No POST - MSI MOBO/AMD 64 3500

[achase4u]

I have this mother board

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130491

Just purchased, with corsair value select ram

two 512 sticks

and an AMD 3500+ Venice 64 bit.

Its all retail.

I install everything as usual(Ive built computers before at home)

then I get all fans on, power... but no POST.

No video...

The one thing I can think of is I am using a 350 watt PSU... a powmagic or something cheap -

the same model has failed on me on other occasions. This one was working though in another older computer...

So since this symptom has happened before, what is the problem most likely?

I seated the CPU nice and easy and locked it in, and the heatsink, while a little difficult to get on, went on fine...

it tilted a little but that wasnt really with any pressure.

I heard the motherboard flex a little but nothing cracking really.

I really want to say its the power supply so I am going to try a trupower higher watt one tomorrow...

What else could it be? DOA CPU?

the ethernet light comes on,

I tried just one stick of ram, and different combos...

Reseated the bios battery, flashed the bios...

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks all...

 

[junglemike]

I heard the motherboard flex a little but nothing cracking really.

If one beds the motherboard, it will malfunction long before you will hear the cracking sound.so.....

I really want to say its the power supply so I am going to try a trupower higher watt one tomorrow...

I would say it's not PSU, even if it has inferior wattage for this system. The probable point of failure would be when cpu&video are loaded 100% and consuming max power, not when started up.
You can also disconnect hdd/fdd/cd to make it easier on PSU to start even futher, if you still think it's psu.

 

[MrCoffee]

most likely either mobo or PSU. My money would be on PSU.

I take it you get nothing from the board? no beeps, no HDD activity?

All fans inc PSU fan spin ok?

 

[achase4u]

the hard drive sounds like its getting power... but no real activity

the cd drive light flickers sometimes

no POST beep at all from the motherboard...

I will try a new PSU today. if not, should I reseat the CPU?

If all fails, its motherboard???

Hmmmm
thanks

 

[achase4u]

OK

I talked to a guy at a custom computer store. He said check to make sure the board isnt shorting on the case. It was the case

I have it working. But the hard drive is older and loud. 20 gig IBM

The PSU is so hot it can burn my skin.

When I install windows XP (if and when it lets me)

then it will boot less than half the time. It says I have windows file corrupt

I was in windows for a while but then nothing...

So this is the next problem to be fixed.

any ideas? Most likely a quirky HD or bad power regulation?

 

[MrCoffee]

short on the case? school boy error

Is that IBM one of the old deathstars? those things are.. well U saw the movie starwars right?

Anyway could be a number of things, RAM, Mobo, Hdd, CD Drive, damaged windows CD, PSU.

1) Is the fan spinning in the PSU!!??

2) test your RAM with memtest86

3) get diagnostic soft from IBM for that drive

4) Try a different windows CD

5) Try a different CD Drive

6) Etc...