My computer won't turn on?

Question

my computer/monitor has problems turning on.
i have a custom built computer. specs:
amd64 3800 x2 am2 65w
GIGABYTE GA-M55plus-S3G AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Mobo
GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI-e x16
500w apevia power supply
CORSAIR XMS2 (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel
1 dvdrom
1 dvd+/- R with lightscribe
no floppy
30gig ide harddrive with windows xp pro
120 gig ide for data
500 gig sata for data

every time i turn on the computer, the dvdrom drives will spinclick with or without any cd/dvd inside it and until it stops clicking, the monitor will either turn on or it doesnt. if i'm lucky, it'll click a couple of times then the monitor will turn on. if it doesnt, i have to re-seat the video card and try again until there is video on the monitor. monitor works fine cuz i replaced it twice. i'm not sure how to fix this. sometimes it'll work right off the bat without re-seating the video, sometimes it'll take 1-50 times.

the power supply is brand new, everything is plugged in correctly. the processor is not shutting down, it boots up fine, there is just no video.

drivers for nvidia video card are updated. have not tried replacing the video card yet because i dont have the resources or money.

i tried disconnecting the sata drive but it doesnt work either. the dvdroms will click the same way and i still have to re-seat the video card.

Answer 1

You should have installed your OS on the SATA drive.
Your problem might comes from a conflict between the IDE and SATA computer.
Try disconnecting the SATA and see if it boots better.
If that's the problem, See your CMOS settings; make sure that your computer boots from the first drive (IDE Master) and nothing else.
Try disconnecting your faulty CD Rom as well.

Answer 2

I wouldn't keep pulling and reseating the video card. I Would yank the cables for both CD-Rom drives and the 2 storage drives out of the board and try booting with just the C drive and video card hooked up and go from there. I'd check the bios and make sure you see only the hard drive you have left hooked up and that you go into boot and make sure its booting off that drive. While in bios also check and make sure your PSU is putting out the right stuff on the different rails. Just because you're not getting video doesn't mean it's the video card. If you've noticed the clock on your puter running slow replace the CMOS battery on the board because the first indication that the battery is dying is the clock. That battery powers your bios and, if the battery is weak enough it may not be properly loading the bios. I trust you are unplugging the power to the PSU or clicking its toggle switch off every time you pull and replace things on the board because, even with the computer turned off there is still power to the motherboard.

Answer 3

Maybe your power supply is blown. Try to get a new one from a computer supply store with a return policy that lets you try it. Also if your fans are dirty your computer might not be cool enough for the processor and it will shut down. Also make sure all the motherboard to power supply connections are attached.

If your GeForce card has a fan you should make sure the fan is connected to power and the fan is spinning when your computer starts. Also if your video card has jacks for connection to a power supply you should make sure it is connected. Other than that you may need to return the card.

Answer 4

Sounds to me like there is a problem with the video card. You could replace the card or try putting it in a different PCI or AGP socket.

It is also possible there could be a problem with the video card drivers, but this sounds more like a mechanical (physical) problem than a software problem.

Answer 5

i don't think it is a cd problem, it is clicking cos your system keep reseting, it is more like a crash with some hardware on your computer like graphic card. U have to disconnect everything u have in your computer and see how it is like and then put everything back one by one and see what is colliding your hardware, Disconnect all drivers and leave just one graphic card and see if u it works well without system hd