Help Requested: Bad PS, mobo, CPU, RAM??

[SnakeEyes45]

Just building a new system:
* P4 2.26 Ghz 533FSB
* Abit BG7 motherboard
* Antec TruPower 330W PS
* 512MB Corsair PC2700 CAS2
* Lite-on CD-RW

Just booted it up (sans hard drive) last night and ran into problems...

* Immediately when it came on I heard alternating warning tones
* Display indicated my CPU was at 1.7 Ghz and RAM at DDR200
* I changed the settings in the BIOS to 2.26 Ghz and rebooted...
* I then got nothing nothing on the screen and no beeps. Power Supply fan is on, case fans run, CD-RW spins, but nothing else. If I leave it on, it eventually shuts itself down.
* I've tried wiping the CMOS using the jumpers on the motherboard to no effect.

Any thoughts? For now, I suspect my CPU is no longer any good...

 

[CaptnKirk]

Until you get a hard drive installed and an operating system in place this is a moot point - your computer cannot run beyond the BIOS
install the drive and O/S and let us know what it did.

 

[SnakeEyes45]

Installing a hard drive will not change the fact that I can't even get into the BIOS. I am also unable to install an OS when the PC itself won't boot. This is a problem that needs to be solved one step at a time. Your suggestions are valid, but they are only useful once the current problems are addressed. Installing a hard drive and OS are moot when you have no way of booting the computer and accessing memory, CPU functions, and the BIOS.

 

[Insidious]

I have an ABit MoBo and there is a BIOS setting that sets up the ratio of CPU/FSB/PCI bus frequencies.

It sounds kind of like there may be an issue with the settings you have chosen and your PCI bus is

operating at too high a frequency.


(Check the MoBo manual and the ABit site for info.)

Sorry I can't be more specific, but if I try, I'll probably mess up a detail too

 

[Buz2b]

* Immediately when it came on I heard alternating warning tones

What tones are those that you were hearing. Those will give you the clues. You will find some info on this site for the beep codes.

 

[CaptnKirk]

The alternating pitch sound (like a siren) is a warning - sometime voltage, but usually heating. There may have been a glitch in the heatsink mounting which allowed the processor to overheat, which would have killed it. If you got to the BIOS the first time, and were able to adjust settings, you should be able to clear the BIOS by moving the jumper over and then back after a few seconds, like about ten. Try to re-seat the memory, and clear BIOS (POWER OFF) and try again. You may have to remove the H'sink and inspect the CPU to see if its blistered or dis-colored. Good luck with this one - it sounds expensive.

 

[SnakeEyes45]

* The tones were alternating. Two different tones of same duration, different pitch. The motherboard seems to have a Phoenix BIOS chip on board, though the BIOS itself is Award(?). I couldn't tell from the link Buz2b provided what went wrong. Unfortunately, I can't retest, as I don't get any tones anymore.
* I've tried using the jumpers to clear the CMOS, but that hasn't worked. I'll try one more time, leaving the jumpers in place a bit longer than before.
* I've tried taking out the Maxell battery on the board, letting sit for 1/2 hour with no power connected, and trying again--no luck.
* There is some residue that scrapes off easily on the CPU itself, using my fingernail. I called Intel and they said this was normal and happens all the time. There is some on the heatsink, too---haven't yet tried to scrape off. No discoloration or blistering on the top or bottom of the CPU though, which I take as a good sign.
* I've tried reseating everything--even tried booting without RAM. No luck.

Bets? CPU, PS, or mobo is now gone?

--Eric

 

[Diable]

Its your mobo. I had a Abit SD7-533 that did the same thing a couple weeks ago. I also had a 2.26GHz P4 installed and one day it wouldn't boot. I hit restart and all I got was a message about a bios checksum error and thats it, it never booted again.

 

[SnakeEyes45]

If it's my mobo, I'll be considering 1) replacing it with another BG7 from newegg.com or 2) replacing it with something else. As it turns out, Newegg dropped their price $20 on the board since I bought it about 2.5 weeks ago. It's about even on returning it for a refund and paying the 15% restocking fee and just submitting it for repair. Since it's probably easier to just order a new one while I go through the RMA process, that may be what I'll do.

