Server wont go - what have I forgotten?

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martyyn

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#110973 21-Oct-2012 16:48

One of those 'I cant see the wood for the trees' problems !

Im putting my server back together after taking it apart when we moved but it wont start.

I have the CPU in, the heatsink and fan on and plugged in (both have been removed with new thermal paste applied). The power is in the ATX_12v and ATX slots and one IDE drive. The same RAM is installed and I have a single IDE drive connected to the IDE1 slot.

When I hit the go button I get nothing. When I first put it together yesterday the cpu fan went about two revolutions very slowly and then stopped.

Ive tried different PSU's, different power cables, different power sockets, different ram and Ive removed everything (cpu, heatsink, ram and all cables) and reseated them all, but still no dice. Ive even tried a different battery on the motherboard.

Its bound to be something simple, but what can I have forgotten ?

Whats the minimum I need to get a motherboard started ? Ill try pulling things to see if I can get something.

CYaBro

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#704347 21-Oct-2012 16:54

Unplug the hdd power and IDE cable and test.
Also remove the ram and try boot, it should power up and give you a beep. If it does then you know it's a ram issue.
You sure you got the power switch connected to the correct pins on the main board?

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martyyn

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#704348 21-Oct-2012 16:58

CYaBro: Unplug the hdd power and IDE cable and test.

Still nothing :(

Also remove the ram and try boot, it should power up and give you a beep. If it does then you know it's a ram issue.

Still nothing :(

You sure you got the power switch connected to the correct pins on the main board?

Yep, I didnt remove any of those cables.

johnr

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#704359 21-Oct-2012 17:20

Plugged in?

martyyn

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#704360 21-Oct-2012 17:22

Yes mate :)

Talkiet

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#704366 21-Oct-2012 17:41

If this works, then it will be a miracle, but it happened to me, once, back in 1997ish...

I had a server I was building (in a professional capacity even!) and I had it all assembled, turned it on to test... Didn't work.

Bear in mind at the time I built PCs, servers and storage arrays all day, every day - it was literally my job. So I started the basic troubleshooting and switched out the common parts - the PSU, RAM etc... Then got to the less common parts (CPU, video card)... Unplugged all the drives. FINALLY I gave up and replaced the motherboard and built it back up again.

Guess what...

Still no go.

At this point I, along with my boss, was stumped... The only part I hadn't replaced was the CASE... So... I guess, logically, I needed to replace the case.

I didn't actually replace the case though.... I removed all the connectors from the motherboard (power switch, reset, drive LED, speaker etc) and tried again by using a screwdriver to short the power pins on the board.

The damn thing leapt into life...

Got out a multimeter and turns out the reset switch was broken and permanently closed even though it sounded like it was working - and the reset switch being stuck closed on that motherboard held it down - it wouldn't even try to boot. I even tested this by getting a latching switch and plugging it into the reset pins and trying the server with the switch open and closed - it was definitely the switch.

I guess that's a long was of saying "Unplug all the case connected switches and LEDs and try again" :-)

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

Zeon

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#704376 21-Oct-2012 18:08

Are you sure you have the extra motherboard power connector plugged in? Usually there is both the 24 pin and a 4/8 pin that is often in a different place on the motherboard.

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robjg63

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#704388 21-Oct-2012 19:00

Sounds very much like the PSU.
I had an experience like this with a PC - and it was a PSU that was not quite dead. The fan turned a couple of times when you turned the power on then stopped.

Thats my 2c worth.

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martyyn

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#704626 22-Oct-2012 12:29

Right, thanks everyone.

Ive had another look at it this morning. I now have two motherboards and two PSU's. Ive stripped them both back to the bare bones, so no case, just CPU, heatsink, power/reset/speaker/led switches/cables and the PSU's go into both a 20 and 4pin plug. Ive tried them in the garage and the house.

Still nothing, on either board and either PSU.

With the spare one Ive pulled to pieces the power LED keeps flashing on and off. The gap is a couple of seconds between being on and off but its regular.