NEW EDIT 3/13/2006
Well, I am about to buy another board (ASUS A8R32-MVP Deluxe) in the hope that the Radeon 3200 chipset will not have the same compatibility problem with my (Adaptec) 29320R Ultra 320 Host Adapter. I haven't been able to find a nice Test Report from Asus like MSI includes with their Platinum boards though...
WTF? Thought I had finally solved the problem by:
(1) Flashing to BIOS v1.C5;
(2) After successful BIOS flash, after POST, but before booting up I shutdown the system;
(3) Cleared the CMOS by holding down the CMOS Reset Button for 20 seconds;
(4) Pulled SCSI card out;
(5) Plugged PS back in along with the P4 and 24-pin Main Connector;
(6) Turned PC back on and MANUALLY assigned resources, with exception of [/i]disabling unused functions such as Firewire (1394) port and SI RAID Controller; What a PITA!!!!
(7) Power-down system again;
(8) Reinstall SCSI card;
(9) Plug electrical connections back in;
(10) Fire PC back up. I was able to re-enable the Firewire port after all steps.
Shoot, I thought I had it solved...
MODS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO MOVE THIS THREAD TO THE MOTHERBOARD FORUM, AS I NOW KNOW MY NO POST PROBLEM WAS THE SCSI CARD. Thanks in advance.
EDIT: After researching my strange incompatibility problem with my (brand-new) K8N Neo4 PE and my brand-new VisionTek X1900XT-X, MSI Tech Support guy Henry called me back this afternoon. I had discussed all the steps I had taken in the past week trying to solve my mysterious no video and no POST issue (see items 1-11 further down) with Henry yesterday (Tuesday, 2/14). Henry said that it was possible that a BIOS update might solve my issues (yes, this we know) but that there was no guarantee (yes, we know this too), as my VisionTek board was slightly different from the MSI version of the X1900XT-X. Of course, at this point I am willing to try just about anything so let's do it!
NEW UPDATE 2/21 (2/21):
OK, apparently, there is some kind of incompatibility problem between my (Adaptec) 29320R (Retail) Ultra 320 SCSI adapter card and the (MSI) K8N Neo4 Platinum motherboard AND NOT between my VisionTek X1900XT-X and my (MSI) K8N Neo4 Platinum. This was discovered today when at Henry's (MSI Tech Support) request I pulled my SCSI card out and my no video/no POST problem went away immediately. Ten (10) straight video signal/POSTs' so now I am hoping that a BIOS revision addressing my SCSI adapter will solve my POST problems. I'll update again later when I have more info.
END UPDATE 2/21
So, Henry emailed me a new BIOS, which turned-out to be "1CB5". He advised me to flash the mobo BIOS in DOS from a floppy, so I did just that. Well, the new BIOS seemed to do the trick, because after I updated the BIOS, powered-down the system, and removed the Millenium II (installing my VisionTek X1900XT-X), and powered back up I was able to get video and POST. F'in finally! JFC!!! Only strange thing is now I get a "Warning!!! Have Option ROM cannot be Invole (Vendor ID: 9005h, Device ID 8092h)". At least I have video now though.
Last friday (2/15) I thought that with the exception of the "Warning!!!" at boot-up about the Option ROM I was OK. However, Most of the time, my PC still won't Cold Boot, so I will be talking to Henry at MSI Tech Support about another BIOS revision. Hopefully, another BIOS tweak will solve my boot problems. Seems quite unlikely that my PC Power & Cooling 510 SLI can't cut the mustard. 12V Rail is rated at 34W continous (38W Peak) at 1% Regulation (best in the industry).
Or, maybe my card is marginal, but I don't think so, since I used the "Overdrive" utility in Catalyst 6.2 (yuck!) to OC to 690/800Mhz to run 3DMark 05 and it ran multiple times with incident. Also ran Halo at 1600x1200 (highest my 204B supports) with everything turned on and set to "High" and it was still fine.
Maybe a flakey PCI-E slot? Doubt that too, since (listed as #10 below in my steps I've taken) I plugged my new X1900XT-X into my brother's K8N Neo PE (same board I have) and no video or boot either.
