Motherboard problems..? 1

[saiello]

Hi All. I think I have a problem with a motherboard that I hope you can help me with. I bought the motherboard, CPU and memory as a secondhand bundle that I was assured was working ( an attempt to upgrade from a Pentium Pro system!! ) Here are the specs:

M/B - Asus A7V8X ( not MX ) FSB333MHz
Processor - Athlon XP2200+
Memory - 512MB DDR333
Graphics Card - S3 Savage Pro 32Mb PCI
PSU 400W

I've tested the CPU, memory, graphics card and PSU independantly in another machine and they seem to be working fine. The motherboard power LED lights up and when I switch on the main power switch everything seems to kick in ( drives, CPU fan etc ) but then nothing happens! The screen remains blank ( the monitor doesn't even come out of standby mode and switch on ), but more worryingly, I don't get any BIOS beeps, just a couple of electrical clicks coming from the speaker! I've left it on for a good few minutes but still no joy. The seller had an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro installed and some have suggested that the PCI card is the problem and that the BIOS needs to be reset to default settings to get rid of a possible setting to AGP. This still begs the question as to why I get no POST error beeps indicating that the graphics card has not been detected! Any help greatfully appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Salvatore.

 

[port27374]

Hi salvatore - here is a link for your MOBO's manual in english -

http://www.asuscom.de/pub/ASUS/mb/socka/kt400/a7v8x-x/e1198_a7v8x-x.pdf

the first thing you should try doing is resetting the CMOS, this can be done through shorting relevant jumpers (whilst the power supply is off - refer to manual for instructions) or removing the button battery on the MOBO for a few mins (once again make sure power is disconnected before you try this). You should make sure the CMOS Clear jumper is in the normal position before starting the MOBO power again to see if it POST's.
By clearing the CMOS you will reset the graphics card state to default. Make sure you keep the jumper shorted long enough for the CMOS to drain.


Assuming that you have tested the components besides the MOBO independently and successfully(i.e. RAM, CPU Etc...), if clearing the cmos doesnt work, i would say you have a malfunctioning MOBO.

 

[saiello]

Hi, Thanks for the reply. I'll try resetting the CMOS and let you know.

Thanks again.

 

[paparazi]

saiello
I agree, clear the cmos first, I will just add a few other things.
Are you sure that when you mounted the motherboard all the mounting posts (brass stand off's) that they were all in the correct positions? there may be one too many or one in the wrong position shorting the motherboard to ground.

Are the IDE/floppy cables orientated the correct way?

Has the processor burnt due to the heatsink/fan having been fitted 180degrees out? (recess in the base of the heatsink must be positioned so it located over the raised cam box on the CPU socket) If fitted incorrectly the CPU could be permanently damaged.

Also: is the power supply up to the job? 300watt plus.

Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[saiello]

Hi, The PSU is 400W. As for the CPU I know this is working as I have already tested it in another machine. A few people have already mention about the shorting problem, so I will check this out as well starting with a minimal setup ( CPU, memory, graphics card only ) and let you know.

Thanks again.

 

[saiello]

OK folks, here’s some further test results:

Components ( see original post for specs ):
CPU, PCI graphics card, memory, PSU 400W. All tested independently and working fine.

Setup:
Motherboard outside case on anti-static material ( no shorting problem ). Mouse and keyboard plugged in.

Testing:
Cleared CMOS. Powered on with nothing on the motherboard ( apart from CPU! ). Then tried all combinations of slots for PCI graphics card and all slots for memory.

Result: No change from original symptoms.

I’ve yet to try an AGP card but don’t hold out much hope. I’ll try this as a very last resort before I send the boys round to the sellers address… ;o)

 

[saiello]

Hi All! You won’t believe how, but I managed to get it working..! After clearing the CMOS and not getting any joy, I made the assumption that the CMOS had correctly reverted to it’s defaults. I was also pretty damn sure (99.99%!) that all the components were 100% ok and there weren’t any compatibility problems with the motherboard and components. The only thing left in the chain was the flash rom itself. Just for laugh I levered out the rom chip and cleaned all of the contacts on the chip with a bit of emery paper. I shoved it back in, turned on the power and hey presto, that single BIOS beep was music to my ears, and she booted up! After 4 days of headaches, all it turned out to be was a dry contact..! ;o)) One to make note of..!

Thanks for all of your input,
Salvatore.