Planet Descent
Technical => Technical => Topic started by: VANGUARD on December 07, 2010, 01:36:58 PM
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I assembled a computer for my supervisor here at work. The following occurred:
Power supply fan turns on
CPU/processor fan turns on
Mainboard light turns on (green color)
DVD drive lights up, can be opened and closed
Keyboard lights up (hitting numlock on and off)
However, the monitor doesn't turn on. I had tried two different monitors, and both the onboard and a separate graphic card.
Any ideas as to what is up?
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First, I'm assuming the monitor is plugged in and turned on, and that what you're describing is the monitor staying in 'sleep' mode (no image).
Something to look at:
Is the hard drive active (is the machine booting up?)
Some things to try:
Different monitor inputs (e.g. switch the monitor between digital/analog)
Try a different machine with the monitor (this will tell you if the monitor is the problem or not)
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right, both I guess in sleep mode, if that's what one calls it. they're both blank in other words. The first time I powered up the PC, I saw the "asus" splash screen". now I don't see it on that or on another monitor. I'll ty analog/digital, if it has the digital input.
update: tried different monitors, no change. unplugged harddrive, no change. tried analog and digital, no change.
As soon as we get this working, he is going to install linux on it, and not just any, he gave me the ok for me to choose one, and I know what I will be using. hint, check out my avatar :)
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Two things, a power supply tester and a post tester.
Both are very cheap tools, the power supply tester will tell you either voltages or a go/ no-go. The post (Power On Self Test) tester has a two digit readout plus leds, and you look the code up in the book that comes with it.
I think the power supply died. Do you have another one to try?
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Most here are 20 pin, we need a 24 pin. I think my supervisor has one; maybe two, but it's one that's a pretty important one to run. I think it's the server, something like that.
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I'm going to ask what may sound like a silly question ... but there is a reason.
The hard drive, what kind is it? If it uses a ribbon cable, is the cable connected to the motherboard correctly, and not reversed? Same question for the DVD drive.
If the ribbon cable is attached backwards, it can cause the symptoms you've described. I believe a ground line gets connected to a data line and that effectively holds things "down" and unable to process the POST which also results in no video and no startup.
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This has that SATA hookup. I don't think that can get reversed. can the ribbon, think that's IDE, get reversed? or am I missing what you're getting to?
update: just checked with a working power supply, but no change when placed in this pc.
another thing i have been noticing. There aren't any beeps like you'd normally hear when you boot up a pc
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Depending on the connector design, IDE cables may or may not be able to be reversed at the motherboard. The socket at DVD drive or hard drive is usually keyed so that cannot happen at the drive. The motherboard is a different story. I've seen the IDE cable get reversed at the motherboard, on multiple brands. The effect is the lights of the system come on, it appears to be powering up, but nothing happens.
If there are no IDE style cables being used in the system, then this would not apply to it.
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how about connecting the reset button, hd led, power led, power switch, etc. if reversed, can that cause something bad? i think I tried reversing the power switch. but nothing changed.
i don't get it. monitor and no beeps is all i see that seems wrong, and so far, no matter what i do, nothing seems to be working.
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How about the memory modules? Have you tried different modules?
Beyond that, I'm about out of ideas unless there is a problem with the power cables attached to the motherboard, other connectors, the processor (and/or the way it's installed), or the power supply (set to the correct voltage?).
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I don't know what else it can be. I do appreciate your help guys. I wish I was more of an expert in this field.
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I apologize. I didn't have the external speakers hooked up, so I never heard any beeps. oops.
After I plugged it in, it beeps three times, repeatedly.
Also, if this helps any, I turned on the monitor. It showed the asus logo, then "No Signal."
As soon as I powered up the PC, it disappeared and went in sleep mode.
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according to another forum, it may be a bad base 64K memory.
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic320435.html
it sounds exactly like this computer is doing. three rapid beeps, one after another, and monitor not turning on
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You should google the manufacture of your mobo. I am not sure if the beep code is standard, or if it varies by manufacture. Find out what your beep code is.
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I checked, and it does look like the base64k memory is bad.
My guess is that the memory card is the wrong type, or size. Let me explain.
In the mainboard manual, they show some models and types it supports, basically they show a list of DDR2 667 and DDR2 800. The one that my supervisor got is some 400 model, maybe DDR2, not sure right now. but it's no 667 or 800.
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Cool, well, at least you are making progress!
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Is it a safe bet that he may need to buy a 667 or 800 model type?
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Looks like I am making progress :)
The supervisor brought in another set of memory sticks, and the system started booting up with a screen that now turns on :)
UPDATE: I had an issue with Win 7, but it was on my end. It seems to be working so far. :) :) :)
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Sweet!
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it's a nice feeling to get this going. The only thing I see now is a "CPU FAN ERROR" - "Press F1 to continue" everytime I boot up the PC. Fan spins and everything. I don't get it.
It's just nice to get this far. It always feels different working on a pc for a supervisor/job than it is working on your own.
