Computer Won't Start

[raven3quill]

Hey all,
I recently bought a custom computer and after a day of use, I unplugged the power cord to add a floppy drive and IDE hard drive. After they were installed, the computer would not start...no cpu fan, no power supply fan. The LED on the motherboard, however is lit and the case lights flash for a split second when I hit the power button. I disconnected what I added, but to no avail. I left town for 3 days, and when I came back, the computer booted like nothing had happened, but I didn't change anything. Then I added the hard drive and floppy drive, and they both worked fine. After several restarts due to updates, I was ready to move the computer to another room. Lo and behold, the same problem occurred. It won't start, but the motherboard seems to have power. I moved it back to the original outlet, thinking it might be underpowered or something, but nothing changed. I tried several outlets and a couple different PSU cords. I also tried booting with everything unplugged except for the motherboard. It seems to be motherboard/cpu/power supply related, but I can't make sense of it. I sent out for a new power supply, but am not confident that the problem will be solved. Any advice? Thanks.

Here are the specs:
AM2 Athlon X2 3800+ (90nm)
Asus M2A-VM motherboard w/ Radeon X1250 integrated
450 Watt Okia power supply
2x1 GB of Kingston pc6400
80GB 7200rpm Maxtor IDE HDD
320GB 7200prm Seagate SATA HDD
2 x Sony DVD Burners (SATA)

 

[PC eye]

First you need a Welcome to the Computer Forum! by the looks of things. http://www.computerforum.com/70672-official-welcome-thread.html All new members get the reminder to review the http://www.computerforum.com/52038-forum-rules.html

You bought a used case and it suddenly won't start. The lowest cost item that will fail after a year or two or three or four is the Lithium battery on the board itself. Those cost about $2-$3 at Radio Shack or anyhwere where watches and calculators are sold. That would be the first thing to try there. Ic the cpu went you may or may not get an audio alert depending on board but would see a visual message at post time. A weak supply with a bad cap is another more expensive thought. Other board problems like a failed chipset are getting involved there. Try a fresh battery for a few bucks.