Greetings. I am having a problem building a new PC. When I put it together, the system powers on but it does not boot up. I have swapped out the motherboard, and have cleared CMOS but neither has helped. I also do not get any beeps when I start up without memory in place. Could it be that the system does not have enough power? I am reusing an older 250watt micro-ATX case that ran my old configuration just fine (800Mhz Athlon)? Perhaps this isn't enough for the P4. Any insights would help. Also, is there a way that I can verify if the RAM is good? Thanks, Barry

Barry, It's not going to beep with no memory. Next thing I would do is disconnect all drives and pull any cards except video. If no joy, pull the video. Is the voltage and clock set right for the CPU? M2

Hi, Mechanix2Go. Thanks for your message. I do not know how to check voltage or set the clock. Can you advise? Thanks, Barry

These are things which should have been researched before attempting to apply power. But shoulda don't help. Read the docs on the mobo, the CPU and the memory. The mobo may have jumpers to set the RAM type, CPU type, etc or it may all get set in CMOS. It depends on the board. M2

"Could it be that the system does not have enough power? I am reusing an older 250watt micro-ATX case that ran my old configuration just fine (800Mhz Athlon)? Perhaps this isn't enough for the P4. Any insights would help" AFIAK, P4s need the extra 4pins power connector to work properly. It is posible that your old PSU it's not P4 compatible, and does not have the extra power plug. You should find more info about this on the mobo's manual. (if it is the case..) GooD LucK! It's nice to be important but it's more important to be nice...

ghimpe, your explanation makes sense - my case/power supply does not have a 4-pin connector. And the manual doesn't describe one, either, but I do see it on the board! So I'm off to get a new case... Thanks, Barry

Glad that helped! Have fun with your computer! It's nice to be important but it's more important to be nice...