I should add that Henry (MSI Tech Support) said that MSI tested MSI's X1900XTX Series with the K8N Neo PE and they did not have any problems running it. Hmmm...
I hope I can resolve this issue without having to get another mobo or XTX. When it runs, the XTX is great. I guess theres always the new R580 chipset mobos like the Asus A8R32 MVP coming out soon. Crossfire would be pretty cool, but I can't quite justify it with my Samsung 204B either.
I'll update this thread again after I get and test the next BIOS revision from MSI. Nothing like being a Beta tester with expensive new toys!
END UPDATE 2/21
Last Monday (2/6) I receive my new VisionTek X1900XT-X Bundle (X1900XT-X, "Got Xtasy?" tee-shirt, and 128MB USB 2.0 Drive) and install it with my brand-new K8N Neo4 Platinum board (non-SLI). My PC Power & Coooling 510 SLI hasn't arrived yet, so I throw in a 510 ATX Deluxe (same specs as 510 SLI but has all Molex plugs - no dual 6-pin PCIe power connectors like the 510 SLI) and a PCIe adapter.
System won't post. Hmmmm....is my brand-new $650.00 VisionTek XT-X DOA? Hope not. Well, I know my PC Power & Cooling 510 ATX Deluxe is good and puts out plenty of power - is it the PCIe adapter? Maybe this board is finicky about the location and size of the RAM modules upon first boot-up? Maybe this board had an old BIOS that doesn't support the FX-57? Maybe it's because I am trying to cheat and not re-format my drives and do a fresh Windows install? (my wife's PC has Win XP Pro, but I've been putting off installing Win XP Pro on my system, as I like Win 2K Pro).
So, a week's worth of troubleshooting and I still haven't run my new $650.00 videocard. F'in A!!!! Possibly not in chronological order, in the past week I have:
(1) Swapped my FX-57 for the FX-53 in my wife's PC, thinking that my board's no POST problem was caused by my FX-57 not being recognized by an older BIOS (didn't know what BIOS my board shipped with since it never POSTed). It was a long shot, but it was feasible.
(2) Swapped known good, compatible RAM 1GB (2x512MB) and 2GB (2x1024MB) DUAL CHANNEL memory kits in various RAM slots. Also tried 512MB single sticks;
(3) Updated the mobo BIOS from v1A (was it came with) to 1B using the MSI "Live Update" utility.
(4) Obtained an RMA from Mwave (where I bought the mobo), and driven out there (PITA). When I got to tech support I watched as the tech tested my (K8N Neo PE) mobo/FX-57 combo using an ATI X300 PCIe videocard, some POS ATX 350W PS, and a Molex-to-PCIe adapter. Without any drives attached the mobo POSTed fine. BIOS was Revison 1A, which was the last official MSI BIOS before the release of the current 1B BIOS. Then I asked the tech to test my VisionTek X1900XT-X. The tech proceeded to plug the same PS/PCIe adapter into into my XT-X, but no go. After some dialogue and my statement that ATI specifies a minimum of 450W PS for use with a single XT-X (550W minimum for Crossfire) he says they don't have any 500W power supplies in the tech area. A dirty look and 5 seconds later he poroduces a 500W Antec unit (still no PCI-e connectors, though). Whatever, if my mobo POSTs with my XT-X installd in it I am gonna jack-off right there. No good. I drive home more frustrated then when I arrived there, hope dashed on the rocky shores of despair.
(5) Un-installed my Audigy2 ZS along with all drivers for it. Re-checked to see that the AC97 onboard sound was disabled in the BIOS, as well as being sure that I had not installed the driver for it;
(6) Swapped my Adaptec SCSI controller in-and-out of various PCI slots, although I knew this was futile. I have set-up two (2) K8N Neo2 PEs' using Adaptec SCSI controllers so I already had a good idea that this wouldn't work, but WTF, right?
(7) Low-level formatted my RAID 10 array and installed Win XP Pro in a bare-bones system, trying to isolate the no POST problem. My drives were due for a clean wipe anyway, at least I'll be able to play that copy of BF2 I bought at release. Not.
(8) Holding out hope that my new card isn't DOA, but leaving room for the possibility the Dark Side over takes me. Unable to fight-off the curiosity I go to Fry's and buy an X1900XT. I take it home, plug it in and no video. Damn.