Thanks guys for your help and the patience! Great crew here :)
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The CPU fan has an extra wire which allows the motherboard to detect and control the fan speed - the mb will complain if it doesn't see that connection (and in that case, the fan will always run at 100%). I'd check the plug from the cpu fan; should be three wires/pins, as I recall; might have gotten bumped loose.
Oh, and no problem. The folks here are great, as you know. :)
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one of the wires got pinched. That could be an issue. everything else looks fine. if its not that crucial, is there a way to disable this error from popping up?
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You can check in the BIOS. I've seen an option to disable fan warnings a couple of times before.
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One thing about that fan detection, is that it's a "safety valve" to help guard against damage in the case of a fan failure. It usually is a good idea to have that circuit working rather than disabled.
Use a multi-meter to check for continuity in the wires (look for a break) and perhaps repair the break.
It occurs to me, that many systems have wires that run from the motherboard to the fan but also have an important power connector (maybe three or four wires) from the power supply that plugs into the motherboard near the processor and the fan connector. I hope that particular connector is plugged in (not having it plugged in can generate the error you're seeing, plus the fan usually doesn't run unless the fan gets it's power directly from the power supply).
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I think I found the error. It's plugged into the chassis fan plug and not the CPU plug.
Is it safe to switch it when it's on? Windows 7 is being installed, he needs to get the product key, and I'd hate to start this all over.
update: i shut off the pc and switched the cable to the CPU_FAN. should have known that from the start ::)
but hey, it works! no errors. no monitor in standby mode. it WORKS!! :)
Thanks to you all!
p.s. so off topic, sorry, but I miss some of those d3 online games. are people still online paying D3? I use to have the Linux copy of D3 but it broke when my Blu-Ray player spun it too fast, and the disc broke in pieces :( very sad day.
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Glad you got it working!
p.s. so off topic, sorry, but I miss some of those d3 online games. are people still online paying D3? I use to have the Linux copy of D3 but it broke when my Blu-Ray player spun it too fast, and the disc broke in pieces :( very sad day.
Yep, not as many active players as a couple of years ago, but there are still games going on. :)
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sad actually. there weren't many a couple years ago, and there's less now. Too bad Descent 3 can't come out again on a gaming console. I can just pop in the disc in my ps3, and go online and play with others :)
I may get a mac edition soon, but first, I need an iMac. I did buy a copy of D3 from a private seller on Amazon, and instead I got a different disc. Not as bad as one may think. It's the original Descent for mac. How well it works, I haven't the clue yet.
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Hey cool! :o That version had remixed music from the original Descent. You can play it in a CD player I think.
As for D3, register here (http://www.dateiliste.com/ (http://www.dateiliste.com/)) and PM Thomas about it. As we know that you already have a license for D3, we can help you get a new copy (and without the tedious setup and upgrading process).
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Hey Vanguard, You need to get new copy of the Loki Descent 3 images? Here are some DBB.net threads that may be of use.
Descent 3 Linux files
http://www.descentbb.net/viewtopic.php?t=7567
Check the FunkyStickman posts ... I managed to get the Loki Descent 3 Linux CDs from one of the links (as far as I remember).
Descent 3: Mercenary installer for Linux
http://www.descentbb.net/viewtopic.php?t=17228
Loki Descent 3 discussion of an error I had ...
http://www.descentbb.net/viewtopic.php?t=17063
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I think I found what you mean techopro. If it's the tar.bz folder/files, how do you extract or install that? I was only good with rpm's. well, simple click and install is why.
my guess is, I need a copy of the Windows edition? That's probably still cheap on amazon.
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Hey cool! :o That version had remixed music from the original Descent. You can play it in a CD player I think.
As for D3, register here ([url]http://www.dateiliste.com/[/url] ([url]http://www.dateiliste.com/[/url])) and PM Thomas about it. As we know that you already have a license for D3, we can help you get a new copy (and without the tedious setup and upgrading process).
I'm not sure I follow what you mean. oh wait, play the original descent disc in a CD player, for music? I'll check it out once I get home.
As for this D3 thing, I don't have any copies right now, but I could probably buy them at amazon pretty cheap. The only thing I hate about the windows edition on linux is (and maybe it's my fault), I can't get the second disc mounted so it can continue to install.
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I think I found what you mean techopro. If it's the tar.bz folder/files, how do you extract or install that? I was only good with rpm's. well, simple click and install is why.
my guess is, I need a copy of the Windows edition? That's probably still cheap on amazon.
With the Loki CDs, I didn't need the Windows edition at all.
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I don't have any edition right now of D3.
as for that music, yep, 13 tracks found on the CD. I was going to ask if I could upload them for ya, but it looks like it's already in the d1 music section.
speaking of d1 music found on the mac disc, isn't the intro to track 8 (#2 being the first song you can play, #1 not being a song; but rather data) , the same as the music in the game "Chromiun"? You may need to know Linux. Not sure if that's available for Windows and/or mac. It's a game that may be installed on your computer by default, depending on the linux distro and release.