Ok, I'm putting a new pc together. I am having a problem though getting it started up.

Basically I have the core components. 700w PS, RAM, Mobo, chip. No HD or anything else installed.

I can get into the BIOS settings, but after a minute or so the PC reboots, and just turns on and off over and over again until I unplug it. Shouldn't be an overheating problem, the temp. monitor in the BIOS settings isn't climbing very high (44).

Any thoughts? this is giving me a headache.

not the graphics card. not the power supply. don't think it's the RAM. tried 2 different sets of RAM, both speeds supported by the mobo, both with the same result.

I'm confused, I can sit in the BIOS for a minute or two, then it just turns off and reboots over and over again. Again, it reads that the system temps are fine.

if you dont go into the bios and let it sit there and try and find a HD what does it do?

should say something like "NTLDR not found" or "Hard drive not found" and juts sit there and blink at you

is the stuff brand new?
is it in a case? are you sure you used all the standoffs correctly when putting it in the case?
does the CPU fan start up and run?

honestly just stick a HD on and see if you can load windows then you can get get the latest drivers and such and see if that makes a difference

Originally posted by soulcontroller
not the graphics card. not the power supply. don't think it's the RAM. tried 2 different sets of RAM, both speeds supported by the mobo, both with the same result. I'm confused, I can sit in the BIOS for a minute or two, then it just turns off and reboots over and over again. Again, it reads that the system temps are fine.

My money's on the power supply, or a failed system board.

Reseat your CPU.

I had this happen once. Would sit in BIOS all day but as soon as you go into Windows BAM restart.

Originally posted by EvuLFleA
Reseat your CPU. I had this happen once. Would sit in BIOS all day but as soon as you go into Windows BAM restart.

x2

First thing I thought of. That is if Jeff is talking about the CPU heatsink.

Originally posted by micyek

Originally posted by EvuLFleA Reseat your CPU. I had this happen once. Would sit in BIOS all day but as soon as you go into Windows BAM restart.

x2 First thing I thought of. That is if Jeff is talking about the CPU heatsink.

x3 for CPU. Junk or badly seated RAM will also do the same thing. Any tones from the speaker? Any post codes?

After the obvious, (CPU, Mobo, RAM) and when you can get in to the BIOS, check Your RAM timing, and your CPU multiplier. Some times default values can cause a system to not POST/boot with a newer CPU. Also, be sure you have the latest firmware available for your particular board.

Yea, I hope the processor isn't bad.

I have re-seated it a few times to no avail.

Even if I sit in the bios settings, after a few minutes it starts rebooting.

With a HD in I can start installing an OS but end up with the same restart then on/off/on/off problem.

Tried a different PS so I know it's not that.

Going to try a new main board and go from there. Will keep you updated!

Originally posted by soulcontroller
Yea, I hope the processor isn't bad. I have re-seated it a few times to no avail. Even if I sit in the bios settings, after a few minutes it starts rebooting.

90% mainboard, 10% processor. You've eliminated everything else.

That's why I always spend a minimum of double whatever the cheapest motherboard in the store is. Bad motherboards just cost too much in time and replacement components. I've had good luck with Tyan, Abit, Asus, Intel, and Evga. Bad luck with Soyo, ECS, and MSI.

Wait, stop! Before you send the motherboard back, put it back in. You might have had a locknut washer or somthing grounding out the mobo to the case. That happened to me twice before. Worth a try?

hehe yea. Tried that last night too. Thanks Mike.

Ordered a new one yesterday. Gigabyte board, should be good. I don't like intel motherboards. I've had a few bad ones. Could be the installer, but whatever. I'll stick with Asus and Gigabyte from here on out!

Every ASUS (high-end) board I've had has failed on me within 2 years. This is the reason I only buy MSI or Biostar main boards.

I just bought a Biostar. Any good? I picked this barebones setup this week myself:


Speeze Thermal Gel Resealable Tube 4x Applications (S457-4000 )
Ultra Copper Memory Cooler 2 Pack Titanium Finish (ULT33058 )
Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP3 OEM Version (M17-7503 A )
Intel Copper P4 Socket 775 3.8GHZ CPU Fan (TC3G-4009 )
(2) Ultra Performance 120mm Dual Ball Bearing Fan (ULT40135 )
Biostar P4M900M7FE Socket 775 Motherboard (B450-2372 )
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2200 2.2Ghz 1MB 800Mhz (CP2-PD-E2200 )
(2) Kingston 1024MB PC5400 DDR2 667MHz (K24-5844 )
Power Up Black ATX Mid-T Case w/450w & Clear Side (TC3J-4050 P )
Seagate 80GB Serial ATA HD 7200/8MB/SATA-3G (TSD-80AS6 SY )
Lite-On DVDRW 20X SATA OEM w/o Software (L12-1162 OEM )

Dude, that's not a barebone, that's a complete PC. :P

That's my version of a barebone. :-)

new board fixed it. Thanks!