Tue Sep 20, 2005 12:42 am
I just troubleshooted (troubleshot?) system build a friend of mine did. It turned out one of the two sticks of RAM he used wasn't working, so the motherboard wouldn't even POST. If you're using more than one stick of RAM, swap each out in turn and see if your system will work.
Aside from that... make sure all of your power cables are plugged in properly. Does your mobo and PSU match? i.e. 20 or 24 pin power connector? I just built a system where the mobo had a 20 pin power connector, and then a secondary power cable that plugged in to a completely different location in the mobo, without which the system wouldn't turn on. Make sure all your power cables are in correctly.
If that checks, remove everything from the system and then put the parts back in, booting up each time you add a new piece. That'll tell you for sure what the problem is.
Remember that the graphics card needs an additional power connector. Make sure all PCI/E cards are seated properly. Make sure SATA hard drives only have ONE power connector attached (friend of mine busted a drive by plugging in the MOLEX and SATA connectors simultaneously and booting up). This is all simple stuff, but it's easy to overlook the simple things.
Make sure you didn't plug any fans into mobo heatsinks (fan connectors and mini heatsinks on the mobo look EXACTLY alike).
Also, listen for beeps from the mobo. Often mobos will beep in patterns that let you know what the problem is (bad graphics card, CPU, memory, etc.). The mobo manual should have info on what the beeps mean.
Assuming you didn't force the CPU in and it fit in properly, it's unlikely the CPU is at fault, unless it's just broken to begin with. Only mess with the CPU as a last resort, try these other suggestions first.
Good luck.
EDIT: What do you mean by the paper clip test?
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