[J3Vr6]

Hey guys, I posted a month ago that some guy at work gave me his computer.  Read here if you want to.  Basically what was wrong was that he tried installing a sound card and hadn't disabled the onboard one thru removing the jumpers or the bios.  Instead of trying to fix it, and b/c he knew I needed a computer, he gave it to me.

Now, I finally got the time to actually put it together last night.  I tested the stuff I put on the motherboard on my old 450 so I know they work.  I installed my two harddrives (one a slave) on IDE1 and one of the CD players on IDE2.  Installed my Geforce 2 MX into the AGP slot and had everything else connected.  He had provided me a nice poster that explained how to connect everything that I didn't understand.

Anyway, here's the problem.  I booted it up and nothing happens.  I can hear the harddrives spooling but nothing happens on the computer screen.  The screen is just blank.  It doesn't do that self-test, it doesn't tell me to hit DEL to go into SETUP or anything.  Just some clicking and then nothing.

The poster had a trouble shooting section where it suggested disconnecting all the cables from the motherboard and boot up again to see if it goes to self test (u know, when the computer starts checking the memory when you turn it on) and still nothing.

Can you guys give me suggestions on what to do?  Someone at work mentioned that I may have to reset the bios but I'm clueless.  Someone else mentioned that my Geforce AGP card may not be compitable with the motherboard, but I can't see that as a problem.

Help?

[aldo_14]

Is the motherboard working?  i.e. is there power into it (is the CPU fan turning, for example)....I'd imagine it is, because you're hard drives must be getting told to do something by it.

It does sound like a GFX card or monitor problem, by the simple fact you're not getting a picture.  Um... normally you have to reset the BIOS trhough the setup menu IIRC (out of the question if it's not getting shown), although you may also be able to do so manually by changing the jumpers.

Oh - is there any beeping sounds when it starts?  And by the same token, is the speaker connected to the mobo (to make the beeps)?

It's been a good 5 months since I built this thing, though, so I can't really remember offhand everything that went wrong and how it was fixed.

[J3Vr6]

Yeah there's the one standard beep when you turn it on, but I hear that on any computer that I turn on.  The fans do turn and power is going to the motherboard.

I wouldn't know if the motherboard is bad or not.  I only know that the guy tried to install a sound card without disabling the onboard sound card and the computer froze at boot up.  I can't imagine that would fry the motherboard, but I'm not technical enough to know how to find out if it is.

I know the video card works because it was working on my 450 just fine.  I had it in there working just moments before I moved it to the new motherboard to test to test it out.

[aldo_14]

Well, that beep is important because it indicates the POST (power On Self Test IIRC) has passed.... which means the motherboard is probably working, but you're not getting the visual output for some reason.

 If something was wrong, you'd get multiple beeps - the exact combination depending on the mobo itself (i.e. rapid beeps indicate an overheat, etc, etc).  aka 'beep codes'

Which would seem to indicate that it's something to do with the display to me. Looking at your previous thread, I can't imagine any compatibility problems with the gfx card - is there definately power going to it (the geforce)? (i.e. is the fan turning)

[Darkage]

With my old comp i had a problem caused by a ESD shock that caused the GFX card to go fubar. Just a thought.

Btw do you have another older GFX card so you can test if it's a monitor problem or a GFX card problem?

Or take out the Soundcard and then try to boot it up?

Meh....maby i have more sugesstions later.

[J3Vr6]

My Geforce 2 MX (32 megs) doesn't have a fan or anything.  It's just a stand alone agp card you'd plug into the agp slot.  There's no plugging it into the power supply or anything.  I had just tried the card on my other computer before putting it into the new one, and it's the same monitor so I can't imagine it being the problem.  I do have anther agp card to test with, which I'll be doing today.

When it didn't work the first time, I took everything out of the computer except for the video card:  IDE cables from the harddrives, cd rom, sound card, etc etc.  I did this to see if it was a conflict with any of those.  Even with the Harddrives removed, it should still have done the self test and let me go into bios.  but it didn't

[Darkage]

I know a the card go's into the AGP slot and not on a power conector:D

But i thought the card/slot was defective.

By ESD i ment Electro Static Discharge that can damage/kill components.

[StratComm]

Is the display by any chance a flatpanel?  If it is, them it could actually be the power source for the monitor that is bad.  It seems really strange, but I've seen that cause problems more than once.

EDIT: and does it have an integrated graphics card?

[J3Vr6]

Not a flat panel, it's just a regular 17 inch IBM G70 monitor.  I had just used it on the 450 to test before I connected it to the newer computer.

EDIT:  It doesn't have an integrated graphics chip.

[Darkage]

Try to test each memory bank with a single strip to see if any of the banks are not functioning corectly.

[J3Vr6]

Thanks, Darkage.  I'll test that when I get home.  Unfortunately, the guy only gave me one memory thing so I hope the individual chip/card isn't the problem.

