AHHH HELP STUCK AT BIOS SCREEN!

[smithers0859]

ive been able to get the comp started (vnf4u motherboard) and it stops at the screen where it gives you options (go set up bios and what not) and my keyboard "freezes," (keys wont work including num lock and caps and scroll and the lights dont change, however they flash at boot) but there is power getting to it (i checked the power with my optical mouse, and ive used 2 keyboards, they both did the same thing).

I am also getting a POST code that says 6D and before the board is done loading, there are several other which im not to sure what they are but I am pretty sure they are 23 or 33, 49, 52, 65, and 6D. I've tried everything that I can think of, which probably isnt much since im part noobish, and I havent been able to find the award-bios post codes (v6.00pg).
Well, actually, the closest ive come to this is:
http://www.bioscentral.com/postcodes/awardbios.htm and the codes are under the i810 section, which i 'thought' was an intel board and "all the codes that would be the codes" have an 'h' after them. Anyway, according to that, the codes mean:

23h Check validity of RTC value; Load CMOS settings into BIOS stack. If CMOS checksum fails, use default value instead; Prepare BIOS resource map for PCI & PnP use. If ESCD is valid, take into consideration of the ESCD's legacy information; Onboard clock generator initialization. Disable respective clock resource to empty PCI & DIMM slots; Early PCI initialization - Enumerate PCI bus number, assign memory & I/O resource, search for a valid VGA device & VGA BIOS, and put it into C000:0

33h Reset keyboard except Winbond 977 series Super I/O chips

49h Calculate total memory by testing the last double last word of each 64K page; Program writes allocation for AMD K5 CPU

52h Test all memory (clear all extended memory to 0)

65h Initialize PS/2 mouse

6Dh Assign resources to all ISA PnP devices; Auto assign ports to onboard COM ports if the corresponding item in Setup is set to "AUTO"

please guys, ive been reading around here for awhile, I know you can help me or atleast help me with those post codes because i dont really know what they mean.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

What PSU are you using? What is the amps on the 12v rail? Can you even get into the BIOS? Also, try removing all nonessential add-in cards and try booting again. Let us know the results and what PSU/amp rating you have. I cannot help you on the POST Codes.

 

[smithers0859]

the rest of my system:

vnf4u mobo
http://www.chaintech.com.tw/tw/eng/product_spec.asp?MPSNo=13&PISNo=318

raidmax case

retail 939 3000+

pci-e x700pro (go ahead, say all you want about this vs the 6600gt, this suits me just fine and was cheaper)

rosewill psu (20pin but it had 34a on the 12v rail, couldnt pass that up specially since rosewill is decent, it had good reviews, was 45bucks had 2 blue led fans)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-182-003&depa=0

pc3200 ram that i got at sams club (wasnt nesseccarely cheap but i had gift cards)

and something i was a little bit weary about:
cdrom- pulled it out of an <i>old</i> dell(purchased.....1998?, it has a 250mhz pII) and i wasnt too sure if i put it in right,
i have an 80gig ide maxtor hdd (good deal at staples last month) and i wasnt sure how to plug them in, i have them as masters on seperate ide cables. is this correct?

ohhhh yeah, i was also wondering, i pluged in the 20pin main power and i also pluged a 4pin 12v into the mobo (not on the same plug, but if you look at the mobo, you'll see the one im talking about (between dimm1 and the cpu slot)), so i was wondering, was i supposed to plug them both in?

 

[smithers0859]

Hey chicago, I'm pretty sure the only thing plugged in that is " non essential " is the cdrom drive.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Yup, you did plug the PSU into the correct areas. You can use the 20 pin/4pin config that you have and be OK (at least according to Chaintech). The amps are fine, but that said I have never used an type of PSU beyond Sparkle, Fortron Source, PC Power and Cooling, OCZ, and Enermax--I have no experience with the Rosewill. The RAM is bit questionable--try putting one stick into the correct DIMM slot to get single channel operation and see if the problem still occurs. You were correct in putting both IDE devices as masters on separate cables. The HDD should be on the primary IDE channel, and the CD-ROM on the secondary. The age of the CD-ROM shouldn't be a big deal, but if it is a concern you might try swapping it for a newer one (they are cheap enough...)--that said, you should recheck to make sure both devices are indeed configured as masters and that both devices are on the last connectors of the cables. Do not use the middle connector unless you have a slave device.

Confirm the connections, the settings, unplug the mouse, remove all add-in cards except video, put the mobo into single channel mode by putting the one DIMM into the correct slot (try the other module as well if no success on the first time around) (the manual should point out which one is the right one for this), and then try booting again. Results?

