Power Troubles - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Kirkland · 12-31-2004, 02:00 AM

Hey, just bought a new computer from new egg.. yay!
but now I am putting it together...

I am average when it comes to knowing about computers. So this is why my question arises.

current hardware..

Motherboard --- DFI "LANPARTY UT 915P-T12" 915P Chipset
Processor ------ Intel LGA 775 Pentium 4 530 3.0 GHz, 800MHz FSB
Ram ----------- Kingston HyperX Series Dual Kits 184 Pin 1GB DDR PC-3700
Hardrive ------- Seagate 120GB Barracuda 7200RPM SATA II
CPU Fan ------- ZALMAN CNPS7000B-Cu Copper CPU

Right now I have the power supply plugged into the mobo, and the case fans plugged into the power supply also. The cpu fan is also mounted onto the cpu.

I know that you can power on the computer and the fans should start spinning. and the computer boot into bios. I have no video card installed.

But this is not hte case for me, I press the power button on the computer and nothing happens.

Well something does happen in a sense. as soon as I plug the power cable into the power supply my zalmon starts spin at a relatively low rpm.
But like I said, I press the power button on the caes and nothing else happens.

Is my mobo fried?
Maybe the power cable from the power supply to the mobo isnt seated right?
I checked this, it seems to be really closed to being seated, but I know if i press any harder my mobo will crack.
But even if it this is the case, it seems wierd that i have power to spin my zalmon.

Ummm. lost. Please help..

TheBrit · 12-31-2004, 02:12 AM

Have you got the P4 power connector in? Have you checked and double-checked every cable?
If you put a system speaker in, do you get the post beeps?

If you don't have a graphics card in, how do you know it's not doing anything? It won't try and boot from the CD until you tell it to normally, it won't boot from the hard drive if there is no boot record. The way to tell is to put an empty floppy disk in and listen for it clicking.

neekap · 12-31-2004, 10:17 AM

If push comes to shove, unmount everything and try breadboarding it up with the motherboard sitting on a cardboard box or something to prevent the back from grounding out.

Always keep it simple and eliminate as many of the variables as you can. Take the RAM off of the board so you just have the motherboard, CPU, and CPU fan attached. If the motherboard has a speaker built onto it, you should hear a lovely steady beeping pattern indicating missing/bad RAM. Add the RAM, and you should get a different post code saying there's no video (assuming this board doesn't have onboard video). Add the video card and plug a monitor into it and see what you get.

If everything is working outside of the case, double check how you're mounting it in the case and ensure there are no standoffs shorting anything out on the backside of the board. There could be a standoff there that you aren't seeing since there's no hole in the board there for a screw to mount.

I know most power supplies if you miss the floppy power connector by a PIN, the system won't power up. That might be something to look into as well. It's a long process, but if you try to go through it step by step, it'll help troubleshoot the process. Like I said before, add ram, test, add video, test, add HD, test, add CD, test, etc., etc., etc.

I still find myself doing that when I do any major computer work today..

12-31-2004, 02:00 AM	#1 (permalink)
Kirkland Upright	Power Troubles Hey, just bought a new computer from new egg.. yay! but now I am putting it together... I am average when it comes to knowing about computers. So this is why my question arises. current hardware.. Motherboard --- DFI "LANPARTY UT 915P-T12" 915P Chipset Processor ------ Intel LGA 775 Pentium 4 530 3.0 GHz, 800MHz FSB Ram ----------- Kingston HyperX Series Dual Kits 184 Pin 1GB DDR PC-3700 Hardrive ------- Seagate 120GB Barracuda 7200RPM SATA II CPU Fan ------- ZALMAN CNPS7000B-Cu Copper CPU Right now I have the power supply plugged into the mobo, and the case fans plugged into the power supply also. The cpu fan is also mounted onto the cpu. I know that you can power on the computer and the fans should start spinning. and the computer boot into bios. I have no video card installed. But this is not hte case for me, I press the power button on the computer and nothing happens. Well something does happen in a sense. as soon as I plug the power cable into the power supply my zalmon starts spin at a relatively low rpm. But like I said, I press the power button on the caes and nothing else happens. Is my mobo fried? Maybe the power cable from the power supply to the mobo isnt seated right? I checked this, it seems to be really closed to being seated, but I know if i press any harder my mobo will crack. But even if it this is the case, it seems wierd that i have power to spin my zalmon. Ummm. lost. Please help..

12-31-2004, 02:12 AM	#2 (permalink)
TheBrit Psycho	Have you got the P4 power connector in? Have you checked and double-checked every cable? If you put a system speaker in, do you get the post beeps? If you don't have a graphics card in, how do you know it's not doing anything? It won't try and boot from the CD until you tell it to normally, it won't boot from the hard drive if there is no boot record. The way to tell is to put an empty floppy disk in and listen for it clicking.

12-31-2004, 10:17 AM	#3 (permalink)
neekap Tilted Location: Central OH	If push comes to shove, unmount everything and try breadboarding it up with the motherboard sitting on a cardboard box or something to prevent the back from grounding out. Always keep it simple and eliminate as many of the variables as you can. Take the RAM off of the board so you just have the motherboard, CPU, and CPU fan attached. If the motherboard has a speaker built onto it, you should hear a lovely steady beeping pattern indicating missing/bad RAM. Add the RAM, and you should get a different post code saying there's no video (assuming this board doesn't have onboard video). Add the video card and plug a monitor into it and see what you get. If everything is working outside of the case, double check how you're mounting it in the case and ensure there are no standoffs shorting anything out on the backside of the board. There could be a standoff there that you aren't seeing since there's no hole in the board there for a screw to mount. I know most power supplies if you miss the floppy power connector by a PIN, the system won't power up. That might be something to look into as well. It's a long process, but if you try to go through it step by step, it'll help troubleshoot the process. Like I said before, add ram, test, add video, test, add HD, test, add CD, test, etc., etc., etc. I still find myself doing that when I do any major computer work today..