Situation:
A brand new A8V de luxe.
Processor: AMD64 3500+
Memory: 1 X 1 GB Corsair DDR 400
Videocard: Aopen Gforce 6800GT
PSU: Coolermaster 450W
After assembling (inclusive extra power connector for CPU)
I connected *nothing* else but mentioned above.
When powered on CPU fan runs, LED on mobo lights up.
No video, no beeps (or other sounds) on internal speaker.
Have taken out battery for a few minutes, cleared CMOS, still nothing.
Tried different memory slots.
Is there still an option left, before returning the lot?
TIA
Bert
Deluxe boards tend to have "Vocal POST". There is a voice
signal which is permanently tied to the lime colored, Lineout
connector on the back of the computer. Connect an amplified
speaker to the Lineout connector, or use your stereo to amplify
the signal. Section 3.3.1 of the manual contains a list
of the messages you can hear from the voice post.
A test procedure I like to use, is lay the new motherboard
on your table. Prop something underneath it, like cardboard
or a large thick book, something that will lend support to
the motherboard when plugging RAM or other components into the
board.
First start with just the motherboard and the PSU. Plug PSU to
motherboard, stereo to Lineout, power up, and touch a screwdriver
tip to the two pins on the PANEL header where normally the
case power switch would be connected. Only a momentary contact
is necessary to get the motherboard to tell the PSU to switch on.
Listen for the voice message. With absolutely no components plugged
into the motherboard, the voice will tell you "No CPU installed".
Power down (always unplug the PSU, as a conservative safety practice),
and insert the CPU. Power up again. This time, if the processor
is working, you'll hear "System failed memory test". That means
the CPU passed its test, and now it is time to add memory.
Continue adding components and listening to the voice post result,
until you get stuck. While voice post will not identify the exact
thing busted, it will give you a few more ideas, just like some
beep codes would do. (Note that, the "keyboard missing" message
can take up to 30 seconds, before it comes out of the speakers,
so be patient.)
I completely assembled and booted my last two systems on the table
top. That way, no time is wasted screwing all the components into
the case, only to find something is duff.
The only warning I would add to this, is make sure the monitor cable
doesn't put any stress on the AGP video card connector. If the
video card gets partially pulled from the AGP slot, it can be
damaged and destroyed. So, whenever the system has a video card in
it, make sure the video card is bottomed in the socket, and the
cable won't pull loose, before plugging in the PSU and powering
up.
Depending on where a boot process might get stuck, you might want to
shut down the computer, using the screwdriver trick. Turn on is
a momentary contact thing, but shutdown can either be momentary
or you may need to hold the screwdriver tip against the pins for
four or more seconds, to get the motherboard to shut off the
computer. The four second delay is typically turned on by an
OS, to prevent accidental contact with the power switch, from
turning off the system.
Before touching the screwdriver to the pins on the PANEL header,
make sure to drain any static from the screwdriver tip, by bringing
yourself and the metal part of the screwdriver to ground potential.
Touching the case of the PSU can do that for you.
HTH,
Paul
))