Won't boot to BIOS

[Titansfan]

I have an 18 month old, factory built Gateway DX4640-UB101A. A month ago, display had an intermittent blue hue. Mid December it wouldn’t boot. I thought it was the HDD, so I added a new one today in hopes of salvaging the old one, which is still installed. This is the PC the family uses, but the kids don’t have administrator rights, and hopefully antivirus & parental controls would prevent most other threats. They're still young enough not to try anything deliberately, and yet, I have no idea if they are somehow the culprits.

After pressing the power button, I get fans and either HDD to spin but not getting any video output (VGA or HDMI) nor any beeps, which is the same response as prior to the new HDD. OEM mobo is MSI P6NGM-FD, I think. I don’t know if there is a system speaker installed. I can’t find an LED that indicates whether or not there is sb power to mobo, but the voltage to the corresponding wire is correct.

CPU: Intel E2200
RAM: 2-2Gb DDR2-800
Power Supply: FSP-300 60THA(1)
Hard drive(s): WD 320Gb (original); Seagate 1T (new)
Operating System: Vista – 64 bit
Case: tower

I’ve tried:
-reconnecting all power plugs.
-checking that voltage to each wire is consistent with PSU specs. (i.e. orange=+3.3v; purple=-12v; etc.)
-jumper from green to black wires simulating Logic Low – no response.
-booting with and without power and SATA cables connected to original and/or new HDD.
-reset CMOS (removed PSU cord and mobo battery for 1 min.)

I have Ultimate Boot CD (if I ever get there). Lastly, my skill level (at best) is as a “parts swapper” based on other posts. I can futz around inside the box and load drivers, but I’m not otherwise nearly as tech savvy as y’all. I’d appreciate any advice, and don't overlook that I may not have executed the above efforts properly.

 

[r_manic]

Start with the basics: try a different display/video cable. Failing that, try another motherboard if you can.

 

[expat]

hi,
i had a similar problem with my new build pc try taking 1 of the sticks of ram out if that doesn,t work try swapping with the other stick if not try stripping out all non essential components and see if it ill boot.
one other thing worth trying is removing system battery disconnecting all power and resetting cmos jumper again.
hope this helps

 

[tony0600]

Im having kinda having problem my pc just keep restarting i press delete too enter bios setup and pc just restarts

 

[Titansfan]

I'm such a newbie, I don't know how to mark this as "Resloved." Turns out it was the mobo. I repaced it with an Intel DG45ID board for a little over $100.00, plus I picked up a computer voltage tester and and anti-static wristband thingy for about $20. After install, I had one minor issue with the BIOS but the folks at Intel made it failsafe with a relatively easy way to restore factory BIOS. I also had something freaky with the sleep/hibernate settings both before and after the mobo was replaced. I just reset to default, and the entire machine is much improved with the new mobo. Lesson learned: you get what you pay for... Gateway: crap; Intel: costs more, but worth the premium especially for the uninitiated, at least in my humble opinion.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I had previously tried swapping memory sticks but forgot to mention it in my initial post. Good advice nonetheless.