HELP! Just got a Biostar M7NCDP and I'm having trouble!

[PTCvette]

Hey everyone... I just got my Biostar M7NCDP Pro today from Newegg. I'm at work hooking it all up and not having much luck. I've built a number of computers before, so I must be missing something here. Here's where I am at right now:

CPU and HSF installed (XP2000)
RAM installed (OCsystem PC3000 256MB)
Video installed (GF3 AGP)

When I power it up just to test things out, I get power, and all the fans spin up, but I don't get ANY video at all. I thought the GF3 might be dying, so I got an old PCI card that was laying around the office and tried it (I know the card works in the computer is stole it from). Same as the GF3, powers up but no video.

So then I thought it might be the RAM, I got 256MB of the cheapo PNY and tried it. Nothing worked there either. Also tried all 3 DDR slots, to no avail.

I also tried to reset the CMOS just to see if that would help, but I got the same thing after the clear...

If anyone has any other ideas I haven't thought about, please let me know!!! Something is keeping the video from working, and the Biostar manual and Website are less than helpful :frown: I know I am overlooking something stupid, but just can't figure out what!

Thanks in advance!
Jeff

 

[PTCvette]

Help!

Just so you guys know, since neither one of my DDR strips want to work, I am planning on going to best buy or somewhere in the morning and "renting" another strip to see what it will do. The funny thing is I get no beeps or anything from the board, it just sits there with no video and it's driving me INSANE!!!

EDIT: I am hooked up to the onboard sound and stillget no beeps. Also, my keybpard lights flash on like normal when you hit power. My optical mouse sits there and flashes at me....

Jeff

 

[PTCvette]

All right now this is just getting plain silly! I got a new strip of 256MB DDR and it isn't working either. I don't know what to do with the damn thing. I even swapped the power supply out, thinking that might be the problem... No such luck. I took the thing completely out and reinstalled it just to make sure something wasn't wrong there, but no luck. I'm going to call NEwegg in the morning and see what the deal is, but I think the board is somehow bad.

Jeff

 

[Com807877]

Oh god. I was about to buy this board to replace my ASUS A7V8X that ASUS failed to make (some) properly compatible with 8X AGP cards and causes a black screen just like you describe.

No, I'll still get the Biostar though.

Hmm... I'm glad you tried a PCI video card. Tell me, when you tried the PCI video card you had the AGP card removed right?

There is a chance this board needs you to specifiy PCI or AGP video in the BIOS and is defaulted to AGP, but honestly I can't remember the last time I saw a board that required you to do that.

Are you sure you have the cards totally in the PCI/AGP slots?

 

[propellerhead]

Mine is on the FedEx truck for delivery today...

 

[PTCvette]

Originally posted by: Com807877

Hmm... I'm glad you tried a PCI video card. Tell me, when you tried the PCI video card you had the AGP card removed right?

There is a chance this board needs you to specifiy PCI or AGP video in the BIOS and is defaulted to AGP, but honestly I can't remember the last time I saw a board that required you to do that.

Are you sure you have the cards totally in the PCI/AGP slots?

I don't know if it needs to specify PCI/AGP in the bios or not, but I can't get to the BIOS so I guess it dosen't matter. I also did try the PCI with the AGP card out of the computer, and even tried the PCI cards in every slot on the board... No luck still. I did give them a good push to make sure they were REALLY in there too. If I can get it working, i hear it's a sweet board... Too bad mine won't work!

Jeff

 

[Com807877]

Hmmm sounds defective. RMA.

 

[PTCvette]

I think so too... I've tried everything I can think of. Oh well, time to get in touch with Newegg!

Jeff

 

[WalkingDead]

I don't think you can use PCI graphic cards with any nForce 1 or 2 boards.

 

[propellerhead]

I got mine yesterday. I installed it, put the 1 AGP and 2 PCI video cards in, put the 1 TV Tuner card, RAM, connections.... Fired it up and I heard one beep. No video. I had only connected a monitor to the AGP video card. I didn't think I'd need a monitor on the PCI video cards just yet. So I connected a monitor to the PCI video card and fired it up again.
Wham! There was the boot up screen and the prompt to hit DEL to go into the BIOS setup.

I remembered this thread last night but didn't have a chance to post. But after reading your posts again, it looks like you have a real problem. Sorry.

 

[Jolt2]

I had the same problem in the past and tried the same things you have tried (video cards, memory, power supplies, stripped the system down to bare parts needed), but still no video output. What I did not try was a different CPU. I RMA'd the motherboard for warranty and got a different brand motherboard, thinking that was my problem. I put everything back together and had problems getting it running. I did get the system going and it ran for about 5 days and then went dead again. It turned out that my CPU was going bad. I later seen a very small chip on the corner of the CPU that I had. The CPU and motherboard were the only two parts that I did not have to swap out and I picked the board and I was wrong. I have seen a bad CPU do this before but did not think that was it because the CPU had run for about 45 days already. I was playing around with heatsink fans and heatsinks on this board when this happened. I would try a different processor next and if that fails then RMA the board back. Good luck and as I have found out; be careful with the heatsink install.

 

[PTCvette]

Huh... Hadn't thought of trying another CPU... The last time I used that CPU, it worked just fine. I think I have an extra Xp1600 around the house, I might try that when I get home! Thanks for the tip!

Jeff