Following on from http://www.tekforum.co.uk/posts/list/14254.page

Friend ended up buying new ATX case, PSU, mobo CPU and HDD.

Was round today to help set it up.

All connected and then the fun begins...power on...no power. The LED didnt even light on.

After much fiddling, the conclusion is made that the mobo is dead.

As were packing it all up, it dawns on me that in the original tests, and todays tests, we were using the old comps PSU cable. Hed said when he tried the PSU in the other comp it sparked.

So, I suggest we try a working comps cable.

It works.

So, I dont want to even think about how much money has been spent on needless upgrades, he doesnt mind as he likes having an up to date computer, but its still a lot of money when his old comp was fine.

But the issues dont stop there. Determined to make sure it was all right, I decide to stick around whilst we connect it to a monitor and start the install process.

We connect it up and power on, no video out. We try the secondary output (geforce 9xxx), same thing.

I suggest using an older card, as I vaguely remember an issue when I got a new nvidia card where the comp didnt output.

Same thing, no output, at a loss I decide to try taking out all but 1 ram module. The small speaker had broken so we werent getting any post messages.

We get output (yay!)

Trying different combinations, it appears the mobo doesnt like him mixing the ram up, and so hes stuck with 2x 1gb Dimms, when 1x 2gb dimm also works.

So, having gotten output, we reconnect the newer card, but are still greeted with no video output.

Then I went home at a loss ><

Any suggestions? Given that this is a new comp essentially, could the lack of output be due to no drivers? if we install windows using the older, working card, and then install the drivers for the new card before connecting it up, will this make it work? The new card worked in the old comp before it (possibly) blew up. Its having to use a DVI to analogue converter, whilst the old card has both, and outputs in analogue (I dont think the DVI worked either).

Quote from: zpyderFollowing on from http://www.tekforum.co.uk/posts/list/14254.page

Friend ended up buying new ATX case, PSU, mobo CPU and HDD.

Was round today to help set it up.

Heres where £100 should come into your pocket cos the guy doesnt know what hes doing and is too lazy to find out for himself and hes asking you to do work for free? If you were a plumber would you fix a mates central heating boiler for free?

My psychic powers fail at detecting the system spec, but the gfx card thing will be a doa card (it happens) or a retard install (sorry, but it happens).

Quote from: sdpOr just get a new pc cos it sounds like a dead horse to me.

Heh, well continuing the bungling of the tech, turns out in my frustration and tiredness (it took 4 hours in the freezing garage), I hadnt pushed the monitor lead in hard enough, and the 2x 2gb sticks of ram actually do work?!?!

This guy is my oldest friend, going back to school, so Im not going to charge him for it. I have nothing better to do and had a massive meal paid for lunch, which is more than enough! Im not a tech professional, and as is obvious from the above, do not exactly offer a service of value!

Tomorrow Im popping around again to quickly show him how to plug in a molex splitter as the PSU only came with 3 molex connectors!

If you handle it right he might be able to set up a second computer out of the bits. Checking the fuse is one of the most obvious things to do when something wont switch on.

Aye, he was going to give me his old case and cpu anyway as originally we thought that those were going to be the only working parts. But now its entirely possible that theres a whole systems worth, bar an HDD, of bits lying around. Not sure how to broach the subject. Probably offer to buy the bits off so that my parents get a cheap better computer and he gets some of his money back