I finished putting my computer together, but when I boot it up, nothing happens. The lights come on, the fans spin, and the drives work, but I get no display or beeps. My video card is firmly in its slot and the monitor is working fine. I've tried booting both inside(motherboard attached to mounting plate) and outside(motherboard sitting on cardboard) the case to eliminate the grounding problem. But, I get the same results everytime. Could you please help, I am totally lost. Thanks a lot!

Tyan Trinity KT-A (S2390B)
750 MHz AMD Duron processor
Generic Case
nVidia Geforce2 MX400 64 MB AGP video card
IBM 20GB 7200rpm hard drive
Lite-on 16x/48x DVD-drive
Mitsumi floppy drive

Hello Surge,

And, Welcome to PC Guide Forum!

Whattcha got for RAM?

------------------
May all your dealings in life be win/win!

Whyzman



[This message has been edited by Whyzman (edited 12-04-2001).]

RAM - RAM - Whoooos got the RAM ?

What RAM ?

Just j/k.

Got a memory stick or two Surge?

Luck.

------------------
......Indecision may or may not be my problem......
...... Kickin' A Rock....

I tried booting with a 32 MB stick of Kingston ValueRAM but that didn't work, neither did a 256 MB stick of RAM I just got at Office Max. Both are SDRAM and both produce the same results...nothing.

1. Make sure the memory is not just SDRAM, but PC100 or PC133 - if it is "PC66", your board will try to overclock it and it wont work.
2. Try seating the RAM in a different slot - sounds dumb, but some boards are finicky about which slot is used first.

------------------
CCNA, CIW, iNet+, Network+, A+, RCE

Both sticks are PC100/133 and I've tried putting them in all slots, testing it each time. I push them down fully and the clips secure them. But still, I get nothing.

Thanks Surge...

Time to go after the CPU. Was the Duron new ? Do you have a spare you can try. Use some Thermal Paste ? Gotta make sure the CPU install went smooth. So the chip-die didn't get damaged during install.

I'm not sure about the Tyan board, but some boards (newer) require that the Heatsink fan be plugged into the correct pins or they won't boot. Has to do with the fan rpm sensor. Safety feature. What type of Heatsink and fan are you using?

Luck.

------------------
......Indecision may or may not be my problem......
...... Kickin' A Rock....

The processor came bundled with the motherboard. After it wouldn't boot, I checked the processor itself. Took it out and examined the chip but it looked to be perfectly fine. The procesor was installed correctly and thermal compound was also applied. I'm not sure about the heatsink/fan because that also came installed with it. And no, I don't have an extra processor to use to test with.

Okie Dokie. This was a bundle. Is there a small sticker anywhere, say on top of the BIOS chip that states a Burn-In?

Just kicking some things around. Did you buy it local so it can be returned or can you RMA?

Hopefully the box speaker is plugged in to the Mboard. Need to try and force a beep code. With no RAM installed you should get one. But everything hinges on whether the CPU is dead or not. Plug everything in and let it run awile. Then gently place your finger on the heatsink and see if the CPU warmed up.

Surge you know what you are doing... but work backwards and go thru RAM - Video - CPU - Mboard.

The reason I ask about HS/F was the real heavy-duty fans can't be plugged into the Mboard or things won't boot. Like the Black Label etc.etc. They draw too much current on the +5v side.

Don't give up yet. Walk away from it and have a Dew. And things will come to ya.

Luck.

------------------
......Indecision may or may not be my problem......
...... Kickin' A Rock....

[This message has been edited by ranchdog (edited 12-04-2001).]

No, there is no sticker that states that the board was Burned-In. I got the board and processor from a company that was selling it on eBay. Probably a big mistake but for the price I was just too tempted (guess you get what you pay for). I don't think I can return it but I will try. I took the RAM out to try and get a beep but I'm still not getting anything. I tired it once, unplugged the speaker cord and plugged it back in the other way but still no beep. I'm letting it run now and then I'll see how warm the cpu is. Any other suggestions?

Ranchdog, I let the system run for about a half-hour then turned it off. The video card as well as the heatsink/fan/cpu were both warm. Does this mean that the cpu is alright?

Did you disconnect all the drives, meaning harddrive ,cdrom,etc and try and boot up and see if the fan spins.
Also put the cmos jumper on the other pins and try it.


------------------
Sledgehammer will save the day!

Nothing is connected expcept the power supply, the cpu fan, and the case fan. I've booted that both inside and outside the case but I still get nothing. Tried resetting the CMOS but that didn't do anything either. I've got to have a bad component somewhere, but how can I tell what is bad?

Ok get a voltmeter and put black to black and red to yellow.Get a nail and clamp it to the voltmeter so it will go down into the power supply connector to the motherboard.
Put the voltmeter on dcv, then poweer up, if you get 11 to 14 volts your in good shape, that will rule out the powersupply and motherboard.

------------------
Sledgehammer will save the day!

And boot up with the cmos jumper on clear cmos.

------------------
Sledgehammer will save the day!

diurnal, can you go over in more detail how to do that voltmeter test? I'm a little confused by it.

I have basicly the same setup cept i am running an athlon I have been running this PC for bout 8months now about 3 weeks ago I had an "over heating problem" I have the standard duel fan setup on the chipset, so to correct the problem I took the side panel off and aimed a standard house fan at the M/B.. Yes yes I know it is ghetto but I am in the army and we don't make very much money. this corrected the heating problem well, but 2 nights ago I turned off the PC to go to bed and when I went to boot up the next day... nothing happen, power light and boot lights goe son fan starts but nothing happens, I am thinking that my CPU is toast and thoughts for me ?

