hey i got this computer behind me right

i install a new motherboard with a cpu that is supposed to be compatible (amd 64 bit) with a sapphire radeon 9600xt and 512mb pc 3200 ram and when i try turning on the computer with everything hooked up the monitor just shows the screen saying check cable connection...

can anyone suggest something for me to fix this

1. What is the exact model of the motherboard?
2. Exactly what CPU is it? (with Socket type, ie 939, AM2, 754)

Also, I assume you unplugged all hard-drives, cdroms, floppy drives and PCI cards to narrow down the problem?

All that should be in there for troubleshooting should be:

* Motherboard
* CPU
* Memory
* Video card

last edited by parabol at 17:43:21 25/Jan/07

what parabol says

work out whats not connected

does the vid card have an additional power cable that nots hooked up?

you are such a noob Spock. Didn't trev teach you anything?

PLCs are the answer.


What sort of PSU are you running? Is the board a known good one/new one?

Tell us more.

Got the ATX power switch connected properly (and not back to front).

^ how can you have an 'atx power switch' connected back to front?

when you say 'atx power switch' do you mean the atx power plug from the psu to the motherboard? if so, you can't connect it back to front.

or do you mean the power button on the front of the PC? you can have that back to front all you like, it doesn't make a difference. It just closes the circuit momentarily. Hell, you can just flick the pins on the mobo with a screwdriver...

The soft switch power button to the motherboard cable.

Yes having it back to front can matter as I too once believed it didn't until I spent 2hrs working out why a computer would power on for 5 seconds and power off. Blame it on that particularly case/switch/whatever the f*** - but after I reversed the cable it worked fine.

My theory was that around the wrong way it was simulating the power button being held down for 5 seconds which of course shut the machine down.

I have no idea how thats possible... unless it was some magical switch.

As mr hardware has already said the power switch does is bridge the 2 pins on the mobo when the button is pressed in. Hence why you can short it out with a metallic object to perform the same function. Perhaps your button was just getting stuck...

last edited by rubba-chikin at 23:09:39 25/Jan/07

Does the mobo have audio diagnostic messages? Plug some headphones or speakers into the onboard :p

Assuming everything is hooked up correctly though, and your hardware is in good working order, it sounds like your motherboard might be incompatible with that particular core (ie winchester or whatever) and might need a bios flash to get it going. You'd have to either take the board back to the store, or borrow a compatible core to do the flash then swap it back :/

um, i think you don't have your monitor plugged in.

because thats what comes up on my monitor when i don't plug it in.

because thats what comes up on my monitor when i don't plug it in.

The same symptom occurs when a computer fails to start up. No signal.

It's not restricted to just an unconnected monitor.

mine just sits blank if its connected and no signal, its only when you physically unconnect the cable that it comes up