short fat guy online

    My new computer works at last. I took it in to a neighborhood shop to see what they could find: they discovered the power supply was bad. I modded it, by putting a clear case on it (from Xoxide.com), and although this seemed innocuous enough it apparently caused a problem. The guy at the shop could not explain why however.
    Regardless, a new power supply and the computer works fine. I installed Windows 2000, Office, and my video card drivers so far. I’ll need to hook it up to the home network before I really start doing stuff with it.

“IT’S A-LI-EEVE!!   IT’S A-LI-EEVE!!”

    Still troubleshooting. I can get stuff to power up, but I do not hear any beeps during POST nor do I get any video signal to my monitor. I’ve been checking numerous websites and message boards for tips.
    I tried powering the computer up with various things plugged in, with the bare minimum plugged in, with nothing attached; with the RAM in different slots, with no RAM; with different plugs; etc. But the results were always the same. No beeps, no POST, no video.
    I was afraid the absence of video might mean my expensive and brand new video card was bad. I was greatly relieved to find out otherwise, since I got video when I connected the card to my old Dell.
    I am told just because the fans work does not mean there might not be a problem with the power supply. It might not have juice enough for everything else. I have a feeling this pointer is meant for people who have not just bought brand new power supplies, but I can find out for sure by getting a power supply tester. I saw one at the Comp USA near where I work, so I might get one tomorrow.
    I thought the RAM LED light on the mobo meant it was detecting the RAM, but the light was on, in fact, when I tried booting up with no RAM at all. The only way I can think of to test the RAM is to use the chips from my Dell, but unfortunately they don’t fit.
    A lot the tips on the message boards involve flashing the BIOS or changing CMOS settings, but I can’t even get that far. So I am at a loss. As far as I can tell, it could still be the RAM, the processor, or the motherboard, and I can’t think of any way to test them outside of buying replacements…which I would rather not.
    Any ideas?

    I hate computers. I installed the processor last night, fired it up, saw some pretty lights, and that was about it. I can’t get any display on my monitor so I can’t tell what’s going on. The processor warms up, so that seems good; the motherboard is passing power, so that seems good. But I can’t get any display and I don’t hear any hard drive activity or POST.
    I tried wiring everything up from scratch, but that didn’t help. I tried swapping video cards, but my old one won’t fit. I tried different monitors too, with both analog and digital cables — and I put a nice thumbprint defect on my new LCD screen in the process. I don’t like this anymore.
The Quick and the Dead