Ok heres the ordeal:

Yesterday I took my PC apart to clean it with a duster can, so I decided id cut out a few holes for some fans - no big deal, everything came out of the PC just fine, didnt shock anything, I was grounded at all times - put components on the table and then went on my business......
When I went to put everything back in, I decided id tidy up some of the wiring and what not - no big deal.....
I go to plug my PC in and whats this? The fans come on and I havent even hit the power switch yet?!?!?!
The green led on the bottom of my hdd is lit up, the led on the dvd-rom is lit up, I can open and close the tray, the fans are all going....

BUT! no case leds are on, no beeps, nothing.....So I unplug the power and think to myself....wth?!?! I plug in one of the fans to the mobo itself - plug it back in, nothing from THAT fan.
However the fan that is on the heatsink of the processor - is running and is hooked up to the mobo....also my video card fan is running (AGP)....

So I talk to a few friends - they think its the psu - but how would everything be lighting up that is attached to the psu if it was going bad???
Then I wonder why the fan for the processor works when attached to the mobo - but the others dont when attached to the other fan ports onboard.....and the lights on the case - which plug into the mobo - do not light up.......the switches on my case do nothing.... I tried starting up with only the video card and heatsink fan....still nothing.

If my monitor is unplugged - it says so on the monitor, i plug it in....monitor seems ready to go but doesnt actually turn on - its like its in that mode where you shut down the pc and leave the monitor "on" - light just blinks but it gets signal - so i doubt its the video card.

I dont really have another PC to test out my psu with...I dont really have that much money on hand right now so I cant replace the psu and it not be that so im HOPING someone has had this same problem or can give me an answer that is definite........
thanks

Also, the FIRST time i tried to start up, there was a burning smell....but from what I can see - there are no toasted parts.

MSI KT3 Ultra
(2) Crucial PC2100 256MB DDR
Abit Siluro GF4 MX440
AMD Athlon XP1800+ @ XP1900+ spec
Maxtor 40GB 7200rpm hdd
Codegen case w/ Codegen 350W psu


I have gone through the manual and checked my wiring, all is fine. I have unplugged and replugged the IDE cables. I have not reset CMOS or anything yet though - as I would like more insight to my problem before I do so. I have also removed the memory and tried to boot up with one stick, no dice. Tried with other stick, no dice.

did you cut the holes in the case with all the hardware inside?

This sounds like a short, especially if you cut your case without protecting the mobo etc.

Checking your connections was a good idea..
but now check to make sure nothing is shorting anyof them out.
also check your front panel connections to make sure they are on right.

also try reseating your add in cards.

and don't worry resetting the bios isn't that big of a deal.
Welcome to PimpRig.

call a priest....but if you took out you motherboard you might have screwed it down to much and it could be shorting out off the mobo tray....just a thought

all parts were out when I cut the holes....bare case.
thanks for the welcome
add-in cards have been removed and re-seated a handful of times now - especially the video card. The memory I moved around/switched/removed about 2 times.....

Ill try removing the mobo again and seeing if anything is a little TOO tightened down.

I checked the front power and reset button - they seem to be just fine, they arent sticking or anything when I press them in and the wires from the LEDs on the case are in good condition, no splices or cuts.

thanks for the ideas so far.....ill take out the mobo and reinstall again.
any other ideas/suggestions plz post up.

ummm sounds like toasted PSU, though if it powers everything on (which I hope it was unplugged when you did all this) ATX PSUs as you know automatically come on when plugged in, try a PCI video card boot

Quote: Originally posted by j-dogg ummm sounds like toasted PSU, though if it powers everything on (which I hope it was unplugged when you did all this) ATX PSUs as you know automatically come on when plugged in, try a PCI video card boot

yes the psu was unplugged until i was done installing everything....then i plugged it into the mobo and THEN from the outlet....

try this...
unplug the psu....then unplug the power and reset buttons ONLY
plug the psu back in and see if it still does it.

thats the thing.....i dont have to press the power button for the fans to turn on....

the instant i plug in the power supply from the outlet, the fans turn on, everything turns on....it shouldnt be turning on until i press the power button....

Is your ATX connector plugged in backwards?

The easiest thing to do, without shelling out any money, is the call a friend and see if they'll let you use their PSU.

If the PSU is of good quality and the right rating, and the computer still doesn't work, than it's not the PSU. If it works, problem solved. (Well, except for the buying of a new PSU...)

You need to be able to eleminate components as possible culprits in order to discover the problem. The PSU is the first thing to power on, so you start their. Then work your way up. Every component you eleminate makes the problem more managable.

OK! im actually getting some life out of my computer.....
nothing just starts up anymore once i plug in the psu.....i actually have to push the button to get things started

anyway....still no loading up however....i get 3 beeps....sorta like...

beeeeeeeeep....beeeeeeeeep....beeeeeeeeep

i cant see in the manual where it says what the beeps mean....anyone know? MSI KT3 Ultra mobo.

OK SO!
i figured out the problem...

i guess when my mobo shorted out (figured out why, one of the damn pegs that go on the bottom of the mobo (to prevent touching the chassis) was actually underneath the mobo and not in the right position which must have caused a short.....i guess this burned out BOTH sticks of memory?!?!

cuz im getting 3 short beeps....which equals
3 short : Base 64K memory failure A memory failure has occurred in the first 64K of RAM. The RAM IC is probably bad

Quote: Originally posted by slowEJ6 i get 3 beeps....sorta like... beeeeeeeeep....beeeeeeeeep....beeeeeeeeep

One of the single funniest quotes I have ever read!

Now that you have fixed the short. Test each stick independently.

Have you yet reset the CMOS? Do that before buying new ram.

Quote: Originally posted by putwig One of the single funniest quotes I have ever read!

i try, i try.....
i must add humor in times that i am so friggin aggrivated that something so minor made my PC implode.


resetting the CMOS now...

CMOS has been reset......and still 3 beeps.

You probably shorted the 2.5v line going to the ram. Sorry but a picture is worth a thousand words :

Attached Thumbnails

 

i wish i could take a pic.....no digicam though


*sigh*
im thinking of replacing the RAM with maybe just a stick of 256MB and letting the gf have it and building myself a new one....
since by the time i can afford RAM, ill have enough to build a whole new comp....ya know?

ummm-ebay?

first 64K.... isn't that the base memory?
not your extended ram?

i'd check those sticks in another board first....
sounds like you may have toasted your board.

EDIT
Also check your ATX connector for shorts, you might not be getting any juice to your ram....