no boot

[giantfan28]

i am getting no beeps or video. i checked the video card the ram and the monitor the motherboard is ok too i dont know what to do

[rkmca]

Does your IDE light flashes while you try to boot ? How about try booting using a startup disk ?

------------------
RM

[granny1]

Originally posted by giantfan28:
i am getting no beeps or video. i checked the video card the ram and the monitor the motherboard is ok too i dont know what to do

I had a similar problem on an older machine. Is the videocard an onboard one or is it one you stick in a slot? The problem i had before was that you really gotta snap those cards in tightly. I had to push the card in so hard I was afraid i was gonna crack the motherboard! But snapping in the card ALL the way (at least on my computer) was what fixed the no-video problem.

[Paleo Pete]

Not good to force cards in. If you think you have a bad connection, insert and pull the card several times to clean the contacts a bit. It does need to be fully inserted to operate.

Also check the power cables to the motherboard, AT power cables have black wires in each plug, these black wires must be in the center when plugged in, not on the outsides.

Check the CPU to be sure it's oriented correctly.

Could also be a ground problem, try putting motherboard, CPU, RAM, video and keyboard together on a table. If you get a good boot, it's a ground problem. Computer shops have cardboard washers for this.

------------------
If you had everything...Where would you put it?

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[Reid]

It may not relate to the problem here, but Pete's mention of the cardboard washers reminded me of a recommendation to put the insulating washers over the two threaded mounting posts near the card slots, and only put a screw in one of the holes because there can be stress on the board since it can't pivot if both are secured. Some boards have been short-circuited because conductors contacted the mount. Tape or glue the washer to the mounting post.

I have had two cheap video and modem card brackets stop the card before the contacts touched the socket. I modified the brackets, but the lesson was to buy better quality.

------------------
rdrummond@thesimpsons.com