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#1 Apr 21 2006 at 9:58 PM Rating: Good
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I just finished building a new computer. I plug the thing in and boot it up and it powers down on me. I start it up again and press <delete> (per the motherboard instructions) to access the BIOS and before I get anywhere it powers down again. The computer stays on about 20 seconds overall before it shuts down. I know it's some sort of power problem but what I don't know. Could someone give me some advise?
#2 Apr 21 2006 at 10:00 PM Rating: Decent
I'm not completely sure but I'd stop trying to start it because that sometimes means you don't have enough power supply for the graphics card/motherboard you bought. Therefore, you might be frying either of the two.

#3 Apr 21 2006 at 10:00 PM Rating: Good
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May be a bad motherboard

May be bad power supply

May be bad memory

May be connections to power switch to motherboard are connected wrong
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#4 Apr 21 2006 at 10:03 PM Rating: Good
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May be a bad motherboard - It boots up and the BIOS comes up so I doubt it.

May be bad power supply - I am getting power

May be bad memory - As in DIMM? Why would that affect anything?

May be connections to power switch to motherboard are connected wrong - This I will check.
#5 Apr 21 2006 at 10:06 PM Rating: Good
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Power connections to the motherboard can only fit in one way and are clicked in. I also have a 550 watt power supply. More than enough for what I got I have been informed.
#6 Apr 21 2006 at 10:08 PM Rating: Good
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If you have more than one memory stick in the board remove all but one, that might get you there.

If that works check to make sure you have the memory in the correct slots for duel channel (I'm assuming here)


If that don't work start switching out components from your old machine to rule all that out before you blame the MB.

Edited, Fri Apr 21 23:14:45 2006 by Aegis
#7 Apr 21 2006 at 10:12 PM Rating: Good
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IF the m/b has a failed component, it may cause it to short out.

I have seen memory cause PCs restart.

THere is a chance that the power supply is defective and just shuts off. I've seen it.



Best thing to do is process of elimination. Hope you have extra parts to try swaaping.


I'm betting on the M/B being hosed. You should hope that it's just the P/S.
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#9 Apr 21 2006 at 10:17 PM Rating: Good
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ANTEC power source. I did use the brass spacers. Nothing dramatic happens on power up. Everything seems to be fine and it stays on just long enough to fool you into believe maybe this time I fixed the problem.
#10 Apr 21 2006 at 10:18 PM Rating: Good
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the only thing left is the processor.. and I can't recall if I've ever seen a bad processor causing a PC to shutdown consistantly.

This is all assuming that you've removed all of any extra devices that may be installed.



Get another known working power supply and try using that and see waht happens

Edited, Fri Apr 21 23:19:08 2006 by Kelvyquayo
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#11 Apr 21 2006 at 10:21 PM Rating: Excellent
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I'm 90% certain your computer is overheating a few seconds after startup and entering protection mode shut down to prevent it from melting.

With the computer off, Remove the heat sync from the processor, clean the surfaces, and add more artic silver thermal paste in there. There should be a nice even coating all along the top of the processor and the bottom of the heat sync. Also make sure the 4 pin 'Core voltage" plug is plugged in. 2 black wires, 2 yellow, plugs in near the CPU.

I'm pretty sure it isn't power. If you are getting to the point you can see anything on the screen at all, you have enough power to at least boot the computer to windows, and almost all motherboards will not let you boot at all with the core voltage plug detached. It's probably not quite enough heat sync goo. That or maybe the heat sync itself is not seated correctly. Make sure the heat sync fan is turning on startup as well, as it is possible to reverse that plug and have it not turn. If you are using the stock heat sync goo that comes with the processor and not artic silver, i'd reccomend switching.

The power supply fan can also be a problem. make sure that if it has a fan, the fan is turning and the fan spead indicator, if any is set to maximum.
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#12 Apr 21 2006 at 10:25 PM Rating: Decent
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Strip it to the MB. Use the warning beeps to tell you things> add components one at a time. Use the warning beeps. When you get to the problem component, you have isolated it.
#13 Apr 21 2006 at 10:31 PM Rating: Good
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Kaolian
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I'm 90% certain your computer is overheating a few seconds after startup and entering protection mode shut down to prevent it from melting.

With the computer off, Remove the heat sync from the processor, clean the surfaces, and add more artic silver thermal paste in there. There should be a nice even coating all along the top of the processor and the bottom of the heat sync. Also make sure the 4 pin 'Core voltage" plug is plugged in. 2 black wires, 2 yellow, plugs in near the CPU.

I'm pretty sure it isn't power. If you are getting to the point you can see anything on the screen at all, you have enough power to at least boot the computer to windows, and almost all motherboards will not let you boot at all with the core voltage plug detached. It's probably not quite enough heat sync goo. That or maybe the heat sync itself is not seated correctly. Make sure the heat sync fan is turning on startup as well, as it is possible to reverse that plug and have it not turn. If you are using the stock heat sync goo that comes with the processor and not artic silver, i'd reccomend switching.

The power supply fan can also be a problem. make sure that if it has a fan, the fan is turning and the fan spead indicator, if any is set to maximum.


This sounds like a winner, I had to replace the motherboard once allready and, of course, that meant removing the CPU and fan. I never added any more goo (I know bad git! bad!) How much is this artic silver and can I get it at any basic computer supply store?

Edit: and yes the heat sink fan is working as is the Power supply fan.

Edited, Fri Apr 21 23:33:06 2006 by GitSlayer
#14 Apr 21 2006 at 10:32 PM Rating: Good
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GitSlayer wrote:

This sounds like a winner, I had to replace the motherboard once allready and, of course, that meant removing the CPU and fan. How much is this artic silver and can I get it at any basic computer supply store?


