Build Not Working

Onebrow

Onebrow

Onebrow

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21 Jan 2005
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11
This is my second build and I've become rather confused since I put it together last night and it didn't work. When I press the power switch, the machine powers up for a few seconds, then powers down. It then powers up again immediately, everything appears to be working, the PSU fan is spinning, the cpu fan is spinning, the graphics card fan is spinning, so they're definitely getting power. You can hear the DVD drive spin up and the light indicates that it's busy. However nothing appears on the monitor (I've tried two monitors) and then it powers down after about 10 seconds.

Here's the build:

Western Digital Caviar SE16 400GB 4000AAKS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM
Pioneer DVR-112DBK 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter - (Black) OEM
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32-Bit Edition DVD - OEM - 1Pk
Antec Sonata III Piano Black Quiet Case - EarthWatts 500W PSU
BFG GeForce 8600 GT OC 256MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
Intel Core 2 DUO LGA775 E6600 2.40GHz Retail / Abit IP35-E / 2GB Corsair XMS2-6400C5 DDR2 Dual Channel Kit - Bundle
Samsung SM-206BW 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks a lot in advance.
 
try removing one stick of memory, if that works, go into the bios and set the memory volts to +.3 (2.1), then refit the other stick
 
Thanks for the suggestion, upon inspecting the RAM more closely I hadn't actually pushed it in all the way. After secure the RAM I switched it on and got to a screen which said CMOS checksum error, I pressed F1 to continue and it took me to the POST screen where it said Verifying DMI Pool Data - Status Updated.

Edit: Now when I boot it powers down after about 10 seconds even when I go into the BIOS.
 
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Sounds iffy.

When you start can you quickly enter BIOS and check the PC health status on the CPU / mobo temps to make sure they are no overheating before it turns off? Also I would remove the CMOS battery and leave it out for 5 minutes to reset the BIOS and then plug it back in and try again.
 
The CPU seems to be running hot, the PC Health Status indicates that it is running at 82 degrees celsius which is above the CPU warning temperature.

I had some trouble getting the heatsink in position, it's much more fiddly than the one for my Athlon 64 3000+ on my old build (yeah I know ancient). Could it have come loose and be causing the CPU to overheat now?
 
Onebrow said:
The CPU seems to be running hot, the PC Health Status indicates that it is running at 82 degrees celsius which is above the CPU warning temperature.

I had some trouble getting the heatsink in position, it's much more fiddly than the one for my Athlon 64 3000+ on my old build (yeah I know ancient). Could it have come loose and be causing the CPU to overheat now?
Click to expand...
Yes, I'd pretty much be willing to bet money on the fact your PC is automatically shutting off because it's hitting the limit and turning off to avoid hardware failure. 82c is extremely hot and only a couple of degrees away from auto-shutoff. I would take the HSF off and reseat it.
 
Okay thanks, I'll give it a go.

Any particular tips on seating this heatsink (stock Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 heatsink) it seemed strangely unwilling to be seated earlier, I thought I had it sorted but obviously not.
 
Yeah when you take it off make sure you have all the clips up and they aren't pre-pushed in as then they won't go in, or won't without some kinda epic battle between you and a push-pin. Also make sure you have them turn to the default "push in" position (check the arrows on the push pins and make sure it's in reverse). When you are placing the heatsink in, push one corner in, then it's diaganol opposite, then the other diagnol... such as:

1. Bottom-right
2. Top-left
3. Top-right
4. Bottom-left

If you do it in non-diaganol mode it's hard to push it down because of the force already applied to one side of the heatsink, also it can damage the CPU. If you cannot push one of the pins in, such as if you start with bottom-right but it won't go in properly, start with another one such as bottom-left and leave it till last as sometimes the pins push in easier when other pins around it are already pushed in. Lastly make sure that the plasic "pincers" on the bottom of the clips are not spread out too much, if they are then you are going to have a hell of a job getting them through the motherboard holes.
 
This is the problem you see, when I popped one in on the bottom-right, the top right one also popped in and managed to lock itself pretty securely, neither pin that is in wants to come out so I'm kind of stuck.
 
Are you doing this with the motherboard in the PC Case? it's far easier doing it outside the case if you aren't already. But some pins can get kinda stuck even if they are in release mode. Just make sure they are in release mode and try putting a couple of fingers on the pin and pulling upwards, too gentle and it won't come out but obviously don't rip it out :) Had it a few times where it kinda gets stuck, so a little bit of force might be needed to get it out.

(for the record, push pins are evil :P)
 
eah I#m doing it in the case as at one point the whole heatsink seemed relatively well seated so I ploughed on with the build, I'll give it a go inside the case and then take it out if I have to I guess.

Push pins do seem to be evil.

Thanks a lot for your help, I'll report back with my results soon hopefully.
 
I would buy a third party heat sink and fan, one which secures through the motherboard, rather than them horrible intel clips.
 
Thats why it's worth investing in an after market cooler, not just for super cooling and better overclocking achievements but so you don't have to come into contact with them horrible plastic twisty things from hell.

Daft question but you have put thermal paste on the cpu haven't you?
 
Sorry for the double post but if I edit it in I doubt many people will see it.

It was the heatsink, I managed to get it sorted in the end through perserverance. So now I have my nice new machine working really well, just gotta transfer all my files now. :D

Edit thanks to everyone who helped, especially flibby. :)
 
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