Computer will not start...press power button and the LED and fans turn on for only a fraction of a second.

[Adam J]

Hey guys, this is my first post so let me know if this is in the right category or not , but here it goes

I have had my rig for about 4 years now and for the past 2 years or so it would rev up everytime I tried to start it and would only actually turn on after many times of turning the PSU off and on. Finally the computer wouldnt start at all so I decided it may be time for some new components. I recently bought a CORSAIR HX750i to see if that would fix the problem. It worked for about 2 weeks and then the computer died again. So I decided to buy a ASRock Z77 Extreme4 Motherboard. Now when I press the Power Button it will only click on and off enough for the Chassis LED to light up and for the fans to give a few spins. If I keep the power button held the PSU will continuously click and the above events will happen. I thought I started to smell that electrical burning smell so I didnt hold it down for long. Please help! This is making me so frustrated.

Could this be a CPU problem??

 

[mniasfreemag]

did you re-seat the old CPU in the new mobo? First thing you need to make sure is there are no loose wiring connectors. The make sure that there are bent pins in the CPU or The CPU socket, you will have to inspect it very carefully. If you sense a burnt smell, chances are there is a short some where.

 

[Adam J]

I am not sure what re-seat means, but if by placing it in there correctly is what you mean then yes I did that. I will take it out and analyze the pins carefully. I think I remember there being a very small smudge on the bottom of the CPU, possibly some thermal paste when I was taking it out. Would this cause a major problem? The only things connected right now are the front panel usb and HD Audio slots, the CPU Heatsink fan, and the chassis fans. The PSU is only connected to the 24-Pin slot and the 8 pin slot. Nothing else is attached.

 

[mniasfreemag]

The thermal paste might cause the problem, also look around the VRM MOSFETS to see if any of them burned. The PSU clicking noise means there is a short somewhere. Make sure that the CPU, CPU socket is clean of thermal paste. Also make sure that you have connected the fans to the motherboard properly and also make sure that the power connecetor from the case to the MB is connected properly ( check for shorts, make sure they are all facing the right direction, etc.)

 

[Adam J]

So I actually decided to breadboard the set up and then reset the bios using the little plastic pin reset tool on the mobo and now it works.