Unable to Boot PC

[Takavoncracka]

This "simple" fix has turned into the project from hell. Our PC at this office would run for about 5 minutes before locking up over and over, requiring pressing the power button for a few seconds to turn it off. Our "expert" said that it was the motherboard that had gone bad.

I've built a few PCs myself, so I volunteer to just replace the mobo. They wanted to buy a whole new PC.

The computer is about 3 years old and had just gone out from under warranty (you'd think HP planned this...). I go out and buy a new mobo, AM3+ socket (as per the specs I found online). However, I miscalculated on the RAM, the PC was running 6 GB of DDR2. I had mistakenly bought a motherboard with DDR3. So, dropped another 50 bucks, got 8 GB of DDR3 1333.

Whatever, it's an upgrade. So I get it all wired up properly, put back on the CPU, etc etc...and the PC won't post. I notice that the mobo requires the reguard ATX 24-pin connection as well as an additional 8-pin for the CPU. The power supply on the HP only has a 4-pin connection. (ugh)

So I tell the store owner to buy a molex to 8-pin adapter, the guy at the store successfully sells her a new power supply (sigh) another 50 bucks. I install the new power supply, complete with 8-pin connection....

...and lo and behold, she still won't post. Any ideas? I don't even know where to start as the PC won't post at all and no picture on the screen. Any help would be appreciated, I'm quite done with this project...

 

[christop]

When you say it won't post does it even turn on. Have you double checked the header wires from the case to the mb? You should have a 4 pinn connector for the cpu power not an eight pin. Good luck

 

[clarkjd]

Go here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-post-boot-video-problems
Work through the list..WORK, not just read!
If you are still having issues, come back here with where in the list it is failing. We will try to help!
Good Luck!

 

[Takavoncracka]

First question: Why only 4 pin connector for the CPU? The motherboard clearly takes 8...? Just confused.

Second Question: I don't believe the case has standoffs for the mobo, I believe it has raised "mounds" from the case back. It's a pre-built HP that we're trying to repair, so I don't have any extra parts like standoffs. Is this bad, or are the "mounds" sufficient?

Thirdly, I shall go through the entire checklist, including breadboarding and pulling the RAM. Thank you very much for pointing me to that thread.

 

[Onus]

The "mounds" take the place of standoffs, and are equivalent. If there are any extra mounds where there is no mounting hole, put some electrical tape over it to prevent the mobo from being shorted on it.

 

[Takavoncracka]

So, update. Found a snapped pin on the CPU. Finally, an easy fix, get a new CPU.

New CPU still won't post. Put in an Athlon II X3.

Removed all RAM to try to get it to do ANYTHING, still nothing. Just mobo (new), CPU (new), and Power Supply (new) plugged into the case power button. OF COURSE there's no system speaker, that'd be too easy. It has never emitted any beeps nor can I seem to follow the wire behind the external bay cage to see if there's even one there. Supremely annoying.

I went through the entire checklist as ordered, nothing seemed amiss (incidently, it's how I found the bent pins...).

Needless to say I'm flustered about the whole thing. I hate to say it, but it hasn't booted since we swapped motherboards. But it had bent CPU pins also at that time...and fixing the CPU doesn't seem to have fixed it. Does that leave the mobo as the culprit? Any definitive way to check this?

 

[clarkjd]

Is the new CPU on the motherboards list of supported CPUs? Is the motherboards BIOS at the level needed to support the new CPU?