Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Help!! Building Computer Wont start up

V

VegetaPunk

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 30, 2002
322
0
AZ
I am building a PC for my brother (for gaming) and I started it up last night to see if it would and it did I didnt have an OS to put on it at the time, I turned it off and then about one hour later I got win 2000 and was going to install it but when I hit the power button it wouldnt start
What do you think is wrong......
(Its pluged in so dont say that)

do you think something is fried or do you think I just didnt plug something in @ the right place..

:confused: :(
 
go down the list man...

surge protector is plugged into wall, and turned on (s.p. as well as the outlet)

power cord is plugged into power supply, and the power supply switch (next to where cord plugs in) is turned on

power supply is plugged into motherboard

all drives are plugged into motherboard as well as power supply

power button on case is plugged into motherboard
 
It didnt work!!

1) do you think I fried everything (can this happen if I dont plug everything in the right place, i think i did though)

2) do you think it is the power supply and if so how do you check it with a voltage meter)


please help!! and thanks for the help.....:(
 
most every plug only fits in one place, plugging wrong one in somewhere is more or less impossible.

with everything plugged in and "on" just check pos and neg on any of the power connectors coming from the power supply to a device (check hdd first). could be a bogus plug or something silly like that.

does anything come on when you turn it on? i always check that monitor and keyboard turn on (keyboard lights for caps/num lock). any status LED's on the motherboard light up?

did you check that the proc and RAM are plugged in proper? some motherboards won't boot unless RAM is in first slot.

the power supply is the most fickle of anything in the system, that is for sure. did you ground yourself properly before touching stuff, every time? RAM is very sensitive to this...

what brand model is the motherboard and proc? brand new? used? where from?
 
Originally posted by yzedf
most every plug only fits in one place, plugging wrong one in somewhere is more or less impossible.

with everything plugged in and "on" just check pos and neg on any of the power connectors coming from the power supply to a device (check hdd first). could be a bogus plug or something silly like that.

does anything come on when you turn it on? i always check that monitor and keyboard turn on (keyboard lights for caps/num lock). any status LED's on the motherboard light up?

did you check that the proc and RAM are plugged in proper? some motherboards won't boot unless RAM is in first slot.

the power supply is the most fickle of anything in the system, that is for sure. did you ground yourself properly before touching stuff, every time? RAM is very sensitive to this...

what brand model is the motherboard and proc? brand new? used? where from?
Click to expand...

As far as plugging things in I was worried about the LEDs (i think) they only have one pin hole, some have two but I didnt see a place to plug in with of then one of them is says "I" the other "II"

I used a static strap everytime I worked on it, its all new parts gigabit mother board 2100 DDR RAM AMD 2Ghz proc 128MB 9100 ATI Vid Card

I tried checking the power with the volt meter and I didnt get a reading I might have been doing it wrong though

THe computer booted once I shut it down and then when I went to reboot and install OS it wouldnt start at all
 
check the pyshical power button. I buit a cheftec case and the power button cut the wire to it when it got pressed down (i know it would take a ton of force, i didnt do it). Other than that just start swaping suspect components for ones you know work.
 
there is a red switch on the back of my case it was on 110 and if I move it over it goes to 220 should I keep it one 110

Oh ya and if I flip the switch on the back of my power supply will it turn the power supply fan on so I know its not that
 
110 - standard house current

220 - industrial strength current (washer & dryer in your house, most likely)

if the p.s. fan comes on... try different power plug for the hard drive.
 
The fan isnt coming on but I will try switching the plugs, also none of the power lights come on in the front of the computer I think these are the LED lights you were talking about earlier...
 
nothing is coming on now lights no fans.......I tried changing the cords but nothing is happening:(
 
DAMN YOU BILL GATES DAMN YOU!!! *shakes fist in Microsofts direction*
so do you guys think the power supply is bad or something else like the motherboard??
 
if nothing anywhere is coming on at all, then it is prolly the power supply. a simple volt meter could tell you if the p.s. is shot or not. is this new hardware with a warranty of some sort? if not, you could always take it to a small mom and pop computer shop and have them check it out for you. DON'T TAKE TO COMPUSA OR SOME BIG PLACE. THEY JUST WANT TO SELL YOU SOME NEW CRAP. MOM AND POP WANT RETURN CUSTOMERS WHO RELY ON THEIR SERVICE.

and it was IBM, not Microsoft that set the PC standard... Microsoft only makes software standards... :rolleyes:
 
Remove everything from the motherboard except for the processor, video card, keyboard and mouse (use PS2 ports if possible) and one memory chip. Have the power supply OFF when you do this. Plug it into ac current and see if it powers up. If it does, then shut it down after the bios does it's check.

Once that happens, reboot, set the BIOS so that the cd-rom/optical drive is the first item for the boot order. Insert the win2k cd and reboot the computer.

If that doesn't work, start pulling one component at a time until it does boot.

You can also reset the motherboard bios to factory settings (via a jumper, check your mobo doc's for which one).

Did you happen to follow the directions with the motherboard as to what to install and when??

Also, make 100% certain that there are NO standoffs under the motherboard that are not under the metal rimmed holes. Any additional standoffs can cause major problems.
 
