6.Troubleshooting
Wow we have come a long way. We now have a system with a processor, power supply,
hard drive and possibly an optical drive. You have memory installed and everything mounted
into your shinny new case.
You got your PCI cards all installed and now we are almost ready to close her up and boot
for the first time.
When we boot for the first time we already know that there is no Operating System installed
so BIOS is as far as we are going to get.
But this will let us know if your components are configured correctly.
If you hear beeps from your computer after powering it on then something is wrong. I would
start by disconnecting the optical drive and restarting, then if the problem persists I would try
removing the hard drive from the mix. And if it still fails remove some of the memory (If you
have more than one stick).
Write down those beep codes and visit the motherboards website for a list of them. It will tell
you what it thinks is wrong and we can try and correct it.
If everything works out for you at this point you can try booting to a live CD like Knoppix or
Ubuntu to get a feel for your system. Or go ahead and get started on your Windows install.
We know you want to!
So if your system started up you can go ahead and pat yourself on the back for a job well
done. You can decide what this box will do with the rest of its new life. But say your new
„puter doesn‟t do what it is supposed to do…
Let‟s say it starts beeping at you instead of showing you some BIOS love. What do you do
first?
First write down how many beeps you heard and in what succession. Like if you hear 4 short
beeps one long beep and 2 more short beeps before it repeats that is your BEEP ERROR
CODE.
Armed with this information you can head over to the motherboard manufacturer‟s site to see
what it means. Some time it is super easy as the code meaning incorrect memory error or
processor not detected. These can try to be fixed by reseating the respective module.
Some motherboards have a LED display showing the current status of the board. If your
board has one as well you can use it together with manual to see where the problem is.
If you cannot fix the problem take everything off your board except the processor and see
what you get. You should get the error code for no memory. Then just add memory and see
where you are at. If you are still not having luck do not start pulling your hair out of your
head! I repeat DO NOT START PULLING OUT YOUR HAIR!
It‟s hard to describe the feeling you get when you try to turn on the machine and nothing
happens. You have put in a bunch of time, blood and sweat along with some cash, so it feels
lousy to not know what it going on.
All is not lost, however. Here are several items to check:
Is the power supply firmly plugged in and turned on (many power supplies have a
small switch on the back)? Try a different outlet.
Did you plug the power supply into the motherboard? Look at the manual for details.
Make sure that your motherboard is connected to the power supply..
Is the case's power switch properly connected to the motherboard? If you have
plugged the switch into the wrong pins on the motherboard, it will not work. Check the
motherboard manual.
Are the drives connected to the motherboard properly? Do they have power cables to
them from the power supply?
Unseat and reseat the video card. If the motherboard has onboard video, try to
remove the video card completely and see if it works with the one integrated into the
motherboard
Make sure that the wires coming out from your case (especially the PWR LED) is
connected.
If you have checked all of that and nothing continues to happen, it could mean:
The power supply is bad
The switch on the case doesn't work.
*Something is wrong with the motherboard or the CPU.
The easiest way to determine where the problem lies is to swap parts if you can. Try a
different power supply. Swap a different motherboard into the case. Play around with
different combinations.
If it is still not working, then you have a few options at this point. You can call support from
the parts you purchased or from the store that sold you the parts. If you bought them from a
small mom and pop shop, they can help you debug the problem (although it may cost you).
If the shop sold you a bad motherboard they will usually help you out. You can also try to find
a more experienced builder who would be willing to help you.
There is a rational cause for the problem you are experiencing -- either a bad part or a bad
connection somewhere -- and you will find it. Eventually! Keep your head up and you will win!
• You are not the first one to face the trouble.
• Some simple solutions.
– Check connections.
– Ensure that cards are inserted properly.
– Clean the devices.
– Check if minimum things needed to boot are present
- motherboard,
processor, a full bank of memory, videocard and a drive to boot.
• The PC doesn’t start at all
– Count the number of beeps.
– No beeps - possible problem with BIOS or motherboard.
• The PC starts - partially
– No signal on the monitior.
– Video signal present with error mesage.
– OS starts.
– OS does not start
- Hard-disk problem.
• Video
– No video at all.
– Snow on the screen.
– The picture is horrible. Bad colors, dots, and streaks.
– Random, changing characters on the screen.
– The screen rolls upward or to the side.
• Hard Drive
– Not bootable : A Hard Drive must be formatted and partitionedbefore it can be used.
– Not detected by the BIOS - Check on a different m/c. It works fine. It does not work.
• Others– System forgets time/settings