MG2R

pssssh.... these damn inactive mods

LMG staff is notified anytime we get reports of leaked videos on any platform. The best way to report this is to message a couple mods on the forums.
 
Please, do NOT directly link or post videos on the public forums in order to minimize the pirates' exposure.
 
Thank you for your diligence.

REMINDER: this thread is not to ask questions about your PC. Please create a NEW thread if you still have issues after going through this thread.
 
So, you've put together your brand new, shining rig. You plug in the power cord and push the button. Nothing happens. What now? The answer depends on what is happening:
 
 
The machine doesn't do anything. No beeps, LEDs or spinning fans.
Check if your power cable is firmly plugged in on both ends (you would be surprised how many issues this resolves) Check if the power supply (PSU) has a button to cut the power to the machine. Check if this button is in the position denoted with ON or I Check if EVERY power cable is plugged in securely, reseat if necessary. Check if the power button is installed correctly (consult your motherboard manual) Try shorting out the pins you connect the power button to manually. If this powers on your system, you have a faulty power button. Check with a device of which you know that it works if the power outlet you're using is actually providing power. If this hasn't solved the problem, check if your PSU isn't dead. To do this, you can follow these steps:
Unplug your power cord and/or flip the switch on the back of the PSU in the position denoted with OFF or 0 Unplug every connector coming from your PSU (this is very important) Using a bent paperclip, short out the green wire on the 24 pin header with any of the black wires, like so. If you have a PSU that shuts down its fan under low load, or a PSU that is fanless, connect something small like a hard drive to it. Plug in your power cord and/or flip the switch on the back of the PSU in the position denoted with ON or I If the PSU does NOT power on (the fan/hard drive you connected should start spinning) after following these steps, your PSU is in all likelyhood defective. Request an RMA.
If the PSU DOES power on, then the problem is most likely your motherboard.
 
 
The machine does power up, but my screen remains black (no POST).
Make sure your BIOS version is compatible with the CPU generation you're trying to run in your motherboard, you can consult the manual or the manufacturer's website about this. Check if EVERY power cable is connected. Auxiliary power connectors included. Make sure the cable coming from your monitor is attached securely to the graphics card. Also make sure it is securely attached to the monitor itself. Make sure your PSU is powerful enough to power your complete system. Try booting the system with only a monitor but no other peripherals connected. (Thanks @Steven Schaefer) Make sure your monitor works by testing it on a different computer. If you have both a dedicated GPU and an iGPU, try your monitor on both the outputs on the graphics cards as well as on the motherboard. When trying the iGPU, if the board has VGA out, try that too instead of just digital out. (Discovered by @evening) Make sure all connectors and cables are plugged in securely, reseat if necessary. Make sure your RAM, CPU and GPU are plugged in securely, reseat if necessary. Remove riser cables between GPU and motherboard. If this solves the issue, try lowering your PCIe version/speed in the bios to PCIe 3 or lower (Thanks @problemsolver) If the motherboard you're using has debug LEDs, check the error code and consult the motherboard manual to see what it means. If you have a debug speaker connected to the motherboard, note the beep sequence and consult the motherboard manual or this thread to see what it means. Try clearing your CMOS. Try booting your computer with only a motherboard, CPU and one stick of RAM attached (if you don't have an iGPU, plug in your GPU as well 😉 ). Make sure your GPU works (if you have a dedicated one), try it in another computer. Make sure your RAM works, try it another computer. Make sure the RAM is compatible with your CPU and your motherboard.  
If the PC still doesn't POST after this, create a new thread and, as explained here, post IN FULL DETAIL about your problem. Make sure you include the following:
System configuration Troubleshooting steps you already did Any additional information that may be relevant.  
Lastly, if you find any mistakes/grammatical errors, inaccuracies or missing steps in this post, please do post them in a comment so I can fix it.
 
 
PS: @TheXDS has posted how you can do some more in depth checking of the internal circuitry of you PSU. The only thing you need is a multimeter or potentiometer (if you're oldschool :D). You can find his post at http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/42440-readme-how-to-respond-to-a-no-post-or-no-power-up-situation/?p=4561958

Please follow the template on the first page (the very first build post in the thread) so that we have details like the size, count, and manufacturer of you hard drives. Those are used to place you in the ranking and make the graphs about how many drives we have combined.

You can buy them on ebay for cheaper than the official releases once a product has launched.

Engineering sample CPU.... How did you get a hold of that?

Probably a good thing.... They just installed a new storage closet at work... 2 PB redundant space, to put alongside the existing 1.2 PB closet

Probably a good thing.... They just installed a new storage closet at work... 2 PB redundant space, to put alongside the existing 1.2 PB closet

I don't have 10+TB yet, but I still want to show off my home made NAS :D
 
You can find the full build log here.
 
