Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Stealth on January 03, 2005, 04:37:03 pm
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So i started building a new computer today with the odds and ends i had lying around, including a couple of borrowed parts from friends. i have two motherboards from my friend, both of which he's pretty sure are working (what are the chances that both would be fried?)... one's a Gigabyte GA-7ZX, the other's a Biostar M7VIT Pro. both of them i've tried, and i can't get anything out of them... no signal out of the video card (i've tried numerous video cards, all AGP... don't have any PCI video cards lying around). monitor just says "No Signal", and i can't think what else to check
(http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/stealth/hostedpictures/thenewswooh.jpg)
(picture shows the M7VIT motherboard)
anyone got any suggestions? it's probably something really simple i'm missing.
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Tried a different monitor?
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Monitor lead itself is indeed a possibility? I suppose first step would be to check the pins on the connector and make sure none of them are bent or snapped?
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I have had this problem before. Make sure the motherboard is as close as possible to perfectly level on your case back. Make sure that you only used 6 case risers. Making sure of that worked for me. Also, make sure that your PSU setting (the little red switch on the back of your power supply) is set to 120v. Is this a pentium you are having trouble with?
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aldo & Flipside: the monitor i tested it with is the monitor i'm using right now. same with the monitor cable, and even one of the video cards i tested was the one i have right now, in the computer i'm using.
Matthew: i am only using 6 rivets, power supply works, because i tested the power supply from two other computers (that i use on a daily basis) to power the motherboards. also, it's an Athlon. 1600 i believe, not sure the exact numbers. but i didn't think it would be the processor, because the motherboard should at least beep or something, regardless the condition of the processor in it.
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Ok, you've got those bases covered then. Does the Hard-drive spin up etc as normal?
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yeah, both hard drives start, all case fans, etc. go on. the power supply isn't even two hours old. it's performing flawlessly. also, even if there weren't any hard drives connected, i should still get a signal out of the video card :-/
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Originally posted by Stealth
but i didn't think it would be the processor, because the motherboard should at least beep or something, regardless the condition of the processor in it.
You would think so, wouldnt you? Its not always true though. I got a new motehrboard to go with my new 2.80A P4. Set it all up, fired it up. Nothing. Dead air. Drives spun up and fans came on, but thats it. No beeps. Tried my old P4 in it. Same deal. And I was 100% certain that both of the processors worked too, as well as the board. Turns out this board will only take the older Northwood Pentium 4s, to a minimum of 2.0 GHz, max of 3.0. My new P4 is a Prescott, larger L2 cache being the main difference, and the old one was a 1.4 GHz. So the new one was too fast for the board, the old one was too slow. You could have something similar going on here (though with two different boards, thats iffy, unless they have similar specs/age).
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Without a HD, you should still have it post....
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Yep, you should, I can't see the AGP port playing up on both mobos, and if the drives spin up, it's 99% certain theres nothing wrong with the board itself..
The only thought that occurs to me is that the BIOS is set up to look for a PCI graphics card, but logic suggests that when it doesn't find one, it would look at the AGP port. Possibly the AGP functionality is turned off? But that still doesn't explain why it would happen with both mobos unless you are really unlucky.
Sorry Stealth, that's all I can think of at the moment, but if anything springs to mind, I'll post it.
Good luck! :)
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Originally posted by Grey Wolf 2009
Without a HD, you should still have it post....
right. without anything, it should still post.
thx for the help Flipside ;)
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Try this:
Remove the battery, so that the BIOS resets. Loosen the motherboard screws (don´t take them out, just loosen them), and take out the AGP card screw (the one that attaches it to the case. Connect everything, and try it. If it doesn´t work, move the AGP card around a bit, and try again.
I had this happened to my old system, the AGP card didn´t fit the motherboard slot just right, sometimes i needed to move it around a bit, so that the connectors got into contact.
You should try all the components seperately, try the cards on a working system, try the HDD, and power unit. If they all work, either you have a compatibility problem, or a bad connection between components.
What AGP cards do you have? Does your RAM work?
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I've tried RAM, video cards (AGP), and power supplies from my other computers (ones that i KNOW work), and same problem...
i haven't reset the BIOS yet though... that's the next step, since i still can't figure this out :-/
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Read the motherboard manual...are there any manual jumper switches that need to be set for any reason? Sounds very odd...
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they didn't come with manuals. i looked up the manuals online, and jumpers aren't for anything relevant
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You might just have bad mobos. Maybe they are ruined...
Have you checked to see if the CPU fits that mobo? Go to the manufacturer site and check the compatibility list.
Make sure the CPU is seated properly, double check your Ram on another PC, do the same for every component, and disconnect everything that you don´t need. Leave just the bare essentials, remove sound cards, modems, and whatever else you don´t need.
