Power button not gettin' er done!

[omega52]

When I press the power switch, the HDD light goes active for a bit (the heads are not seeking though) & then goes off. No post. If I press the reset button, everything starts as expected, though sometimes with garbage on the screen during post. The video clears when Windows starts. This is a new Power supply that has been fine for about a week. Could the problem be with th PS not issuing a reset, or is it likely a MoBo (BIOS) issue? What is my first action?
Thanks
P.S. this is not intermittent. I have pulled the plug, and started from as cold a start as I can with the same behavior.

 

[PC eye]

It sounds more like a drive or drive information problem like the master boot record if it's not due to the bios itself. How old is the system? A little system information would be helpful here.

 

[omega52]

It sounds more like a drive or drive information problem like the master boot record if it's not due to the bios itself. How old is the system? A little system information would be helpful here.

Sys info:
MB - ECS 848P-A7
Proc.- Intel 506 P4 2.66
PS - Thermaltake TR2 500w
HDD - Maxtor 100GB SATA
HDD - Maxtor 300GB SATA

System is about 8 months old. New additions.
Silverstone HTPC case, CPU cooler, PS, HDD coolers.
This problem did not start with the new additions. It started after a week of trying various configurations of fans & CPU cooler to get the temps & noise down. In other words, many on/off cycles, unplug/plug components. With this much intrusion into the hardware I feel lucky that this is the only issue that has arisen!
If it is the master boot record how do I repair it?
Thanks

 

[omega52]

It sounds more like a drive or drive information problem like the master boot record if it's not due to the bios itself. How old is the system? A little system information would be helpful here.

Just a thought. If the problem is the MBR wouldn't I still get the post screen? When I press the pwr button the HDD light goes on for about 30sec. & then off. I get nothing on the screen. I don't think The monitor ever gets a signal. No POST info or error messages, nothing. If I press the reset button everything starts fine, except for garbage on the screen during post (sometimes).
Thsnks

 

[PC eye]

Can you give some description of what the garbage is? It sounds like the drive isn't being detected in one minute and the next it is where it loads normally. This is pointing more at the sudden lack of any signals between the board and the ide controller card on the drive. If the drive isn't making any sounds the problem here would be a lack of detection by the bios itself.

Have you tried updating the bios? This is not a supply problem when you suddenly see a normal running system. The other item that can see this type of problem is the CR2032 lithium battery comonly used on most boards. With nothing onscreen not even the post tests the battery or bios are the two items to look at there.

 

[omega52]

It sounds like the drive isn't being detected in one minute and the next it is where it loads normally. This is pointing more at the sudden lack of any signals between the board and the ide controller card on the drive.

If the drive isn't being detected the unit would still post. This is not happening until I press reset. It is consistent. Every time I cold start. I don't know why you say it couldn't be the PS. The PS could cause the system not to post by not issuing "Power Good". Until the CPU controller sees this signal go hi, it holds up system reset. I'll check the battery as well, thanks.

 

[PC eye]

When the system is up and running how is it then? Are you seeing freezeups or sudden restarts while running any games or large apps? That would suggest a drop in the power level. But if everything runs like any other system after reaching the desktop it points at something other then the supply. A weak supply will cause problems even at the default desktop at times. The lack of a post could suggest a bad cap on the board itself as well as a bios problem.