problems building a computer 6

[jmvallejo]

???
I am currently trying to build a computer....i am pretty good with computers....so i decided to build my first computer..
this are the components i have for my computer
motherboard
chaintech apogee series 7vjl
cpu
amd athlon xp 1800
video card
chaintech g-force4 mx440-8x
memory
crucial pc2100 256mb ddr
harddrive
western digital caviar 80gb hd
sony dvd rom
mitsumi floppy 1.44 floppy disk drive
standard midtower case w/250w ps
well here is the problem i hooked everything up...and triple checked everything was in order.......
i turned it on and all i get is a beep, beep sound and also my monitor wont do anything.....as if it were on standby or something.......
can anybody help me out....im clueless on what the problem can be.....thanks for your help.
Juan

 

[wolluf]

Start minimal and add components (eg, disconnect everything - yes hard & floppy drives too) except video card/monitor & keyboard & see if it boots - you should at least get a POST screen. If yes, connect one device at a time. If no you've got a much smaller list of suspects.

 

[paparazi]

First thing you must do is reseat all the cards, graphics, modem? and the memory etc.
Make sure all IDE and floppy cables are the correct way around (normally they have a key in one side) red stripe to pin number one (this applies to all devices, floppy, Cdrom, HD etc)
Make sure the Cmos clear jumper is set to run.
That the CPU fan is plugged into the CPU header and the heatsink is seated the correct way around (socket A heatsinks have a resess in the base which must go over the socket A writing, this heatsink can be put on 180degrees out) use thermal paste between small raised core and heatsink base.
Brass stand off posts must only be fitted corresponding to the earthing points on the motherboard (but then it would be completely dead if you had done this wrong.
Pull off all the front panel wires except the power switch connector just in case you have one of these wrong on the motherboard headers.
If the above hasn't already fixed your problem you will have to try stripping it back so you only have memory, graphics, CPU/fan and PSU plugged in.
See how you go on, let me know. Martin
Please let members know if there advice has helped any.

 

[jmvallejo]

i have already tried unplugging the hd, floppy drive, dvd drive, and just have the cpu, memory and videocard installed...it appears their is no change....i will try to just use the power switch see if that works........i have a question it is recommended to use a 300watt ps...the case came with a 250ps could this be the culprit....it sounds pretty far fetch ...but could it?

 

[paparazi]

Very possible, not just because it's only 250watts, (although this really needs swopping pretty soon anyway as it is barely sufficient for your setup long term) but Generic power supplies that come with standard cases are really not up to much so it wouldn't surprise me if it were faulty from new. Martin Please let members know if there advice has helped any.

 

[paparazi]

Just another thought!
Some motherboards I have noticed, don't like low speed CPU fans, the larger 70 and 80mm low noise units that are fitted to many of the newer heatsinks, it seems they have difficulty in picking up the lower fan speed.
Long shot, worth a mention, but would normally result in a momentary fan spin up then stop rather than beep.
Yeh, try and borrow a PSU. Martin Please let members know if there advice has helped any.

 

[jmvallejo]

i have checked and rechecked that everything is mounted properly......i tried just running the board with the minimum and no luck.....the culprit i believe is the power supply....i will try to get atleast a 300w ps see if that works......im pretty sure nothing is burnt as nothing smells burnt...lol..

 

[freys]

Just a silly question but you have tried Rotating the memory around/ using different sticks and vid card right?

about 7 times out of 10 when i get a beep code its the memory or the vid that does it.

Steve

 

[ceh4702]

make sure the motherboard does not ground out to the mounting plate. i.e. you have to use special offsets to mount the motherboard or it will ground out. If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[mithrilhall]

Check your motherboard book. It usually will describe what beeps indicate. ====================================
I love people. They taste just like
chicken!

http://mithrilhall.redirectme.net

 

[jmvallejo]

i will try ceh to do that it sounds like a reasonable thing to do have not tried it yet so it will not hurt to try.......tried everything else...

 

[jsauce]

1. The first step of POST is the testing of the Power Supply to ensure that it is turned on and that it releases its reset signal.
2. CPU must exit the reset status mode and thereafter be able to execute instructions.
3. BIOS must be readable.
4. BIOS checksum must be valid.
5. CMOS be accessible for reading.
6. CMOS checksum must be valid
7. CPU must be able to read all forms of memory such as the memory controller, memory bus, and memory module.
8. The first 64KB of memory must be operational and have the capability to be read and written to and from, and capable of containing the POST code.
9. I/O bus / controller must be accessible.
10. I/O bus must be able to write / read from the video subsystem and be able to read all video RAM..

If the computer does not pass any of the above tests your computer will receive an irregular POST. An irregular POST is a beep code which is different from the standard which can be either no beeps at all or a combination of different beeps indicating what is causing the computer not to past the POST.


I tried to find an online manual for your motherboard to see if I could find the codes for it but was unable to find one.

How many beeps do you actually hear and are they long or short?

The fact that you hear anything at all means there is power going to the board, at least enough to start the POST. Now you say the monitor does not power on, but does anything else start? Do the fans start? Does the floppy drive startup, etc.
You should use a voltimeter to check the power output from the power supply. If its not getting enough power to the motherboard the bios won't be able to initialize anything. You should check your motherboard manual to see if the post codes you hear are listed in the manual. John D. Saucier
jsauce@magicguild.com
Certified Technician
Network Administrator

 

[gargouille]

Me too, John, but looks like it's too new to have the manual available...

Have been able to find out it has Award BIOS...3-BIOS system...tried flushing it with jumpers?
Also have tracked down error codes...1 long 2 short=video card...any others RAM. (altho you seem to have the right stuff as near as I can tell from here) LOL

IF you have 2 sticks, of course do the el swappo routine with them...but if there's a memory problem there'll also logically be no video.

One thing that wasn't clear...there are 2 iterations of this board...if there's ONBOARD video...with the agp slot, too. Jumpers needed for disabling the onboard?

Speaking of jumpers, we're sure they're all set correctly?
In my own experience have come across some mis-applied jumper settings that got in the way (hasn't everyone?)
RAM frequency jumper if incorrectly set might give the error code.

Have also gotten some pictures of the board and the video card...striking yellow connectors on black board and batwing fan cover on video card...eye-candy xtreme!

Hope you get this going...perhaps selfish reason:
I've been looking for a flashy setup to put in a Lucite case for a display item...this would be ideal!

 

[tuggers]

My advise to anyone thinking of building their own PC is to be prepared to return it to the shop.

I have built about 20 machines myself and taken delivery of about 400+ at work. So maybe I'm just unlucky but about one third are returned within the first week.

So when I build my own I buy the Case, m/board, cpu and ram from a local specialist computer store. Then a reuse my old floppy, hard drive, video card etc to test the new build.

I've never had any problems returning my builds to the shop, so try not to worry. Maybe the cpu is faulty, or the bios needs upgrading or the m/board manual is just plain incorrect. It's almost always not your fault and I've had all these problems many times over.

If it was my build at fault I'd be willing to pay for the repair. But build problems are likely to be so trivial to the repair guy that he will spot it within the first 5 minutes anyway.

Don't forget that you have only seen this m/board + cpu + case once, they have build dozens.

Dave Tugby