Help please :/

[llamajizz]

The Hardware:

Abit NF7-S rev 1.2
Athlon XP 2200+
Volcano 9 Fan/Heatsink
1x512mb OCZ pc2700
WD 20.5 Master on IDE channel 1(windows installed on drive)
Seagate 80gb Master on SATA(adapter) channel 1
TDK 52x Internal Master on IDE channel 2
Onboard audio
Radeon 9000 Pro 64mb

This isn't exactly the best place for this... but i need help.

No overclocking has been attempted.

When powered on, drive lights come on.. and it looks like it's about to post, but doesn't. The fan(stock fan for the volcano 9) on the heatsink also isn't powering up. As soon as i noticed this, I popped the power switch on the back of the power supply, which is an Enermax EG365P-VE.

I don't get a video signal, and the hard drives make a few noises, as if they were seeking.

[Ruantic]

Need a bit more details, like is this a new motherboard install? was this working and recently stopped working? Has anything new been added to system recently? If this was a working system anything out of the ordinary that led up to this? Without any further info, Start by pulling all non essential hardware from the system, try booting with just one drive, memory, and video card.......... Also check to make sure video card is seated correctly (pull and reseat the card)

[CCW]

Sounds like you might've damaged the processor or shorted the motherboard Im afraid. I dont know how much you know so please dont be offended if I mention things you think are simple!
Have you checked the processor? The Volcano 9 has a very strong clip and i know a guy that broke his xp2200+ trying to put it on. Are all the motherboard risers in the correct places? any lose screws lying on board? is the CPU fan plugged into the board - most boards automatically turn themselves off if it isnt, this would also explain why it isnt coming on.

Best way to test is methodicaly - take out everything you dont need, to make it run you only need mobo, proc, memory, graphics, if it boots ull know it was a floppy drive/optical drive/hard drive

if it doesnt boot swap out one component at a time, proc, then mem, etc, make notes on what you have and havent done which makes life easier.

Hope this helps and hope you getting it running soon,

Thanks,
Craig

[CCW]

Did you use thermal paste between the proc and heatsink, i know that than HSF doesnt have it already put on. Also, that fan has jumpers to control the setting to set that that is set correctly.

Craig

[llamajizz]

Ok, this is a first boot to answer the first question.

I noticed the clip was overly strong, and that was one of my first concerns when the system didnt boot.

The Volcano 9's jumper in in place(for full power to the fan, none of that sissy noise control :P)

At first, the fan was plugged into the motherboard, but when it didnt power up, I took it off the onboard power, and put a power adapter on it. So, it's hooked directly to the Enermax PS. It still isn't spinning.

I'm starting to think it might be a damaged Power Supply.

No screws on the mobo, hehe

I was just about to start removing hardware, but i'd like to get some food in me before I start.

Hate working on an empty stomach.

Thank you for you help thus far!

[CCW]

S'ok, glad to help, good to hear someone lese thinks that clip is to tight, i work part-time (saturdays) in a computer shop (im 15) and a guy bought one and came back with it bout 2 hours later with his proc and he had smashed the core. You should stil be able to RMA it if you have though depednign on where and how you bought it.

Craig

[GVCryan]

Try pulling that HD and see what she does.

If that doesn't fix anything, I would bet its the PSU.

[llamajizz]

Pulled the onboard firewire card, the TDK, the SATA drive, the floppy, and switched the fan to motherboard powered.

the LEDs showing the board is gettin power light up.
it's red when it's off, and then turns green when i try to power it up.

the fan on the heatsink still wont spin

im gonna replace the fan with a different one now, and see if that doesn't help.

[llamajizz]

Changed the fan out, it spins now powered by the motherboard...

but it still wont post

it starts.... fans spin, and the power LED and the HDD LED lighht up and stay on.

i tried switchin them around(- and +), with no change.

[Ruantic]

check the position on the clear cmos jumper, make sure its not on the clear setting.... might want to try clearing it, you may want to pull your Volcano HSF and inspect the CPU, remove everything but the memory and the vid card, see if it will post, also what brand/speed is your memory..... do you have any other components to swap and try? another cpu, vid card, etc....

