Hardware woes...

Pint0 Xtreme · Post by **Pint0 Xtreme** » 2006-09-06 01:29am

Remember my previous threadabout my new computer? Well, it's not starting up and I've yet to determine the problem. Basically, I've attached the CPU, video card, sound card, hard drive and DVD-ROM. As soon as I flip the power supply switch on, the computer starts running with fans blazing but nothing comes on. That's a little unusual isn't it? It doesn't even require me to push the power switch to turn it on. I at first suspected I incorrectly plugged in the power SW wire but I double checked it and it seemed correct to me.

The system just powers on with nothing - no sound or video. The monitor isn't getting anything so it's not just a blank screen; there's no video output at all. There's no beeping either, which I would come to expect. Perhaps I didn't plug in internal sound wires correctly either (A little confusing since the case comes with one sound ground wire and the motherboard has pins for two). Does anyone have any troubleshooting tips or ideas I could use to help diagnose the problem?

Also, the power case from Power PC and Cooling was huge! There were more than enough wires. In fact, a lot of them just got in the way making the whole building process all that more frustrating.

atg · Post by **atg** » 2006-09-06 01:36am

Check that the pc speaker is correctly wired, then remove/unplug everything from the motherboard apart from the cpu, RAM and graphics card and see what you get.

Pint0 Xtreme · Post by **Pint0 Xtreme** » 2006-09-06 02:09am

atg wrote:Check that the pc speaker is correctly wired, then remove/unplug everything from the motherboard apart from the cpu, RAM and graphics card and see what you get.

The layout is a tad confusing. The Antec P180B audio port comes with a 10-pin connector and 7 individual wires:
1. Mic Signal Pin
2. Mic Power
3. Ground Pin
4/5. Front Right/Left Speaker
6/7. Rear Right/Left Speaker

And the motherboard 4-pin warning speaker pins is configured as follows (One pin for each):
+5V, Ground, Ground, Speaker

The only thing that is plugged in right now is the CPU, RAM and video card. I'm still not getting any video or audio. I should be getting beeping noises but have no idea how to properly get the audio working. There is a lot of guesswork involved so far.

Post by **Edi** » 2006-09-06 02:23am

Check the motherboard manual for the audio connector shit. The Antec case connector is Intel standard, so should be pluggable into most motherboard audio jacks with no problems. The individual connectors are for nonstandard mobo audio interfaces. I checked that out yesterday so I won't have to spend time on it when I get the goods. I like the P180 case, but the audio connection instructions were a fucking disgrace because they lefyt out the pin schematic.

Next question: Is the processor correctly installed in that it sits snugly in the socket and so forth?

And which one of the video outputs are you using? Analog or digital? Because it can sometimes cause problems if you try to use the digital output to the monitor before all the drivers are in place. I remember that happening with a couple of machines I was repairing.

Also, the first thing you need to do when you do get video and manage to POST and boot the computer is probably update the BIOS. If you have any s775 processors other than the Core 2 Duo, put one in first, update BIOS and only then try the new processor. Some boards may have a problem with the Conroes if their BIOS is not up to date, especially since your mobo is not using the P965 chipset.

Edi

Pint0 Xtreme · Post by **Pint0 Xtreme** » 2006-09-06 03:10am

Edi wrote:Check the motherboard manual for the audio connector shit. The Antec case connector is Intel standard, so should be pluggable into most motherboard audio jacks with no problems. The individual connectors are for nonstandard mobo audio interfaces. I checked that out yesterday so I won't have to spend time on it when I get the goods. I like the P180 case, but the audio connection instructions were a fucking disgrace because they lefyt out the pin schematic.

Well, the speaker pin layout for the motherboard is as I described above. It doesn't make much sense how the case audio connectors are supposed to connect with the 4 pin interface.

Next question: Is the processor correctly installed in that it sits snugly in the socket and so forth?

It sure seems snugly in the socket. I noticed the processor itself doesn't holes anymore. It just has circle plates (Still familiar to the older processors with the holes and pins). There's only one way it fits and the grooves makes the whole process a no brainer. I did notice that it's not as tightly fit as with the older processors when it was placed. It has a little room to slide around the socket though it gets clamped down eventually when you secure the processor in its place. This, I assume, is normal. Right?

And which one of the video outputs are you using? Analog or digital? Because it can sometimes cause problems if you try to use the digital output to the monitor before all the drivers are in place. I remember that happening with a couple of machines I was repairing.

Well, there are only two (identical) ports to the video card and none of them work.

Also, the first thing you need to do when you do get video and manage to POST and boot the computer is probably update the BIOS. If you have any s775 processors other than the Core 2 Duo, put one in first, update BIOS and only then try the new processor. Some boards may have a problem with the Conroes if their BIOS is not up to date, especially since your mobo is not using the P965 chipset.

Edi

I'll keep that in mind. First things first, however; I need to get the system up and running.