[greyhound4334]

Hi All,

Just completed my first build and having problems getting it to POST.

ASUS A8N-E
AMD64 3200+ Venice Socket 939
2 x 512MB Crucial PC3200 DDR RAM
Western Digital WD1200 AT/IDE hard drive
Radeon 7000 PCI video card
(yeah, the video card and HDD are kinda weak, but they're holdovers from my last machine)

Anyway, I've tried everything I can think of -- reseating the video card, putting it in different slots, reseating the memory, running with only one stick, double-checking the wiring, clearing the CMOS and I still don't get any video at all, or any beeps.

Any ideas?

Current theories:
- maybe this mobo/bios doesn't yet support this CPU? Though I'm 99% sure I double checked that at several sites before purchasing, and I'm about to go try to hunt it down at ASUS again (their info on this mobo is hard to find, and my bookmarks are on the currently transplanted HDD, so I haven't tried yet).
- maybe this mobo doesn't support a PCI graphics card? It's got regular PCI slots (in addition to the PCI-e ones), but I guess I'm just a little suspicious?
- seems like a remote possibility, but could the mobo be DOA?

I'm kind of new at this, so I'm not sure what to expect, but I figured that even if there were problems with the peripherals, the HDD, the CPU, or the RAM, I'd *STILL* get some kind of diagnostics (beeps?) from the mobo. But I get no video and no sounds at all.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
john

 

[dai]

what p/s are you using
have you connected the extra power lead to the m/b

 

[greyhound4334]

dai,

I'm using the built-in 450W psu with the Antec Sonata II case.

Yes, I've plugged in both power connectors.

I've also removed all memory, disconnected all HDDs, and tried powering up. Still no beeps, no video out, no CMOS setup.

The suspects I've identified so far:
- DOA mobo
- BIOS problem (I've reset CMOS)
- PCI graphics card incompatible with PCI-e based mobo (graphics card is in a PCI slot, and ASUS tech told me this should be OK, but...)
- Possible problem with the case speaker/connector/wiring that is blocking the beep codes

I think I've ruled out:
- HDD problem (should still post/beep with them disconnected; doesn't do so)
- Case ground (have removed mobo from case; no change)
- Wiring problems (have triple checked and gone over all FAQs, etc.)
- Mem or CPU problem (should still post/beep without them; doesn't do so, though if there's a speaker problem, this would maskt that problem)

Appreciate any more ideas/hints/diagnostics.

Thanks,
john

 

[dai]

have a look at the amps each line puts out on the label on the side of the p/s and post them
try staring with just
video
cpu
ram
start it by touching the 2 pins the case switch connects to on the m/b with a paper clip or something similar
check the small light on the m/b is on
see if the fans turn over when you try to start
remove the ram and see if you receive bios beeps

 

[greyhound4334]

dai,

Thanks for the reply.

Here's the label from the PSU:
Antec SmartPower 450 Watt Output
DC Output +5V +3.3V +12V(1) +12V(2) -12V +5V SB
Max 30A 32A 15A 17A 0.3A 2.0A
Min 0.5A 0.5A 1.0A 1.0A 0A 0A
----
450, +3.3V Combined max output: 150W

I have tried with just CPU, Graphics, RAM. Also just Graphics and CPU. Also just CPU. Also nothing at all. No matter what, no beeps. Even took mobo out of case and put on cardboard box, still no beeps.

Do you want me to disconnect the front power switch and start by jumping the 2 pins on the mobo together? Or was that just a convenience? If it's part of the diagnostic procedure, I'll do it.

The small LED onboard the mobo is lit when I power up. The fans to turn on when I power up.

Do you know if there's a way to flash the ROM even if it won't POST? Some people have suggested this might be the problem.

Do you think it might be trying to beep some diagnostics but perhaps my case speaker isn't working properly? Is there any way to test that (short of getting a new case)?

Thanks for your help.

John

 

[dai]

on some boards the beeps come through the s/card,start it with the wires disconnected
you have plenty of power,so if it does not post out of the case i would think it is most likely the m/b
try i stick of ram at a time in each of the slots to see if you can get post,if still no good i would rma the m/b

 

[greyhound4334]

Fixed!

On a hunch I replaced the case and... POSTed the first time!

What an ordeal! Well, I'm on my way to installing Linux on it, so now it's off to the land of software problems -- at least that's familiar territory!

Thanks for the advice.

Cheers,
john

 

[linderman]

Greyhound:

now you really got my curosity up ????? how did replacing the case cure your problem ????? The mobo should have run outside the case ????? or did you replace case and psu ???????


regards

joe

 

[greyhound4334]

Sorry -- not that much of a mystery. I should have mentioned that the case (Antec Sonata II) comes with a PSU. It's most likely the PSU that had problems!

cheers,
john

 

[linderman]

weeeee hahhhh

That one scrambled my noodle !!!

Happy to hear you are uap and running again !!

regards

joe

 

[dr_insanity]

Just a quicky tagged on the end here, but what does POST mean?

I am assuming it stands for Power On Self Test, as in the power on beeps right?