putting computer together.

[benjamin20]

motherboard
proccessor
memory
power supply
video card

ok, im putting this thing together for my friend. i omitted mentioning the disk drives, case, wireless card and such because it is not neccissary. i put everything together and it wont come on. ive made 3 of these things before and i was able to get them to work just fine, but this time nothing works. if i plug it all up two yellow lights on the motherboard light up but the power switches wont work. there is power on button on the motherboard. when i pres it no fans come on, its as if i never pressed it. i tried removing a ram bank and the video card and nothing changed. i know its hard to diagnose a problem without actually being here but i was just wondering if anyone can think of anything that would hinder it. there is no pata connections either. all i can think of is there is either something incompatible in the power supply or the motherboard is messed up.

[bherbac]

From what you describe the system is not coming on at all. Things to look for fall into the following possibilities.

1) Verify that all of the jumpers and cables are connected correctly. Also check to be sure the power button actually is functional. They almost never fail, but Murphy can visit at any time.

2) Power supply. You have some power, based on the the lights on the mother board, but the power supply provides several different voltages. If any of these are out the system will not work and may exhibit this symptom. If you have a spare, you can swap it and try again.

3) The motherboard is dead or there is some other major component failure. There are test boards you can get that plug in to a PCI slot that will tell you the condition of the mother board. You can also listen to the beeps the system makes when powered up. The motherboard manufacturer's website or the docs that came with it should give the sequence and the possible results.

These are the top three possibilities and should give you a start. Good luck.

[benjamin20]

there areno jumpers, just the cmos and bios resets. ive tried different configurations of the power and led lines but they dont effect it. and there is no start up beeps because there is no start up. its like its not even being powered exept for the yellow leds that come on when it does have power.

[bherbac]

At this point, I would try another power supply. One other item is to make sure the cables to the power supply are seated well and that any cables going to leds/lights and to the power switch are connected correctly.

If this doesn't do it and you can try the power supply in another system. If it works it is likely that the motherboard is dead. If it is new, you may have a warranty replacement option.

Best of luck

[benjamin20]

ya, tried another power supply, same scenario. i packedged everything(motherboard wise) into the box again and gave it back to my friend. it hasnt even been a week since it left neweggs warehouses so they should have to replace a doa board right?

[Tim_Wright]

Hi, I'm building my own pc at the moment based on a Foxconn motherboard and the new Intel Core 2 Duo.

Anyway...there is a thing called the distance selling act and a "cooling off period." If you bought the product by credit card AND it was over £100 your credit card company must help you if the company screws up. The cooling off period is more relevant. Basically, as far as I have gathered, you have 7 days from the date of delivery to send the product back and request a refund. I'm 80% sure this applies to non fault products.

With regard to what bherbac said I would also suggest that you double check the PSU connection to the motherboard. Sorry If I'm pointing out the obvious but my computer wouldn't boot because, after tinkering with it I hadn't fully plugged that cable it!

Have fun,

Tim

P.s. Please feel to correct the bit on the distance selling act and cooling off period as they may not be totally correct but I think I've captured the essence of it!

[Tim_Wright]

Benjamin, did you ever get it sorted?

Tim

[benjamin20]

they gave money back and he ordered a different one. apperantly in the time we bought it they removed the product altogether. like we bought the only one.

[Tim_Wright]

Cool lol, well at least you got your money back.

Tim