Freakin new Computer!!!

linthat22

Regular
I got all the parts in to build my wife her new computer and would you believe the motherboard is defective? I spent too much time on the machine yesterday to find out that it didn't work. Sooooo frustrating.

It decided on whether to give me the usual errors of "CMOS is Wrong and Set Time" or not booting up at all. I noticed everytime I went into the bios to set the time and such and the system rebooted it just sat there.

I took out the ram, moved it around, and disconnected all drives to see where the problem was and sure as shit if the damned thing didn't keep giving me the same error messages or not booting up.

I guess that's what happens when you buy an off brand. And to think I'm gonna get hit with a restocking fee on this, oh well.
 
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Did you try clearing the CMOS using the little jumper thingy?

Why do you have to pay a restocking fee if it's broken? Shouldn't they give you a working replacement?
 
Yes, getting an RMA will not force you to pay a restocking fee. That only applies if you want to return it.

And as above posted, I assume you did reset the CMOS? Not only by using the jumper, but removing the battery as well?
 
I've cleared the CMOS dozens of times with the jumper, but I have yet to take out the battery and put it back in.

I notcied the only time I'd get the splash screen with errors is after I cleared the CMOS. But if all I did was change the date and time it would do nothing and give me a black screen.

Is this what people mean by it not POSTing?
 
To clear the CMOS, you should take out the battery and boot up, then power down and stick in the battery.
 
linthat22 said:
Is this what people mean by it not POSTing?

Yes. Power On Self Test. If you can't get that far, it's usually something serious like a short somewhere (standoffs touching the back of the motherboard where they shouldn't), PSU not plugged in correctly or with not enough power, etc.
 
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros. said:
PSU not plugged in correctly or with not enough power, etc.


:) Just upgraded to el cheapo GA-K8NSC-939 + A64 3800+ and forgot to plug in the 12V 4-pin connector. It even worked (though it shouldn't have, according to the manual :p) but POST took forever to complete. My PSU rocks (BeQuiet 520W)
 
Well I did both the jumper and battery removal to no avail.

I even took the whole thing apart and started anew and the same issues cropped up. I'm gonna call it a bad board and send it back. I ordered a new one today and hoping it'll arrive Wednesday. It's an MSI board and I never had any issues with them in the past.

BTW, if it was a standoff problem how would I identify it?

Thank you all for the responses, as always ya'll rock!!!
 
linthat22 said:
Well I did both the jumper and battery removal to no avail.

BTW, if it was a standoff problem how would I identify it?

Thank you all for the responses, as always ya'll rock!!!

Try reseating the cpu once as well. That took me an hour of troubleshooting just last weekend when I finished my watercooling setup. A stand off problem is fastest solved by unscrewing the mobo and putting it on a piece of cardboard or what have you and power it up to see if it's working.
 
linthat22 said:
BTW, if it was a standoff problem how would I identify it?

Most cases have got loads of positions on the backplate where you can screw in standoffs, often for all different types of motherboard formfactors. Compare the ones on the backplate with the holes for standoffs in the motherboard ie where you are supposed to put screws. If you have standoffs on the backplate and no hole for you to screw the motherboard down, that means you have a metal standoff touching the back of the motherboard where it's not supposed to be, and chances are it's shorting something to earth.

You can ususally just unscrew the standoff, but I have seen cheaper cases where it's actually pressed into the backplate and only comes out by the use of a pair of grips or pliers.
 
Come think of it, could it be that your CMOS-reset jumper is falsely connected to always reset, "reversed" if you want it? Check that out.
 
_xxx_ said:
Come think of it, could it be that your CMOS-reset jumper is falsely connected to always reset, "reversed" if you want it? Check that out.


Yes sir, I checked that along with everything else ya'll suggested and I'm thinking there was no hope for that board. I sent it off today back to New Egg, my new one should be here Wednesday (YIPPY!!!).

Once I get it all in and stuff I'll take a picture for everyone, since ya'll have been so kind for the advice. I greatly appreciate(d) it!!
 
IMG_2060.jpg


Finally got her up and running. Luckily it was a mobo issue. Received the MSI board this past Tuesday and the wife put the machine together.

I'm surprised for that little Antec Aria case it runs pretty cool. Eventhough when I go into the BIOS and check the temp it sits right at 129 f, seems a little hot to me, but it doesn't hiccup or anything.

Thank you all again for the input!!!
 
Nice looking machine.

Aren't SFF boxes great? I went to one about 2 years ago, and I'll be damned if I ever get a full size PC for my main box again. Just upgraded a week ago to an SN25P, what a speed boost from the old Athlon XP box.
 
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros. said:
Depends on the motherboard. Some manufacturers explicitly tell you not to have the battery in place when you short the CMOS jumpers.

And some (DFI) explicitly state that having the battery out during a clear will damage your BIOS (RDX480). RTFM.
 
Btw, are there any more brands but HP/Compaq and Dell that still design their own motherboards? Everyone else just buys the same stuff you can.
 
JBark said:
Nice looking machine.

Aren't SFF boxes great? I went to one about 2 years ago, and I'll be damned if I ever get a full size PC for my main box again. Just upgraded a week ago to an SN25P, what a speed boost from the old Athlon XP box.

This was the first time I've dabbled with microATX cases and man, is it hard to manuever, but the misses is happy and that's all that matters. It's pretty cool though, the motherboard accepts not only a CeleronD processor but also the full blown P4 if we wanted (socket 775 of course). So I'm thinking she has some upgradeability for the future.
 
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