Changed cases, computer not posting!!!

llmercll

Distinguished
Nov 20, 2008
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Help me! I bought a new case for my system, transferred it over, and now my computer wont post (no error code, no beep, nothing. green motherboard light comes on though, as well as power lights on case and video card + fans). I didn't change a single thing, just the case.

Does anyone know whats going on with my system? It's old...an asus a7n8x deluxe, athlon xp 2600, and radeon 9800pro. I wanted to use it as an HTPC.

any help would be very appreciated, thanks!
 
Verify that your Front panel connectors (PWR, Reset, HDD_LED, etc.) are properly connected to the board, with correct polarities, as applciable. Verify that all the cards are firmly and properly seated, that all the power and fan connectors are firmly and properly connected (4/8- pin CPU power cable, GPU power cable(s)).
 

Paperdoc

Polypheme
Ambassador
If you TRULY changed ONLY the case and no other hardware, there is no need to reset the BIOS. But I will suggest another thing to check. In mounting a mobo in a case, it is especially important that the brass stand-offs be placed in the case so that they match up with the screw holes in the mobo. You MUST NOT put a standoff where there is no mobo screw hole, because that will likely short the mobo to the case! You cannot mount a mobo in a case without any standoffs, unless it is designed with some alternative plastic things - the mobo can't just fasten down to the case holes without some clearance. And yes, the screws through the mobo mounting holes and into the standoffs ARE supposed to make electrical contact - those mounting holes are designed to be mobo grounding points.

Once that's checked, review how the add-on cards in the PCI bus sockets are seated. Also check the way the back panel connectors fit into the opening in the custom back panel - I once had a poor fit that resulted in a metal finger poking into a back panel connector socket.

dwebb5, you say you already removed the battery for 30 secs. That is part of how you reset the BIOS (the other part is you are supposed to move the jumper on the BIOS Reset connector on the mobo, then return it to its original position). BUT after that is done, you should boot into BIOS and go to the screen where you can reset it to Factory Default or to Optimal Default settings. Without this step your BIOS may have a few faulty settings. Of course, I recognize that you can't do this step if the BIOS won't come up because nothing is working at all.

That checklist is s much more complete list of how to diagnose, so follow it. If necessary, you start by "breadboarding". That is, you remove the mobo from its case, set it on an insulating surface, install the minimum hardware, and try to run it out of the case. Then you add components one at a time. When you get it working that way, you re-install minimal hardware in the case and go through a similar sequence to complete the system.