Tech Support Forum - View Single Post - Asus P4C800-E Deluxe

**clintfan** · 12-24-2004, 04:41 PM

Hi MECressey, and welcome to the forum!

As you well know, this model mobo has no onboard video, it has to come from an add-on AGP card.

One idea is that over the years we have seen some AGP's whose circuit boards were too thin to fit securely into the AGP slot. Usually the video mfg. has supplied a too-thin card, it isn't that Asus has supplied a too-loose socket.

Another idea is that if you're using a DVI monitor here, but the customer is using an analog monitor --or vice-versa-- the mobo BIOS may have configured itself to your monitor, and doesn't see your customer's unit: clearing the CMOS is, I think, the only way to fix that, after which any custom settings you made --such as Boot Device Priority, HT, etc.-- must be reestablished.

Third, there is a PCI-vs.-AGP Graphic Adapter Priority setting in the BIOS Advanced- Chipset. Default is AGP first, but I suppose it could somehow have got set to PCI, though I doubt it, and it should still choose AGP if a PCI card isn't present. Clearing CMOS would set it back, but is a radical thing to do if the rest of the PC boots to the O/S successfully, as you say.

Final idea is that the Northbridge chip has somehow been jarred loose or been damaged. The AGP port is driven off the Northbridge, but I think it is soldered in, not socketed. Again, if the chip is healthy enough to boot the O/S, it's unlikely only the video sections have been destroyed.

It could be something else besides these ideas, but debugging the problem long-distance may prove futile, and bad customer relations for your client. If you can, you should probably have the client ship the failed PC back to you, send him a replacement unit, and then fix the broken one afterwards.

-clintfan

12-24-2004, 04:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
clintfan Guru Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Silicon Valley, CA Posts: 2,655 OS: XP Pro	Hi MECressey, and welcome to the forum! As you well know, this model mobo has no onboard video, it has to come from an add-on AGP card. One idea is that over the years we have seen some AGP's whose circuit boards were too thin to fit securely into the AGP slot. Usually the video mfg. has supplied a too-thin card, it isn't that Asus has supplied a too-loose socket. Another idea is that if you're using a DVI monitor here, but the customer is using an analog monitor --or vice-versa-- the mobo BIOS may have configured itself to your monitor, and doesn't see your customer's unit: clearing the CMOS is, I think, the only way to fix that, after which any custom settings you made --such as Boot Device Priority, HT, etc.-- must be reestablished. Third, there is a PCI-vs.-AGP Graphic Adapter Priority setting in the BIOS Advanced- Chipset. Default is AGP first, but I suppose it could somehow have got set to PCI, though I doubt it, and it should still choose AGP if a PCI card isn't present. Clearing CMOS would set it back, but is a radical thing to do if the rest of the PC boots to the O/S successfully, as you say. Final idea is that the Northbridge chip has somehow been jarred loose or been damaged. The AGP port is driven off the Northbridge, but I think it is soldered in, not socketed. Again, if the chip is healthy enough to boot the O/S, it's unlikely only the video sections have been destroyed. It could be something else besides these ideas, but debugging the problem long-distance may prove futile, and bad customer relations for your client. If you can, you should probably have the client ship the failed PC back to you, send him a replacement unit, and then fix the broken one afterwards. -clintfan Last edited by clintfan; 12-24-2004 at 04:49 PM.