worst possible start...

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24 Jul 2006
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So i made my first conroe build yesterday and low and behold i can't even get it to power up. I think this could be one of a couple of things

-The PSU is broke(but brand new so v unlikely)

-The jumpers for the system header are wrong i power switch etc

-the power isn't going to the motherboard correctly?

Anyways i'm in dire straights and need someones help. if one of you kind people know what's the cause of this then please let me know!

thanks
 
Normally when I get this it is the system headers from the case to the Motherboard. Does the board have a light to indicate that it is receiving power when the PSU is switched on, but the PC is not started up at all.

If that light is lit but not starting then will be the system header. If there is no light (providing your board has one) then it is likely to be the PSU or the board itself.

Try assembling the board outside of the case. My Supermicro Board had this issue where was shorting on the case, assembled outside and worked fine. Apologies if not in the case, but you didn't say if inside or outside the case at the moment.
 
Try shorting the power switch headers. If it turns on you've probably got a broken switch. If it doesn't then test your power supply (connect a paperclip between green and black wire I think). Connect it to a component, e.g. Fans and test.
 
Devils-Blood said:
could have blown your mobo if you put riser and screw in the wrong place or a lose screw in the case.

unlikely i have screws all over the show lodged in some evil corners and risers that arent even robbered off, my pc is in a right state but has never been problematic with power due to any of those reasons.

id say double check your case switch positions on the mobo, and test with a different PSU if possible,
 
yeah psu was switched on at the back and sockets work correctly. I'm going to try and arrange the system headers again as i think that could be the problem. Will report back later...
 
ok figured it out-very simple in the end-was a wrong power lead on inspection. I now have another problem though...

For some reason my motherboard is not detecting my hard drive. I have tried all my sata ports and double checked the power supply which is correct. I can't get into bios setup for some reason so what should i do? ANy suggestions?

thanks in advance
 
Are you using a USB keyboard or a PS/2 one? If it is the former, try a PS/2 model :) You could try resetting the CMOS to force the board to detect the hard drive again. Also, check things like the SATA controller being enabled etc :cool:
 
thanks trigger-i use a ps2 keyboard and mouse. Can you tell me where i can find out how to enable sata?! Sorry for being a noob but you gotta learn somehow! Also the HDD has no jumpers so can't be that...
 
It more than likley is enabled anyway but it's just something to check- you should find it in either the main page or advanced chipset configuration :) I'm assuming you can get into the BIOS now though, if not try resetting the CMOS and make sure you are pressing the correct key to enter it- normally DEL, F2 or F10 :)
 
tobias how is your CD Drive connected? if it's SATA are you trying to connect the CD Drive with the HDD as one the slave and the other the master?

Just something to look at.
 
cd drive is IDE. HDD is SATA. I have four sata II slots so have connected hard drive to one of these and also plugged in the sata power supply. Is it a case of getting into the bios or is my motherboard simply a sataII board?
 
SATA 1 is compatible with SATA 2 so that should be fine :) Now, resetting CMOS, quoted from the manual:

Asrock Manual said:
Clear CMOS
(CLRCMOS1, 2-pin jumper)
(see p.11 No. 11)
Note: CLRCMOS1 allows you to clear the data in CMOS. The data in CMOS includes
system setup information such as system password, date, time, and system
setup parameters. To clear and reset the system parameters to default setup,
please turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power
supply. After waiting for 15 seconds, use a jumper cap to short 2 pins on
CLRCMOS1 for 5 seconds.
 
have tried clearing cmos but to no avail. Any ideas how i can get the system to recognise the HDD? Do you think it definately is the set up of the HDD in the bios?
 
Well you need to try a different keyboard to rule that out- I had a PS/2 keyboard a while ago which refused to operate my KVM, some can be weird like that :confused: Other things I can think of- is your HDD definatley getting powered up, is the power cable in the right way and try a different cable from the PSU :) Also, try removing everything you don't *need* in the system- ie, strip it down to mobo, CPU, PSU, GPU, HDD, RAM and see if it will then detect it then. Other than that, sounds like a duff motherboard :(
 
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