Boot-up Mayday!

I'm hoping someone out there can give me a cluelight to help me fix a serious problem. I'm an Air Force officer who just moved back from Belgium to the States and one of the computers I built for home use that was working fine before shipment now will not turn on properly. It was packed well in the case's original box, and the movers did a great job of handling and crating all our stuff, so don't believe any maltreatment is the cause. Before I describe the symptoms, here's a quick rundown my main system components:

Motherboard: Abit AN-8 SLI
P/S: Aerocool Turbine Power 550w
Video Cards: Nvidia 7800GT x 2
RAM: Corsair Value RAM (4 x 512) running in dual channel mode
Case: Thermaltake Shark
HD: WD 250GB SATA x 2 in a RAID 1 array
CPU: AMD 64 3500+
Nothing is overclocked

Here's the problem: When I push the power on button the system comes alive, starts to spin up like it always has (all fans, lights, drives working as they should) and after about 5-10 seconds there are about 4 beeps and the system shuts down shortly thereafter. I will wait for a period of time and then try again. The pattern never changes and I never get past a few seconds of spin-up.

My motherboard has a post indicator and the code reads ".8.7 ", which according to the manual indicates a voltage problem. I also read online at one source that this could be a grounding problem with the power supply, but I have not had a problem with that before. I have re-seated all the power supply connectors and components. And yes, I've got BOTH power supply connectors hooked to the motherboard form the PSU.

I'm hoping my CPU hasn't been fried by this problem. Every component has been working just great, so don't know why it won't spin up now. I know computer components are sensitive, which is why I always keep original boxes for as much equipment as I can pack up myself prior to the movers arriving (this is my 27th move, so I've done this a few times), but I've never encountered this one before.

I have a spare Ultra 500w P/S, but before I got through the hassle of trying it to see if my Aerocool P/S is the problem (it's modular, the Ultra is not, so I have to take everything out and add an adapter for the video card power leads--a pain, since I don't currently know where they are in my mountain of moving boxes), I wanted to see if any of you gurus out there might have an idea for the source of the problem that I haven't thought of or found yet.

Sorry for the long note, but I'm frustrated and would appreciate any thoughts so that I can fix this thing and get back online! Thanks a bunch in advance.

 

Belgium's mains supply is at 230 - 240 volts, like most of the rest of the world. America's is 100 - 127 volts.

Your power supply is probably not set to the correct transformer ratio.

 

I realized after I posted I should have noted that in my original note in case someone brought that point up. I appreciate your thoughts, but I understand the power differences between the US and Europe. The switch on my P/S is set appropriately for the US, so that is not the cause. Thanks for your input anyway, though. Anyone else out there have a clue as to how I can fix this one and get my computer up and running again?

 

Couple of quick thoughts that you may have already been through. Check the 3 pin CPU fan connector at the motherboard or if you are plugged into one of the PSU 3 pin headers, connect this fan header directly to the Motherboard CPU header. Unplug and re-check all of your modular connectors at both the PSU end and the component end - you can also use contact cleaner as an added measure before re-connecting. If no relief - disconnect your ATX power header at the mobo, pull the CMOS jumper from 1&2, re-jumper 2&3 for 10-15 seconds then jumper back to 1&2, reconnect power header at the motherboard and boot into BIOS to reset all. F10 out and see if you are bootable.

If you are still getting the same post error after the above, I'd lean more towards replacing the Aerocool with an exact replacement vs using the Ultra. That will set you back $100 but should avoid the hassle of having to rewire your box. Good luck.

 

Thanks a lot for the feedback. You're one of several people now at more than one site to suggest I unplug my components and clean the contacts. I agree and will try that for all parts. I may just be that being unplugged for 60 days sitting inside a shipping crate and crossing the ocean the contacts got a bit of corrosion on them, creating the power issue. Since the P/S is spinning up just fine at the beginning with no wacky sounds or stuttering, it appears the mobo is getting a reading from some sensor that shows there is not enough juice flowing, or that it is irregular, hence the shutdown. Since everything was working perfectly before shipment, I'm inclined to think it's something as simple as that. I've tried disconnecting the ATX header and clearing the CMOS, but no change there. Can't get to a BIOS window before the system shuts down, so have to figure out the fix before that stage. I appreciate your time and will let you know if cleaning things fixed it. Cheers,

Darth

 

Beeps mean something, and can be your friend.
A complete listing of BIOS beep codes: http://bioscentral.com

My bet is that your memory modules were shaken loose.

.

 

Bill:

You make a good point but I believe his motherboard also has a post indicator LED and it is showing a very specific error re: voltage. One can read more here. ".8.7" per the original post.

Per Abit:
Description Check CPU core voltage
Symptom Power on -> Stop at 8.7.
Cause 12V 4 pin plug disconnected or power supply damage
Action Check 4 pin power plug or replace power supply

Would certainly agree though, beep codes are friendly little fella's that can sure help pinpoint problems. It's especially nice when one hears but one short one.



edit: Upon a re-read, Pete gets the early bird's worm re: beep codes and possible memory problem while Bill left echo on at post. Both make a good point however, and I wouldn't rule out memory needing to be re-seated or possible oxidation build up on contacts.

 

Appreciate the feedback from both of you. I did take everything out and reseat it, including the RAM. Didn't look like any build-up on the contacts, but used and eraser on them anyway to remove if there was any. Put everything together and still no dice. Same beep codes, same shutdown after about 10 seconds total time. I'm banging my head against the wall on this one, but still have one ace to try, which is the PSU swap-out, as painful as that will be. I can't rule that out yet since I haven't checked it with a different unit. We'll see. Thanks again for your thoughts!

Darthmatta