Help - What the F is wrong with this thing?

[walterminty]

Hi,
Pulling my hair out now. Building a pc to use as a file server.
Specs:
p4 3.0Ghz CPU - Used
Some cheap mobo - New
2Gig Ram (2 x 1gig)
HDD 640Gb - used
DVD ROM - Used

Put this altogether last week - Fans spin, mobo light on, HDD ticking over - No beebs- But nothing on the monitor?
So took it all apart, rebuilt tested outside of the case - same thing.???
Got a new mobo from ebuyer (presumed it was that) - just put it all together - same thing.

Is it the CPU?.... OR because i've got no external monitor i'm using my TV through VGA connection.
However i've always used the TV in the past to test my rigs?
A used P4 from ebay won't cost me the earth, but before i get one has anyone got any suggestions.

 

[COLGeek]

Not all P4's are created equally. Is your P4 model compatible with the mobo you are using?

 

[walterminty]

yeah, checked on manufactures website before i bought it.

 

[Yadhu]

Its not the problem of your TV
The thing is a CPU can cause the system not to produce output on your monitor.
When you get nothing on the screen, any one of these parts can be defective :

*Video Card
*Motherboard
*CPU
*Memory modules
*Power Supply

Video card -I don't think you have a video card on your system,probably there wont be any AGP card or an on-board video card.so that wont be the problem.
Mobo - well you purchased a new one so it wont be the problem.
CPU - have you done anything that might have stressed the CPU over the edge ??
Memory -There is a slight chance.but no! it wont be most likely.
PSU - If CPU is not defective then id say ur PSU is not giving the proper power to the motherboard .

Well before buying a new P4.try any CPU that suits in the mobo.(Just if some one of your friends have any)
See if it still persists then check other reasons i,e PSU memory,etc..

So hope this helped

ciao

 

[geekapproved]

It's an antique, why not just upgrade the whole computer instead of buying used parts and pulling your hair out trying to figure out what's wrong with it?

 

[dormantreign]

If you have a speaker hooked up...either the onboard one or a 2 pin one you will hear sounds if something isn't right. Otherwise it's usually the motherboard. I've never had a dead processor.... If your not hearing nothing with both motherboards id still put my money on the motherboard. Keep stripping it down to the very basics...Power, Board, Ram, keyboard. Try different ram if you have it.

If the other guy is right and the cpu don't like the motherboards i may be locking before anything gets a chance to start up hence why your not getting a beep. You could get this same thing from ram if the motherboards are cheap. Trial and error are the only steps i can think of to tell you.

 

[COLGeek]

Keep in mind that the OP has been through 2 mobos now. Look at what is common between the 2 and the culprit will be from that pile of parts. More than one person has purchased a DOA used CPU, including me. Not that uncommon actually.

Now, is this a Socket 478 or 775 mobo? If 775, does your mobo support Core 2 Duo CPUs? If so, PM me.....

 

[walterminty]

Thanks for the quick replies. I've built PC's for 10 years and never had a dead CPU. I just don't get it. And there's defo no beeps. Ram's good just checked some other sticks. Mobo can't be DOA (unless Ebuyer have let me down). I'm Lost.
It's almost like I'm being punished for trying to build a quick, cheap pc!

 

[walterminty]

CPU is used from Ebay (so unknown if it's been OC'd?)
Not PSU, just tried two diffrent ones:
200W & 300W.

 

[walterminty]

Update:
Just got a new P4 CPU 2.8Ghz
Still Nothing.!!!

Let's review:
New Mobo X 2
New CPU
Different RAM
2 x Different CPUs

Conclusion, Faulty VGA cable!
Total cost to find this out:
Mobo's £46
CPUs: £8
RAM: £29
= £83.00

Anyone know anything really evil to do to this faulty cable!!

 

[COLGeek]

Great news that you solved the mystery! Video cable.....Hate when that happens.

 

[Chaz21]

Happy you solved the problem but I'm curious as to why "no beeps". Unless your mobo hasn't got a built in speaker (or one of those diodes on the end of two wires) I would've thought you'd at least get some kind of post "beep" even with a faulty cable. At least then you would have known something was happening.

