVidia website and download new drivers for the motherboard and graphics card.

So, as I said, I was on it for about 15 minutes. It suddenly just shut off. I tried pressing the power buttons a few times, it just would not turn on. I let it sit awhile thinking maybe the new system is just being stupid and needs to take a break (that always works for me, except this time.) So, I go over to the computer, hit the power button (and the whole time I know power is going into it because I didn't put the side panel on and I could see lights on the mobo) and it turns on for about 1/8 of a second.

The green LEDs in the front fans turned on and I could see the other fans spinning, even the CPU fan, and it turned off. After just 1/8 of a second. So I open it up, look around inside, digging around to see if I can find the problem, thinking maybe a power cord card loose or something. I give up the search, try turning it on again, it starts up fine. It ran for about 30 seconds, then instantly turned off, no blue screen or anything. I turned it on again, it worked, it ran for about two minutes, turned off again, and that was the last successful time it started. When I press the power button, sometimes it will kind of spring to life for a few fractions of a second then die, sometimes it won't do the slightest thing.

I tried unplugging all the non-required parts like the graphics card and turning it on then, but it just wouldn't go. I have tried all the standard troubleshooting methods like unplugging everything and turning it on and seeing if any of those were the culprit, but it just won't start.

Someone, please help. It's a brand new computer that I just spent all day building, and I really want to get on it by this weekend.

Thank you very much ahead of time, and I apologize for it being so long, but I thought I should be detailed.

Thanks,

-Nick

 

[Strobeflux]

Im curious if you attached a PC-Speaker so you can hear if there is some kind of beep code whenever you tries to start the computer.
Sometimes people dont connect a PC-Speaker, which can sometimes be of great help on debugging whats going wrong.

 

[doormatderek]

Quickest thing I could think to try is another powersupply, and

at least make sure power connections are tight, inside and out of the case

 

[jsc]

Need full system specs.

Yep. strobeflux is right. The system speaker is about the cheapest troubleshooting aide you can buy.

Now, assuming that you have installed a system speaker or it is built into the motherboard ...

Clear the CMOS RAM. (This works often enough to be worth doing.) Your motherboard manual will tell you how. Make sure the HSF is properly installed. (You may have to remove the motherboard from the case to check this.) Turn on your PC. If it's still broke, continue on.

Disconnect and unplug everything but the PSU, CPU & HSF, power & reset switches, and the system speaker from the motherboard. When you turn on the PC, you should hear a series of long single beeps. This will indicate a memory failure. (You do not have any memory installed, remember?) In a way, this is very good. This tells you that your PSU is maybe good, the CPU is good, and the motherboard is probably good.

If you do not see anything happening, swap the case power and reset switches. (Maybe you have a bad case power switch).

If you get silence, either the PSU, motherboard, or CPU is bad. The only practical way to determine which is bad is to test by substitution. Most likely failure (in order) is PSU, motherboard, and CPU. One other possibility is that you have something installed improperly in the case and it's shorting out the PSU. Only way to test this is to remove the motherboard from the case and reassemble everything on an insulated surface. This is called "breadboarding" (from the old radio days in the 1920's).

If you hear the beeps, turn off the PC and install one memory module. Turn on the PC and you should hear one long and two or three short beeps indicating a problem with the video card. Silence indicates that the memory module is shorting out the PSU. Long single beeps (my GA-EP35-DS3P and eVGA 680i motherboards) usually indicate a really bad memory module. (Your BIOS codes may be different.) Test and install the rest of the memory.

Turn off the computer. Install the video card and plug in the monitor. Turn on. System should boot and pass POST (single short beep), and you should see messages on the screen. If not, your video card or monitor is bad. A bad video card will usually generate something like one long and two or three short beeps. If you get silence, your video card is probably shorting out the PSU. Again, your BIOS codes may be different.

If you see messages, turn off PC and plug in keyboard and mouse.

If this works, start plugging the other components one by one.


This can all be done before installing any the parts into the case. I always breadboard a new build. It lets me test all the parts before I install them in a case.

 

[EchoXero]

Wow. You guys just go all out with your answers.

You need to stop and look at the little things.

I took it to Best Buy, had Geek Squad look at it.

Dead PSU.



-Nick

 

[B_Cox]

i think they were giving you suggestions on how to do it yourself. They could have suggested taking it to your local computer shop instead of supporting some big corporation.
The posters here have no idea what could be wrong with your computer because they can not see the computer, whereas geeksquad could look at your system. I am sure most of the responders here are more knowledgeable about computers than members of the geeksquad...

 

[EchoXero]

Well, they gave me what every single possibility could be causing this. Except a failed power supply. If I had done all those tests, I would have come on here with no results at all. And they had ALL the information I had. And GeekSquad is free for testing power supplies.

-Nick

 

[EchoXero]

Oh wait, sorry JSC. You did list a power supply test.

Another way to test a power supply is to stick a paperclip in Pin 14, the green one, and the other side in any of the black ones. Plug it in and if the fan turns on, it's a good power supply. If the fan doesn't, it is dead.

-Nick

 

[doormatderek]

Well, they gave me what every single possibility could be causing this. Except a failed power supply. If I had done all those tests, I would have come on here with no results at all. And they had ALL the information I had. And GeekSquad is free for testing power supplies.

-Nick

I believe I said the PSU...

 

[jsc]

Another way to test a power supply is to stick a paperclip in Pin 14, the green one, and the other side in any of the black ones. Plug it in and if the fan turns on, it's a good power supply. If the fan doesn't, it is dead.
-Nick

True, if the fan does not turn on, the PSU is dead. But the fan turning on does not, for certain indicate a good PSU. That will test the main power converter inside and the 12 volt output under minimal load. It doesn't test the 3.3 or 5 volt circuits and it doesn't test the circuits that generate the control signal called "PowerOK" (gray wire, pin 8).