Maximum PC

Just built a new computer however the thing will not power on. I turn on the power switch and for about 2 seconds, it works and then goes dead. The fans spin, lights turn on and then right back off. It does not even get to the post or the bios config or anything. Just on for like 2 seconds and then right back off. All new parts and i know the power supply is in the right mode because it doesnt come with an option to change modes or volts. I kinda stuck cause i've tried reseating the connections and i dont know what else to do. Any help would be greatly appericated.

first you need to post the specs for the computer, but one question comes to mind and that is did you plug in both the motherboard connectors, the 24 pin, and the 8 pin. also the video card may need extra power connectors plugged in as well.

but most important is the specs, motherboard, memory, video card, processor, hard disk, and what you have done since you built it. did you format the hard disk, load an operating system, motherboard drivers etc.

8 GB of ram(2 x 4GB) patriot memory
1 Tb hdd, unformatted, western digital
6770 graphics card( pci-e cable from PS to card is connected)
24 pin connector from PS to mobo is connected
8 pin connector from PS to mobo is connected
The PS is a cosair 500w power supply
No os has been loaded onto the hdd but I will be using win7
No mobo drivers installed, the mobo is ASRock P67 PRO3 (B3) ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
The processor is a i5 2500k unlocked chip, using the stock heatsink but I do have a cooler master one that I have not taken out of the box yet.
I got a nzxt phantom 410 midtower case.

I have put the entire computer together but i have not been able to successfully get it to power on, not even once. What happens is, I turn on the power switch on the PS supply and for like 2 seconds, everything has power and starts but then it turn right back off. Does not make it to the Post or anything. Screen stays black. Its like striking a match but the difference is, it flares up and then goes right back out, immediately. The entire process takes 2 seconds. I can see the fans spin and the lights on the case come on but thats all it does before it turns off. The power supply does not come with a switch to change the voltage on it and I know that the parts are getting power, if only for a very very short time. I have tried reseating all the connections and the result is the same. Help please!

Here are some pics:

What happens when you press the power switch on the front of the case. That is exactly what should happen when you switch the power supply on, most of my build power up for a split second then power off. Then when you press the power switch on the front of the case, you can turn the PC on. If the board has built in power and reset switches try those, if not, double check the power switch install on the header, if that is correct swap it with reset switch and see if it power on then. Also its hard to tell from the photo, but do you have the CPU fan plugged into CPU_FAN 1? That is where it should be.

::EDIT::

Why do you have a molex connector connected to the fan connector near the PCI-E 1x slot???

::EDIT 2::
Okay I did some checking and you have the floppy connector of the PSU attached to the fan header. You are shorting your board out!! Disconnect it and see if it will start, and keep your fingers crossed that you did not fry your system.

Second....you know you power supply is installed upside down right? The fan should be installed toward the bottom so it can intake the cold outside air through the grate right below and expel it right out the exhaust fan of the power supply.

HOLY CRAP! that's like crossing the streams! that's a recipe to fry something on your board.

Also, PSU orientation can be either way, but yes in this case configuration, having the PSU fan inlet from the bottom tends to be the more "natural" choice as your case provides air opening for the PSU. The only thing is that unless your case foot's are high enough, it can actually prevent your PSU from getting any air; reducing your PSU efficiency so it could be better just to leave it as is. Carpets can also block your vent access; I have my PC on stilts using MDF boards so my PSU doesn't get any airflow issues.

The mobo does have built in power & reset buttons. Will try those, also on the video card, it says to connect it to the power supply. I was using the cord from the power supply that fit into the slot on the card but i can use the one that came in the box. The card is a 6770. The fan is on fan_1 header.

Edit 1: After making the changes and trying again, no dice. No power. The power button and the reset buttons on the case does not work and the ones built into the mobo dont work either.

I hope you didn't fry anything.

Pull the video card and the memory sticks and try to power up, if it does it'll go through post and hopefully give you an error beep that you don't have either installed.

Did you even read my post??? I said I figured out why you were having problems. You have the floppy drive power molex attached to a fan header on the motherboard near the PCI-E 1X slot. You are sending power to a connector designed to output power not receive input on it. You have likely toasted your board if you have not killed everything attached to it.

Yea i did. Maybe I wasnt clear enough, when i posted the edit, as well as now, the only thing connected to my mobo is the 12 & 8pin connectors to the power supply. My graphic card and my wireless card are still plugged into their slots. I will post a picture of how it is when i get a chance. Thanks for the help and I am not ignoring what you are telling me to do. I want this to work. I undid the connection you were referring to. I when i get home from work today, I will try the other recommendations listed and cross my fingers that it will at least power up. I dont think that I fried my board tho. My reasoning is that the power was never on and running through the mobo for more than that inital flash of 2 or so seconds and i never left it plugged into the power outlet from the wall like overnight or while i was trying to figure out what i was doing wrong. I always made sure that I disconnected the power cord from the computer after each unsuccessful power on attempt. I know that doesnt mean that i could not have done damage to the mobo however.