Remember to leave the PC speaker on, to listen for the Bios beeps. Reset the Bios, and try again...
Other than that, i can´t think of anything else. Are you sure the mobos are working? Is the power unit powerfull enough to support the system? Use a 250watt unit, at least.
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lol yeah i have a 400W power supply ;) CPU fits the motherboard (i've tried three on each motherboard) :-/
I found the problem, by the way...
as a last resort, i pulled out the battery, waited a few seconds, replaced it, and bam, it started right up. i updated the BIOS, formatted and converted to NTFS, and i'm now installing Windows 2k pro :)
worth noting is i did loosen the motherboard screws a little, as you recommended :nods: dunno if this fixed the problem, or if it was removing the battery, i'm leaning toward the battery right now, but who knows ;)
Thx for the help everyone.
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ohhh, now i rememebr why. dammit, i cant believe i diddnt remember this. Every time you swithc the CPU (on some mobos) you haveto clear the cmos. Just for future reference.
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Could it be that the mobo needs the additional 12v atx plug? My parent's PC wouldn't post without it, and since the old PSU they had lacked it, I didn't know there shoud have been one.
Just a suggestion.
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for future reference, ive actually found that just smacking the monitor HARD really works to make it start up... NOT THE CASE THOUGH! ONLY the monitor.
>_>
<_<
well, it just happens to work for me...
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Originally posted by Raa
Could it be that the mobo needs the additional 12v atx plug? My parent's PC wouldn't post without it, and since the old PSU they had lacked it, I didn't know there shoud have been one.
Just a suggestion.
Thats a P4 only thing. At least it was last I checked.
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Yeah, My PC didn't have it, but my parent's did... But since I didn't know what CPU was being used and I didn't bother to look up the boards, I offered it as a suggestion.
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Ugh, I had forgotten what a hideous rats-nest of wires the average PC has inside....
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Originally posted by Clave
Ugh, I had forgotten what a hideous rats-nest of wires the average PC has inside....
ooh i love it :D
the only things that makes it look so bad are the IDE cables. if i clean those up, and make them neat and tidy, then it'll be a clean little computer :)
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There's tidy, and there's tidy!
(http://homepage.mac.com/clave/misc/G5open.jpg)
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Uh huh. And how much does that cost compared to chucking together individual components & case bought off the 'net?
(about 3 times as much, I believe. £1789 for a roughyl same-spec* mac as my cobbled together PC)
*excluding the obvious difference in processor architecture, so can't fairly say a 2.5GHz G5 is the same as a same-clock Athlon or P4.
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besides, who cares what it looks like inside ;) unlike mac users, most PC users have their cases sitting under their desk, with only the front panel showing. who cares what it looks like inside an aluminum case ;)
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Mine is under my desk, and I don't care what it looks like (I actually liked the G4 better) BUT it is incredibly well laid out inside, that was my point...
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i disagree. there really isn't a difference in the layout... it's just the wires are tidy and hidden. i could do that to my PC if i had the time, effort, or want.
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I think the point is that Macs have bespoke hardware, so they will always be very tidy and well-laid out. PCs are essentially modular, so there's always going to be some untidy bits...
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The problem with most cases are the fan cables and IDE cables. My ThermalTake case has a window and neon, but there are so many cables that i can´t even see the motherboard. And i have round IDE cables, mind you! But with 8 fans needing power supply, there are just way too many wires going around...
Actually, i hate tower cases. The best cases are horizontal ones, i´m trying to get my hands on one, to make me a custom PC.
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check your front panel connections, i know many a moron who couldnt boot cause they connected an led where the power button should go.
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how would hooking up the switch wrong make a difference :p the computer's turning on (check post 1) :p
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So the battery thing was the culprit then? Or is there more to fix?
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ok so i was in too big a hurry to read the entire thread this mornin. :D
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....
whats the point of a neat and tidy case? you dont see the inside...
besdies, i like a rugged, hands-on looking PC interior ;) makes people think i know what im doing when i build it.
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*excluding the obvious difference in processor architecture, so can't fairly say a 2.5GHz G5 is the same as a same-clock Athlon or P4.
It is unfair to compare them on a clock cycle per clock cycle basis simply because the G5 is a RISC processors, the Athlon and the P4 are both CISC processors.
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my computer is indeed a rats nest of wires. and besides that practicly every card slot has something in it. i got a home made front panel usb connections, and an adapted laptop hard drive in there. my old cd brner is scsi and has a seprate controler card. my old ls-120 drive is on an ide cable. when assebling this thing i think i commited every attrocity you can in building your own computer.