Just Someone

Hi there,

Mobo: Asus A8N SLI Delux
O/S: Windows XP

A bit over a week ago, my PC started giving me a warning on bootup that the "Chip Fan" was not responding or too slow. I replaced the CPU HeatSink and Fan and replaced with another genuine AMD one. While I was at it, I also replaced the case fan as it was starting to kick up a racket.

I was a bit disappointed to discover that when I turned the PC back on, I got the same error.

I installed ASUS Probe II and it is happy to report that the CPU temperature is hovering round about 50 Celsius and that that the chip fan seems to idle at about 1300 RPM, but I have seen it running a lot faster under load. So, the software probe seems quite happy with the current setup. Any idea why the Power On Self Test might still be reporting an error? Could there be a flag somewhere I need to reset to tell it that I've changed the fan?

On the other hand, maybe all is not well. Over the weekend, I got a popup from my audio software, I think it's the default software that comes with the board. I didn't look too closely at the time, as the popup often appears when the speaker cable comes loose. I figured that maybe I hadn't put the cable back in securely and that I'd get to it. A couple of hours later, when I alt-tabbed back to the popup, the system froze and I got a Blue Screen of Death which only hung about for a second or two, certainly not long enough to read it, before powering down.

When I powered back up, my audio device was just gone. Clicking into the sound controls in Control Panel tells me I don't have any audio device installed. Searching for new hardware didn't find it.

So - what do you think?

Does the on startup warning about "Chip Fan" refer to my CPU Heatsink and Fan. If so, why am I still getting the warning, when the probes seem to show it's ok?

Is my mobo audio device fried? Can I restore it? If not, can I just install a new audio card?

Any help much appreciated. I'm mostly a software guy - I took it as a personal achievement earlier this year when I successfully installed an additional SATA drive in this baby. I know I need to get to know the hardware more, I just wish we didn't always meet at funerals!

Thanks,

JS

manic

Chip fan is talking about the northbridge fan/chipset. That run of
boards had a issue with the fan failing. I ran across one of those and
put a zalman passive heatsink on, worked like a charm, no faulty fan
to rely on. Go to asus's support site and type in an8sli chipset fan
problem, or just google it, alot of info. I would not run that pc anymore
once the chipset is torched the board is a paperweight.

Just Someone

Hi,

Thanks for the fast reply. Forgive my ignorance here, but is the "northbridge chipset fan", the AMD-branded heatsink and fan which was originally attached to my CPU until I replaced it? Or is it a whole nother component?

Thanks,

JS

manic

No, if you look closely at the board right under the first pci-e
slot, you will see a little fan, that is cooling the northbridge. That
fan had a known tendency to not work. Asus admits this, but the best
fix is a zalman passive heatsink, no fan, no problem. If you have a video
card that covers 2 slots, then you may have a problem. Do a google on
it, it was a well know problem, then you will be able to find the proper
fix for you. It was no secret that this was a issue.

manic

Go here
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/22...-chipset-dying
Lots of info

Just Someone

Thanks a mill for this. It's good info. As I'm somewhat short of time, and have fingers that are far from nimble, I think I may take this one to the shop.

But it will be good to go in there armed with a clue.

Thanks again.

JS

manic

Your welcome..