Here is a picture of what it is now, took before i went to work:


only the 24pin and the 8pin connectors are plugged in from the power supply, fan is on fan_1, wireless card and graphics card plugged into their respective slots. The hard drive data cable and the cable from the power supply to the hard drive is connected as well, but you cant see it in this picture because it is run through the wall that the case is lying on so that i could take the picture. You can see it in this one tho:

Ever been tasered? Electricity flows at 300,000 kilometers per second. For that two seconds, it would have wrapped around the world 47 times and could have been more than enough time to short something out on the board.

Once you do the above tests, pull all the psu power and do the paper clip test on the PSU to see if it's still working; just to rule it out. You can follow this article (link) on how to do it or google for other's with "power supply paper clip trick" and pull up other tutorials.

STANDOFFS! STANDOFFS!

Thanks jbaz! If not for your comment about being tasered, i would have never figured it out! I installed the motherboard without imstalling the standoffs under it first. The power from the ps was being grounded out by the case! After i realized that what was happening, i got the standoffs in and boom, working! Thanks again everyone for all the advice and thanks again jbaz

Wow did you get lucky! I bet that the standoffs not being installed saved your board from being burnt to a crisp by sending voltage on the fan header. Glad you go it workg!

I was so worried that i did fry my board! Not having them saved me and caused the issue in the first place! Im glad that it still works cause that was a very close call!

How did you even thread the screws onto the mobo tray without standoffs? I'm pretty sure they are different threads.

Well I'm glad my experiences with being tasered IRL helped in some sort of fashion. (ever heard of tazer wars? not the best idea of a game with other fellow drunken friends, but it does include a ball; sorta like a cross between rugby and lacrosse.... but with tazers.)

JBaz -- why am I not surprised you've been tasered ?

Also, plugging a floppy power lead onto a case fan header sounds like something I might do,
but it's not clear how many jello shots I would need to do first.

hehe, I've had plenty of tales of being tasered and electrocuted. I'm just glad I don't have any health issues that would result in death from such "activities"...

First time being tased was actually voluntary, at a police demonstration/seminar at a local community event. It wasn't as bad as I thought, but yeah, I went down faster than a bag of bricks (which actually is a lie like cake since acceleration of gravity is completely constant).

Second time involved alcohol, one of my one-piece leather racing suit & helmet and then the phrase "Can't taz me through this!" 5 mins later, I found out a fatal flaw in my idea as the zippers are actually quite unprotected... I fell down and hit my head on the glass coffee table. Good thing I had my helmet on! LOL Actually got expelled from that apartment due to my shenanigans.

Can I take out an insurance policy on you, with an extra payout in case of accidental death ?

Good luck, I can't even get life insurance policy and my health premium is very high (buy my own)... Although I have one of the cheapest car insurance rates, but all of my wrecks happen on a closed circuit course and I drive my acura like a grandma.

It's really sad both of my bikes get worse gas mileage than my v6. Got the race r6 down to 8 or 9 mpg running 110 race fuel! And that shit ain't cheap! Although, that's for a very aggressive tune, one of my other maps is a bit more conservative and nets me around 11 mpg. The street r6 has gotten down to 11 mpg with stock tune, but actually averages more like 28-36 if I baby it (which I don't). My honda 600rr was much better on gas when riding hard; around 11-14 being the lowest and that was with upgrades and race tune mapping. Far more economical than the gas eating yammi's, but the torque curve on the honda was a lot more flat.

I actually bought a 55 gallon drum worth of 100 race fuel when it was on sale for $2.50 a gallon a few years ago from a track day event. The guy who sold it to me said it was cheaper for him to just sell the drums at cost than to transport it out of the track.

And this was back when it was $4+ a gallon too for 85. Soooo sketchy having so much highly explosive gas drum on my 4x8 trailer being pulled by my acura then being stored in my garage... But it added a good 10+hp with a proper tune.

Even now, I'm really hesitant to do some gigs as I don't have an umbrella insurance for my video work since I don't make enough money to afford a 2mil policy, plus equipment insurance. Just one of my camera's exceeds the max for my parents homeowners insurance for "personal" camera equipment when I was trying to find a cheap way to keeping some type of plan.

One of the many reasons why I want to get a real day job so I can free up my expenses.

My sole exposure to MC racing was in 1966, when I watched an AMA race in Springfield, Illinois.
There was a wreck and several guys were killed.
I'll never forget the sight of a huge tangle of bodies and bikes flying through the air at 100+mph,
and one injured guy trying frantically to crawl off the track and getting run over by another bike.

Something similar happened like that to a club race back in 2009 of where this 12 year old kid was riding behind some 43 old rider who high sided in front of him and the kid runs him over; instantly killing him.

It sucked because the kid was a local prodigy and it fucked his head up really good. He would have been the next Mat Mladin for sure if he stayed with the sport, but its understandable when something like that happens. I mean the kid was faster than me on a 125cc two stroke vs. my tuned 600cc supersport. I'm no pro rider, but I can hold my own with intermediate riders on the track.

Although sometimes I have more balls than brains cause some guys hate it when I power drift my bike into a curve or out of it; usually because I run my tires down pretty good before I replace them. I actually got black flagged once for show boating my two wheel drifting skills in the corner where the track photog was at. That ruined that day.