Originally posted by: scosmo451
<<When it fired up, was the CPU fan spinning?
Yep, right from the git-go.
<<I suggest skipping the adjustability of the TR2 on fireup by unplugging the wire going to the adjuster and plugging it straight into the board. It will be sensed and will run at max speed that way.
I'll try that too.
<<This shouldn't stop it from booting, but make sure the JP3 jumpers are correct. I've heard of misprints between book and board (mine's right), but the correct jumpers should be the two jumpers closest to your AGP - they work on mine (2500+ Barton 333mhz).
Thanks -- I'll check that out tonight (and yes, there is a misprint between book and board -- the way it's shown in the book is 90 degrees off what's on the board)
<<And, yes, I'd short the CMOS just for the heck of it.
I have to short the CMOS every time I go to restart after a startup failure, and man, is it a pain -- the manual warns to ALWAYS disconnect the ATX12V auxiliary power cable, which is so buried behind the PS, that I have to pull the mobo base to do it (and, of course, disconnect all PCI and AGP cards). It won't take many more try,try agains before I bite the bullet and move that PS right down to the empty acreage at the bottom of the case.
<<Pull out your video card for now. Leave one stick of RAM in for now. Disconnect your burner and media reader. You can put them back in later. The idea is to get it down to what your motherboard came with, plus RAM, of course. Once you get XP installed, it can pick up these extras readily.
Thanks, I've had many others suggest the same strategy since last night, and that will be my next attempt.
BTW, I have to confess that when I first put the Thermaltake CPU fan and heatsink on, I had a bit of a struggle with the damned clip -- I should have read mechBgon's PC-building guide all the way through before even *touching* a component, but being the impatient sort... well, anyway, the screwdriver slipped once and tapped the board lightly (and I mean really lightly). I couldn't see any broken or even nicked traces, but, because I'm also the pessimistic, worrying type, I've fretted since that there may have been damage to the mobo that I can't see.
Just a thought.
Thanks again for all your help -- frankly, I was astounded that I got so far as having the lights come on and the fan spin up.
Bart