Hello FitzRCTV,

Welcome to the PC Guide Forums!

Might I suggest that to avoid confusion, and to get your problem the proper exposure for the Guru's here to take notice, that you post your problem separately from this thread?!

It kinda get buried here this way! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

------------------
May all your dealings in life be win/win!

Whyzman

Surge....

If you can't force a beep code without RAM then there is something wrong in the Mboard department.

Which Mboard are you dealing with?

I have seen a couple cases where the CPU would "warm" up but it was Toast. Both of these had a small chip on the corner of the chip-die itself. Caused by installation of the Heatsink.

Check back at the bid site you had and see what the vendor stated in regards to warranty. Most will give a short warrant of say... 30 days.
Private sellers could be yes or no.

Luck.

------------------
......Indecision may or may not be my problem......
...... Kickin' A Rock....

Surge,

I know that this sounds elementry, but is the speaker hooked up on your MB? It may be trying to beep at you, but you can't hear it if it's not hooked up!

Just a thought

Yes the speaker is hooked up correctly but I'm still not getting any beep codes. The board is a Tyan Trinity KT-A (S2390B). I'm going to replace it but I just hope I'm replacing the thing that is actually dead. I don't want to have to buy a new mobo and then buy a new cpu. Thanks for all the help though...you guys are great!

You have discovered the downside of doing your own hardware troubleshooting - not having spares to swap out.

With reference to ranchdog's suggestion about removing the ram when there is nothing(no beeps and no POST), if the ram is removed and yod DO get 3 beeps, does it mean that you're ram is bad or can it still just be the mobo or the processor? ie, does this test isolate the ram as the cause?

I had a similar problem! It's amazing how many "suspects" there are for this kind of problem. Believe it or not, in my case it was the cable from the CD-ROM to the motherboard! I talk about it here:
http://www.mysuperpc.com/troubleshooting_computer_problems.shtml



[This message has been edited by RobHW (edited 12-12-2001).]

I gotta go with Typayne on this one. That RAM needs to be tested first. Fresh out of the box does not guarantee its good. Also, what about CAS. If your board won't read what you have, then its the same as having nothing.
I have a stick of CSL2 that I bought by mistake and can't get it to work on anything. Some machines-No POST, some machines-not recognized.
You might go to Crucial (http://www.crucial.com) and use the Memory Finder to see exactly what you need.
Good luck http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

------------------
Please go HERE (http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/Forum10/HTML/000225.html)

A shot in the dark..............did you check the FSB jumper? is it set at 100 or 133, MUST MATCH the CPU FSB? check al jumpers for clock speed and voltage, are they in AUTO mode or manual, in the latter case do they match the spec of the CPU?
good luck

------------------
#!@$*%.....just format the damn C:

A shot in the dark..............did you check the FSB jumper? is it set at 100 or 133, MUST MATCH the CPU FSB? check al jumpers for clock speed and voltage, are they in AUTO mode or manual, in the latter case do they match the spec of the CPU?
good luck

------------------
#!@$*%.....just format the damn C:

Ok, I replaced the motherboard with an ECS K7S5A, but I am still gettin the same problem!! I've checked my RAM and it is fine but I am still not getting beep codes or a display. I swapped my video card for one that I know works and still nothing. I've ordered a new processor, because perhaps it is the cpu causing all this trouble. If I try the new cpu and it still doesn't work, what should I do then? Also, I bought a new Heatsink/Fan setup but it doesn't fit on the processor? One side clips down but when you go to push the other side down, the clip falls short of the holder. Anybody know why this would happen?

Surge,

Your recently purchased MB is isisbob's motherboard of choice. He's probably familiar with all of it's inner workings. Hopefully he'll swing by and advise concerning the beep codes etc.

I'd be really cautious with that new heatsink assembly. If it's not fitting it could easy take a corner off the processor! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

------------------
May all your dealings in life be win/win!

Whyzman

Yeah I know, I'm not currently using. Once I saw it didn't fit correctly, I put my old one on. I didn't really need the new Heatsink/Fan , just wanted something a little better, so its no big deal.

Surge,

If you have tried that processor in 2 different motherboards and it still isn't working I would say that it is toast...

------------------
mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

Yeah, most likely. I ordered a 900 MHz Duron processor from NewEgg today as a replacement. I just need something cheap for now just to get the thing running. I'll upgrade later.

Did you attempt to get a POST with a minimum set up OUT of the case?

Minimun set up is CPU/HS/fan, vid card, memory, keboard, mouse, both power connector and case speaker. Set it on the mobo case next to the case, all the wires will reach.

Now try to POST, a very common trouble is a case to Mobo short, a POST out of the case eliminates all possibility of this. If you can POST out of the case but not in the case then check your standoffs for alignment with the mobo mounting holes, make sure that ALL standoffs line up with one of the metalized mobo mounting holes. If there is one that does not line up , remove it.

It is also a lot easier to get your memory, CPU etc with the mobo out of the case.

One other thing to check, make sure that the voltage selector switch on the back of the power supply is set to the correct voltage (115 for US)

Yes, I've already tried that several times