sharee511

Hello everyone! I've been searching the site for my specific answer, and although lots of good advice, still didn't find the right answer. I bought:

MSI P7N SLI-FI nForce 750i SLI Socket 775 MB (Model MSI 7380),
Intel Core 2 Duo processor 2.6Ghz, 2mb 800 mhz CPU
Antec 900 Case
XFX GeForce 880 GT 512 mb PCIe w/dual line DVI video card
Corsair 750 Watt PS
Samsung 2220wm 22" LCD Monitor.

I've changed power supplies from the 630 Xion to the one above due to the Jpwr2 cable not being supplied with it. When I turn on the computer with only one HDD and the DVD Rom attached, I get power (fans, lights, etc), but no video. I'm trying to use my hard drives from the other build with Windows XP Pro, Svc Pack 2 installed, but I can't get any video. I have the DVI monitor plugged in and the monitor says "ched signal cable" Analog. Please Help if you Can. Have been working on this for 3 days with all the exchanges and such and I have to go to work tomorrow. Thanks, Sherri

Houndog777

Hi,
Have you plugged in the extra power plug for the video card?
Can you boot into BIOS Setup?

(Using a hard-drive from a different motherboard may not load into Windows as the operating system will have diffrent drivers loaded.)

sharee511

Houndog, Yes I had to get the 750 watt PS for that purpose and for the CPU power plug. The hard-drive from a different motherboard not loading makes sense. I was just reading up on how to flash the BIOS. Is that a way to start? I've also looked on the Samsung website, the XFX website and gotten a few other ideas as to how to fix this problem. I took it all apart this morning and am going to start piece by piece and analyze the situation.

Thank you for your reply and I will keep the above in mind.
Sherri
PS: I really have accomplished 2 other builds in the past without nearly as much trouble!

Houndog777

Hi, Sharee
I meant the PCI-express plug that you connect to the video card. Also ensure your video card is in the Primary PCI-e x16 slot and you are using the correct cable from video card to monitor.

If you think the BIOS settings are wrong, enter and load up the Defaults or Optimal settings. If you can't enter BIOS, clear the CMOS. Your manual explains how to do this.

You should only flash a BIOS to gain extra functions or fix a problem, for example to support your particular processor.

Your hard disk with windows already on it may work. I've had that luck before.
But once you're in there, and it takes a while to load up and configure new system drivers, you need to uninstall all the drivers from Add/Remove Programs and install the correct ones. Plus, Windows becomes non-genuine until you re-activate it, if it's an OEM version.

With drivers, just remember to install the Chipset ones first.

sharee511

Houndog, First, thank you for responding. Second, so did I. I knew you meant the PCI-Express cable to the video card, a problem I figured out on Friday. I seriously think it's a video problem. Either the video card or the monitor.

The PCI Sot- the mobo says "the Mazarine PCI Express slot supports up to PCI Express 2.0x 16 speed (PCI_E1). Blue...supports x8 speed." I had it in the "Mazarine" slot. There's one Mazarine and 2 blue (as they call it, although it looks like Navy and teal to me).

I pushed the "clear CMOS" button on the back of the mobo last night. Don't know if that worked.

So, not a good idea to flash the BIOS, even though I do have a new processor and mobo? Drivers..install "chipset" ones first? The motherboard ones?

sharee511

PS, I did have a problem getting all four sides of the CPU fan to stay down. 3 go down, 1 comes back out of the hole.

sharee511

Okay, I guess I'm now talking to myself, just a note. I tried some things Tumbleweed36 suggested to another person in January of 2007... Connect the PSU, molex plug to mobo, speaker, on/off switch wires, CPU/heatsink/fan connected to mobo. Got no beeps, just fans.

Tried his next suggestion... put in one stick of memory, I tried 2 in the correct format as the mobo suggests, the video card, and the connect the monitor, then take the mobo batter out for 10 minutes and put it back in. That didn't do anything either.

I tried hooking up my old CRT 19" monitor (through the VGA to DVI adapter tat came with my video card) and got the same results, nothing.

Samsung closed the monitor department when I called at 8:00; Tigerdirect, couldn't get through for 10 minutes due to high call volume.

Now I think it's the motherboard or the CPU. Don't have a way to check the CPU, but since the fan has been giving me some trouble in staying in its holes on the motherboard, it may be that. So, I don't know what to return to Tigerdirect, the motherboard, the CPU, the video card, or the monitor. I'm FUBAR'd.

Houndog777

Hi, if theres no beeps, then your cpu and ram should be fine. Have you connected the hard drive? If not, connect it and see if you can hear the drive being read and windows trying to load up.

sharee511

Okay, Houndog, I'll try that again tonight. I got to that point yesterday, and started unplugging things to see what the problem was. The DVD drive has always worked, I just can't see if anything is on the monitor. But when I had it all connected with one hard drive and the DVD, only the DVD player was working, the SATA drive wasn't.

I've been reading Linderman's "How to Bench Test Your System" and I only get to H) and things don't work. The keyboard does't seem to be working, though either. Linderman mentions a motherboard short if the bottom touched the case. I'm not sure if I did that accidentally and I'm starting to second guess everything I've done and am doing with this build. My case came with stand-offs that weren't brass. I used all brass ones that I had.

Okay, here comes the stupid questions the MSI covers, am I supposed to take any of those off? I didn't have these bridges on my last board. The manual doesn't mention it. But if the one is a heat sink, wouldn't it make more sense to let the fans blow that heat out without the cover on it.

Attached Images

M452-6042-01.jpg (210.3 KB, 11 views)

sharee511

PS, the answer to all these questions is yes.

Things to check when the power is activated:

1) Does the CPU fan spin at start-up ?

2) are there any LED lights that are lit on the motherboard when the PSU is connected with the power active in the PSU ?

3) does the video card fan spin ?

4) when the power is active to the system on the bench does the monitor show a yellow or green stand-by light (next to the monitor power button)

sharee511

FYI - for anybody interested, I finally figured out what the problem was!!!!! Well, I took it to an expert. He told me my video card (the XFX 8800 GT Alpha Dog Series, which is a pretty big card) was hitting an audio plug right next to my PCI-E 1 slot, so the card wasn't going all the way in!!! I knew the video wasn't making it to the monitor somehow!!!! You can see above on the motherboard probably where the two are really close together. Might be a flaw in the motherboard, so anybody else out there, be careful.

Thanks for all your help and you can mark [SOLVED] on this one.

Sherri

Houndog777

Hi,
Glad you got it sorted. And thanks for the info! Some motherboards are badly laid-out.
One of the most common faults I've found is having to remove the video card when you want to add/remove memory, because you can't open those DIMM clips. Makes you wonder about the team that tests the boards.