I tried the voltage meter and got no reading from the power supply

what do you mean by "standoffs" are they the scerw mounts, or just screws, or something else.....

I think I am going to take it to Frys electronics, my friend said they will look at it and tell me whats wrong (only if they dont charge me)

I will also try to reset the mobo bios via the jumpers (could you also do this by simply taking out the PRAM battery for a little while and then putting it back in??
 
The standoffs are what secure the motherboard to the case. ALL computer cases have standoffs for mounting motherboards. If you didn't secure those to where the motherboard mounts to in your case, you need to.

What brand power supply do you have, how about the case?? Did the power supply come in/with the case?? I favor Antec power supplies and Antec and Cooler Master cases. Both case makers produce quality cases, but most of them are NOT cheap. This is yet ANOTHER case where you really do get what you pay for.

Find out from fry if they will charge to trouble-shoot your computer. Chances are very high that they will charge a minimum fee, especially if you won't have them do the repair. You may be better off seeing if they have a power supply tester and picking that up to see if any power is coming out of the power supply. Follow the directions for that tester (to the letter) and it should tell you if the PSU is good or not.

As for pulling the battery, that should ONLY be done if your motherboard DOESN'T have the jumper to clear the CMOS. You are better off clearing it via the jumper then by pulling the battery.

How about some detailed information??? Motherboard model as well as ALL details about this system. Email/message me with it if you want...

A
 
make sure your mobo doesnt have a 12v connector. mine did i never realized it and my computer never came on, i felt pretty dumb, if you have a new athlon board make srue you have all your switches set right.

iJon
 
I will check if its 12v when I get home (@ work) I hope and think that it is something simple....My brother is an little Jack@ss and assumes the worst, Its hard to concentrate with him complaining behind me, sometimes its hard to imagine that we are related:rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by VegetaPunk
I will check if its 12v when I get home (@ work) I hope and think that it is something simple....My brother is an little Jack@ss and assumes the worst, Its hard to concentrate with him complaining behind me, sometimes its hard to imagine that we are related:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
dotn get to mad, building a computer is a learning process. i helped build my friends and we pushed the power button and nothing happened. then we found out if was a processor. instead of getting mad just learn the privelege you get of building and learning from it.

iJon
 
Im not mad my brother has a very short fuse though if you know what I mean and I agree 100%:D it is a learning experiance just like troubleshooting.....LOL I remember when I first got into computers and had no idea what I was doing this it was os 7 I think I crashed that computer so many times by playing with extentions among other things I learned what everything was and what it did though
 
WOW finally I know whats wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it was the power supply, but it was my fault:( LOL i didnt mount the "standoffs" right the directions that came with the mobo were so vague. anyways because of that the power supply popped *crossing fingers that I do it right next time*

I brother took the computer to frys just now and they found the problem for free and replaced the power supply, Hopefully it didnt hurt the Mobo

All and all it was a good learning experiance wont do that again;)


Thanks to everyone for your help!!!!!!!!
 
Good reason to read the instructions.

How many pc's have you assembled?? I've done several and even on the first one, I had the standoffs placed properly.

In the past, you had to research to see if pc parts were compatible or not. These days, that research takes a lot less time. You still can't just pick up parts at random and expect the system to function 100% right off the bat, but most new products, or those released in the past year or two, will function together. You still need to make sure you have the correct items. You can't get a motherboard that uses DDR memory and expect any DDR memory to function properly. Some boards can only have one PC3200 (DDR400) memory chip installed (even if it has more memory slots). There are [also] issues with video cards... you have to make sure that the board supports the card you want to use. There are also BIOS settings that may need to be changed to allow everything to function at 100%.

All in all, it IS a learning experience. As long as you learn from the mistakes, the next system will go together easier. Every one after that will go together even easier.
 
I did read the instructions but they were very vague.

It was my first computer I build and I did learn alot so the next one will be MUCH easier everything should work fine together I made sure that everything was running at the same bus speed and asked just to make sure if it was compatible (the people at the electronic store)
 
Originally posted by VegetaPunk
I did read the instructions but they were very vague.

It was my first computer I build and I did learn alot so the next one will be MUCH easier everything should work fine together I made sure that everything was running at the same bus speed and asked just to make sure if it was compatible (the people at the electronic store)
Click to expand...

I've found that most GigaByte motherboards can utilize the auto bus settings. I've also found that all the GigaByte motherboards I've used (more then a few) have instructions that are clear enough to easily figure out what you need to do for installation and setup of the computer.

You still haven't told us which motherboard (model) you are using.

I don't trust people at electronic stores to know if items will be compatible or not. Most of the time, you simply need to read the package to see if the items will work or not. I've had items that those people have claimed would work where I needed the product to function only to have it NOT work at all. It can be a major pain to return the item, if you are honest with them. Sometimes they even have a restocking fee involved even though you went with THEIR information that the item would work. Major pain in the a$$.

A moderate amount of research BEFORE you go to the computer store makes things many times easier. Check web sites for the products/items you intend to use to make sure they will work. I make a list of the components I will be using and then find them where ever I have to in order to use those items. Even if it means getting some items local and the rest via mail order/online stores (or my distributors now). Don't try to do a one stop purchase for all the components. You can run into too many problems that way.

A
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back