 

[walterminty]

Sorry, not being clear - i just got the normal one beeb (post OK)

 

[Chaz21]

Sorry, not being clear - i just got the normal one beeb (post OK)

I like to build systems too, and have quite a collection of accumulated cpu's, mobo's, etc. from years gone by. I like to see what I can manage to get working again.
I was interested in the post "beep" thing because if there is one area that I totally ignore it's the codes we hear (or don't hear) so I'm learning what I can. I wonder, with IBM's at least, if we couldn't use a normal post okay beep and no picture to immediately eliminate the cpu as a problem?

 

[walterminty]

I wonder, with IBM's at least, if we couldn't use a normal post okay beep and no picture to immediately eliminate the cpu as a problem?

I'd used the TV as a monitor the previous week, so originally i had every faith in it not being the TV/Cable as the problem. Also the beep is so faint, and the fans so loud, that I convinced myself I must be mis-hearing the beep/s. Any way just ordered a cheap 15" monitor of Ebay (£10). As soon as it arrives, I can confirm my suspicion it the cable's fault. It can't be anything else.! Can it????????????

 

[barflydc]

I went through a panic building my new system the other day as I too got one beep but no picture. 20min later i figured out that my monitor was set for the wrong input source. Ha. Always start with the obvious when troubleshooting.

 

[walterminty]

I went through a panic building my new system the other day as I too got one beep but no picture. 20min later i figured out that my monitor was set for the wrong input source.

That's just made me think; all my previous rigs i've tested on my TV have had a GPU with HDMI, so I've never had to use the VGA input. So just checking something will onboard graphics (VGA) still work with a TV as a monitor in a new build? The TV does have a standard VGA input, and a channel for "PC Input". Remember i'm talking New Bulild (No OS, No additional drivers etc)

 

[Chaz21]

That's just made me think; all my previous rigs i've tested on my TV have had a GPU with HDMI, so I've never had to use the VGA input. So just checking something will onboard graphics (VGA) still work with a TV as a monitor in a new build? The TV does have a standard VGA input, and a channel for "PC Input". Remember i'm talking New Bulild (No OS, No additional drivers etc)

You would think it would. In the "old" days all we had was vga and the mobo doesn't know what type of display it's connected to. (nor does it care). Dig deeper into you TV setup. If it's like mine, "PC Input" could be defaulting to the HDMI. See if you can specify VGA.

 

[walterminty]

These are the channels to choose from on TV: HDMI, PC, COMP: Under both PC and COMP there are two further settings "Phase" and "Clock" both can be adjusted from 0-30. A quick Google doesn't reveal much about what these do or mean regarding VGA input. Just had the PC connected to TV and left in there for 20mins to see if it wakes up. Nothing!

Plus just nipped to Argos to get a new VGA cable, and that has same results!
This is a Mystery!

 

[walterminty]

Got exited...Then let down...
Mobo i bought claimed to support CPU's with 800 FSB, never bothered to read the manual, anyway long story short...You need to set a couple of jumpers on the board so that the Mobo will support 800FSB, did that (cleared CMOS) restarted.......NOTHING!!! Thought I'd cracked it then.

 

[Chaz21]

These are the channels to choose from on TV: HDMI, PC, COMP: Under both PC and COMP there are two further settings "Phase" and "Clock" both can be adjusted from 0-30. A quick Google doesn't reveal much about what these do or mean regarding VGA input. Just had the PC connected to TV and left in there for 20mins to see if it wakes up. Nothing!

Plus just nipped to Argos to get a new VGA cable, and that has same results!
This is a Mystery!

The phase and clock settings won't work for you (you have to have a "picture" to set them). They're used to center/position the image (which of course we don't have yet).
I'm afraid that at this point your best/cheapest bet may be to install a GPU card (even an old used one) that has a HDMI output. You could buy a Vga to HDMI adapter but the cost is prohibitive (it changes an analog Vga signal to digital) and not really worth it for your intended usage. Stay away from the cable adapters. They are cheap-but won't work unless your mobo allows sending a digital signal through its analog Vga plug (as some do). Most mobo's don't accommodate this but some GPU cards do, but if you've got to get a GPU card I'd just go with one that has a HDMI socket (we know that works on your TV) or one with a DVI output. DVI to HDMI adapters do work and are cheap and readily available. Hope this helps somehow.

 

[walterminty]

I'm afraid that at this point your best/cheapest bet may be to install a GPU card

Thanks for the advice- going to have a quick look on Ebay for a cheap one. - What started out as a quick / Cheap build has ended costing the earth!