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Gravelhighway
07-01-2008, 12:09 AM
I decided to build a computer for a friend, especially since my recent build (with most of the same components) went so well.

I should have knocked on wood.

These are his components:


Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0GB/s Hard Drive - OEM
Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3 English for System Builders 1 Pack CD - OEM
LG Super Multi Blu-ray Disc Burner & Hd DVD-ROM Drive Black SATA Model GGW-H20L - Retail
PNY XLR8 VCG98GTXXPB-OC Geforce 9800 GTX Overclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
CORSAIR XMS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5DHX - Retail
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 Kentsfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX8056Q6700 - Retail
Thermaltake W0116RU 750W Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version Power Supply - Retail
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black Full Tower Case w/ 25CM Fan - Retail
ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail
Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10000 RPM SATA 1.5GB/s Hard Drive - OEM


So.... I've never dealt with a SATA CD/DVD boot device before, but continue assuming it all works the same. Everything was plugged in, checked twice, and power was connected

Now I sit with no video and no post, staring at orange, green, and blue LEDs. I've done a search through this website, EVGA's website, and Google and found what some of the colors may mean. So I thought I would ask the folks who helped me so much during my first build.

So.. here are the steps I have taken thus far. Note that I have worked only 5 hours on this machine. That was quite aggravating, so I figured that sleeping on it would be a good idea.

Here are the steps I have taken thus far:

Plugged in all devices using the
Thermaltake Toughpower 750W. Both PCI-Express power plugs were used as he has a 9800 nvidia card that has dual plugs that both require power. Booted the drive. The beautiful blue glow from the 780i made me feel hopefully. That was short lived.


First SATA drive (150gb) is plugged into SATA 0

Secondary SATA drive (640gb) is plugged into SATA 1

Blu-ray/DVD/CD-ROM is plugged into SATA 2

Corsair memory placed in slots 0 and 1

When I pressed the power button, the fans and DVD/Blu-ray turned on. However, I didn't get any video and saw only the dreaded FF code.

Rechecked to ensure that everything was plugged in. Did some cable management to keep the cables away from the fans, then rechecked plugs again.

Attempted to boot the machine. Motherboard gave FF error and orange, green, and blue lights.

Unplugged all plugs and repluged devices. Attempted another boot. No workie.

Unplugged the secondary hard drive. Same code and colors.

Took out the memory. Same code and colors. No difference.. so I figured the post wasn't even getting to the memory.

Replaced the memory. Put in my 8800 GT card. Still code FF with orange, green, and blue leds.


And this is where I have stopped before I made a pillow of the computer case.

I'm thinking my next step, before I start swapping out parts, is to (1) reseat the processor and (2) install a regular DVD drive (yeah, old school) and see if it will boot. :confused:

If anyone can post (or send me a link that I've missed) of the order in which this board posts, I would appreciate it. Or of what the LED colors actually mean. Then I can start swapping out parts and see where the issue may be.

Thank you in advance for any advice or assistance!

- Kerri, former uber-geek

Gravelhighway
07-01-2008, 07:21 AM
Back at it this morning....

I unplugged the extra USB adapter and now have a loud, high-pitched beep when I turn on the computer.

Gravelhighway
07-01-2008, 08:05 AM
I originally only installed one video card as there are only 3 power plugs from the PCU, and each video card requires two. In the meantime, he has ordered the 1000 Watts Modular PSU, NVIDIA SLI Certified (http://www.jaykang.com/10wamoposunv.html)

I just tried with one stick of RAM and the video card from my machine (8800 GT). Still no boot and just one long, very loud high-pitched beep.

The Wise Monkey
07-01-2008, 12:11 PM
Hmm, what does your motherboard say about this?

RickyTick
07-01-2008, 06:44 PM
I may be totally wrong, but I thought a FF post code was a good thing. FF = Fully Functioning.

http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=456272

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.asp?m=291896