Also, again, are you working on all new components, was this system ever running?

[llamajizz]

This is a brand new system, all parts are new. I built it last night, and let it sit as to let the arctic silver 3 set.

Memory brand/speed: OCZ PC2700 rev 3.2

I removed the heatsink, inspected the cpu... core is intact.. no damage.

[Ruantic]

Try the other suggestions and let us know, Reason I asked about memory was some folks have had issues with particular brands.... You'll probably just need to do a process of elimination, swap in known good components until you find the culprit

[Major]

Like Ruantic says, try a different stick of memory

[CCW]

How it coming along now?

Craig

[TechTones]

Unplug all the LED and hdd leads on the board. Just connect the Power on and Reset leads. You may have one plugged in wrong.


Have nothing but the ram, video card, and cpu in it and see if it posts. Always clear cmos first. Change ide cables too.

[DuraN]

Whats the sympton for a Sudden BIOS death board?

Mine went like this:

Installed everything, mem,hdd,gfx and so on.
Booted right up.
Went in to BIOS
Checked everything, didnt change anything.
Reboot after Save/exit
No Post/no boot
Reseated mem and changed from SATA to ATA100 cable
Booted up fine, inserted boot disk
Turned itself off before i reached boot up
I was typing on my dads computer 1 minute after this, and the friggin comp just booted by itself, but not for long, shutdown after 15 seconds or so.

What is this? A poltergeist or something inside my board? I hate this board, im gonna cry! I have tried different mem sticks,vid card,CPU, HDD and PSU. I have also installed everything outside my case. Damn im so pissed of right now :)

[CCW]

what was that? an ASUS NF2?

Craig

[Ruantic]

Whats the sympton for a Sudden BIOS death board?


Hmm, it doesn't really sound like a corrupted bios, sounds more like a processor issue.
Have you cleared the CMOS? might want to try that if you haven't.... May not be the processor but I've had really similar results when I've clocked higher than what my processor will run....

The wait a minute then it boots, then runs a bit, then dies again, sounds like something is heating up... Most electronic components fail from heat, either directly or indirectly.
An old tech trick is to get a can of freeze spray and individually spray components on a circuit board until you find the faulty part... Lacking freeze spray, a quick close hovering of the fingertip over the system can often locate unusually hot components.

Here again stripping the system to a bare minimum is highly helpfull, try posting to bios with just a vid card, 1 stick of memory. If you get that far leave it for a while see if it runs. If you don't get there you've at least narrowed the field of possibilities. If it still does powers up and posts, even if for a short time its not the typical dead bios issue....

For kicks double check your processor, make sure the cooling is contacting the core, and check for correct thermal paste. If all this fails your probably looking at an RMA.. Let us know..

Everytime someone has a problem and posts final results it helps everyone diagnose further problems. All we can do is toss Ideas at you, most of them come from personal Experience.

I've been playing with computers for over 20 years, It may be just dumb luck but I can count dead systems/boards on one hand. Have had some really strange problems with no obvious solution, but most of them corrected themselves by just changing hardware around and keep trying....

[DuraN]

I have tried with a TBird 1.13Ghz, a Tbred B 1700+ and my own 2100+ Tbred B. Same thing. Its been cooling over night now, let me try again. Its on my bench, one stick of mem and vid card.

[DuraN]

Well ive got it going again. But it says "CMOS checksum error", and when i insert a floppy cable it says "CPU changed or unworkable", this is with all the CPU's. This is the strangest problem i have ever seen.

[DuraN]

Its making proper contact with the CPU, im using a GlacialTech Igloo 2320 on the CPU, i dont want to mount all my WCing stuff if the board is a fluke. And remember, NO OVERCLOCKING AT ALL is ever attempted with this board. Its fresh from the box.

[Ruantic]

Not sure what the problem is, but its certainly not your run of the mill brain-dead NF2 bios issue.......