Build problem need help. :(

**Rawr** · 01-28-10, 08:49 PM

So I've been trying to put my computer together and have run into a most unusual snag.

When I connected everything the power flashed on, then everything just kinda kept blinking on and off over and over again. Sometimes it runs for a second, sometimes for about 3, but never more than that. I've pop'd out a bunch of stuff and tried running with different items but it doesn't seem to be working...

The replacement power supply that I've tried doesn't seem to be it, and it's actually a bit messed up also, so i'll be returning that as well.

All fans connected, all power connected, but it SHOULD give me a post or something, even if the other items aren't working properly.

Any ideas? This is killin me here.

**Rawr** · 01-28-10, 09:55 PM

Okay so I've stopped the shorting. (there was an extra thing holding up the mobo that was causing it to short).

Now nothing is posting, it turns on, everything seems to be running, no beeps, cd is in the drive and spinning.... but i don't see anything.

**GReYVee** · 01-29-10, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by Rawr

Okay so I've stopped the shorting. (there was an extra thing holding up the mobo that was causing it to short).

Now nothing is posting, it turns on, everything seems to be running, no beeps, cd is in the drive and spinning.... but i don't see anything.

If your DVD is powering up and than actually reading the bootup disc (flickering/solid read light) you would appear to be passing the POST. If this is the case, than it is likely no video signal is getting to your monitor. Since you just swapped out power supplies, and back again.. make sure you got some of those tricky molex connections in place. Also try onboard graphics port if you have one.

Commonly missed power connections:
6 pin molex to the PCI-e graphics card
20+4 pin for the motherboard, (some motherboards only take 20, but just check you dont have 4 empty power sockets next to where the 20 is connected)

Side note: Some mobos do not have an onboard PC speaker. You may need to connect your PC speaker into the motherboard to hear any POST code beeps. For this see if a PC speaker came built into the case or chassis.

**Saltspring** · 01-29-10, 08:31 PM

Does the Bios screen show up or does the screen just stay blank.

**Rawr** · 01-30-10, 08:03 AM

It was completely blank but the keyboard never came on, and if it was a graphics problem and I had actually Posted, I feel like I would have seen some keyboard lights after a few minutes. I'm thinking it just isn't posting so I sent back the CPU and am waiting for a new one. I think I may have killed it during the constant shorts, or maybe it was already messed up.

I plan on running SLI and have swapped out the cards in hopes of seeing if one works over the other and I still had no picture, and I definitely checked all of the power on them, and if it's any sign of doing it right, the fans on the cards were working. I'm also pretty positive I got all the power to the motherboard.

**Phyrelight** · 01-30-10, 09:43 AM

If you found a short and fixed it odds are you already fried either end of the short. Electronics are very sensitive to shorts. It's possible you fried your MB or memory depending on where the short was.

**Rawr** · 01-30-10, 04:42 PM

Yup, but i'm just hoping it's the processor, and not all of it. I'm most worried about the processor since I have less time to RMA it. If the computer has problems after the processor, I'll try to RMA he ram and MB... either way this process sucks

**Rawr** · 01-30-10, 04:51 PM

I'm hoping that the computer kicking on, and the motherboard working properly when it comes to powering on and off and whatnot that I'm lucky. It may be a bad assumption, but I just have high hopes =p.

**HeavyG** · 01-30-10, 07:02 PM

Are you sure you know what you are doing? I am not trying to sound condescending, but you have a bunch of issues on the table, you don't seem to have the tools to troubleshoot the issue, and you are now RMAing parts that could be perfectly fine.

Try pulling the CPU and memory, putting things back one at a time... re-seat your CPU with some new thermal compound, then try one memory stick, then try the other. If possible, test the PSU on a computer you know to be working, and if possible, throw the CPU in a friend's computer to test it out. Troubleshoot before sending things back. You have until Monday to ship anything out, so troubleshoot everything on Sunday.

**Rawr** · 01-30-10, 10:26 PM

Yeah I mostly know what I'm doing. It's just that every build I've done has never had problems with this. I've tried reseating the CPU, and I've tried every ram stick individually, tried running either one or the other graphics card, tried 2 different power supplies etc. I've pretty much troubleshooted everything that I can do without some extra equipment that I do not have, so I'm just hoping that what I've sent back is the problem.

Also all of my friends around here have only laptops, or old and crappy computers, so the builds predate the i7 so I wouldn't be able to find a computer to drop the CPU in.

(Oh and trust me, I don't take it as condescending at all, at this point i'm just fumbling around trying to get a grasp of the situation)