Hardware
Motherboard: ASUS P8H77-I CPU: Pentium G1620 CPU cooler: Noctua NH-D14 GPU: Radeon HD 6450 RAM: 2GB no brand DDR3 1066MHz PSU: Corsair CX430M Boot drive: Kinston SSDNow V+200 60GB Storage drives: 2x2TB WDC Green (WD20EARX) Storage drive: 1x2TB WDC Green (WD20EARS) Storage drive: 1x2TB Seagate Barracuda (ST2000DM001) Case: K'nex revision 3.0 Total capacity: 8TB (raw), 6TB useable
 
 
Software and Configuration:
Running Debian Squeeze headless. I have the drives configured as a software RAID5. mdadm serves as the software RAID controller.
 
Usage:
Personal NAS, web server, cloud storage server, linux experiment box, [any other use cases I might end up trying]...
Right now, I have about 1.5TB of data on it (mostly media).
I'm going to start mining LiteCoins as an experiment at the end of this month (hence the GPU).
This thing sits in my bedroom and needs to be absolutely SILENT at night. That's why I put the giant Noctua cooler on there and that's why I put a Noctua fan inside my PSU. (link in signature)
 
 
Backup:
All documents (so no media) are being synced to a rented VPS in Amsterdam. I use Bittorrent Sync to achieve this. All documents are also synced to my laptop. Even if my house catches on fire and I lose my laptop, desktop and server; all the important files are still secure.
 
 
Photos:

I'm still waiting for the first rig that implements tape drives.

I think most of us here started small... I know I did.
My first server was a P3 at 400-ish MHz, carrying a wopping total of about 15GB worth of HDD space, IIRC. The thing actually belonged to my neighbours, I built it with their son with some old compnents that I found on the scrap yard. Even though it's an old POS, it was my way into computer hardware and Linux and I still keep on to it.

Stupid bureaucracy is stupid, I guess...

The Guides and Tutorials Catalog
 
In order to simplify the search for guides and tutorials which might be tagged
badly, and to help you look for specific things by subject without having to fight
the broken IP.Board search function, we'll be tracking complete tutorials about a
specifc subject here.
 
The idea is to have a nice catalog people can browse by subject. The tutorials
linked to here are of decent quality, meaning that they cover the subject in a
reasonably complete, understandable, and properly formatted way.
 
If you feel we've missed a quality tutorial, feel free to PM a mod or reply to this
thread. Also check this post.

This will explain it for you:
 

 
 
Will do, probably tonight

If you read the original post, you (well, I did at least) also get the idea that this thread is meant to give people getting into home servers and redundant storage solutions an idea of what is possible.

Just throwing this out here: mods are entitled to their own opinion, regardless of their behind-the-scenes work for the community. I don't know what being a mod has to do with interpreting the actions of a software company, but I figured you might've missed this detail.
 
Have a nice day.

Lenovo Thinkpad T450s. I'm currently using one as my daily driver running Arch Linux. 14-15 hours of active work time, 12 GB RAM, decent processor, full HD screen, best damn keyboard on the market. Love it. Bit pricey, though

In response to Linus' video yesterday:
 
I'm secretly guilty a bit. I know that it's his job to handle all this high end stuff so we don't have to buy it for ourselves, but I've always held a tiny bit of jealousy in the back of my mind so I wanted to get that off my chest:

Bingo! Most PCBs for motherboards and components are typically 3 layers, and there will be traces between the layers to connect things together. As such, @Zanderlinde, trying to use solder will probably only make the situation worse, and you will risk compromising your motherboard in the process since you could end up shorting something. Declare it a loss and move on. $650+ lesson learned.

I don't have 10+TB yet, but I still want to show off my home made NAS :D
 
You can find the full build log here.
 
Hardware
Motherboard: ASUS P8H77-I CPU: Pentium G1620 CPU cooler: Noctua NH-D14 GPU: Radeon HD 6450 RAM: 2GB no brand DDR3 1066MHz PSU: Corsair CX430M Boot drive: Kinston SSDNow V+200 60GB Storage drives: 2x2TB WDC Green (WD20EARX) Storage drive: 1x2TB WDC Green (WD20EARS) Storage drive: 1x2TB Seagate Barracuda (ST2000DM001) Case: K'nex revision 3.0 Total capacity: 8TB (raw), 6TB useable
 
 
Software and Configuration:
Running Debian Squeeze headless. I have the drives configured as a software RAID5. mdadm serves as the software RAID controller.
 
