READ before posting about boot problems!

"New build won't boot" checklist

This checklist is a compilation of troubleshooting ideas from many forum members. It's very important to actually perform every step in the checklist if you want to effectively troubleshoot your problem.

1. Did you carefully read the motherboard owners manual?

2. Did you plug in the 4/8-pin CPU power connector located near the CPU socket? If the motherboard has 8 pins and your PSU only has 4 pins, you can use the 4-pin connector. The 4-pin connector USUALLY goes on the 4 pins located closest to the CPU. If the motherboard has an 8-pin connector with a cover over 4 pins, you can remove the cover and use an 8-pin plug if your power supply has one. This power connector provides power to the CPU. Your system has no chance of posting without this connector plugged in! Check your motherboard owners manual for more information about the CPU power connector. This is easily the most common new-builder mistake.

3. Did you install the standoffs under the motherboard? Did you place them so they all align with the screw holes in the motherboard, with no extra standoffs touching the board in the wrong place? A standoff installed in the wrong place can cause a short and prevent the system from booting.

4. Did you verify that the video card is fully seated? (may require more force than a new builder expects.)

5. Did you attach all the required power connector(s) to the video card? (some need two, some need none, many need one.)

6. Have you tried booting with just one stick of RAM installed? (Try each stick of RAM individually in each RAM slot.) If you can get the system to boot with a single stick of RAM, you should manually set the RAM speed, timings, and voltage to the manufacturers specs in the BIOS before attempting to boot with all sticks of RAM installed.

7. Did you verify that all memory modules are fully inserted? (may require more force than a new builder expects.) It's a good idea to install the RAM on the motherboard before it's in the case.

8. Did you verify in the owners manual that you're using the correct RAM slots? Many i7 motherboards require RAM to be installed in the slots starting with the one further away from the CPU which is the opposite of many dual channel motherboards.

9. Did you remove the plastic guard over the CPU socket? (this actually comes up occasionally.)

10. Did you install the CPU correctly? There will be an arrow on the CPU that needs to line up with an arrow on the motherboard CPU socket. Be sure to pay special attention to that part of the manual!

11. If using an after market CPU cooler, did you get any thermal paste on the motherboard, CPU socket, or CPU pins? Did you use the smallest amount you could? Here's a couple links that may help:

Benchmark Reviews

Arctic Sliver

12. Is the CPU fan plugged in?

13. If using a stock cooler, was the thermal material on the base of the cooler free of foreign material, and did you remove any protective covering? If the stock cooler has push-pins, did you ensure that all four pins snapped securely into place? (The easiest way to install the push-pins is outside the case sitting on a non-conductive surface like the motherboard box. Read the instructions! The push-pins should be turned the OPPOSITE direction as the arrows.)

14. Are any loose screws laying on the motherboard, or jammed against it? Are there any wires run directly under the motherboard? You should not run wires under the motherboard since the soldered wires on the underside of the motherboard can cut into the insulation on the wires and cause a short. Some cases have space to run wires on the back side of the motherboard tray.

15. Did you ensure you discharged all static electricity before touching any of your components?

16. Did you install the system speaker (if provided) so you can check beep-codes in the manual? A system speaker is NOT the same as normal speakers that plug into the back of the motherboard. A system speaker plugs into a header on the motherboard that's usually located near the front panel connectors. If you case or motherboard didn't come with a system speaker you can buy one here: http://www.cwc-group.com/casp.html

17. Did you read the instructions in the manual on how to properly connect the front panel plugs? (Power switch, power led, reset switch, HD activity led) Polarity does not matter with the power and reset switches. If power or drive activity LED's do not come on, reverse the connections. For troubleshooting purposes, disconnect the reset switch. If it is shorted, the machine either will not POST at all, or it will endlessly reboot.

18. Did you turn on the power supply switch located on the back of the PSU? Is the power plug on a switch? If it is, is the switch turned on? Is there a GFI circuit on the plug-in? If there is, make sure it isn't tripped.

19. Is your CPU supported by the BIOS revision installed on your motherboard? Most motherboards will post a CPU compatibility list on their website.

20. Have you tried resetting the CMOS? The motherboard manual will have instructions for your particular board.

21. If you have integrated video and a video card, try the integrated video port. Resetting the bios, can make it default back to the onboard video.

I also wanted to add some suggestions that user jsc often posts. This is a direct quote from him:

"Pull everything except the CPU and HSF. Boot. You should hear a series of long single beeps indicating memory problems. Silence here indicates, in probable order, a bad PSU, motherboard, or CPU - or a bad installation where something is shorting and shutting down the PSU.

To eliminate the possiblility of a bad installation where something is shorting and shutting down the PSU, you will need to pull the motherboard out of the case and reassemble the components on an insulated surface. This is called "breadboarding" - from the 1920's homebrew radio days. I always breadboard a new or recycled build. It lets me test components before I go through the trouble of installing them in a case.