IIRC like $8.00 and yes, you can get it most anywhere.
#15 Apr 21 2006 at 10:38 PM Rating: Excellent
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yeah, they have it at compusa for sure, sometimes best buy as well. Any store that sells components will most likely have it. And Aegis is correct on the price. There are a few different versions under the Artic silver brand name, one that is a ceramic based coating http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=426, which i have not used, then there is Artic Silver 5 http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=959 which is mostly silver and what I usually use, and artic aluminum that is cheaper for older processors, which I avoid like the plague.

Edit:
When you install it, you ideally want to put down a drop about the size of your average pea, or maybe about 2 1/2-three grains worth of cooked white rice. If you add a little too much and it oozes out the sides a bit, you can pop the heat sync off and start again as long as you don't go overboard. One tube will last you for about 47 computers, so you can practice a bit. It's better to have too much in there than too little though as long as it doesn't ooze onto the board itself. The manufacturer says to only use about a single grain of rice's worth, but I find that doesn't always give proper coverage.

Edit edit:
Also, do make sure to clean the old stuff off completly with a nice lint free rag that you don't want anymore. A cloth baby diaper works great for that. But whatever you use, will be pretty much ruined for anything else. You do not want to mix the old goo with artic silver, as occasionally you get odd thermal charicteristics that way, and it will be less efficient than just using straight artic silver 5.

Edited, Fri Apr 21 23:47:38 2006 by Kaolian
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#16 Apr 22 2006 at 2:39 AM Rating: Decent
Baron von AngstyCoder wrote:
Also if the MB is touching the case at any point, you get a loverly flat short right after it juices. Use the spacers! :)
(Not that I learned this in an annoying fashion :)


I learned this one the hard way too. Symptoms were pretty much as the OP describes. I had actually put in 1 spacer too many, and the extra spacer was touching some random part of the motherboard.
#17 Apr 23 2006 at 2:39 AM Rating: Good
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Professor CrescentFresh wrote:
Baron von AngstyCoder wrote:
Also if the MB is touching the case at any point, you get a loverly flat short right after it juices. Use the spacers! :)
(Not that I learned this in an annoying fashion :)


I learned this one the hard way too. Symptoms were pretty much as the OP describes. I had actually put in 1 spacer too many, and the extra spacer was touching some random part of the motherboard.


Lol. Did that *twice* when upgrading a computer once. Took the old MB out, didn't take all the brass risers out. Put the new one in. Powered it on. Bad juju... Fortunately, you can just claim it didn't work the first time and get the store to replace it (technically it *didn't* work the first time, but whatever...).

Oh. And Kao is most likely correct. If it's powering up the videocard, then the board *is* working. If the memory is bad, you wont get that far either. Easiest test is to strip it down to just mainboard, with cpu, memory, and a videocard. If it allows you to go into the bios and stays there without crashing, it's not a heat problem (but it sounds like this *didn't* work). If it turns off, it could still be a component problem, but I'd go with heat as the first culprit, especially since you did pull the cpu off and reseat it.

If that doesn't fix the problem, then the swaps I'd do in order would be: Memory, CPU, MB, videocard.

This is actually one of the reasons I typically buy my MB/CPU/Memory as a unit and install the rest on top of that. Those three really form the core of your system, and it's amazing how often problems crop up when swapping them.
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#18 Apr 23 2006 at 2:50 AM Rating: Good
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Dread Lörd Kaolian wrote:

Edit edit:
Also, do make sure to clean the old stuff off completly with a nice lint free rag that you don't want anymore. A cloth baby diaper works great for that. But whatever you use, will be pretty much ruined for anything else. You do not want to mix the old goo with artic silver, as occasionally you get odd thermal charicteristics that way, and it will be less efficient than just using straight artic silver 5.


Q-Tips and rubbing alcohol are great for this. Once it's all gone just giver a minute for all the alcohol to evaporate and you're set.

EDIT: Grammar at night...

Edited, Sun Apr 23 03:51:19 2006 by Iamadam
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#19 Apr 23 2006 at 10:20 AM Rating: Decent
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I once lost my mind and almost lost a motherboard in this same fashion...too awhile to find out that a stray ***** was lodged under the mobo. Smiley: blush I've pretty much seen it all.

Stripping everything down and checking components piece by piece is the best way to go.
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#20 Apr 23 2006 at 4:07 PM Rating: Good
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This is so done and gone BUT as it was brought back up: Yes, Kao was right, I needed to spew more goo (pervert) on the CPU.

So new problem: I can't get ****** Windows XP to load (as in loading it to the new hard drive, not just starting up the computer). It gives me the blue screen of death right at the end of loading the program and tells me I need to turn off "Catching" and "shadowing" in my BIOS. Not that I can find the goddamn things in my BIOS. I ****** hate Bill Gates.
#21 Apr 23 2006 at 7:50 PM Rating: Good
Caching and shadowing are memory functions, in video options, IIRC.

They're probably not your problem, though. I've seen that one before but don't recall what I had to do to get past it.

If you haven't dropped back to one stick of memory, do so and see if it clears this up. It won't really matter for setup that much anyway.
#22 Apr 23 2006 at 8:00 PM Rating: Excellent
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You might just want to completely clear the bios back to defaults. if it's an asus board, you just move the main jumper over, pop the battery, wait 30 seconds, and then put the battery back and replace the jumper. For other boards, I don't know.

since the heatsync wasinstalled wrong, it may have tried to ramp down the processor speed and ram clock to compensate for the heat. those settings may still be in place.
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