New PC Not Posting

[mgrinspan]

Hi all,

 

Built a PC for a friend, booted it, everything worked 100% as expected. Packed it up and shipped to her and she can't get it to output anything to any monitor she tries.

 

She's tried the HDMI, DVI (via an HDMI->DVI adapter), and VGA (VGA->DVI cable) ports to 2 separate monitors and a TV. No output whatsoever. No beeps either (mobo speaker is installed). Case/fans/etc light up, fans spin, just no output.

 

Any/all suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

 

Build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor  (Purchased For $105.56) 
Motherboard: MSI - B450M PRO-VDH Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  (Purchased For $73.56) 
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  (Purchased For $75.68) 
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Case: DIYPC - DIY-F2-P MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (Purchased For $32.33) 
Power Supply: EVGA - BR 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  (Purchased For $18.65) 
Case Fan: Apevia - 512L-CPK 57.67 CFM 120mm Fans  (Purchased For $21.59) 
Other: 10 Port PWM Fan Hub (Purchased For $10.99)
Other: RGB Strips (Purchased For $11.99)
Other: Cat Stickers (Purchased For $21.52)
Other: RGB Strips (Purchased For $11.99)
Total: $383.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-14 21:27 EST-0500

[suchamoneypit]

Is there signs of damage on the PC or the box it shipped in? Was the shipment insured? If the system was working perfect, then shipped, then stopped working, it seems something was damaged in shipping. If it was a new build, I would say check cables, but if the PC was hit hard enough to knock out cables, you're bound to have some damage elsewhere thats more severe. Was it properly packed? Also try the gool ol' clear CMOS.

[mgrinspan]

2 minutes ago, suchamoneypit said:

Is there signs of damage on the PC or the box it shipped in? Was the shipment insured? If the system was working perfect, then shipped, then stopped working, it seems something was damaged in shipping. If it was a new build, I would say check cables, but if the PC was hit hard enough to knock out cables, you're bound to have some damage elsewhere thats more severe. Was it properly packed? Also try the gool ol' clear CMOS.

She says the box was in great condition, no sign of damage. I packed it pretty well. The case came with a hard foam that holds it in place pretty well so i sent the built PC in that. The EPS/ATX cables are plugged in just fine, other cables I would imagine don't matter much since the thing turns on just no post (or no output, not sure which). We'll try the CMOS reset

[narrdarr]

is the psu switch turned on?

[mgrinspan]

Just now, narrdarr said:

is the psu switch turned on?

Yes. The fans and lights come on

[mgrinspan]

@suchamoneypit

 

Resetting CMOS didn't work. She noticed that the RAM slots were unlocked so I thought that was 100% the issue, but we reseated them and still nothing. Of note - the first EZ Debug light (CPU) is lit. Googling tells me my best bets are reseating the RAM/CPU and she's definitely not qualified to reseat the CPU.

[suchamoneypit]

Just now, mgrinspan said:

@suchamoneypit

 

Resetting CMOS didn't work. She noticed that the RAM slots were unlocked so I thought that was 100% the issue, but we reseated them and still nothing. Of note - the first EZ Debug light (CPU) is lit. Googling tells me my best bets are reseating the RAM/CPU and she's definitely not qualified to reseat the CPU.

Does it do anything different with no RAM installed at all? Maybe it progresses further?

[mgrinspan]

1 minute ago, suchamoneypit said:

Does it do anything different with no RAM installed at all? Maybe it progresses further?

Nope, still no beeps, no output, nothing. Is it possible the motherboard speaker is plugged in backwards? Not sure if the direction matters but I remember being unsure about it when installing it.

[mgrinspan]

Also of note is the EZ Debug light for the RAM isn't lighting up - even with no RAM installed.

[suchamoneypit]

5 minutes ago, mgrinspan said:

Nope, still no beeps, no output, nothing. Is it possible the motherboard speaker is plugged in backwards? Not sure if the direction matters but I remember being unsure about it when installing it.

doesn't hurt to flip it and try. With no indicating lights for CPU/RAM error, and no beeps, its kinda difficult to troubleshoot. If still nothing, your only option is to bring the system to a minimum POST state. Meaning no keyboards/mice/GPUs connected. just whats need to post. CPU, 1 stick of RAM. Doesn't work, swap the stick around into the other slots as well. If that still doesn't give any hints, a CPU reseat and a visual inspection of the motherboard socket would be needed. Still nothing, and you'd be looking at a motherboard or PSU issue as those are the only two left (more likely motherboard). 

[suchamoneypit]

And it brings back the oddity of the system working before shipping but not now. Could anything move around inside the box and produce static electricity maybe? Did the system experience extreme temps during shipment (checking tracking number, and lookup weather in those locations at those times)?

[DeadliestGunner]

I have had this issue with a friend before so just to be sure did she make sure to plug the video cable into the GPU and not the motherboard. My friend thought it didn't matter and I didnt even think about it when I was talking to him. When I saw it in person I was like....SHIT

EDIT: just noticed there is no GPU 

[mgrinspan]

5 minutes ago, suchamoneypit said:

doesn't hurt to flip it and try. With no indicating lights for CPU/RAM error, and no beeps, its kinda difficult to troubleshoot. If still nothing, your only option is to bring the system to a minimum POST state. Meaning no keyboards/mice/GPUs connected. just whats need to post. CPU, 1 stick of RAM. Doesn't work, swap the stick around into the other slots as well. If that still doesn't give any hints, a CPU reseat and a visual inspection of the motherboard socket would be needed. Still nothing, and you'd be looking at a motherboard or PSU issue as those are the only two left (more likely motherboard). 

 

2 minutes ago, suchamoneypit said:

And it brings back the oddity of the system working before shipping but not now. Could anything move around inside the box and produce static electricity maybe? Did the system experience extreme temps during shipment (checking tracking number, and lookup weather in those locations at those times)?

Tried flipping the speaker - still no beeps. Only thing connected is power and HDMI. We're trying different RAM sticks in different slots but so far no luck. Only thing that could have moved are the cables, everything else is locked in. Tracking the shipment doesn't help it only got scanned in 2 places, origin and destination (despite being >3000 miles apart).

 

Trying to avoid removing the motherboard/CPU/cooler as she won't be able to reinstall that properly

[mgrinspan]

4 minutes ago, DeadliestGunner said:

I have had this issue with a friend before so just to be sure did she make sure to plug the video cable into the GPU and not the motherboard. My friend thought it didn't matter and I didnt even think about it when I was talking to him. When I saw it in person I was like....SHIT

Haha, a classic mistake. I double-checked when installing it, it's definitely the right cable plugged into the motherboard and there's no GPU in the system

[suchamoneypit]

Sorry to say but we are running out of options we could try without removing CPU and cooler. How long have you left the system on for? One time I had a system that did this but randomly posted and turned on if left alone for a few min. you sure all power cables are firmly locked in? You'll have issues sometimes even if the motherboard power cable is out by 1-2mm on one side, commonly happens of not inserted perfectly straight

[mgrinspan]

1 minute ago, suchamoneypit said:

Sorry to say but we are running out of options we could try without removing CPU and cooler. How long have you left the system on for? One time I had a system that did this but randomly posted and turned on if left alone for a few min.

We've tried leaving it on for ~10 minutes to see if it was just a very delayed post - didn't help