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[Sensei]

Spoiler: Original Post (click to show/hide)

So, I've just built a computer that, as far as I can tell, isn't booting. I'm using a monitor I know to work, and I've removed the video card so I've got the monitor plugged into the mobo. The case/cpu fans spin and the light on the front of the case comes on, but there's no beeps or picture on the screen whatsoever.

I have the 20+4 pin power plugged in, as well as the 4 pin CPU power (I have two 4-pin plugs labeled 4P and 4+, I used the 4P).

Any idea what's going on? Is there a good way for me to verify if the cpu/motherboard isn't working, and if so which one? Mistakes I might have overlooked?

Since then I've got it running and installed Windows 7 64 bit (the problem turned out to be PEBCAK: I forgot that the CPU didn't have integrated graphics and managed to plug the monitor into the motherboard). Now, though, I've got a slew a new, weird problems:

-Some USB ports on the back of the computer don't work when Windows is running, but they light up a gamepad while the computer is booting up
-Everything seems to run a little bit slowly, for example a new windows explorer window seems to freeze up momentarily every time I open one
-There's an issue I suspect is with the GPU, but I can't tell. When I'm installing new video drivers, windows seems prone to completely shutting down without the slightest warning, prompting an automatic reboot. There's also sometimes weird artifacts on a screen shortly before a crash during other, normal use, and when I had the drivers installed(?) any game I tried to run would hard crash windows immediately. I tried running Tomb Raider with the drivers uninstalled and it worked for a little bit, until I went into a menu and the entire screen turned black even when I tabbed out, requiring a hard restart. I don't think the GPU is overheating (during normal use before crashes it sticks around 30c) but I guess I can't be totally sure. I also wonder if this could be a PSU thing? I'm currently attempting to complete a sequence of uninstalling the drivers, restarting, installing the drivers, and restarting again without the computer hard crashing. The crashes could be driver related, but it also crashed when I'm trying to install drivers so it's hard to tell whether the chicken or the egg came first if it's drivers.

[LordBucket]

Try re-seating your processor. Try swapping out memory. Try setting the cmos reset jumper.  Try using a known good video card. Check your numlock led for lights. Check under the motherboard for places that it might be in unintended contact with the case. Or for that matter, remove it from the case and power it on on a piece of cardboard or something.

[gigaraptor487]

I agree, the only requirements to start POST are CPU and RAM(power notwithstanding), so that may be the problem.

[Sensei]

It actually turned out that I was a moron: There's no integrated graphics with my CPU, I just had to use the GPU (I had it wired wrong at first and removed the GPU to isolate problems).

That said, it booted up and started windows XP (which was just left on the hard drive). This blue screened before getting to the login screen, which I figured was just because the OS was encountering entirely new hardware- no matter, I'm going to install windows 7 anyway.

However, attempting to boot again resulted in the motherboard beeping five times- I've heard this means there's a CPU error? What could I have messed up in the interim between booting fine and giving a motherboard error?

[Telgin]

I'm not familiar with a 5 beep code.  That may be specific to your motherboard.  Does it have a section on those in its manual?  An unending sequence of beeps usually means faulty RAM I think.

If I had to guess, it could still be bad RAM and that's where I'd start before I did anything else.  Try taking all but one stick out, and try it in different slots.  Try each stick this way and see if you can find some configuration that the system will boot into.  You might find one of the sticks or sockets is bad.

I have literally never had a faulty processor, so that seems unlikely to me.  I'd expect nothing to happen when you tried to boot up if the processor was damaged.

[Sensei]

The motherboard manual doesn't have anything on beep codes; it's surprisingly unhelpful. Every website I've looked at seems to say that it means there's some kind of CPU error though. I've been through unplugging all the basics including re-seating the CPU and I still have the same problem. I'll try juggling RAM in the meantime but I doubt it's the problem.

If anyone has any idea why it my boot once and then fail to post shortly after, please come forth! Also, diagnosing components.

[Telgin]

That's quite hard to explain, but bad RAM would be something I'd suspect.  Or a faulty power supply.  That could still theoretically be the case.  Do you have another computer you can test it in?

It could just be the motherboard itself.  I had one with what must have been a bad PCB trace.  It would work sometimes but would bluescreen randomly, and especially when under load.  Only picking the computer up and dropping it would fix it, which made no dang sense.  Eventually it just stopped booting altogether, and I had to replace it.

Diagnosing components by testing them in isolation in other computers is about your only option.  If you can't do that then you may have to RMA the CPU and motherboard and just hope that's what was wrong.

[Sensei]

Updated OP with new, weird problems I'm having.

I swear, every computer I touch gets haunted.

[Telgin]

Still sounds like it could easily be faulty RAM.  If you haven't yet, I'd try either the Windows memory checker tool or Memtest to be sure.  Failing that it could be a bad power supply, but diagnosing one can be notoriously difficult.  Trying it in another computer is about the only way.  The GPU is possible, but since the computer is unstable in general I'm less inclined to think that's the case.  I did have one graphics card where the heat sink fell off of the GPU without me knowing it.  Graphics became increasingly corrupted over a few months until 3D games were unplayable (but amusing to look at).  It finally got to the point where it blue screened constantly.

[Sensei]

Fortunately, there is a thing called Video Memory Test! It found three dozen errors in the VRAM. Looks like the GPU is a lemon. Unfortunately, as I'd bought parts ahead of time, the card is past its return date. Definitely avoiding Newegg open box deals unless I have a platform I can test them on immediately in the future.

[foil]

Did you install the drivers from Windows Update or download the latest ones from the makers websites?  Windows Update has out of date and usually broken drivers on it.

You would need, gfx drivers, motherboard drivers(intel inf), sound drivers.

Also did you install all Windows Updates including the Platform Update thats in the "Optional" tab on WU?

Can you run dxdiag.exe from Start Menu and post saved results pls.

[Yourmaster]

Punch the computer tower. Usually works for me.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

Punch the computer tower. Usually works for me.

Punching it on the side with the fan-holes works better than the front and is less painful than punching the back.

[Beast Tamer]

On a similar topic my computer keeps giving me this error when I try to access a site:

"Secure connection failed, the OCSP response is not yet valid (contains a date in the future). (Error code: sec_error_ocsp_future_response)"

[Tellemurius]

If the motorboard is beeping that means one of the ram chips are failing. just test with one stick at a time and then each slot. If its a solid beep that means peripheral failed so a graphics card is usually the first check. If POST just flat out fails then its either mobo or processor or power supply.