PROBLEM: System Not Booting Up - System Has An AGP

[Dwayne Schiller]

OPERATING SYSTEM WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION

systemax tech support offers the following:

PROBLEM: System Not Booting Up - System Has An AGP Video Card And Uses DIMM Memory
(Article: 394)

Summary

System Not Booting Up - System Has An AGP Video Card And Uses DIMM Memory

Symptom

System does not start up, there is no post, no video, and no diagnostic beeps - system appears dead

Cause

The AGP video card and the DIMM memory may have been installed out of sequence

Resolution

If the DIMM memory is installed after installing the AGP video card, the bottom edge of the video card may be holding down the lock levers on one end of the DIMM sockets. The result is that the memory DIMM may not seat properly and cause the system to not start up. The solution would be to remove the AGP video card, firmly seat the memory DIMM (s) and then replace the AGP video card. Both locking levers must be up against the side of the DIMM for proper seating


My problem is that these two cards are far apart in the case and have little to do with each other.  Is sequence really that important when both cards are so far apart?  Is it possible that the video card is just bad or defective?
What should I try next?

these are the specs for the two cards in question:

(1) 256MB DDR266 PC2100 Non-ECC Memory (256MB x 1
(1) nVidia GeForce 2 32 MB Graphics Card w/ TV Out

Any help would be appreciated.

[dl65]

Dwayne....In your case the fact that you have a AGP card and dimm sockets has nothing to do with your problem. The article you refer to doesnt apply to you....
( I have a ASUS MB with that config) If you have nothing ...zip ...perhaps the problem is with your power supply or even the motherboard......can you provide more info on what your p/c was doing prior to the problem.......were you doing anything inside the case .....
let us know

dl65  

[Dwayne Schiller]

nothing inside the case

the computere has had an intermittent problem of not booting up for the last year.

Sometimes it would boot other times not.

I did a system restore about six months ago.

the problem is just exactly what is described in the systemax fix scenario.

power comes on to case but monitor light remains amber.

computer is appx 2.5 yrs old and is a systemax ascent serial number 104495472

power appears to be coming inside the box but the monitor of late never comes on or i hear no beeps or see no screen flashes or anything

i have heard that these systems have had mother board problems on some websites i have visited.

the problem solution scenario is the only one i could find on supportforyourpc.com that even remotely came close to what I am experiencing.

Does this help any?   Thanks    

[Dwayne Schiller]

added to previous reply:

i did take both the agp card and the memory card out and replace after the problems started again recently/recently is the first time i had done this but the problem remains the same even after this is done

[dl65]

Dwayne.....when you talk about the amber monitor light are you talking about the led thats on the monitor or something else ......
Is the a led on the case that indicated power on ?
The fact that this has been a ongoing problem for the last year makes me wonder if something isnt seated properly on the motherboard .......ie .....Ram , Processor or even the 20 pin plug from the P/S to the M/B .......and how about dust .....is the interior of the case free of dust ?
The fact that there are no diagnostic beeps suggests that .........theres a power supply problem or the in case speaker is no longer connected .....have you checked that ?

let us know
dl65  

[Dwayne Schiller]

led on the machine is green/led on the monitor is amber and flashing but never turns green because the computer does not boot/i checked to make sure that all cards and memory were seated correctly on the mother board/i removed and reseated all of them as per manufacturers instructions with unit unplugged.

How do I check the power supply? if all else is okay.


I did toggle the back swith to the off position and unplug the power cord for 5 seconds then plug back in and toggle the back switch on then tried to power up with the same result-- green led on the computer case and amber flashing on the monitor with a black screen.

yesterday morning the system booted up after having been off all nite.  i left it on all day and when i returned home the screen was black and would not redisplay indicating that something happened during the 9 hours i was out.

This is seeming more and more like an intermiitent power supply issue

what do you think?

[dl65]

Dwayne .....Is the fan on the power supply running when you power up ?
If it is you should check the out put voltages going to the Cd drives the hard drives ........You will need a DC voltmeter to check these voltages. Perhaps what happens is....when its cool .....all connections are made and it starts.....when it heats up things expand and .....a poor connection appears and the problems occur.....most common places to look is the power supply .......is the vid card properly seated ....

let us know

dl65  

[Dwayne Schiller]

thanks/

it it starts up after being off all day today then the heat theory is a good one/the trick will be finding the poor connections after expansion has taken place/the power supply i suppose should then be my focus/vid card is seated well/thanks again and thanks a bunch for this sight

[dl65]

Dwayne .....have a real good look at how the vid card is seated into the board ....sometimes if the board flexes downward with expansion the screw the hold the card into the case....( doesnt move and if the connection to the motherboard isnt great .....we have a problem ....)

Have you checked the contacts on your AGP card .....are they tarnished ...or dirty looking .....I would carefully wipe then off using a soft cloth and alcohol....very gently .....DO NOT GET YOUR FINGERS ON THE CONTACTS
The other thing you could try is to get a new power supply....but make sure you can return it if you dont need it and try that .

Sounds like your on the right track.

dl65