my first system...help!

Hi, I just started to build my first computer. it has

Abit is7-v MoBo
Pentium 4 2.8 G
512 MB PC-3200 Corsair Ram
ATI Radeon 9200 128MB
Western Digital 120 GB
52x cd-rw

I put it all together right, I hope. When I turn it on fans spin lights go on, but nothing happens, no boot process. The only thing I can see that might be some kind of an indicator would be on the MoBo there is a little green light showing the PSU is on. When I turn it on a little orange light goes on, if that says anything... Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks :sad:

I would remove everything down to 1 stick of ram 1 video card and motherboard/CPU
and see if you can get it to boot from that
At the same time be sure the memory and the video card are seated very well
I would also check the manual to see what jumpers on the board are and what they are set to.
Pay particular attention to a jumper called clear cmos make sure it is in the enabled and not the clear position

thanks for the advice but it didn't do anything for me. I'm starting to think that it might be the video card is bad. The monitor just gives me the no signal. I thought if something besides the video card was bad I might be able to get some where in the boot process. This is my first time so I don't know...

Remove the AGP card and see if you get the beeps from the Mobo (one long, two short). This will help you determine whether the problem is in the graphics card or mainboard; if it beeps the mainboard is fine (upto the point that its trying to detect your graphics card), no beep then thats where your problem may lie. I take it you dont have another graphics card to try in it?

Another possibility would be power supply.... What are you using in that department?

The power supply is 420 watts. I had a friend come over and see if he could think of anything. When we were looking we that I had unplugged the 4-pin power cord to the MoBo. When I plugged that in and the PSU was set on the 115 V selector the thing turns on then goes for a couple of seconds then starts over. Not booting or anything just starting to run. But when I put the PSU on the 230V option It just goes, nothing boots. So that led me to think the power supply is bad. Is that a fair assumption?

thanks for the help

Umm what country are you in met_man, do you know about your electricity supply there?

I'm in america, as far as I know it should be on 115v.

phew. You can quite happily fry yourself setting it to 115 in european countries.

switching to 230 volts in a 115 volt country is pointless.

The power supply may be faulty, or you have a short on the motherboard to the case or some thing mettalic somewhere.

what would you reccomend I do. Go buy a 15$ PSU tester, just go and return my case for another...Oh, is there a way to check and see if the motherboard is working? That would save me a lot of trouble. Also, the MoBo has the lights on that I mentioned earlier, if it was bad would those still go on? Thanks!!!

build it outside the case on the antistatic plastic bag it came in. If it runs up then, you have a short. If it does the same it still could be the psu or the mobo (or attachment such as ram, processor, vid card).

Sorry, but what do mean by,"if it runs up". I get build it out side the case. but I don't have another power supply just lying around. I don't know maybe I am just being dense, but if you could elaborate that would be awesome.

really appreciate all the help

Remove the mobo and place it on the static bag. Remove the 4 screws holding the power supply in the case. Connect the power supply to the mobo. Plug the power supply in. Short the two pins on the mobo that are labeled power switch + and -, look in the mobo instruction book.

if it runs up means if it works properly without the case around it....

At this stage use the same powersupply. We are testing for the motherboard shorting against the case, not the psu at this point.

MobilePhysician, good point, I forgot to mention it!

You do not have to use the on/off switch in the case. On the two pins where the on/off switch connects, use something metallic and small enough not to interfere with other pins, but large enough to contact those two pins together - like a small screwdriver.

The "switch" on an atx case is momentary - in other words, it is not switched on or off, a contact it made for a brief period (less than a second) to allow the motherboard to start. The motherboard is stopped by shorting those pins for at least 4 seconds.

It worked! Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you! I will go and get a new case. BTW, what would have caused that? Thanks soo much, Win Drivers rocks! Whooooo HOooooooo!