[aldo_14]

Normally you get a beepcode with faulty RAM, tho.... at least i think so (sometimes  it just registered wrongly or hangs on my old Pc, so I junked the stick).

I was considering the remote possiblity the AGP slot itself was somehow damaged, but it would seem unlikely IMO - again, I think I'd expect a beepcode.  

Um...I hate to say it, but i'm flummoxed on what the cause could be, and i'm not going to break my Pc to try and replicate it  Other than going with what Darkage just suggested, I can't really think of anything else.

Sorry.

[Darkage]

I agree aldo, normaly the beep codes would be signaled.

Maby one of the drives is defective and some how forces the monitor into standby mode. Happend to a friend of mine.

another way to reset the bios is removing the battery for a few seconds and then put it back in so it uses it's default settings.

Other then that i have no suggestions left.

[J3Vr6]

Well, the harddrives were working on my 450 just fine moments before (like everything else).  But to be sure I completely removed the Harddrives from the motherboard (by disconnecting their IDE cables from the motherboard and power supply) and booted up.  I should have seen the self-test anyway and let me get into bios but didn't get anything.. just the same old blank screen.

When I get home I'll test out the other video card and see if that will do anything.  I think I have an old PCI card also so maybe I can test it with that too and see if it's the agp slot.  I'll check the memory in the different slots to see if that's the cause.

Other than that, I'm at a loss  It's such a tease to get something so much faster than what I had and seeing it not work...

[Liberator]

Originally posted by Darkage
I agree aldo, normaly the beep codes would be signaled.

Maby one of the drives is defective and some how forces the monitor into standby mode. Happend to a friend of mine.

another way to reset the bios is removing the battery for a few seconds and then put it back in so it uses it's default settings.

Other then that i have no suggestions left.

You still have to short the jumpers, or it will take a looong time.

[J3Vr6]

Alright, I tried 3 separate AGP cards and none of them showed any display  I didn't have a PCI card to test out so I don't know if its the agp slot.  I also tried moving the memory around to different slots and still nothing.

I was wrong about the beeping, btw.  When I start it up it doesn't beep whatsoever.  I can hear the computer starting and a series of very fast (low-sounding) clicks, which I've always associated in other computers with the self-test memory check.  Then I hear what appears to be the harddrives spooling, then click and stop.  Again they spool, then click and stop.  And then nothing.

Also, the keyboard doesn't turn on the three little lights (Num Lock, Capslock, Scroll Lock) like it usually does on my other computer at boot-up.

Any other suggestions?  Darkage mentioned resetting the bios, will that do anything?  And if so, how exactly is that done?  Someone at work mentioned that it's done by removing a jumper and replacing it, but someone on the forum said just by removing the battery.

[Liberator]

To be honest, it sounds a bit like the problem I'm having.  I'm praying it's a memory issue.

Do you have access to a diagnostic attachment of any kind?  My MSI board came with a bracket that has 4 LEDs that have a different combination for each part of the POST.

[Arc]

The minimum you need to get a machine to POST are: cpu, gfx card and ram all working correctly. If any of them's failed there's no guarantee you'll get any error beeps.  Given you've tried 3 gfx cards already, I'd first suggest trying different ram, then a different cpu.

There's no mention in your mobo's manual of diagnostic LEDs - shame, they could've been useful but most mobos don't seem to have them. Resetting the BIOS might help if the mobo's got any unusual settings for the cpu, ram or agp slot that're incompatible with the other hardware. According to the manual you can move a jumper for this. Page 21's got a diagram so you can find it and instructions on which pins to close are at the bottom of page 24.

http://tw.giga-byte.com/MotherBoard/Products/Products_GA-7VRXP%20(Rev%202.0).htm has a downloadable manual and BIOS updates.

If your cpu, gfx and ram all test ok in another pc and reseting the BIOS doesn't help the only other thing I can think of is the mobo might be shorting on the case - try running it outside the case on top of something nonconductive.

If all that fails, I'd say you've got a dead mobo.

[J3Vr6]

I don't know what to do there, Arc.  Is Bio the same as CMOS?  Then what do I do once I switch jumpers? Restart the computer like that?

The only other option I guess could be is that I have to find a new ram stick.   I'd have to find someone who has the same type I guess that would work in mine.  It does sound like it's reading the memory at the very start because of the quick low-sounding clicks at the very start.  I've always heard that in other computers when it's testing the memory *shrug*

Thanks for the advice, Arc.  The IT guy from work says he'll try to pass by today to see if he can see anything wrong that I can't.  He says it might be a short of some sort and that it doesn't necessarily mean the computer is completely fubared.

[Darkage]

Originally posted by Liberator


You still have to short the jumpers, or it will take a looong time.

Erm....when i pull out my battery because my motherboard can't handle the overclokked CPU speed i pull out the battery and 10 secs later i put it back in and it takes me right back to the bios to set it up again. And all those handlings don't take more then a minute. With out taking out jumpers or reconfigure dipswitches.


Unless i understood your reply wrong.