Help! Have I just fried my computer?

[stilz]

i was putting up a computer with these parts:
athlon xp 1800+ retail
MSI KT3 Ultra
256mb pc2100 Kingston DDR
Aopen case with 250 watts PSU (kf45a)
30.8GB WD 5400 RPM
Trident Image 9750 4mb, etc.
i powered it up and nothing showed up on the monitor (the light was flashing) and after like 5 seconds, the computer was powered off. next time i turned it up, the power indicator on the case won't light up at all, and the CPU fan spinned for one second. then i unplugged everything except the CPU, but it's still the same. i think i've smelled something in the meantime (not sure if it was supposing the smell of something burning or just the parts' odor). have i fried my computer or is it just that i need to get a new powersupply?
thanks in advance

 

[Tripleshot]

Was the CPU fan spinning up when you first booted? Did you apply heatsink/cpu grease?(thermal compound? If it is a factory chip, you may not have needed it)

Re seat the vid card and the ram, and unplug and re seat the CPU. Clear the cmos and then re boot. In fact,try to re boot after each of those steps. I have had the same problem with CPU's not seating properly and re seating them has let it boot.

Try it and get back to us.

 

[stilz]

the first time i powered it up it ran for 5 seconds and shut down itself. the fan was running, although i wasnt looking at it, but i heard the noise. i used retail fan/heatsink. somebody else suggested that extra standoffs could be casuing problems and i did placed several extras. i'll tried all the advises ASAP. greatly appreciate it!
edit: btw, this is the second time i am building a computer from the ground up since a 486 33mhz (which barely counts as once). any tips or warning for stupid mistakes i might make will be helpful. Question: is it safe to do the building on carpet? (static elec and all). thanks

 

[PHiuR]

it is mostly safe building on carpet... i do it all the time.. but i might have just fried by 486 while working on it on my bed haha oh well...well you should try unplugging everything and plugging everything back in.. especially the connections that go from motherboard to the power button and motherboard to p/s and most important reseat cpu and ram and video card

 

[stilz]

i think i know what the problem is now. i made a very stupid mistake by installing the heatsink backwards. i turned it around and it ran for 3 seconds and shuts off. the second time i tried, it ran and didn't stop. but all the tries after that were all 3 seconds. um... is my cpu dead?

also, do you have to plug the cpu fan's plug into the designated cpu fan 'outlet'? during one of my trials there was a spark and the 'outlet' was dead. is it ok if i plug it somewhere else?

lastly, i really dont know anything about the thermal grease. there are some of it that got around the die (i assume that's the black thing on the center of the cpu) that was originally on the stock heatsink. if i ever apply new thermal grease, do i have to remove those around the die? and how do i do it?

thanks for the help

 

[LostHiWay]

Yep...your almost surely fried that XP

 

[Yossarian]

Originally posted by: stilz
somebody else suggested that extra standoffs could be casuing problems and i did placed several extras

Did you take these out yet? They will definitely short the mobo.

 

[Strych9]

i think i know what the problem is now. i made a very stupid mistake by installing the heatsink backwards. i turned it around and it ran for 3 seconds and shuts off. the second time i tried, it ran and didn't stop. but all the tries after that were all 3 seconds. um... is my cpu dead?

If you installed the heat sink backwards you most likely did not have good contact and fried the cpu.

do you have to plug the cpu fan's plug into the designated cpu fan 'outlet'? during one of my trials there was a spark and the 'outlet' was dead. is it ok if i plug it somewhere else?

You can use any that are available.

i really dont know anything about the thermal grease. there are some of it that got around the die (i assume that's the black thing on the center of the cpu) that was originally on the stock heatsink. if i ever apply new thermal grease, do i have to remove those around the die? and how do i do it?

Clean off all of the old thermal grease before applying the new stuff. Use isopropyl alcohol or acetone, among other things, to clean it off. Look here for instructions.

 

[stilz]

thanks for the help guys. it turns out that i fried not only the cpu, but also mobo and memory. i had to buy everything over and it finally works now. this is a rather expensive lesson i learned ($226 to be exact), and i'll be extra careful if i ever build a computer again.