Computer Hope
Microsoft => Microsoft Windows => Windows NT/2000 => Topic started by: IMustBeRetarted on April 22, 2005, 06:23:34 PM
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SO, i just finished building my first computer and i tried to boot it up. it ran for about 20 secs and then shut off. whenever i turn it on it runs for 5-20 seconds then shuts off and i have no clue how to keep the darn thing going. if u have and clue how i can fix my problem pleeeeeease help me
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Could be the CPU or something else, like the powersupply. If you have another one try a differnt powersupply and see if that does something.
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Go into your system bios and look at the temperature of your system components. It may be due to an overheating problem. Try adding a fan or opening the side panel. It may be overheating due to poor air circulation or lack of cooling. Also, try reseating all your hardware (RAM, CPU, Vid card, etc.) and see if that helps. It would also help if you supplied your computer configuration (What motherboard you are using, RAM, CPU, etc. etc.). It could be a common problem with a piece of hardware you have that can be easily googled. Let me know how it goes.
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is there an o/s on the hard drive?? more data/info/specs needed.....
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ok here is a ton of info and what has been figured out so far on other forums, problem is not yet fixed though....
939 pin 4 gig max ram supports 400ddr ram unbuffered, atx
amd 64 3500+ 939 pin
3x 512 ddr400 ram unbuffered
g-force 6600 256mb video card- pci express
i have tried booting it with bios on and off
i cant find a place to put my internal speaker... so no beeps
Elitegroup nforce4-a939, model number is unknown cause it is impossible to find on the darn MB but it might be ht-2000
mb manual says "latest Award BIOS w/ support for Windows Plug and play" i'll read the manual AGAIN to see if it says BIOS version. :/
1stick= PQI POWER Series 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) System Memory
2 sticks=KINGMAX SuperRAM 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) System Memory- all of which is compatible with my motherboard. i have not installed ne drives yet cause i cant keep it on long enough to run the instilation cds and such.
another thing about the shutting down... if i have the comp turned off for a while it will stay on for longer, sometimes up to 30 seconds, but if i turn it on right after that it turns off in 1-2 seconds. i was thinking this might have something to do with case temp and the auto-shutdown but that is disabled in the bios menu.
ok in startup screen it says "64 bit memory" so it is not regestiring my memory sticks with the ones i use in or the ones i tried from another computer. another error in the startup screen says "CMOS Checksum Error- defaults loaded" i have looked into this error and it says that the computer should boot up with the defaults.... it shouldn't just shut itself off over and over.
as of now i am thinking that the mb has a default on it but if ne1 knows otherwise or wants 2 confirm this, please reply
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i have not installed ne drives yet
Put a hard drive in it.
CMOS Checksum Error- defaults loaded
Did you put the battery in the MB & is the polarity correct?
Set your bios to boot the cdrom 1st.
Put in your installation CD & give it a try.
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Set your bios to boot the cdrom 1st.
Put in your installation CD & give it a try.
i have the hd hooked up, what i meant was that i couldn't run any cds because the comp turns off in a matter of seconds after it turns on no matter what. the battery came installed with the mb so i assume the polarity is ok. i'll try that bios thing...*crosses fingers*
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... didn't mean to put those 2 lines in... just copied and pasted so i could answer all the q's without switching back and forth between windows
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If you scroll down in the reply window you will see all the posts. ;)
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IMustBeRetarted.......I think this is your MOBO manual .....
http://64.124.27.138/ecs/manual/mb/eng/k8/NFORCE4-A939.pdf
The fact that it doesnt shut down instantly ...suggests that the problem probably isnt a short. Again because it varies in the shutdown time ...problem would appear to be temperature related. When you installed the CPU .....and the heat sink and cooling fan ......Did you properly install the thermal paste ? I couldnt find any referance to connecting a case speaker .........( I could have missed it )
let us know how your making out .
dl65 ::)
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I don't think it could overheat in 0-30 seconds, I'd be looking elsewhere for the problem.
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Is the voltage set to the right value on the back of the casing?
1stick= PQI POWER Series 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) System Memory
2 sticks=KINGMAX SuperRAM 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200)
I would pull most of this RAM until you get it started. Try with just the one module. Disconnect all drives except the HDD, then add the CD-ROM and floppy, one at a time.
Look for loose connections and plugs not fully home.
How big is the power supply?
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for the case speaker i havent found any place in the mobo manual where it says where to put my case speaker but at one time i got a lot of beeps so i think that it is pre-installed. i have no clue what thermal paste is... so that could be a problem and i havent installed my cpu fan yet because it is arriving on monday. also, i dont know what the heatsink is, but if it is a seperate part, then i haven't installed it and i dont have one.
i was thinking along the lines of some kind of overheat because if i turn it on in the morning i can get it to run for 40 seconds sometimes but if i turn it on right after that i get about 5 seconds.
voltage is right on the back... i have switched it to the higher voltage and it doesn't turn on the moniter and such. power supply is 420w and as far as i know, that is sufficient. most of the time i am experimenting i only use 1 stick and i only have the hd hooked up. and i have checked the connections 50 times and read the darn manual too many times. but i am thinking it is some problem with settings and such because of the variations that the system runs. some people on other sites have told me that my motherboard is broken or has some defect but i want to make sure it is not something else before sending the mb in.
please tell me what the thermal paste and heatsink is because if you always use those when installing a cpu then that could be my problem.
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A cautionary tale...
INTEL vs AMD (http://www.bordergatewayprotocol.net/jon/media/video/THG_CPU_Cooling.avi)
Download the video file and play it.
Then you can Google for THG_CPU_Cooling.avi and see what other tips you can pick up.
I'll stick to INTEL no matter what.
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Make sure you have (2) power cords going to your motherboard. I've made this mistake before (blushes) because I forgot to plug in the 12V ATX power cable as well as the regular power cable. It kept restarting like yours does. Give it a shot.
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naw, i've checked that. i've checked all the wires many times.
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i started this post. name just changed
please tell me what the thermal paste and heatsink is because if you always use those when installing a cpu then that could be my problem.
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If you installed your CPU without thermal paste and a heat sink and ran the computer, you may not have a CPU anymore.
Here are some generic instructions.....
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1149273,00.asp
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well the computer still turns on and gives me a screen, if the cpu is broke will it still do that?
it is very convient that the book "building a pc for dummies" figured that the readers were smart enough to already know everything about heatsinks... o well. i will pick up a heatsink sometime soon and hopefully that will solve all my problems, and hopefully i dont need to buy a whole new cpu.
on the bright side, i ordered a case fan from newegg along with some wires and for some reason they sent me a 100$, 1 gig stick of memory for free along with my fan...