Help! Seems to POST fine but no BEEP and possible soft-switch problem 2

[mmshrink2]

I am in the process of assembling an Intel 865G system with P4 3.2 HT. So far the motherboard, CPU and RAM are installed and also the connectors from the front panel.

The system seems like its POSTing okay (ie. the fans spin, the keyboard lights flash, I have video, I can enter CMOS set-up, and the power light on the front panel and on the mobo go on). There are 2 problems though:

1. I get no beep from the internal speaker to signal the end of the POST. The mobo appears to have an internal, integrated speaker (looks like a round capacitor), and while there is a speaker installed in the case, it has a 4-pin connector and there is no place for it on the mobo.
2. I'm not sure if the soft-switching is correct: In the beginning, the fans would spin and the sytem would startup as soon as i turned on the wall outlet, without waiting for me to turn on the power switch on the case. Then after fiddling with the front panel connectors, it stopped doing so and allowed me to power up from the switch on the case. However, i can also switch off the system this way (with the case switch), which doesn't seem right to me (an earlier identical system that i assembled, identical except for the case that is) did not allow this (and it beeped first time i powered up).
Please help urgently.

 

[SirNuke]

1. The speaker won't beep unless its plugged in, and the mb pins for it should be right with the other pins for switches/leds.

2. There are two things that can handle a power button. The first is the BIOS. The BIOS will typically turn a computer off if the power button is pressed and held for a certain length of time (I usually see about 4 seconds). Windows can also start the shutdown procedure, which you can modifiy. To access it, open the Control Panel, and click on Performance and Maintenance, and click on Power Options. Click on the tab for Advanced, and under there you can select what WIndows does when the power button is pressed.

 

[mmshrink2]

Thanks for the very speedy reply SN.
1. The only connector coming from the speaker (labelled "speaker") is 4-pin, and there is no such 4-pin connector in the array of pins for the led's, etc - only two pin and one pin types (and all of these are being used), so I have no idea where to put it.
2. May I ask if the BIOS necessarily has to beep after POSTING, particularly on this intel mobo? Is it possible that this is one of those systems that does away with that beep?
3. Thanks for the info on the power button: you're saying then that after I have installed the hard drive and the OS I can tell it not to power down through the switch, and also not to power up from the wall outlet?

 

[mmshrink2]

Sorry, i should be more specific about the first point: the wire coming from the speaker that im referring to is that coming from the case speaker. I believe that the speaker for this board is integrated (or am i mistaken) and thus should not need to be plugged in.
Also, btw, at the moment when i hit the power switch it turns off the system immediately, no waiting for 4 seconds or less.

 

[Freestone]

Regarding number 3, you can tell the OS not to power down through the switch, but since the OS isn't loaded at power on time, it can't possibly control the action of the power on switch. Look around in BIOS for power settings and see if there is anything regarding actions after restoration of AC power. Your BIOS may be set to power up the PC after AC is restored.

What model of Intel board are you using?

 

[mmshrink2]

Thanks, I will check in the BIOS later today, but your advice so far is great.
Regarding the Beep problem: The board is an Intel® (Bayfield) Desktop Board D865GBF with an Intel® 865G Chipset. I don't have the PC with me right now, but I think all Intel boards use the same Bios manufacturers (AMI?). I'm not sure, though, whether no beep is normal or abnormal, and if the latter how to correct.

 

[Freestone]

Intel® Desktop Board D865GBF/D865GLC Product Guide

http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/d865gbf/sb/cs-008983.htm

Page 25:

"Speaker
A speaker is mounted on the desktop board. The speaker provides audible error code (beep code) information during the Power-On Self-Test (POST)."

Intel® Desktop Board D865GBF/D865GLC Technical Product Specification

ftp://download.intel.com/design/motherbd/bf/C3263401.pdf

Top of page 140:

"If POST completes normally, the BIOS issues one short beep before passing control to the operating system."


And from the Product Guide, page 77 (BIOS Power Menu):

After Power Failure
• Stay Off
• Last State (default)
• Power On

Determines the mode of operation if a power loss occurs.

Stay Off keeps the power off until the power button is pressed.

Last State restores the previous power state before
power loss occurred.

Power On restores power to the computer.

 

[mmshrink2]

I guess pages 25 and 140 mean that there is a problem with the speaker on the mobo. Can such an isolated problem occur, with no other difficulties? I have completed the assembly and there is no difficulty with BIOS in any area (ie all the drives are recognised, memory is recognised, etc). The only problem is no beep after POSTing. Interestingly, it turns out that the other (identical except for the chassis) system I assembled also has no beep after POSTing (it beeped the first time it was powered up, but apparently not since then), with no other difficulties experienced. Have you encountered such a problem before? It seems mighty weird that only the speaker would be busted with no other symptoms.

 

[SirNuke]

I have never seen a speaker mounted on the motherboard before. Its quite possible that only the I would keep an eye out for any more problems. I am sure that this would qualify for a mb replacement/repair if its still under warrenty (though it may be difficult to convince the company)

 

[Freestone]

There is a speaker mounted on this motherboard, more than likely a piezo speaker. If the board is oriented so that the I/O is at the rear, the speaker is then located at the front edge of the board, almost directly south of the battery.

ftp://download.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/D865GLC/BFLC_English.pdf page 14 item S.

If the motherboard is functioning, then I don't think I'd let this bother me to the point of returning it.

 

[mmshrink2]

I am aware that the speaker is on-board, and i can locate it on the mobo. Just doesn't seem to be working - I started up with a key pressed down to try and force it to beep, but no dice. I agree that this doesn't warrant sending back the board, but it is weird, particularly that this is the second board with the same problem. There's nothing in the CMOS Setup that enables or disables it, do you think?

 

[Freestone]

mmshrink2,

I knew you were aware of the speaker from your first post. My comment was directed at SirNuke, and I should have addressed it as such. I looked in the manual for any speaker settings, but didn't see anything. I'm afraid I'm out of ideas.

 

[randomdude]

I thought I remembered something in the bios on my machine with an 865GBF that said silent or rapid boot or something to that effect. If I remember right it hides the splash screen and skips some startup tests.

 

[mmshrink2]

Thanks randomdude,
If I disable rapid boot, i get my beep back. Have a well-deserved star!

 

[randomdude]

Glad it worked. Enjoy your new beep. Hopefully that will be the last of your troubles, but we all know how computers are.