If you get the long beeps, add a stick of RAM. Boot. The beep pattern should change to one long and two or three short beeps. Silence indicates that the RAM is shorting out the PSU (very rare). Long single beeps indicates that the BIOS does not recognize the presence of the RAM.

If you get the one long and two or three short beeps, test the rest of the RAM. If good, install the video card and any needed power cables and plug in the monitor. If the video card is good, the system should successfully POST (one short beep, usually) and you will see the boot screen and messages.

Note - an inadequate PSU will cause a failure here or any step later.
Note - you do not need drives or a keyboard to successfully POST (generally a single short beep).

If you successfully POST, start plugging in the rest of the components, one at a time. "

Here's a link to jsc's breadboarding thread:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/foru [...] _13_0.html

If you make it through the entire checklist without success, Proximon has put together another great thread with a few more ideas here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] g#t1934282

Nice guide. Needs to be stickied for sure!

Good checklist. My additional comments:

Re #2 - I see a lot of questions about "My mobo has an 8 pin socket, but my PSU only has a 4 pin plug. Where does it go?" Ans. - The 4 pins closest to the CPU. Second answer - "RTFM".

Re #9 - might want to rethink this a little. It's good advice for most coolers, but I'm not certain it applies to coolers like the Xigmatek.

Re #7 and #11 - I alway recommend installing the CPU, HSF, and the RAM before installing the motherboard in the case. RAM sometimes takes a lot of force to install.

Re #14 - Some cases do not come with a system speaker (Antec 900's, for example).

Re #15 - Polarity does not matter with the power and reset switches. If power or drive activity LED's do not come on, reverse the connections.

Might want to add on there if you think its the PSU or the Case's Power switch doing the paper clip and shorting the jumpers/ green wire to black? Common trick to trouble shoot items.

... or frying their pacemakers

It's really getting there now. If you think of someone that can contribute to this post, shoot them a PM

I completely agree.

Another one that sorta piggy backs off of 16. I've ran into multiple cases where people are plugged into receptacle that is controlled by a switch (many states require you to have one because of building codes). What happens is the switch is turned off meaning no power is coming from the receptacle. Also make sure that if your plugged into a GFI (ground fault interrupter) receptacle, it hasn't been triggered. I've seen some people that are using some bigger psu's will trip the GFI because of the extra load.

In other words check the power outlet.

+1 for sticky!!

Speaking of which... Is the PSu plugged in to the wall?

Maybe another point to add somewhere around the ram section is to make sure there inserted in the right slots. A lot of people using the x58 boards have been inserting sticks in 2 4 6.

You migt want to add:

"Try clearing the bios, by removing the battery for 30 seconds, if you get no response when turning on the computer."

What about troubleshooting?
In the old days we had more expansion cards so if I had a problem I would pull out the extra expansion cards and try it with just video card and mobo.

I think mobo+ram+cpu is the minimum to get the mobo to POST. Of course the only way to know that it is doing this is that the cpu fan is running. Then add a video card so you can see what it is doing. After that you can plug in the drives.

I completely agree - sticky needed. You're right - many of us seem to be answering a lot of the same questions. Nice work.

Shameless bump of my own thread.

I would also like to add that a video card is not needed for a computer to boot. If there is a problem where the system wont even pass the BIOS screen and shuts down right after wards, remove the video card to see if it helps.

Tools for ANY one that builds their own computer.

http://www.alwayslowest.com/AL/ind [...] rt=2952576 - Power supply tester.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116039 - if you have an Intel 775 system

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 819103195- if you have an AM2 system

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820134044 - Memory that will work in ANY DDR2 motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161011 - PCI (not PCI express) video card. Newegg often has some great prices on open-box PCI video cards as well. Check your local ma-n-pa computer store, I'd be willing to bet that they have a working PCI video card somewhere in the back room for about $10.

Buying all of these components will let you diagnose almost any problem on TONS of different computer systems.

Install CD/DVD/Blu-Ray drive LAST... seems to be a common source of problems especially since some people are using IDE drives.

Do not close the case until it has all booted up and you have installed the OS, connected to the net and have run Prime95 or something similar and checked CPU temps. Make sure everything is hunky dory before you close up and put it under your desk or wherever. That way you avoid the frustration of having to open it back up and you know that it WAS okay so any cooling issues that arise later are due to fans being installed the wrong way around or due to your case location not having enough airflow available.

bump

Really good list. I'm gotta have this book marked.

@gregsteg

Try making your own thread for your question. It will make it much easier on us in trying to help you with your problem.
Thanks!!

bump

Something about mobos occasionally needing a bios update to actually support given cpu. Doeesn't happen often but shows up every once and a while.

That's a good point. We are very cautious about BIOS flashes around here though.

bump

*nod*

Not a bad addition now that we'll be seeing more 790GX boards.

bump

It sure would be nice to not have to keep bumping it to the top.