PCA Forums

Here's a problem for you. I was helping a friend build his first computer. We put all the parts together, made him a plexi window, added a cold cathode, loomed the wires and, ack! no video.

The lights work, the fans spin, the CPU is level and we used Arctic Silver 3. I plugged it into his new Sony LCD and nothing happened. I tried my monitor and also NG. I took out the video card and put in a different one and still nothing on the screen.

We stopped by my local computer repair shop and even though he was closing in a half hour he told us to bring the machine in. He tried both cards, his monitor, took out the modem and put it back, same with sound card, same with harddrive. Every once in a while it would boot up and he'd add another component. Then it wouldn't boot up. After 45 minutes he wanted to go home for the weekend. I never wanted to see the computer again so I left it there 'till Monday.

I'm sure he'll fix it somhow, but I've been mulling ideas around in my head: bad mobo, bad hdd, bad PS, I shorted something. What do you think?

If it helps, here are the components: ABIT KR7A (no RAID), Athlon XP 1800+, 512 DDR 2100 Crucial RAM, Antec True Power 430, Radeon 64mg 7000, Sound Blaster 5.1 Live, Generic Win Modem (boo, hiss), Lite On 48x CDRW, Maxtor 40GB, 7200 hdd, Evercool CUD 725 Cooler (I used the cooler for a week then gave it to him, it was perfect).


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Something's loose, the mobo has a hairline crap in a trace, or something's shorting out the mobo intermittently. All it takes is a stray screw wedged under the board, a small piece of scrap metal lying across some contacts, or maybe you left a metal standoff under the board that didn't line up with a hole.

Could also be a bad power supply.

When I run into a problem like that the first thing I do is take the mobo out of the case and set it up on the bend on a cardboard box so I know it's not touching anything metal (box the mobo is shipped in works great). I plug ONLY the video into it and nothing else except the power switch.

Old fart, I wish I had the computer now, but unfortunately it's in a closed shop until Monday. I'm recalling exactly what you said, a screw that doesn't match up. I noticed it but left it. If I'd been alone I would have taken out the mobo and removed it, as it was the beginning of the building process. But no, I had to look efficient in front of my novice friend and get it finished ASAP. I'll call the guy in the shop first thing Monday...and thanks.

By the way, it probably shouldn't cause permanent mobo damage, should it? It's not easy finding an AMD mobo in NYC. Quicker to order e-tail.

From another Old Fart.