no first boot

[joedp2]

I suppose it may have been better had I found this site before I bought the parts for my 1st build, but....


Anyway, I bought the following from Newegg:

ZOTAC NF6301-F-E LGA 775 micro-ITX MB
Pentium Dual-core E5200
Corsair 2 GB DDR2 800 RAM (1 stick)
Hitachi HD
Lite-on DVD ROM

and

Ark PI-01 case with 300 watt PSU

from computer geeks.

I assembled everything following the instructions that came with the motherboard. But when I try to boot, it doesn't work. Specifically, the CPU and case fans spin for a second and then it shuts down. If I hit the power button again, nothing happens. If I turn off the PSU and try again, I get the same 1 second of spin and shut down.

The memory is in DIMM 1. The CPU is seated and fixed to the fan with thermal grease as well as mechanically. The 2 power cables are attached. The MB is mounted to 4 brass spacers.

Scanning the forums, there seem to be many people in this situation and it seems that the culprit is usually the PSU. Unfortunately, I do not have a spare that will work with this MB to try, so I am stuck for the moment.

Since the PSU came with the case, and from a different seller than the rest of my parts, I would like to figure out whether it is actually the problem before trying to return it.

Any advise?

[joedp2]

The MB has 2 fan controls. I tried switching the one that the CPU fan is plugged into, but no change. I also tried switching the RAM to DIMM 2.

[The Wise Monkey]

Try taking out everything except the CPU and RAM and see if you can boot then.

[joedp2]

Thanks for the quick response!

Anyway, I disconnected the power to the HD and DVD and disconnected the sATA cables from the MB, but no change. For good measure, I also tried disconnecting the case front panel cables, which made things worse (as though that were possible) - without them, I couldn't get any power at all. I then tried reversing the polarity of the power button cables, but there was no difference.

At this point, I'm not sure what my next move should be.

[joedp2]

Update:

I took everything out of the box and tried running the MB naked on the table and it worked. So I started putting things, one at a time, back in the case, testing for response after each screw. Finally, everything was together and the fans were still spinning, so I hooked it up to the monitor to go through the first boot.

Everything seems as though it should be working: the DVD tray opens and closes, the CPU and case fans are running, but there is no signal to the monitor. I tried unplugging it from the VGA port and plugging into the DVI port with an adapter, but still nothing.

Also, there are no beeps of any kind. And, yes, I did plug in the MB speaker :D.

I guess I'm still stuck, but at a different point than this morning.

[joedp2]

I tried removing the battery to reset the CMOS, removed and replaced the CPU, switched the 2 sets of jumpers, and checked all of the connections to the MB, but still no video and no beeps. I think the MB may be bad. Anything else I can try before contacting newegg for an RMA?

[The Wise Monkey]

Seems like you've tried pretty much everything - just make sure that the motherboard isn't touching the case anywhere.

[joedp2]

I decided to give it one more shot. I switched the CMOS jumper to the clear setting and removed the battery. I disconnected eveything from the MB and left it to sit for a few hours. When that didn't help, I boxed up the MB and RMA'd it back to newegg. We'll se what happens when I get the new one.

[joedp2]

I got the new MB today, put everything back together and it works. Now I'm installing Windows. Looks like it all worked out.

[The Wise Monkey]

Glad it now works - just a shame that you had a bad component. :(

[joedp2]

I was worried for a while. Like I said, this was my first build, so I just knew I had screwed something up! I was very happy when it turned out not to be me. :)

And thanks for the help and support.

[joedp2]

And, by the way, the total cost, including shipping and shipping back the bad board, was $329 (or will be after I receive my $15 rebate from the MB). Not bad for a compact budget machine for the kitchen.

[The Wise Monkey]

That is pretty good! If you are willing to shop around for a bargain, you can get some really good deals. It makes having multiple machines a real possibility.