New mbd, still totally dead...

[Joe]

This one has got me going. New motherboard, /ASUS/, put the thing
together, double checked everything: connections-ram-cpu-everything I
could think of. Pushed the on/off switch 2-3X, nothing. Unplugged
everything, tested the p/s under a load for 15 minutes and checked
individual voltages. All ok. Reseated CPU, checked ram, checked power
cord, swapped the system unit cord with the known-working monitor cord.
ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD DO? I bought all name-brand components (I know,
Anything can be a POS...), reread the manual, etc. The only thing that
I can think of to do now is leave it alone for the night so that I
don't make a really stupid mistake and fry everything. What am I
missing? I am at the point where logical troubleshooting is starting
to be a hindrance and I need to check the things that "can't be
wrong"... LOL, I am not on crack and am not a drunk...Maybe I should
START???

 

[David Maynard]

This one has got me going. New motherboard, /ASUS/, put the thing
together, double checked everything: connections-ram-cpu-everything I
could think of. Pushed the on/off switch 2-3X, nothing. Unplugged
everything, tested the p/s under a load for 15 minutes and checked
individual voltages. All ok. Reseated CPU, checked ram, checked power
cord, swapped the system unit cord with the known-working monitor cord.
ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD DO? I bought all name-brand components (I know,
Anything can be a POS...), reread the manual, etc. The only thing that
I can think of to do now is leave it alone for the night so that I
don't make a really stupid mistake and fry everything. What am I
missing? I am at the point where logical troubleshooting is starting
to be a hindrance and I need to check the things that "can't be
wrong"... LOL, I am not on crack and am not a drunk...Maybe I should
START???

Considering what you say you've checked, if it does 'nothing' then the
common possibilities are:

1. You haven't plugged in the motherboard power connector.

2. The power switch is either not plugged into the motherboard, or it's on
the wrong pins, or the switch/wire/connector is bad.

3. You have a dead short somewhere, like a standoff in the wrong place,
incompatible graphics card plugged in, etc., so that it crowbars the power
supply the instant it tries to come on.

4. The CMOS jumper is in the 'clear CMOS' position.

 

[Joe]

power connector is plugged in, standoffs are fine, graphics card
onboard, CMOS jumper is in the right place. You did hit one of my
thoughts about a bad/misplaced switch. I pulled a working switch out
of another case and will test it this am. I also bought a momentary
switch from Radio Shack so I have a spare. Thanks for the ideas David.
Joe.

 

[Ken]

This one has got me going. New motherboard, /ASUS/, put the thing
together, double checked everything: connections-ram-cpu-everything I
could think of. Pushed the on/off switch 2-3X, nothing. Unplugged
everything, tested the p/s under a load for 15 minutes and checked
individual voltages. All ok. Reseated CPU, checked ram, checked power
cord, swapped the system unit cord with the known-working monitor cord.
ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD DO? I bought all name-brand components (I know,
Anything can be a POS...), reread the manual, etc. The only thing that
I can think of to do now is leave it alone for the night so that I
don't make a really stupid mistake and fry everything. What am I
missing? I am at the point where logical troubleshooting is starting
to be a hindrance and I need to check the things that "can't be
wrong"... LOL, I am not on crack and am not a drunk...Maybe I should
START???

In addition to what David suggested: Is your PS sufficient for your
MB? (A PS that is being over taxed will not boot. I encountered this
with two PS's both rated at 300 watt. One would boot and the other
would not, even though they both were working.) Is there a processor
fan connector on the MB? Many depend upon current being drawn from the
connector or they shut down the PS as a safety feature.

There are many reasons that such a MB might not boot up, and I have
found that it is easier to lay out the MB and PS along with only the
essential components on a sheet of paper rather than mount it in a case
at first. Once you know it works, then install it in the case.

 

[manny]

standoffs are fine,

How do you know? Knowing would require measuring the
resistance between case and each power connector pin
on the motherboard while the motherboard was not in
contact with the rear panel.

 

[Paul]

This one has got me going. New motherboard, /ASUS/, put the thing
together, double checked everything: connections-ram-cpu-everything I
could think of. Pushed the on/off switch 2-3X, nothing. Unplugged
everything, tested the p/s under a load for 15 minutes and checked
individual voltages. All ok. Reseated CPU, checked ram, checked power
cord, swapped the system unit cord with the known-working monitor cord.
ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD DO? I bought all name-brand components (I know,
Anything can be a POS...), reread the manual, etc. The only thing that
I can think of to do now is leave it alone for the night so that I
don't make a really stupid mistake and fry everything. What am I
missing? I am at the point where logical troubleshooting is starting
to be a hindrance and I need to check the things that "can't be
wrong"... LOL, I am not on crack and am not a drunk...Maybe I should
START???

Remove motherboard from case (that is, if you can do it without
having to remove the CPU heatsink/fan).

Place motherboard, CPU + heatsink/fan, and power supply on your
table. Remove all other components. Disconnect disks and power
them off. Rest the motherboard on a thick telephone book with cardboard
cover. That will support and insulate the motherboard. All
necessary ground signals are provided by the black wires on the
main ATX power harness.

Make sure the ATX12V 2x2 power connector, and the main power connector
are both installed. Virtually all new motherboards use the 2x2
square power connector. It is the exclusive source of power for
the processor, and you cannot POST without it.

Connect the computer speaker to the PANEL header.

Turn on the power switch on the back of the computer.

Using the momentary contact ON button (or equivalent),
connected to the PANEL header, try to switch it on.

If you hear one or more beeps from the computer speaker,
it means your processor managed to execute some BIOS code.
If there are no beeps, something is preventing the processor
from escaping from reset and executing some code.

If your Asus motherboard is a "deluxe" version, there is also
a Vocal POST feature. (If you'd mentioned the motherboard
model number, I could have told you whether the board has it
or not.) With just the processor installed, the Vocal POST
would say something like "memory test failed". Since, in the
test case I specified above, the RAM and video card are missing,
you'd expect the Vocal POST to have something to say about the
missing components.

If it beeps, or says something reasonable on the Vocal POST,
start adding components back into the computer, one at a time,
and see what added component kills it. (Always unplug the
computer before adding components.) The Vocal POST feature
is handy, because the responses allow you to construct a
decision tree. The Vocal POST won't say "X is broken", but
if you consider all the responses in their totality, it'll
hint at what is broken. No guarantees of course, but if
you've got it, the Vocal POST does provide more info than
you can get from "beeps".

To access Vocal POST, connect amplified speakers to the
rear green audio connector. The green audio connector always
has the Vocal POST signal on it, even if you had an Audigy
plugged into the motherboard and had the onboard sound
disabled. Vocal POST is generated by an autonomous chip
which is capacitively coupled to the green connector.
As such, the audio signal cannot be moved from its
"green" home.

Good luck,
Paul

 

[Patty]

power connector is plugged in, standoffs are fine, graphics card
onboard, CMOS jumper is in the right place. You did hit one of my
thoughts about a bad/misplaced switch. I pulled a working switch out
of another case and will test it this am. I also bought a momentary
switch from Radio Shack so I have a spare. Thanks for the ideas David.
Joe.

Are you sure all the standoffs are ok? I once had a board (Asus as a
matter of fact) that was shorted to the case. When powered up outside the
case, it worked perfectly. Sometimes traces end up close to screw holes
and can cause this. I ended up using fiber washers and reinstalled in the
case and the board has been working perfectly for over two years now.

Patty