My first build...I'm lost (no video)

seanakaforty · 02-07-2009, 11:06 AM

Hi guys! This is my first post on this forum and my first build as well. So I'm a newb in every sense of the word. First let me give you some specs:
Motherboard: Biostar TA790gx AM2+
CPU: AMD 64 X2 6000 3.1 GHz
80 GB hard drive with Windows XP on it
4 GB (2 x 2GB) of G.Skill RAM
I'm using the motherboard's onboard sound and video (for right now, at least). I'm using the standard DVI analog port, not the HDMI digital output.
250 watt PSU (it only has 20 pins, but I heard it was ok to leave pins 11, 12, 23, 24 open on the mobo)

So far, I've seated the motherboard in the case, installed the CPU, heatsink, and fan, installed the RAM, connected the front panel lights and connectors, connected power to the motherboard and the hard drive, and connected the ribbon cable from the hard drive to the IDE connector on the board.
As far as I thought, there was nothing else to do. So I fired it up. On my monitor I see a scrambled mess of colors. It's nothing that can be made out (no words or such), just a big, distorted mess; it looks like an abstract painting.

I have no idea what to do now. Was there something else that needed to be done before I turned it on? Have I missed something?
I've switched out the power supply with one that I know works(although the other one was pretty crappy too; again it only has 20 pins). I also know for a fact that the monitor works. I'm sure that I need to setup the BIOS, and maybe even update it from the biostar website, but how can I do this if I can't even see anything on the screen? Also, in the manual, it briefly mentions something about how to set jumpers, but it doesn't seem to go into detail about what jumpers need to be set. Are there jumpers somewhere on the motherboard that I may need to set? I've also tried hooking up a CD drive and putting in the driver CD that came with the mobo, but the screen is still the same.

Can anybody point me in the right direction?

**manic** · 02-07-2009, 12:02 PM

Even with onboard video the 250watt psu is still quite weak. Imo....

wibblet · 02-07-2009, 12:33 PM

I agree with manic try getting a stronger power supply get a nice 500 watt and see if that fixes it if not then it can be your motherboard so go ahead and try to replace that and let us know how it went

**wrench97** · 02-07-2009, 01:35 PM

Try doing the Bench Test to see if it clears the video up but this is about the 5th of the Biostar boards in the last 2 weeks with problems> How to Bench Test Your System

seanakaforty · 02-07-2009, 09:24 PM

Problem solved, guys. Apparently there's some glitch on the factory BIOS with that particular motherboard. You have to hit the reset button on the motherboard a couple of times and eventually you'll get lucky and the video will show up. As soon as I was able to get the picture working, I immediately updated the BIOS and all has been working fine since then. Thanks for your help though.

**manic** · 02-07-2009, 11:25 PM

Glad to hear!

02-07-2009, 11:06 AM	#1 (permalink)
seanakaforty Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2 OS: Windows XP	My first build...I'm lost (no video) Hi guys! This is my first post on this forum and my first build as well. So I'm a newb in every sense of the word. First let me give you some specs: Motherboard: Biostar TA790gx AM2+ CPU: AMD 64 X2 6000 3.1 GHz 80 GB hard drive with Windows XP on it 4 GB (2 x 2GB) of G.Skill RAM I'm using the motherboard's onboard sound and video (for right now, at least). I'm using the standard DVI analog port, not the HDMI digital output. 250 watt PSU (it only has 20 pins, but I heard it was ok to leave pins 11, 12, 23, 24 open on the mobo) So far, I've seated the motherboard in the case, installed the CPU, heatsink, and fan, installed the RAM, connected the front panel lights and connectors, connected power to the motherboard and the hard drive, and connected the ribbon cable from the hard drive to the IDE connector on the board. As far as I thought, there was nothing else to do. So I fired it up. On my monitor I see a scrambled mess of colors. It's nothing that can be made out (no words or such), just a big, distorted mess; it looks like an abstract painting. I have no idea what to do now. Was there something else that needed to be done before I turned it on? Have I missed something? I've switched out the power supply with one that I know works(although the other one was pretty crappy too; again it only has 20 pins). I also know for a fact that the monitor works. I'm sure that I need to setup the BIOS, and maybe even update it from the biostar website, but how can I do this if I can't even see anything on the screen? Also, in the manual, it briefly mentions something about how to set jumpers, but it doesn't seem to go into detail about what jumpers need to be set. Are there jumpers somewhere on the motherboard that I may need to set? I've also tried hooking up a CD drive and putting in the driver CD that came with the mobo, but the screen is still the same. Can anybody point me in the right direction? Last edited by seanakaforty; 02-07-2009 at 11:07 AM.

02-07-2009, 12:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
manic Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 5,244 OS: xp	Re: My first build...I'm lost (no video) Even with onboard video the 250watt psu is still quite weak. Imo.... __________________

02-07-2009, 12:33 PM	#3 (permalink)
wibblet Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 7 OS: Windows Vista Ultimate x64	Re: My first build...I'm lost (no video) I agree with manic try getting a stronger power supply get a nice 500 watt and see if that fixes it if not then it can be your motherboard so go ahead and try to replace that and let us know how it went

02-07-2009, 01:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,579 OS: Win7	Re: My first build...I'm lost (no video) Try doing the Bench Test to see if it clears the video up but this is about the 5th of the Biostar boards in the last 2 weeks with problems> How to Bench Test Your System __________________ Power Supply and Selection

02-07-2009, 09:24 PM	#5 (permalink)
seanakaforty Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2 OS: Windows XP	Re: My first build...I'm lost (no video) Problem solved, guys. Apparently there's some glitch on the factory BIOS with that particular motherboard. You have to hit the reset button on the motherboard a couple of times and eventually you'll get lucky and the video will show up. As soon as I was able to get the picture working, I immediately updated the BIOS and all has been working fine since then. Thanks for your help though.

02-07-2009, 11:25 PM	#6 (permalink)
manic Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 5,244 OS: xp	Re: My first build...I'm lost (no video) Glad to hear! __________________