Weird boot issue

[Cpt Deadboots]

My computer has been sitting for a few months due to lack of space to set it up. I recently cleared out some space and set up my hardware, then went to boot the computer. No dice. It turns on and fans spin up, but the hard drive stays dead and there's no output to the monitor. It also randomly reboots after a short amount of time. I've tried plugging it into different outlets, unplugging the video card and plugging in the onboard video, unplugging the hard drive, pulling out the memory, and resetting the CMOS (not sure I'm doing that one right, though...).

I'm pretty close to pulling out some hair and throwing the box out the window... do you guys have any advice? Am I doing something wrong when resetting the CMOS?

Here's my build, just in case you need any of this info:

Core 2 Quad Q6600
Gigabyte G41M-ES2L
2x2 GB A-Data DDR2-800
XFX Geforce GTS250 1GB
Seagate 250 GB hdd
Antec Earthwatts EA750

Thanks in advance for any input you might have.

 

[Proximon]

I need to clarify a few things. Maybe I'm a bit thick tonight.

This is a computer that was working. By set up the hardware, you mean that you plugged in the monitor etc, right?

"It also randomly reboots after a short amount of time."
Does this mean ONCE, at the same time each time, or does it mean REPEATEDLY at set intervals... Or does it mean truly RANDOMLY, never at the same time, or does it mean SPORADICALLY... sometimes rebooting and sometimes not?

If the reboot you are observing always happens about 2 seconds after the FIRST BOOT when the PSU has been off or unplugged, that is normal.

You should check every connection and re-seat everything. Make sure the CPU fan is spinning.

If the PC was bumped hard enough while in storage you might have a loose CPU cooler, or a loose 4-pin CPU power connection.

 

[Cpt Deadboots]

It was working, yes. It was randomly rebooting, not at set intervals that I could tell. I realize that the first boot results in a reboot after a few seconds.

I got it to boot after removing a stick of ram. Apparently one of them was bad, as it works in neither slot and the one I've got in now works in both - is it a common occurrence for a bad stick to pose such a problem?

 

[Proximon]

I guess it would depend how the stick went bad. Minor flaws usually result in BSODs, but I have seen reboots from RAM before.

Glad it's fixed!