Computer not starting up.

[deckerdt]

COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1
SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S222L
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
GIGABYTE GA-H55M-S2 LGA 1156 Intel H55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
GIGABYTE GV-N84STC-512I GeForce 8400 GS
Intel Core i3-540 Clarkdale 3.06GHz LGA 1156 73W
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"

Hey guys and gals,

So i have a couple questions, with the specs above i am having issues getting the computer to start up.
After plugging everything in, i turn the power on and the fans will all start up, then go down, then start up, then turn off again. This happened 3 or four times in a row.
I tried turning it on a second time after checking all of my connections. The same result happened, except i turned off the switch on the PS and it gave one more boost before giving no more power.

Because of this, i suspected the PS to be the problem and had it replaced. I recieved the second one and had the exact same results. i then tested the MB with different components removed, (ie. ODD, RAM, HD, etc.) I had the same result with each test.

So i have come to the conclusion that the motherboard is shorted somewhere, but am unsure.
Something else that may be a concern is that the motherboard has the extra slot by the cpu for power, is this requried for my components.

I am getting ready to purchase a different mother board and try to get this one replaced for a different computer, so i just want to make sure that i am making the right decision. Thanks.

 

[jack_attack]

Yes, if the board has a P4 plug, you'll want to connect that. Try unplugging the PSU, removing the CMOS battery, and hitting the power button a few times. Reassemble, and try to boot.

 

[MRFS]

In such situations, one of THE best diagnostics is to disconnect
all unnecessary peripherals, and try booting into the BIOS
with only these "barebones" components:

PSU/mobo/CPU/HSF/RAM/KVM

KVM = keyboard / video / mouse


This is always a good checkpoint when building a
brand new system.

The BIOS should have a "Hardware" tab which
reports temps, voltages and fan speeds.

If you can reach that "Hardware" tab, let the
machine run a while in that mode, while you
watch all those numbers, which should stabilize
in a "steady state".

If you feel the need to restore the BIOS defaults,
there should also be an option to do that too.

Whenever you are in doubt about the possibility
of corrupted BIOS settings, it's always advisable
to begin with factory defaults, and then change
each one manually as needed.


Lastly, Windows Setup appears to work more reliably
if there is only one optical drive and one hard drive
attached to the motherboard; later, more peripherals
can be added, one at a time, to allow Plug-and-Play logic
to detect them and then either install drivers automatically
or launch the driver installation sequence.


Hope this helps.


MRFS

 

[MRFS]

p.s. I see that your motherboard also has integrated video:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128457&Tpk=N82E16813128457


So, remove the GIGABYTE GV-N84STC-512I GeForce 8400 GS
for the "barebones test" described above:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125336&Tpk=N82E16814125336

Be sure to remember to move your video cable
to the integrated video port on the rear I/O panel.


You want ONLY the bare minimum number of components
required to run that test.


MRFS

 

[MRFS]

Also, tell us how your SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S222L is wired.

If it's the only parallel storage device on your system,
it should be connected to the END CONNECTOR
and NOT to the middle connector on the PATA ribbon cable.

If a single PATA / IDE device is connected to the middle connector,
that will cause signaling problems with the dangling section
between the middle connector and the end connector.


MRFS

 

[deckerdt]

Oh jeeze, i apologize. when i ordered the OD, i didnt realize it was an IDE. so i replaced it with a
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7261S-0B.
This motherboard only had SATA ports.

Well, i tried everything you guys said... and it all works. I dont really know what was wrong, but it runs now. I will go ahead and let it run and monitor it and let you guys know how it goes. Thanks for all your advice.