Abit BH6 won't POST! HELP!

[Jesse]

Hi! I just received my new Abit BH6 motherboard and Retail Celeron 300A. I put them in my case and added my video, hard drive, etc.

The computer will not even POST!

Here is the hardware I have installed:
Abit BH6 motherboard
Retail Celeron 300A w/ heatsink and fan
32MB 66MHz SDRAM in DIMM slot 1
Guillemot Maxi Gamer Phoenix PCI w/ 16MB SGRAM
3.5" floppy
Western Digital EIDE 5.1 GB Hard Drive
Seagate 130MB Hard Drive(for testing purposes)
Logicode 33.6 ISA Modem

I have tried switching the reset and power SW wires, I am getting power to the m/b because the CPU fan is working and it derives its power from the motherboard, I tried switching the CMOS clear jumper, I tried booting with the INS key pressed, but it won't show anything on the screen. This is driving me nuts!

Somebody please help me!

TIA,
Jesse Olson

P.S. BTW, *YES* all of the cables are connected, etc., etc.

[dh]

First off do a search here because there are
a lot of posts regarding BH6's.(problems)
Second: take out all components but,MB,Prossesor,video,and ram.
Then try to boot,if it dose not, post a detailed description of what happend,noises,
beeps(how many),lights,ect.
Also try a diferent Video card if possible
and try it in a differant slot(my BH6 will not boot if it is in slot 1)
Move the ram to slot 3(worth a shot)
Later....

[cpt puget]

definitely move memory around and make sure memory and processor are in securely. on ribbon cables make sure colored wire matches pin #1 and finally, ive read this quite a bit, check the screws that hold M/B to case are screwed to threaded posts (spacers) and centered over screw holes......

[Jesse]

I tried the RAM in slots 1 & 3, I tried moving the video to PCI slots 1, 3, & 5, I tried an old ISA video card I have, I don't have an AGP video card so I can't try that.

The only signs I get that the power is flowing are the processor fan, the power supply fan, the hard drive spinning up, and the power light on the case. No noises, nothing on the monitor, NOTHING.

HELP!

[Jesse]

I tried adding washers between the motherboard and case standoffs but I'm still not getting anything.

[Gustavus Simmons]

Jesse,
The fans all run off of 12v, so the fact that they are running means the PS is supplying 12v. I would think that the 5v portion of the PS is shutting down to protect itself from a short -- probably between the MB and the case -- except for one puzzling thing you say. The power on LED on the case is powered by the 5v supply. You say this LED is on. If so that means you have 5v, but I am suspicious of that. If the PS is sensing a short and closing down to protect itself, on bootup the poweron LED should blink on for a fraction of a second and then go out as the 5v shuts down. Are you sure the power on LED is staying on? A fairly common problem is a short from one of the power planes in the PCB of the MB to one of the metal standoffs used to mount the MB. Sometimes this can be fixed by using one of the fibre washers that come in the MB kit, but sometimes the mounting screw is shorting to the power plane in the PCB. In that case you have to use a nylon mounting screw -- or else just leave the screw out.
If the poweron LED flashes on momentarily as the system boots up indicating a short, remove the mounting screws and put a piece of foam under the MB to lift it clear by a fraction of an inch from the mounting posts and then reboot. If everything works with the MB off the posts, your problem is reduced to finding which of the 2 -- or sometimes 3 -- screws/mounting standoffs is the culprit.
If on the other hand you have both 12v (which you do) and 5v, I have no idea of why the system won't boot other than it may be a bad MB.
I just thought of another possibility. The ATX PS is waiting for a power good signal from the MB. Some power supplies do not supply enough current -- called the charging current -- for the MB to supply this signal and the PS never switches on. Some PS only supply .1a charging current, and the BH6 requires at least twice that. Check your power supply, and if possible try the board and the exact same components with another supply. I always keep a bench supply for just such troubleshooting, but the easiest way may be to swap cases if you have access to another case. The poweron LED could be on even though the charging current is inadequate to provide the powergood signal to the PS.

[This message has been edited by Gustavus Simmons (edited 03-05-99).]

[Yupee]

My oppinion is to check the processor if it is WELL seated in the connector. It has 2 rows of pins, so it gets lower than you'd expect from other boards.