Tower Won't Boot (?!??!)

[ForsakenGemini]

I simply cannot figure out what is wrong with Lucifer (my Windows desktop). Ever since some random day last semester, she won't boot up - in fact, the motherboard won't even POST. At first I thought it was a processor problem, so I replaced my 1.53 GHz AMD Athlon 1800+ XP with a 1.6 GHz AMD Duron, but nothing really changed. Recently I thought "OK, must be a motherboard problem," so I replaced my MSI board with a PCChips board with roughly equivalent stats. Still no change. Then I thought, "OK, maybe it's posting but I can't see it because the graphics card has given out and the motherboard doesn't have onboard video." So my buddy Ie Tsen gave me his old GeForce 4800 FX or whatever it is to swap out for my Gainward Golden Sample GeForce3 Ti200. Still no change. I don't get it! It can't be the monitor because that works fine with my iBook. (Something of note: when the computer is "on" and the monitor is on and plugged into the video card, it does not display "No Signal" - it is simply blank and after a very short time the LED will change from green (ready) to amber (standby/sleep).) It can't be the power supply because the fans all come on, including the one at the end of the power chain that the CD-RW and both DVD drives are on, and the CPU Thermaltake Volcano 9 which is only getting power through the motherboard...wait, maybe that's the problem, the Volcano is drawing too much power...that doesn't really make much sense but I could try hooking it up to the power supply directly.... I just don't get it. It's obviously not the hard drive either, because the BIOS are stored on the motherboard, so even if the hard drive was kaput the motherboard should post. Plus it's an IBM Deskstar 60GXP. Should be totally fine. My only other option is the RAM, but that's a 512 stick of Mushkin PC2700...almost the same caliber as Crucial, there's no reason why it should be bad. I have absolutely no idea why this tower won't boot, my evil ex-roommate probably did something incredibly malicious....

Gah.

 

[KGB]

Gemini,

Just because your fans spin does not mean that your power supply is "OK".
Try a "known good" power supply.

 

[Big Lar]

Another Idea, would be video card connection/ video cable, or maybe reseat the video card... Yes, I think its video related.

 

[qquizz]

Make sure your system is plugged in DIRECTLY to the wall (no pwer strips) into a known good socket.

If you've already tried the other posts and no go, then disconnect every component inside your system (i.e. soundcard, modem, hard drives, CDROM, floppy, etc.) EXCEPT leave, CPU and fan, RAM, VIDEO card connected. Leave monitor connected.
Also disconnect keyboard, mouse, printers or any other external device including any USB or anything else. (except monitor)

Now power up computer to see if you get a BIOS startup screen.

If no go reseat (if it hasn't already been) CPU, VIDEO, RAM.

If you have 2 sticks of RAM remove one, re-try. If no go replace that stick and remove the other, and re-try.

Tip: Also check when trying to boot if your keyboard flashes its LED lights.
Also check any jumpers on you motherboard to see if they have been incorrectly set.

 

[ForsakenGemini]

I forgot to mention, one (and only one) of the DVD drives also works. I know that just because the fans come on doesn't mean the power supply is OK - but the fans come on, the lights come on, the central DVD drive operates (I assume the others require the system loaded to function, some of them work that way). The connections are all good, I refuse to believe that an Enermax 350W dual-fan just spontaneously gave out in a very odd way.

And Lar...I tried the video thing, I've replaced the motherboard so it's not the AGP slot, and I've tried a different video card, so it wasn't the card or the port, and the monitor works with my laptop, so it's not the cable or the monitor. Thanks though.

 

[amdskip]

Take a motherboard and install memory, processor/heatsink and video card. No drives (optical/hard/floppy) are necessary. Just set the motherboard on a flat non conductive surface. Power on by touching/shorting the pins where the front panel dc switch normally connects to. See what happens and make sure to reset the CMOS when doing this. If this does not work, try booting without memory and seeing if your motherboard produces any beep codes (make sure the system speaker is hooked up if it is not onboard). Reinsert memory into a different slot and try booting.