Help Pls - System won't post

[teddyv]

Hi Folks,

I have an Epox 9NPA+Ultra based system. A few weeks ago my MSI RX800 video card started to malfunction in WoW, after a bit it stopped working alltogether (just gibberish on startup.) I sent it back for a new one and just put the new one (same everything) in. Here is where it gets weird...

1. First bootup it worked fine, just stopped at the post screen with a "Boot From CD" and my cd tray opened.

2. I rebooted thinking it was an odd hiccough, but the screen never came up again.

3. Now when I boot up my monitor shows nothing, I get a long beep and the MB shows "FF" on the lcd readout. Not sure what "FF" means, I thnk it was what it always said.

Any advice?

 

[teddyv]

forgot to add, the CD tray opens the second I power up (never did that before...)

 

[Ctrackstar126]

I would take out the motherboard and then take out all your stuff and then put it back together.
i had the FF error before..forgot what it meant but I would take it all apart as if you are putting it together from scratch. Maybe somehow something came lose and your MB is shorting somewhere causing your GPU to mess up.
If that doesnt work perhaps try a different PSU.
If that doesnt work try one stick of memory to make sure your memory isnt failing
If nothing works there and no one else has a suggestion have a BBQ and drink a henekein

 

[teddyv]

Thanks for your reply - I pulled the Epox manual online and FF seems to mean "A-OK." I just unhooked the optical and hard drives and tried rebooting, and got a "7F" code which has something to do with loading a customized logo? It says "clear EPA or switch to full text mode" whatever that means?

 

[teddyv]

OK, so to switch to full text mode you hit F1 as it boots - I did that and now get the FF code, but still no video.

AARRGGH

 

[Ctrackstar126]

did u try taking it out the case?

 

[teddyv]

well before I take it all apart I am going to see if I can find someone nearby that can just check the card for me. Then we'll get into major surgury

 

[Bobthelost]

So the motherboard seems to think that all is well, but nothing shows on the screen?

Everything is plugged in correctly isn't it? You know how stupid you'll feel if you didn't plug the monitor in or turn it on

 

[unmerited]

Have you tried clearing the cmos?


unmerited

 

[teddyv]

no not yet - will that redo all my bios settings?

 

[teddyv]

LoL Bob - yes it is all plugged in correctly. It worked fine first bootup, just wanted to boot from CD. I hard rebooted and now it won't show video (but it sure seems to like opening the CD tray for some reason...)

 

[Ctrackstar126]

well the reason i reccomend taking it out is because of your previous problems with your other card. You say your other card slowly died out and now your other video card doesnt work.

 

[teddyv]

The other card was an odd failure - one night it just started freezing in WoW, it worked fine for everything else though. After a few days I tried WoW again and I got a matrix-like screen. After that it would post but the screen would look like the matrix with unintelligible characters. I sent it back and the new one posted the first time perfectly - just on reboot it decided to no longer produce video.

I did reset the CMOS - no change

 

[pkme2]

Check your video again, can you put in another video card? If it doesn't work, its your mobo. If it does, its your video card. If after all of that, it still doesn't work, start with the barest minimum to zero in on the problem. By the way, what's your PSU?

 

[Ctrackstar126]

well the fact that u have problems with a working GPU and a new GPU means something with the slot on the Mb or something wrong with the PSU. Maybe an under/overvoltage browned out your old one and now the same problem is facing new card.

 

[teddyv]

OK, I took the board out tried the boot with just the bare essentials - no change. I am going to try and get the vid card checked and if it works, off goes the Mobo for an RMA. The card does not have a separate power hookup, and the way the old one stopped working led me to think it was the card - who knows, maybe the new one failed (it is an MSI afterall )

 

[Ctrackstar126]

update us when it comes. I dont put it passed that u need another one, i went thru 3 GPUS

 

[teddyv]

I'll admit to being a novice at this - do GPU's ever go bad out of the box after working for a minute then being rebooted?

 

[teddyv]

OK, I broke down and bought a cheapie x300 card from BBuy and it ... WORKS PERFECTLY. So this card is going back to NewEgg for yet another RMA

 

[Ctrackstar126]

Originally posted by: teddyv
OK, I broke down and bought a cheapie x300 card from BBuy and it ... WORKS PERFECTLY. So this card is going back to NewEgg for yet another RMA

It happens evga sent me two bad gpus in a row once. It was worth the wait
6600gt-->7800gt
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