[Sintu]

I am building a computer from cheap and spare parts, my motherboard just arrived today completing my computer. The only problem is, when I turn it on, no video is displayed. I tried swapping out the vid card and the RAM to no avail. What else could it be? Thanks in advance!

[cujo668]

when you turn it on, do you hear anything, like the fans ogoing and the hard drive spinning up?

[crjdriver]

Here is a set of instructions I made for problem builds. Follow the part under you assembled it and it will not post.

What to do with a “Problem Build”

First are you getting the board to post [power on self test] If yes follow the first set of instructions

Board posts however there are lockups, bsod, cannot install windows

1) Since it posts, check your temps in the bios. It is very difficult to say what a “Normal” temp should be since each type of cpu [P4, Athlon, AMD64, etc] has a normal temp. What you should see in the bios is a stable temp of <55C. If the temp is much higher than that, you probably have the heatsink fan installed incorrectly.

2) If the temps are ok, pull all cards from the system except the video card. Disconnect any peripherals such as printer, scanner, usb hub, etc. Is it stable now? If so you have a problem with a piece of hardware or its driver.

3) Test the memory with a tester like memtest86. Just because you see a memory test during post means nothing. All that does is check to see if the memory is there. It does not check each memory address. Note this test is run from bootable media ie CD or floppy; there is no need for an operating system to be installed.

4) Power supply. A modern P4 or AMD64 needs a quality power supply. It is difficult to say what wattage you will need since this is dependant on many things; the number of fans, the number of hard drives you have installed, the type of video card you have installed, amount of ram, etc. A bare minimum would be in the neighborhood of 350W. The power supplies that come with many cases [however not all] are junk. Since modern systems make a very high demand on the 12V rail of the power supply, what you are looking for is something around 20+ amps on the 12V rail. Some good brands of power supplies are Antec, Enermax, Enlight, Sparkle, and some models of Coolmax. There are other quality units, however those are what I use in my builds.


You assembled the system, and it will not post


1) Remove EVERYTHING from the case
2) Set the motherboard on a non conductive surface. The motherboard box is perfect for this. .DO NOT PLACE THE MOTHERBOARD ON THE STATIC BAG! The outside of some of these can actually conduct electricity! We are going to try and assemble a running system outside of the case.
3) Install the CPU and heat sink.
4) Install the RAM (only install 1 stick for SDRAM, 2 for RDRAM)
5) Install the video card. Do make sure the card is FULLY seated.
6) Connect the monitor to the video card.
7) Connect the power supply to the motherboard.
8) Connect power to the power supply
9) Do NOT connect ANYTHING else. Make sure you have the power connector on the CPU fan connected.
10) Use a small screwdriver to momentarily short the power switch connector on the motherboard.

If all is well, it should power up and you should get a display. You now have found you have a mounting problem. The board is shorting to the case. If not, then you most likely have a faulty component. You will need to swap parts with known good units ie power supply, cpu, ram, video card.


How to mount a new board in a case

1) Remove the IO plate from the back of the case.
2) Place the board in the case and use something like a sharpie or a pencil to mark the case where you will need to install the standoffs.
3) Remove the board and install the standoffs.
4) Install the IO plate
5) Place the board on the standoffs and slide it into the IO plate. Secure it with the screws provided with the case.

Just a reminder do not buy cheap parts!!!
I have one rule.

Quality hardware and properly installed software do not lockup, bsod, reboot itself, etc

[Sintu]

When I turn it on, it does get power, the fans come on and so do the LEDs, but I get no video.
crjdriver, thanks for the suggestion. I'll go try it now. Thanks again everyone.

[cujo668]

sounds like a video card problem or your bios is wrong

[Sintu]

I swapped the video card out of the computer for the one I'm using in this one (obviously, it's working ) with the same results. I tried removing the battery on the mobo for 30 secs or so and reinserting it, but no luck. Any other ideas?

[brite750]

Originally Posted by Sintu

I swapped the video card out of the computer for the one I'm using in this one (obviously, it's working ) with the same results. I tried removing the battery on the mobo for 30 secs or so and reinserting it, but no luck. Any other ideas?

make sure the cmos jumper is set right, all power connections 20pin atx and 4pin 12v connector in MB?

[Sintu]

I can't seem to find a CMOS jumper, and I don't think I have a 12 volt power connecter. My mobo's manual can be found here>>> http://www.axper.com/download/manual/data/XP-K7V400.pdf
Thank you so much for your help everyone.

[brite750]

ok, no cmos jumper, no 4pin 12v plug. Do you even get a post beep or just black screen

[brite750]

if black screen, it could be psu cpu or MB, you might want to pull your coms battery for 30 sec and put back in if you havent tried that yet

[brite750]

What cpu do you have? are you sure its compatible with MB?

[brite750]

make sure cpu fan is plugged in to the cpu fan plug on MB, make sure case speaker is plugged in so we can hear beep codes if any

[Sintu]

They're both plugged in, the fan works, but no error codes. Thanks again everybody.

[crjdriver]

Have you done what I posted in post #3 ie pull the board and try for a post outside of the case?

[crjdriver]

It would also help if you listed exact specs ie make and model of mb, power supply, video, etc.