Build Advice New build problems (Mobo/HDD)

Alright, so yesterday I received my order of:

Tagan CS-A+ Curbic Steel Case
XFX Radeon HD-489A-ZDFC 1GB GDDR5 GPU/Video Card
Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750W PSU
AMD Phenom II X4 810 2.6 GHZ AM3 Socket CPU
8 gigs of G.Skill DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Ram (2 sets, with 2 gigs per stick in each set)
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM HDD (SATA)
Sony Optiarc 20X DVD+R Burner Black (IDE)
ECS Black Series A790GXM-AD3 AM3 Socket MOBO

I have set it all up, but now when I turn my system on, I get a single, short beep from the case (presumably that means it is able to POST?) and a message that says "No Boot Device, Please Insert Boot Device And Reboot" and below that there is a message that says "Insert Boot Media And Press Key". So, assuming that my motherboard is unable to detect my HDD, I try to go into BIOS (which, in my case, is done by pressing the DELETE key on my keyboard). Instead of loading up the BIOS screen, my machine just shuts down on me. I curiously open the case up (I don't have a case window) and turned my machine on to see if I am at least getting any LED signals. The fans on my video card start up, the fans on my CPU cooler start up, all of the visible LEDs light up the interior of the case with green, and everything looks pretty good. However, on my motherboard there are 3 out of 4 small LEDs that flash red for about the same amount of time that the case beeps (once, and for a very short amount of time). They look like this on the motherboard: RED RED gray RED

So, what is the problem here?

 

(UPDATE)

Ok, after clearing the CMOS my BIOS is now functioning correctly. It loads up the menu and I get one solid, quick beep on start-up as I did before. I can assume that this means it has completed POST. However, what is now happening is my computer is randomly shutting down while I configure my BIOS settings.


(It is also recognizing my hard drive.)

 

(UPDATEx2)

Ok, I fixed my problem by isolating everything down to the CPU heatsink, which I had done a bad job of cleaning before (it already had some thermal grease on it and I tried cleaning it with a cotton swab... not the best idea). Apparently, two types of thermal grease don't go together too well. Anyway, that was what was causing my CPU to signal my motherboard for a system auto-shutdown. I got a lint-free cloth and some 70% rubbing alcohol and cleaned everything away from the CPU and the heatsink and reapplied some more Arctic Silver. That fixed it. (CPU Temps average at about 50C, stock)

Ugh.. Now I have one more issue. BIOS is recognizing my SATA HDD but not my IDE DVD Burner. And I still get the "Insert Boot Media" message on start-up (though, now I am able to access BIOS and it is able to detect my video card, RAM, CPU, etc. just fine).

 

Welcome to Bit-Tech.

It's helpful to others if you edit your original post if no one has yet replied, rather than make 2 more


Ok... Are you using Vista?

If so, have you disconnected, and reconnected drives since it's install? Vista will record the MBR on whatever drive is device 0 at the time, and if you reconnect drives, and don't put them back in the same place, it will not boot.

When you say "inset boot media"... is that what it says when just trying to boot from the HD, or when you're trying to boot from a DVD?

DOES it boot from DVD?

 

Try setting your BIOS to boot from the dvd/rom FIRST.

Then your HDD SECOND.

Also make sure you have an OS CD in the dvd/rw drive.

 

Hey guys, I actually do not have my OS installed yet. As this is a new build, and my system has not yet recognized a "Boot Device", which is the problem I am having. I have my DVD Burner connected on the IDE Master end of the IDE cable, if that is causing a problem? My HDD is hooked up and my mobo IS recognizing it in BIOS.

 

Well.. if not installed OS yet, then there's isn;t a boot device to find.

If you mean you cant boot from the DVD to install the OS, then make sure you have optical drives set as first boot device.

Check all BIOS settings to ensure that IDE is enabled. You don't mention what board you have, so I cant check the manual.

Ensure that jumpers on the optical drive are set to master if no other IDE devices are present... or just set to cable select.

 

Well you shouldn't have a problem at all, to be honest. Your boot device would be your DVD Burner, with a Windows/Linux CD/DVD inside of it.

To elaborate on what I and Pookey said above, go and dig through your BIOS settings and there is a section that allows you to choose what you want the motherboard to boot from first. You should set your DVD Burner to be the first boot device, and have your hard drive as second. A common name for this in the BIOS would be, "Boot order."

Or, there may be a key you can press when the POST flashes. On my motherboard as well as my laptop, it's F10. Your motherboard may be different, but it's called Boot Menu, or it may be named something else. This will allow you to select what drjve you want to boot from.

Cheers and GL

 

Oh sorry I am using the ECS Black Series A790GXM-AD3 motherboard.

My optical drive is showing the green LED and both the IDE and power cables are placed firmly on the drive. Yes, the IDE cable is connected on both ends (my motherboard and the drive itself). My BIOS is , for some reason, saying the IDE Master (optical drive) is "Not Detected" but my SATA1 (hard drive) is. Whenever I boot up it is telling me to "Insert Boot Media And Press A Key".


Update: I'll try installing the OS now. Thank you for your help so far, guys.

 

I'd check the jumpers on the rear of the DVD/RW drive, and make sure it is set to Master or Cable Select.

If your drive still is not detected, maybe try a different optical drive, or maybe try your new optical drive in a different PC?

It sounds like your optical drive is not being detected...

 

Then reboot with the Vista CD in the drive.

I've had this before... IDE devices not recognised in BIOS yet still seem to work OK for some reason. If you can get it to boot from DVD then don't worry about it, as it will more than likely also work in Windows.


If it won't even boot when set as above, then I'd seriously think about upgrading to a SATA optical drive. They're cheap these days.

 

Thanks Pooky for goin grab that... I was on my laptop and I think I could legally call it a "craptop."

Cheers

 

Hmm... The vista disk does not seem to be loading at all. I have set CD/DVD as 1st boot and the HDD as 2nd boot but it seems fruitless, and the IDE isn't being detected at all. I was wondering if the IDE jumper shunt came pre-installed on the back of my IDE drive, because I ordered it OEM and that is all that came in the bubble wrap.

Update: Ok, I just checked a picture of the exact DVD burner I'm using and it appears that the jumper IS pre-installed, and of course in an incorrect setting.

 

Can we get another update as to if it works now?!

 

Arrrrggh... Nope. I tried all the jumper settings, I even tried it without the jumper in at all. The power LED is showing up on the drive itself, so I don't think it is broken. Perhaps the IDE cable is defective? My motherboard/BIOS is detecting literally everything else. Is it time for me to ship this puppy back to Sony and buy myself a SATA drive, or can I trail the problem back to a faulty wire? I've checked numerous times and everything is plugged in firmly and in the correct position.

 

(Bump/Update)

Alright, the problem is finally fixed. I went out and bought a Plextor SATA optical drive and plugged it in, my BIOS immediately recognized it, and I am now installing Windows Vista 64 bit edition.

Thanks for the advice, guys. It helped me out a lot.