Member Avatar for mogliki

Ok, I have two PC's (let's name them 1 & 2). I received a new case and switched all the part's from Case 1 to Case 2. I put a new MOBO/Processor in Case 1 with parts from a Computer 3. Now both of them will turn on, but neither will act like it want's to boot up. The monitor shows no activity but the HD LED is on. The PSU's are compatible. Please help.:cry:

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Short take: because both rigs power but show no display, focus on things that change when you move hardware between cases — motherboard mounting, CPU/memory compatibility, and the early power rails used before POST. and gave good general advice about method and grounding; below are targeted checks and quick tests that are not yet covered.

Bench test the board outside the case on a nonconductive surface (cardboard or antistatic mat). Fit only the CPU (with cooler), one known-good stick of RAM in the correct slot, the 20/24-pin ATX and the 4-pin/8-pin CPU power lead, plus a video card if there is no onboard VGA. Attach a system speaker or use an external speaker so you can hear POST beeps. Power up and note fan behavior and any beep pattern — no beeps with fans spinning usually means a pre-POST fault (power rail, CPU, socket/pin damage, or BIOS issue).

Check compatibility: ensure the CPU socket matches the board and that the board’s BIOS supports that CPU (newer CPUs on older BIOS often yield no POST). Verify RAM type and voltage — wrong memory (DDR vs SDRAM, ECC vs non‑ECC) or an unsupported RAM speed can also stop POST. Inspect the CPU and socket for bent pins or misaligned retention clips after the move.

Power and shorts: confirm the separate CPU power connector is plugged. Look for misplaced standoffs or screws that might short the board when mounted. If available, swap PSUs between machines or use a simple PSU tester/multimeter to confirm stable rails. If the HDD LED stays on but no video, that just means drives have power — it does not prove POST passed.

If those checks fail: clear CMOS (jumper or remove battery briefly), test the board with a different known-good video card/monitor, and document each change so you can isolate the bad part. For two machines failing after a case swap, the case wiring/standoffs or a damaged component that was moved are the highest-probability culprits.

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Member Avatar for Catweazle

Your motherboard manual(s) is your best friend.

Rip everything out of both systems except mobo, processor, RAM and Display card. Double, triple and fourple check all the connections, especially the front panel connectors. Get the systems POSTing with that simple configuration first, then install and connect other components one by one.

Things as simple as a card or RAM module not seated correctly, or a floppy drive power connector that's accidently 'missed a pin' can stop a system from booting. If everything is connected up from the outset, it can be almost impossible to track down where the problem is.

Slow and steady, step-by-step is the way to go.

Member Avatar for MAD_DOG

Also make sure nothing is grounded if all else fails take everything out of the computer and put it all back in.

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