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Better yet--yank both the CD-ROM and HDD cables and leave only the FDD hooked up. What happens?

 

[smithers0859]

ok, well, dont have a fdd but that i can add pretty quickly (got one lying around)

the new cd rom drive is a little bit out of the question as it would take awhile to get one and im..... i guess im in a hurry.

oh it might also help to to let you know that the cdrom doesnt even open, though it did before

 

[smithers0859]

ok unpluged the hdd and cdrom from mobo and i get different codes...

49 (same as above, calc total mem)

52(same as above, test mem)

65(same as above, initiallize ps2/mouse)

75h Detect and install all IDE devices: HDD, LS120, ZIP, CDROM...


also, i left the power connectors in, and the cdrom now opens.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Well, that only strengthens the suggestion to go ahead and leave only the keyboard, a FDD, and the video card attached, with the mobo in single channel mode and trying both sticks seperately. If you get a boot and can get into the BIOS in single channel mode this way, then add the second DIMM for dual channel and see if you can still boot. Let me know. This is a pain in the butt process, but it is the process of elimination that is going to lead you to the answer.

The CD-ROM door not opening is definitely weird. Oh, disconnect the CD-ROM and HDD POWER cables too.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

You replied before I did! Ok, how about putting the mobo into single channel mode, trying each stick one at a time?

 

[smithers0859]

i forgot to add to the other post that i also got this post code:

7Fh Switch back to text mode if full screen logo is supported: if errors occur, report errors & wait for keys, if no errors occur or F1 key is pressed continue - Clear EPA or customization logo

and i only have one stick o ram

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Well, my guess at this point is that you have a bad stick of RAM, or it is incompatible. Does the RAM you are using show up on Chaintech's tested sheet? Not that it means that RAM not listed thus is incompatible, but it is a point of reference. If trying another stick does not resolve this, then it is the mobo. It used to be that you had to have at least a HDD or FDD hooked up to get anywhere, but with the later chipsets this might have changed, so keep that floppy hooked up through this process. Incidentally--if your video card has a PCI-E power connector on it, please make sure it is hooked up!

 

[smithers0859]

uh well i unpluged the mouse and though i think i solved the problem myself somewhere along the line, i must say thanks a bunch for helpin me out chi. it seems to be working now as it is letting me enter set up and what not.


chicago is a beautiful city btw, you should visit detroit tho:beer:

 

[smithers0859]

6:59, whoa. well i'll be back if i expirience more problems. thanx again for the help

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

No problem! What do you think the issue was?

Yeah, I love Chi-Town. I used to live in Sterling Heights and Utica, but that was back in the 80's when Detroit was an indescribable hell hole. Is it better now?

 

[smithers0859]

Originally posted by: ChicagoPCGuy
No problem! What do you think the issue was?

Yeah, I love Chi-Town. I used to live in Sterling Heights and Utica, but that was back in the 80's when Detroit was an indescribable hell hole. Is it better now?

lol, well the hudson building is gone but the people mover works! ...sometimes and it goes in a circle now but that is just about it, it sucks and it most likely will not be ready for the superbowl though ya dont see many people huddling around flaming cop cars anymore, so thats a definate plus.

anyway i thnk ive narrowed the prob down to the hdd. everytime i plug it in, i get the same errors but when i dont, windows boots from the cdrom. is there something i should set up in the bios that can fix it?

 

[smithers0859]

WTF all i had to do was swap the hdd and cd cables... 3hrs AND ALL I HAD TO DO WAS SWITCH TWO DAMN CABLES!? psh they were in the right plugs too, someday i'll learn.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

That is bizarre! Did both cables you were using come with the mobo? I have seen, although it is VERY rare, certain mobos that do not like just any old ribbon cable on a certain port. Glad you got it up and running!

PS--hehe, glad to hear about the lack of flaming cop cars! From your picture you use, I assume you are a cop? So, no flaming cop cars must definitely be a plus for you if you are!

 

[jonnyGURU]

That's not all too weird.

My Biostar M7NCD board does the same thing. If I hook my IBM drive to it, I can use it in any combination with any of my other drives. If I hook up my WD to it, I can't put my LS120 on the same cable. Neither is detected. If I hook up my Lite-On DVD as slave to the WD on the Primary, my board locks up on the same screen as Smither's machine. If I put them on the secondary, the PC boots up, but locks as soon as you try to use the DVD. The WD will work fine on either controller if my MSI CDRW is the slave.

And it's not jumper settings, either.

Go figure.