N2U400-A - Video not working

[joshdura]

I just installed an ECS N2U400-A, everything starts up fine, but the monitor never turns on when i start it up... I have tried resetting the CMOS, reseating the RAM, the video card, etc... but nothing works... Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Do you have the 12V cable plugged in?

 

[joshdura]

yeah, everything is plugged in

 

[mechBgon]

How about give us the full spec list, including brands and models of all the parts. Don't forget the power supply and the speed of the RAM

 

[joshdura]

Athlon 2200+ XP
Radeon 9500 Pro
2 sticks - Kingston 256MB DDR PC2100
1 stick - Crucial 512MB DDR PC2100
Powersupply is a Linkworld 430W, thats about all I know about it... I swapped it, and tried another one, and that didnt work...

 

[mechBgon]

Ok, and you for sure have this cable plugged in, right? Also make sure your AGP card is seated in BOTH layers of contacts, and that your power supply's 115V/230V slide switch is set to the correct voltage for where you live.

 

[joshdura]

I have tried with that cable plugged in, and with it unplugged.... When its plugged in, the computer doesnt even boot... When I unplug it, it does boot, but without video...

 

[mechBgon]

My next suggestion is to take the board out of the case, lay it on cardboard, and try it with just the essentials: video card, CPU/heatsink/fan, one memory module, and the keyboard. No drives, no case wiring except the Power button's wire.

Also make sure that your heatsink is oriented this way, that the Clear CMOS jumper isn't in the Clear position, and that your keyboard's plugged into the green PS/2 port, not the purple one that's for your mouse. edit: heh, I got this backwards... green for mouse, purple for keyboard! Thanks KGBMAN for the reality check! :shocked:

If it won't run like that, then try the other memory modules one at a time. If it still won't go, confirm that the video card, memory and power supply do work in a known-working computer. If they do, then that boils it down to the motherboard or the CPU. Depending on whether your CPU is a Thorton or Thoroughbred, you may be able to test it in another system to see if it's OK, but two notes on that:

1) remember that the phase-change thermal patches on retail AMD heatsinks are a one-shot deal, you have to scrape them off and use high-quality thermal grease after they've been used & removed; and

2) Not all motherboards support Thorton cores, so confirm that the second system does support Thortons before concluding that a Thorton is defective based on this test not working (if yours is a Thorton).

 

[joshdura]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
1) remember that the phase-change thermal patches on retail AMD heatsinks are a one-shot deal, you have to scrape them off and use high-quality thermal grease after they've been used & removed

this is the gray stuff between the heatsink and the processor correct? I need to replace that? What goes wrong if I dont do this?

Thanks for all the help, I will definitely check all that out tonight when I get home

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: joshdura

Originally posted by: mechBgon
1) remember that the phase-change thermal patches on retail AMD heatsinks are a one-shot deal, you have to scrape them off and use high-quality thermal grease after they've been used & removed

this is the gray stuff between the heatsink and the processor correct? I need to replace that? What goes wrong if I dont do this?

Thanks for all the help, I will definitely check all that out tonight when I get home

Yeah, the square of soft-ish stuff. It melts to fit the gap between the CPU core and the heatsink... once. Pick up some Arctic Silver or Coolermaster thermal grease on your way home, a tube of it will last you for years and it's nice to have when you need it Here's a quick-&-dirty application (3MB video clip): clip. If it doesn't want to play for you, right-click the link and Save As, then play it after it downloads.

 

[joshdura]

woohoo, got the video working, but now, whenever it boots, it asks me if i want to boot into Safe Mode, or Normal... I have tried each, but it just restarts the system... I have the correct hard drive as primary, so I know thats not the problem

 

[joshdura]

oh, also, when i go into safe mode, the last driver it loads before the restart, is amdagp.... dont know if that helps?

 

[will889]

Originally posted by: joshdura
woohoo, got the video working, but now, whenever it boots, it asks me if i want to boot into Safe Mode, or Normal... I have tried each, but it just restarts the system... I have the correct hard drive as primary, so I know thats not the problem

Sounds like you have things set up in your bios wrong EG: Async possibly. Many get that message with failed overclocks that have corrupted the os (boot.ini). Make sure your CPU and memory are in sync. EG if you have 133 FSB chip running with PC3200 ram you'll have a problem like that, because even by setting "optimized defaults" your ram will run by "SPD" (which you do not want if your CPU and ram are mismatched), and your CPU will run at "auto" which is 133 FSB (266DDR). You would also have a problem if you were running PC2100 ram with a native 333 FSB or 400 FSB barton. Just be sure you're in sync and have the right ram (at least matches the FSB of your CPU) or you have ram properly "downclocked" if your ram is higher spec'ed than your CPU.

 

[KGB]

Josh,

Are you trying to boot into a Windows install from your previous MB?
If so, you will need to do a fresh installation.


mechBgon,

"and that your keyboard's plugged into the green PS/2 port, not the purple one that's for your mouse. "

are you going color-blind already? :Q:laugh: [zinga]

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: KGBMAN
Josh,

Are you trying to boot into a Windows install from your previous MB?
If so, you will need to do a fresh installation.


mechBgon,

"and that your keyboard's plugged into the green PS/2 port, not the purple one that's for your mouse. "

are you going color-blind already? :Q:laugh: [zinga]

D'oh! :Q How'd I mess that one up! Bad mechBgon, no snacks for you!

 

[joshdura]

Does that mean I will lose all my data? Or is there a way to do a fresh installation without formatting?

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: joshdura
Does that mean I will lose all my data? Or is there a way to do a fresh installation without formatting?

If you have your old motherboard, it would be a good idea to put it back in and back up your data onto CD-Rs or DVD-Rs, etc, before you get any further. Or you can try putting the drive into a working computer and copying the data to the working computer's hard drive as a "holding tank."

I really think your best bet for a happy future is a full reformat/reinstall of Windows, and you may want to partition your hard drive so there's a "holding tank" partition on it... that way, you can move important data to the "holding tank" partition if you have a need to reinstall Windows on the first partition. However, you could try a Repair install of Windows, which you do by booting from your Windows CD and starting Setup. The first time it asks if you want to try a Repair, tell it you're doing a fresh installation and let it keep getting its preparations in place. When it looks at the hard drive, aim it at your C: partition and it should discover that hey, there's already a Windows installation! Should it try to Repair it? and you say ~ go for it! and it will adopt the data and programs while getting the Windows installation familiarized with the new hardware.

Keep in mind that this will revert the Windows installation to a "raw" condition, making it vulnerable to attack by worms like Sasser, simply by having a network cable plugged into a broadband modem. :Q So my advice is to keep that network or telephone cable unplugged until you've got firewall software installed, unless you have a cable/DSL router between your system and your modem. Better safe than sorry. This means you need to have the firewall software pre-downloaded and available on a CD or whatnot. More info towards the bottom of the page here and here are links to free ZoneAlarm basic firewall software (ZoneAlarm basic) and free Grisoft AVG Free Edition antivirus software (check the license terms to see if you qualify): link. Even if you have a hardware router, I'd still put on ZoneAlarm too.

And of course, once you DO get online, go to Windows Update and get all the Critical Updates, reboot, and go back again until you've got all of them.

Hope that helps

 

[pspada]

Mech, sometimes you awe me with the depth of your posts. I wanna be just like you when I grow up - from my second childhood! :beer:

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: pspada
Mech, sometimes you awe me with the depth of your posts. I wanna be just like you when I grow up - from my second childhood! :beer:

Hehe, thanks for the props I may have to share the pizza with you after all...