Usage:
Personal NAS, web server, cloud storage server, linux experiment box, [any other use cases I might end up trying]...
Right now, I have about 1.5TB of data on it (mostly media).
I'm going to start mining LiteCoins as an experiment at the end of this month (hence the GPU).
This thing sits in my bedroom and needs to be absolutely SILENT at night. That's why I put the giant Noctua cooler on there and that's why I put a Noctua fan inside my PSU. (link in signature)
 
 
Backup:
All documents (so no media) are being synced to a rented VPS in Amsterdam. I use Bittorrent Sync to achieve this. All documents are also synced to my laptop. Even if my house catches on fire and I lose my laptop, desktop and server; all the important files are still secure.
 
 
Photos:

@MG2R That case is Bad Ass man!!!

Just to give an update. We've have had very strong winds, up to 80mph, sleet, snow, hail and ice. Not once through all this did the Ubiquiti devices batter an eye lid. Still haven't had to interfere with them since installation. For anyone considering something like this, I couldn't recommend then more.

Not exactly sure, I think its about £42/month, could be £37 though... somewhere around 40 quid 

If you have clients that go broke if they lose their files, you/they should already have a plethora of backups. I don't see an issue here?

REMINDER: this thread is not to ask questions about your PC. Please create a NEW thread if you still have issues after going through this thread.
 
So, you've put together your brand new, shining rig. You plug in the power cord and push the button. Nothing happens. What now? The answer depends on what is happening:
 
 
The machine doesn't do anything. No beeps, LEDs or spinning fans.
Check if your power cable is firmly plugged in on both ends (you would be surprised how many issues this resolves) Check if the power supply (PSU) has a button to cut the power to the machine. Check if this button is in the position denoted with ON or I Check if EVERY power cable is plugged in securely, reseat if necessary. Check if the power button is installed correctly (consult your motherboard manual) Try shorting out the pins you connect the power button to manually. If this powers on your system, you have a faulty power button. Check with a device of which you know that it works if the power outlet you're using is actually providing power. If this hasn't solved the problem, check if your PSU isn't dead. To do this, you can follow these steps:
Unplug your power cord and/or flip the switch on the back of the PSU in the position denoted with OFF or 0 Unplug every connector coming from your PSU (this is very important) Using a bent paperclip, short out the green wire on the 24 pin header with any of the black wires, like so. If you have a PSU that shuts down its fan under low load, or a PSU that is fanless, connect something small like a hard drive to it. Plug in your power cord and/or flip the switch on the back of the PSU in the position denoted with ON or I If the PSU does NOT power on (the fan/hard drive you connected should start spinning) after following these steps, your PSU is in all likelyhood defective. Request an RMA.
If the PSU DOES power on, then the problem is most likely your motherboard.
 
 
The machine does power up, but my screen remains black (no POST).
Make sure your BIOS version is compatible with the CPU generation you're trying to run in your motherboard, you can consult the manual or the manufacturer's website about this. Check if EVERY power cable is connected. Auxiliary power connectors included. Make sure the cable coming from your monitor is attached securely to the graphics card. Also make sure it is securely attached to the monitor itself. Make sure your PSU is powerful enough to power your complete system. Try booting the system with only a monitor but no other peripherals connected. (Thanks @Steven Schaefer) Make sure your monitor works by testing it on a different computer. If you have both a dedicated GPU and an iGPU, try your monitor on both the outputs on the graphics cards as well as on the motherboard. When trying the iGPU, if the board has VGA out, try that too instead of just digital out. (Discovered by @evening) Make sure all connectors and cables are plugged in securely, reseat if necessary. Make sure your RAM, CPU and GPU are plugged in securely, reseat if necessary. Remove riser cables between GPU and motherboard. If this solves the issue, try lowering your PCIe version/speed in the bios to PCIe 3 or lower (Thanks @problemsolver) If the motherboard you're using has debug LEDs, check the error code and consult the motherboard manual to see what it means. If you have a debug speaker connected to the motherboard, note the beep sequence and consult the motherboard manual or this thread to see what it means. Try clearing your CMOS. Try booting your computer with only a motherboard, CPU and one stick of RAM attached (if you don't have an iGPU, plug in your GPU as well 😉 ). Make sure your GPU works (if you have a dedicated one), try it in another computer. Make sure your RAM works, try it another computer. Make sure the RAM is compatible with your CPU and your motherboard.  
If the PC still doesn't POST after this, create a new thread and, as explained here, post IN FULL DETAIL about your problem. Make sure you include the following:
System configuration Troubleshooting steps you already did Any additional information that may be relevant.  
Lastly, if you find any mistakes/grammatical errors, inaccuracies or missing steps in this post, please do post them in a comment so I can fix it.
 
 
PS: @TheXDS has posted how you can do some more in depth checking of the internal circuitry of you PSU. The only thing you need is a multimeter or potentiometer (if you're oldschool :D). You can find his post at http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/42440-readme-how-to-respond-to-a-no-post-or-no-power-up-situation/?p=4561958