I've also thought of buying an ASUS P4S8X, but am not sure on that.

 

[SnakeEyes45]

Update: I found a friend who was willing to help me troubleshoot the problem. We put my CPU in his Asus board, and upon booting up, it indicated (via voice alert) that the CPU failed. So, I'm assuming I have a bad CPU on my hands and have sent it back to Intel. Intel will ship me out a new replacement when they get mine.

My BG7 mobo may still be bad, too, but I'm guessing (hoping?) this possibility is unlikely. What are the odds of one guy like me getting both a bad CPU and mobo?

 

[SnakeEyes45]

Got my new Intel CPU to replace my old one. Plugged in just the RAM and CPU, plus keyboard, monitor via built-in video, mouse.

Boot-up. Get a "CMOS Checksum Error Default Loaded" message and see that, again, it recognized my CPU at 1.7 Ghz, not 2.26. No warning sounds. I immediately turn off and remove power anyway.

Look on-line to see if other folks had same issue. Some folks have seen same error message, but appears like it could be from several different problems--everything from a bad battery to bad USB wiring. Nothing conclusive. One poster said to try setting CMOS settings and reboot--if it works. I decide to try.

Try again, same observations as noted above. I go into CMOS settings. Don't change anything, as I look over the options. Warning sounds come on- alternating eeee-ooohhhh-eeee-oooohhh. I immediately turn everything off again. Probably 2 seconds of warning time elapsed.

I've basically repeated my initial scenario experienced in August, and am hoping I didn't fry my CPU. I didn't do anything!

That's where I stand. I'm getting a different motherboard, or at least a replacement. I may also need to test out my CPU again, and I'm going to be pretty disappointed in Abit if it's fried. Any guesses as to what is going on?

 

[SnakeEyes45]

Update: The absolutely WONDERFUL folks at NewEgg.com are taking my motherboard back and giving me a refund. Nicest folks.

So, now I'm faced with the question of what to buy...

Considering:
* Abit BG7 - the same one I had. Lower price, has all the features I need/want except Firewire and AGP8X. I can add Firewire for less than getting a board with it already on. This is the board I'd get if I think that I just somehow got a bad board. Integrated video means I can hold off on the video card if I need to. No one else seems to have had my particular problem with the CMOS/CPU. $102
* Asus P4S8X. Based on the new SiS648. Seems not to be too hot for overclocking from early results, has no AGP/PCI lock. Does have Asus name, decent sound, and FireWire. Stable. Expensive at $146, but that includes Firewire...
* Gigabyte 8SG667 (Sis648). No FireWire, but cheaper price than Asus model by $30. Reports stable DDR400, which Asus users are not generally reporting. Then again, my RAM might not make it that high anyway. $110 at Essential Computers.

Your thoughts?

 

[paulzebo]

I'm following your thread and don't see where it's mentioned if the bios has been reflashed. If this is a new C1 stepped CPU, or just a new one which the Bios doesn't recognize, problems like yours develop.

 

[SnakeEyes45]

Paulzebo-

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a "new C1 stepped CPU"? It's a 2.26Ghz 533FSB CPU. Pack date at Intel was 8/13/02 on my newest CPU, so it's pretty new. How do I flash the BIOS if I can't even boot it up?

Your help is appreciated... Thanks!

 

[paulzebo]

Don't know if you can on the particular board you have. My ASUS P4B533-E allows me to press ALT- F2@ at post time allowing me to reflash the BIOS. You would have to read the user guide for the ABIT board you have to see if it could be done. Regarding C1 stepping, Intel released new streppings for some of their cores. If the BIOS isn't programmed to recognize the new CPU values, it basically goes into a default mode which in your case seems to be 1.7Ghz.

In my case, it read the 2.5Ghz as a different CPU also, Didn't recognize any keys on the keyboard except del-and the arrow keys. I reflashed and everything went back to normal.

Since the 533 Bus is still somewhat new, I would say it's very possible that this is the problem. Call ABIT and ask.

...............And good luck, I know how hard it can be when things like this go wrong!