Problem starting new computer

[mcottier]

Hello. I am having a problem with my new computer I just built, and I was hoping maybe someone can help me. This is my first time building a pc, but I am not stupid though and I know a lot about computers. I also read every word of the manual that came with my motherboard, so I believe everything is hooked up right. First, I will list what parts I am using so you can get a picture of the PC.

Motherboard: Asus A7V8X-X

Power Supply Unit: ATX 350 watt (A+GPB)

CPU: AMD 2400+ Athlon XP

RAM: 256 MB DDR PC3200

Ok, here is my problem. When I turn the power switch on, the green light on the motherboard comes on, no fans though. Then when I push the power switch on the front, nothing happens at all. Now you should know, this happens when the power supply switch is on 110. I know that 110 is for Americans, and I am American, and 220 is for Europe or something. But when I switch it to 220, still no fans come on, but when I push the power button in front the LEDS now come on and one of the cd drives (sometimes the burner and other times the dvd drive) but the drive will not open when I push the eject button.

My CPU is not damaged or anything, I have inspected it thoroughly and the other parts too. I have removed whole motherboard, set it on a wood table and cardboard to ground it, still doesn't work. I have tried it with overvolt enabled and disabled. I have cleared CMOS and returned jumpers to default setup, still nothing. I have tried it with no cd drives or hard drive hooked up to it, just video and cpu, still nothing. I have also done it with just CPU, video and hard drive. I know all fans, including cpu fan, are hooked up right. I have also kept trying to reseat the RAM and CPU, nothing. I am also pretty sure jumpers are set correctly. The only jumpers I can see that might cause a problem are the clear CMOS and the overvolt, but I have tried every combination possible and still it doesn't fully work.

Now one at this point might think there is not enough power because only one cd drive turns on when I do get it to work a little. But the PSU is 350 watt, and I think that is enough, but I could be wrong. But the whole 110 and 220 thing on the power supply unit really confuses me. I mean if 110 is for America, and I bought my motherboard in America, then why does it do less then when it is at 220? I don't know, I am all out of ideas, can anyone help me? Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Michael Cottier

[osprey4]

Welcome to TechIMO. Tough situation you got there. Usually the first thing to try in these cases is remove all non-essential hardware. And, yes, you should definitely be using 110V, although I don't think switching to the 220V setting has wrecked anything.

My suspicion is the power supply. Do you have another one you could try?

[mcottier]

No i do not have another power supply. I think it is the PSU though because I was told that when you flick on the switch that is on the PSU itself (i think it is called a secondary switch) the fan should come on right away. But it doesn't so I think it is broken.

[osprey4]

Yes, even if everything else is dead, the fans should work.

If you've got a store nearby, just go pick something up. If it turns out not to be the PS, you can always return it.

[mcottier]

I am talking about the fan inside the PSU just to let you know.

Actually i was going to RMA the PSU back to newegg.com where I bought it. I don't think a store in town will let me buy the PSU and return it after it has be opened. But maybe.

[hfriesen]

I have this same board with the same problem. I have tried 2 cpu's in it that work in another board just fine. The fans do not even spin. My ram is ddr 333 pc 2700. The ram also works great in another board. It's hard to set the bios if you don't even get to the bios. I tried to return the board to the online seller that I got it from but they won't even reply. It makes me think there is some system that works because they are sold in prebuilt systems but as soon as there is a problem or you need a reinstall it all screws up. It's one of the boards that the techs know about and everyone is trying to dump. Well anyway back to the problem. If a person could go into a shop that sells ram and just switch ram untill it works. Or does anyone have a working board and what kind of ram is in it? I've heard USB devices are at fault but that is only one problem. Someone else says you need to disable apic in the bios or else xp won't load. How many bugs has this thing got?

[rpertusio]

Originally posted by mcottier
I think it is the PSU though because I was told that when you flick on the switch that is on the PSU itself (i think it is called a secondary switch) the fan should come on right away. But it doesn't so I think it is broken.

Actually, flipping the switch should do nothing except make the green light on the motherboard light up. The PSU (and all other fans/devices) will remain OFF until you tell the computer to boot after pressing the power switch on the front of your case.

To test your power supply, and get the fan to run, you could try a risky test method. If you do NOT feel comfortable doing this, then don't do it! You could electrocute yourself or damage the PSU if you do it incorrectly.
Testing a PSU can be as simple as connecting the 14th and 15th pin together with a bent paperclip. (green wire to black..) Look at the pictures shown in GideonTech's PSU PowerUp page. You don't need to worry about all the extra steps... just connect the two shown in the picture. Did I mention you should be very careful?

Shorting these pins and flipping the switch should make the PSU fan run.

- rp

[hfriesen]

Yes I realize you have to push the power switch in front. The green mobo light does come on when you switch on the power in the back. I just turn it off when I switch components. I have tried two different power supplies. One a 250 watt and the other a 350 watt same results(a brief 1/10 of a second burst of power to the fans). I just heard from the online seller and he said he has never had any trouble and this board has always performed flawlessly. What? So I asked him what his exact configuration is and I will post it if he replies.

[Brangwen]

mcottier:

Do you have another (definitely working) memory module kicking around? A bad module has been known to arrive as "new and working."

Is fan plugged into 3 pin CPU fan header?

Good luck!

Brangwen

[mcottier]

No I dont have another PSU. The fans are all hooked up correctly. I am starting to think it is my motherboard, but I wish I had a way to test if PSU is working. What was mentioned above is to risky and I will probably cause more damage then before. If anyone can help me find out, that would be great. Also, if the Mobo green light is on, does that mean PSU works fine?