Computer won't start up... Need Help Please?

[ricochet]

I went to fire up my desktop today after I got home and the fans fire up for about 2 seconds and then the machine goes into an endless reboot cycle every 5 seconds or so.

The video card fan fires up and runs. The cpu fan does not fire up and run. The CPU fan usually fires up briefly then shuts down and then fires up full time after a few seconds. The CPU fan briefly fires up then stops, then the video card fan fires up and then the machine just shuts down and restarts.

The case fan fires up and runs. I can hear the HD's firing up too.

I think something may be caput on the MB or the videocard.

Any help on this one? I'm stumped pretty good now.

I reseated the video card and both memory modules to no avail...

[Dual]

Try disconnecting everything, take memory out ,try ,one by one putting them back. If you have a additional hard drive available try a format har drive.

[ricochet]

Dual,

The machine wouldn't even boot into the bios. Nothing. After a 2 second 'on' time, the machine just rebooted, every time.

I have an update though.

I unplugged everything and it still did it with only the cpu, the cpu fan and the video card plugged in, along with 1 memory stick.

No HDD's or optical drives. It did the same thing. Run for 2 seconds and reboot.

I went and dug out my older machine which has an older ps in it, a 400 watter.

The power plug won't exactly interface completely with the MB ATX connector. The additional 4 pin plug at the very end of the MB connector wont interface with teh corresponding 4 pin square plug coming from the power supply.

Never the less, the machine started. It did not reboot. Nothing came up on the screen though but the CPU fan atleast started up and began to turn and keep turning. The machine didn't enter the reboot cycle either.

I think the problem is the power supply?

Now I just need to find a fully compatible PS that can interface completely with the MB.

[-=NYS=- C.O.]

Dual,

The machine wouldn't even boot into the bios. Nothing. After a 2 second 'on' time, the machine just rebooted, every time.

I have an update though.

I unplugged everything and it still did it with only the cpu, the cpu fan and the video card plugged in, along with 1 memory stick.

No HDD's or optical drives. It did the same thing. Run for 2 seconds and reboot.

I went and dug out my older machine which has an older ps in it, a 400 watter.

The power plug won't exactly interface completely with the MB ATX connector. The additional 4 pin plug at the very end of the MB connector wont interface with teh corresponding 4 pin square plug coming from the power supply.

Never the less, the machine started. It did not reboot. Nothing came up on the screen though but the CPU fan atleast started up and began to turn and keep turning. The machine didn't enter the reboot cycle either.

I think the problem is the power supply?

Now I just need to find a fully compatible PS that can interface completely with the MB.

I was going to mention the power supply. <shrugs>

[Dual]

we'll if you need a new psu ,try newegg probably your best bet for a reasonable psu.

[dutch]

You need a new PSU. That's all. Also do not try to put the 4 pin plug that is only black and yellow cables into the main 20/24 pin connector. You will damage your motherboard doing this. If you are having trouble fitting a 24 pin connector into a 20 pin standard ATX input, the last 4 pins should be able to break off of the connector. If its solid on the connector you can still fit the 24 pin connector on the 20 pin input, but do this only as a last resort to testing, this could also damage the input port.

[ZERO]

Yes, try testing the psu on just some fans and see if it keeps running. Then add more things to the load until it does not work. This will tell you if it is the psu. I had a simular problem and it was not the psu and the problem has yet to be fixed. I still think it was a bad comos battery. Let me know when you figure it out as it might fix mine or prove my suspessions. :headache:

[ricochet]

Dutch,

I wouldn't plug the CPU power plug into the ATX socket.

Everything starts up and runs (fans anyways) normally when the CPU power plug is not connected to the mobo. I can connect that plug and everythign shuts down after 5 minutes. I can also noticeably hear the fans slow down when the CPU gets plugged in.

I've ordered a PS from newegg but...

The older PS I was using to test seems to be F'd up now too. I reassembled the older PS I had into the older machine it came out of and now that machine won't boot at all either.

I have a pretty good suspicion now that the MOBO may be kaput.

I'm nervous now about attaching the newly ordered PS into the older MOBO.

One interesting thing to consider is that the core2quad processor has been through military grade mechanical shock testing. It could have been damaged as a result of that testing.

I dunno.

I might just bite the bullet here and order a mobo/CPU combo from newegg.

Anyone have any good suggestions for a reasonably priced mobo/cpu?

Right now I have a Gigabyte GA-965P-GS3 and an Intel Core2Quad Q6600.


EDIT:

Check out the attached picture of the CPU. I just took it out to troubleshot futher...

http://www.runryder.com/fastphoto/44060/IMGP1420.jpg

Interesting point here- I took the CPU out of the socket and with everything else attached and plugged in properly, the PSU and everything else continued to run. Obviously it didn't boot as there is no CPU.


I wonder if this now points to the CPU. This troubleshooting combined with the dirty backside of the CPU and the testing the CPU endured tells me that the CPU could have blown up...

I've cleaned the thermal grease from the CPU and reinstalled it and the same symptoms are still there.

I wish the damned thing would just beep and give me some more clues...

[ricochet]

well, just bought a new mobo, cpu and a power supply.

I figure I could spend a lot more than that troubleshooting.

When I get all the new stuff I'm gonna try to use the Q6600 on the new mobo and ps to see if it is junk. That will narrow it down to either the mobo or the psu. Then I'll try the older ps on the new mobo. that will rule out the psu or not.

I am confidant that my problem is the mobo or cpu. I measured the power supply last night and it's outputting voltages correctly. obviously, I can't measure it under load though but im reasonably certain that it is operating ok...

[dutch]

Very unlikely your processor died, especially if its an Intel. The things just last forever, 99% of the time it's going to be the mobo or something else. But the picture you posted doesn't show up for me, if you could host it on the forums or something else like imagebucket it would help. If there are burn marks all over the processor on either side, its probably gone and I really wouldn't bother with any more testing.

[Dual]

Just sent dutch all the parts your thinks are broken and he'll will properly dispose of them for you.

[ricochet]

It was the motherboard, atleast I am fairly confidant it was. I removed it to put the new one in and when I looked at the 'cpu socket' end on edge, it was curved like a banana.

I'm finally up and running again. Took forever to reformat. I had to put the HD into an external enclosure and delete the partition in order to clean install. Windows XP setup wouldn't do it for me.

Got CS installed last night and all my settings are hosed now. Have to go back and tweak all of my rate settings. I never wrote em down haha.

I'll start a new thread on that.

[-=NYS=- C.O.]

Nice Kitchen stove. :lmao:
Welcome Back !

[Dual]

Your back in businesss horray!

[The Grand Inn]

turn it on