Half my computer works

[dmward]

I just put together a new computer as much to learn about how computers work as to get a new computer- so I'm only a little tech savvy.

Here are my specs:
Ultra Grid ATX Mid-Tower Case
Motherboard: ASUS M2N32 Deluxe
CPU: AMD A64 X2 4200, dual core 2.2 ghz (with CPU fan)
Memory: OCZ PC6400 DDR2, 2x 1gb
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 320 gb (SATA)
DVD Rom/DVD R: Lightscribe (SATA)
Video Card: XFX GeForce 8600 GT (PCIe)
Power Supply: Apevia ATX 500 W

I put everything together according to the instructions. When I plug in the computer, the motherboard's standby light goes on. There are no lights on the front of the case lit up. When I press the power button in the front, the red light on the front flashes and no other lights on the front go on. All the fans go on and the DVD player boots up- but that's all. The monitor doesn't register anything happening, and the hard drive doesn't seem to be making any of the normal sounds of a spinning hard drive.

Anybody have any idea what part is malfunctioning or if it's a connection issue?

[Barrister73]

Sounds similar to the problem BobaFett and I had with out P5KC boards. Could be questionable Asus quality. Could also be the PSU; if it isn't Corsair 520, nobody on this site uses it ;-)

I'll just say what other people will tell you; check all your wire connections, especially the second MoBo power connector.

Run your monitor directly to your board, instead of through the card (but, if I looked at the correct board, that is not an option)

Try different combinations of memory; might need just one stick in one slot for it to start up.

MRR

On a side note: this is why tool kits should come with a speaker. If we could hear what the MoBo was telling us, we'd be able to fix it quicker.

[dmward]

So I re-checked all the connections and am now quite sure that the connectors- particularly the power connectors- are all working. I ran the monitor from both the board and the card and got nothing (I had to get a specific converter to get the monitor connected to the 9 pin com port on the back of the motherboard). The power LED goes on now, but the hard drive activity LED does not. Also tried a variety of memory configurations- all to no avail.

So where can I proceed from here? I'm wondering if either the CPU or hard drive is bad. Is that a reasonable thought? Otherwise, I think the motherboard is bad, but most everything plugged into it is working, so I'm not sure if that's the culprit. Anybody have any thoughts?