Boot/Power Problem

[iamstupid]

I have computers before but this has never happened to me.

Event: I turn on the computer and it'll automatically turns off.

How it all happened. After putting all the components together checking and double checking everything is connected; I turn on the power (stays on for two seconds, nohing on screen) and then it just turns off. I so take off the heatsink, unlock CPU look at (nothing wrong there I hope), lock it down, put the heatsink back on, plug everything back in, and turn on the power. This time I get through the screen telling you whats on the computer and to the DOS looking screen (if fugred great; must have fixed what ever the problems was). So i restart, and go into the BIOS, and start the changing the boot sequence when the computer hangs and turns off again. Now I sit dumbfounded. So I keep trying turn it and the it goes and turns off. Then thought it might be the CPU temp, so after i get into the BIOS it says its only 90 degrees and then turns off. So my next solution was to go down to Frys and pick up a power supply and same new motherboard. Comeback try new items bought and the samething happens. So i figure it might be a faulty case power switch and take back the case and power supply, motherboard to frys. When talking to a person at Frys he told me the porblem might be the RAM, thought about it and said he could be right. So i buy a new case and RAM. Comebck and to no avail the same thing happens again. I am completely lost, getting frustrated, and spending too myuch money on gas for these trips. If anyone could help that would be great.

Here are the components during different attempts:
1st Attempt:
AMD XP 2400+ Plus (2.0GHz)
MSI K7N2 Delta-L Nforce2 400FSB
2x SAMSUNG 256MB DDR Ram PC2700 333Mhz DDR
W. Digital 120GB (WD1200JB)
Lite-On (LTD-166S) 16x DVD
Lite-On (LTR-52246S) 52x24x52x
SONY 3.5 inch 1.44MB
ATI RADEON 9200 128MB 8X RTL POWER COLOR/DVI/CTR/TV out
Antec Lanboy 350W SmartBlue
Philips 170B2T 17" LCD

2nd attempt:
Switched out power supply and motherboard using same model power supply and same model motherboard.

3rd attempt:
Switched out RAM and Case
Corsair RAM 256MB PC2700
Enermax CS-307 330W power supply

Only during first attempt and 2nd attempt did I get to the BIOS screen.:brokenheart:

 

[SuperPickle]

Welcome to Anandtech.
Gosh, it certainly seems like you have taken decent troubleshooting steps. Two questions:
1) when reading the temp in BIOS, was that 90ºF or 90ºC? 90ºC would certainly mean overheating
2) when installing and reinstalling the heatsink over the CPU, did you use thermal paste or a thermal pad? If it was a pad, did you use a fresh one when you reinstalled the heatsink? Pads are one-time use only.
[edit: grammer]

 

[DoubleUhat]

90 degree celcius? most likely you forgot to remove the plastic protective sheet below the HSF unit.

 

[iamstupid]

Sorry I didn't clarify, it is 90F and I used Cooler Master High Performance Thermal paste. The Heatsink+Fan is a Thermaltake Volcano 9 using the thermal sensor, just to let you know I live on the coast by san francisco, so room temp. is like 60-65F.

 

[DoubleUhat]

Try to boot again with minimum possible component inside:-
MB, CPU, Display card, RAM - see how long you can stay on the bios screen.

 

[iamstupid]

Sorry, another clarification, now that I have switched to the enermax case it only turns on and turns off in a sec or two, cant get to bios. Could the CPU be fudged upped? Maybe even cracked when i stalled heatsink, although when I look at it nothing appears to be damaged.

 

[iamstupid]

Oh.. and it still doesnt boot with minimum components.

 

[DoubleUhat]

Normally, damage CPU will be detect by bios and warn you with a pattern of beeps (or pattern of 4 leds for msi) rather than turn off.
Suspect something that sits on your pci bus (eg. faulty modem) that cause the auto-shutdown.

 

[iamstupid]

But remember, I used two of the same motherboard and it still didnt work. And I dont have anything on the PCI bus only have one card and that is the ATI video card (AGP slot). What sucks is that if I return these parts I will have to pay a 15%restocking fee (bought online).

 

[DoubleUhat]

Sigh, you are out of luck, you need to test your cpu with another AMD system or borrow a working cpu to test your system. Anyway, thou not likely, try another set of HSF?

 

[iamstupid]

Yes... exactly my thoughts, remind me never to build a computer for someone again. And if anyone else has ideas please throw them out there.

 

[iamstupid]

Theoretically if I only have MB and CPU power plugged in; the computer is supposed to stay on right?

 

[Harvey]

I don't know about the MSI K7N2, but a friend once gave me an earlier MSI board that had a similar problem with the ATX power control circuit. I later learned that a large percentage of the entire model run had the same probem.

Of course, I was glad it was not a board I had paid for, but this kind of thing is a possiblity. You can test this by trying another make or model motherboard in your case. If the other one works, give up on this MSI model. Even the best manufacturers can receive a shipment of defective components that spoil a particular production run. If that's what happened, every board assembled in this time span is suspect.

 

[iamstupid]

Any suggestion on a nforce2 MB $100 USD and under?

 

[SuperPickle]

Epox 8RDA+ is a pretty solid choice on the cheap.

 

[iamstupid]

I am stupid, as the name refers to. I should have won a Darwin Award. Instead of putting the thermal sensor under the CPU as the instructions said, I put the thermal sensor right on top of the core slabbed on with tons of thermal compound. Please, all I need right now is a good smack in the face, please be genlte though. Just wondering though, why did it crap out like that?

 

[SuperPickle]

If all that happened was a few days worth of headaches and consternation without any burned up parts, consider yourself lucky and you're much more the wiser now. If you indeed smashed a thermal sensor between your CPU and the heatsink, you prevented the heatsink from properly taking the heat away from the chip. I suspect, although i don't know specifically of that board but it's the case with many new boards, when the CPU temperature rose high enough, the motherboard enabled a thermal-protection shutdown to keep the chip from dying.

A proper application of thermal compound should amount to little more than turning the core of the CPU grey (or white). Thermal compound the thickness of clear/transparent/Scotch/gift-wrapping tape is plenty thick if not slightly excessive.