[piratetigger]

I got lots of pc bits for xmas, to build my second pc (I was wearing a ESD band), came to turn it on after assembly, and nothing. I will do my best to pre-empt your questions/suggestions.

Motherboard: Asus P5W-DH
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.13Ghz
Ram: 2 matched 1 GB modules (both in the orange slots)
Hard drives: Western Digital, 320gb and 160gb
Graphics card: NX7600GT, (in the orange slot)
Case: Antec Soanta II with 450w power supply

I have followed the motherboard instructions, and believe I have wired everything up correctly. Power wise I have the ATX12 and 24 pin connector connected, and the case is wired up as well.

When I plug it in, the green LED (on the motherboard) comes on, so there must be power to the motherboard. But when I turn it on, nothing happens, just stays dead. It did spring to life once, booted to the bios. I then turned it off and it didn’t work again.

I have tried disconnecting non-essential parts, and seeing if it boots, without success. I am out of ideas, can anybody suggest anything?

 

[dai]

you are underpowered for starters,you would expect to see around 600w quality psu running the system

 

[piratetigger]

There pc wont boot, even with only 1 hard drive, and 1 DVD drive fitted, and no usb devices fitted. Surly it can’t be power supply, there can only be 250-300w of load max?

 

[schusterjo]

I would not say you are under powered. Antec makes a great PS and a 450W would power the components you have. with that out of the way.

Be sure and always ground yourself by touching the power supply before handling the motherboard or other components to avoid electrostatic discharge. Use properly grounded outlet.

Items Needed
Non-conductive surface, such as a linoleum tabletop, cardboard or rubber mat.
Small screwdriver.
Known good power supply.

Components needed:

Motherboard (Access/Enter Motherboard BIOS and Troubleshooting BIOS Beep Codes)
CPU/fan/heatsink
Video card (Troubleshooting a Video Adapter and Computer Monitor Flow Chart)
RAM - one RAM stick (run memtest86)
Monitor -
Keyboard - Not mandatory
Speaker - Hear beep codes
Power Supply -(Flowchart for ATX Power Supply Repair best way is just try a known good power supply)

Remove everything from the case

Connect the components listed above, check all connections and be sure they are in their proper location and secure. If your motherboard has a small, square 4 pin power connector, your power supply will need one and it should be connected, it is required for proper operation.

If you have already tried the unit inside the case, reseat the RAM and video card a few times to clean up the contacts. This means pull the card out of the slot and put it back in, often 6 or 8 times are needed to clean off oxidation.

Locate the Power On pins on the motherboard and short them briefly with a small screwdriver, that should power up the computer. If everything is properly connected, in working order and contacts are clean, you should see a BIOS screen and hear one beep.
Now we know that it may be a Mounting issue and you should check each standoff that is not matching up with a hole int the motherboard

Or it may be one of the pieces of hardware we have not connected yet.

If you get no video or beep, switch off the power strip or unplug the power supply to shut down. Reseat video card and RAM. Sometimes this must be done several times, heavy oxidation can be difficult to clean up.

If you still get no beep or video after several tries and have reseated the RAM and video, further troubleshooting is necessary. I won't go into great detail here, but the things to check are:

Video card - try a different one.
RAM - try a different chip.
Motherboard - Have it tested by a reputable computer shop.
CPU - Have it tested by a reputable shop.
Power supply - A weak power supply can be difficult to sort out,Best way is to try a Known good PS to diagnose

 

[dai]

put your specs in here
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp
add 30% to the end result
http://www.techsupportforum.com/showthread.php?t=107466

 

[win2kpro]

Check this out regarding a BIOS update and see if it applies to your board.

http://event.asus.com/2006/mb/P5W_DH_DELUXE_faq.htm

 

[pshnfry]

I've seen some comments on Core2 hsf assemblies, ensure it is correctly and securely mounted.

See shusterjo suggestions.

Did this problem start after it booted to bios and was shut down, or has it booted to bios once during the troubleshooting? If the issue started after, did you change anything in the bios? If so, reset to defaults and try booting again (although changing bios settings shouldn't stop it booting - bit of a long shot). Did you turn it off while you were still in bios? I've never heard of it, but if you did it may have corrupted the bios?

I agree with schusterjo re psu, based on the specs u quoted and assuming some fans and one optical (DVD/RW) you have ample power (including 30% loading).

 

[joshkp3]

be sure that the chassis isnt touching any of the busses and make sure the heat sink is secure. i had a thermaltake heatsink that wouldnt stay fastened once and it did the same thing you described.

 

[Rich-M]

Can you give us the ram make and model? Sounds to me like incompatible ram and Core2 Duo and 965 and 975 chipsets areextremely fussy and I would never use ram not listed as compatible for them specifically.

 

[piratetigger]

Thanks for the reply’s guys,

Did some testing last night, and took the bits out of the case, and tried to boot. Got nothing. I did notice when I closed the switch I could hear a faint click from the PSU.

I then took my old pc apart, and used that power supply from that (again with the parts out of the case). When I closed the switch it powered up!

Must be a faulty PSU, back to the shop it goes...unless anybody knows how to fix a PSU!

 

[idowindows]

A bad or dead PSU is just that and should be replaced for safety sake...

 

[griffinspc]

That case/PSU should be under warranty so don't even touch a screw on it just have it replaced. By the way it's plenty of power if it were working right.