So my family computer had some problems before Thanksgiving break. According to my little brother, everything would take forever to load (this might just be the family's fault), "waves on the screen", reverting to other resolutions, and ittermittent shutoffs. By the time I got there, it wouldn't boot at all. The computer would appear to boot but nothing would ever appear on the screen. So I tried replacing the video card - no difference. I plugged my laptop into the monitor and it worked. I didn't have much else I could swap out, so I figured I would wait until winter break, bring in the parts to my old machine and swap them out, giving them an upgrade as well. So now they're sitting with a XP4000+ (never used), my old corsair 2-2-2-5 modules and my old BFG 6800GT and I ordered them a new socket 939 motherboard. Last I used all these things, they worked great.

I plug it all in with some restrictions thanks to my PSU. Nothing is plugged into the video card's power and the motherboard is using a 20pin where there are slots for the extra four (though the other 12v is plugged in.) However, I understood that both of these were optional (come to think of it, however, it might have been one or the other...). Well, it boots up same as it did before. Everything's spinning, those new old corsair lights are showing me that plenty is going on and then...nothing going on.

I think this leaves me with two culprits: the hard drive and the PSU. I figured that a busted hard drive wouldn't stop the monitor from displaying bios etc., and I thought the PSU would be fine since it's firing everything else up OK. I guess I also have an Audigy in there but...nah.

Any ideas?

Well it looks like both were problems. Replaced the PSU and now it boots... until it gets to Windows which is when the horrible-sounding HDD gets in the way. And I'm having trouble finding a windows CD...