NEED HELP 4 first homemade computer!!!

[demandecan55]

My dad and I are building a computer. We have been working on it for 3 days and it does not work. when we turn it on it stays on for around 3 sec. then goes off. We followed the instructions and cannot figure what is wrong. pleas help i leave tommorow to go back to school for the summer. if we dont get this fixed it is wasted money until august.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Have you checked your processor fan? Some computers will automatically shut down if the processor fan stops. It could be a number of reasons.

 

[demandecan55]

well when i turn on the computer the fan turns on, but only for 3 sec. then it turns off with the rest of the computer.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Have you tried reseating the memory in it's proper slot according to the manual? Are you using metal screws to hold down your motherboard instead of plastic ones? Sometime the metal screws get very close to the wiring on the motherbaord and when they touch, it can cause it too shut down.

 

[demandecan55]

well we tried the memory and that didnt help, as for the screws they dont get close to the wiring, and they are metal. any other reasons it wont stay on? . . . . thanks for helping by the way.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Double check the power supply. On the back of the case there is a switch for the power supply. Make sure it on 115V instead of the 230V or something like that.

 

[demandecan55]

you are my hero! the switch must be reversed on the back. It said it was 115V but when i switched it to 230V it worked! Now i just have to instal the OS i guess. Nothing is showing up on the screen. Is this normal? i have that first time start up disk in.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Where do you live? In the US, we mainly use the 115V.

 

[demandecan55]

yes i live in texas. it would not even start up on 115V. at least its on, my dad thought that the motherboard was messed up. All i need to do now is get the OS working before i leave tommorow. if i could only get somthing on this moniter.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

When the computer first start up, do you see anything on the upper left corner of the screen? Those are usually the video card info, and memory count. I think that should be it if you have a new drive. I would just stick the Windows XP CD in there and do a reboot. Then the installation will start.