(9) My new 510 SLI arrives Friday (2/10). I pull the 510 Deluxe out of my system and install my 510 SLI. Finally, no chessy PCIe adapters! So what - still no video.
(10) Hmmmm...maybe there is some incompatibility between the K8N Neo4 Platinum / X1900? Since my eldest brother lives only 15 minutes from me and runs a K8N Neo4 Platinum (like me) I drive down to my brother's house when our schedules permit and pull his Power Color X850XT and install my VisionTek X1900XT-X. No video! WTF?
(11) Spent many hours reading posts on Anandtech, Extreme Systems, and various other support forums for MSI, ATI, and others trying to see if anyone is running a K8N Neo4 PE and an X1900-Series board. I haven't seen this yet. Most X1900 owners seem to be running A8N SLIs', A8N32 SLIs', A8R-MVPs', or PURE Crossfire Advantages', or PURE Innovations (not commercially available in the US yet).
(12) Resisted the temptation to kill something - including my PC.
EDIT: (13) Spoke to MSI Tech Support about this apparent compatibility and they are looking into it. Since MSI is marketing their own X1900XTX one would "assume" that they would have tested these out on the K8N Neo4 PE. Maybe they did, but there are no X1900-Series listed in MSI's Compatibilty Report for the K8N Neo4 PE. However, the X1800s' aren't listed there either.
As I type this my beastly system is running great on an old 16MB Matrox Millenium II installed in one of the 32-bit PCI slots. Great 2D but not games. Good thing my 172X has DVI and and analog connectors and that I had my old Millenium II laying around. HELP!!!
Well, I am about to buy another board (ASUS A8R32-MVP Deluxe) in the hope that the Radeon 3200 chipset will not have the same compatibility problem with my (Adaptec) 29320R Ultra 320 Host Adapter. I haven't been able to find a nice Test Report from Asus like MSI includes with their Platinum boards though...
WTF? Thought I had finally solved the problem by:
(1) Flashing to BIOS v1.C5;
(2) After successful BIOS flash, after POST, but before booting up I shutdown the system;
(3) Cleared the CMOS by holding down the CMOS Reset Button for 20 seconds;
(4) Pulled SCSI card out;
(5) Plugged PS back in along with the P4 and 24-pin Main Connector;
(6) Turned PC back on and MANUALLY assigned resources, with exception of [/i]disabling unused functions such as Firewire (1394) port and SI RAID Controller; What a PITA!!!!
(7) Power-down system again;
(8) Reinstall SCSI card;
(9) Plug electrical connections back in;
(10) Fire PC back up. I was able to re-enable the Firewire port after all steps.
Shoot, I thought I had it solved...
MODS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO MOVE THIS THREAD TO THE MOTHERBOARD FORUM, AS I NOW KNOW MY NO POST PROBLEM WAS THE SCSI CARD. Thanks in advance.
EDIT: After researching my strange incompatibility problem with my (brand-new) K8N Neo4 PE and my brand-new VisionTek X1900XT-X, MSI Tech Support guy Henry called me back this afternoon. I had discussed all the steps I had taken in the past week trying to solve my mysterious no video and no POST issue (see items 1-11 further down) with Henry yesterday (Tuesday, 2/14). Henry said that it was possible that a BIOS update might solve my issues (yes, this we know) but that there was no guarantee (yes, we know this too), as my VisionTek board was slightly different from the MSI version of the X1900XT-X. Of course, at this point I am willing to try just about anything so let's do it!
NEW UPDATE 2/21 (2/21):
OK, apparently, there is some kind of incompatibility problem between my (Adaptec) 29320R (Retail) Ultra 320 SCSI adapter card and the (MSI) K8N Neo4 Platinum motherboard AND NOT between my VisionTek X1900XT-X and my (MSI) K8N Neo4 Platinum. This was discovered today when at Henry's (MSI Tech Support) request I pulled my SCSI card out and my no video/no POST problem went away immediately. Ten (10) straight video signal/POSTs' so now I am hoping that a BIOS revision addressing my SCSI adapter will solve my POST problems. I'll update again later when I have more info.
END UPDATE 2/21
So, Henry emailed me a new BIOS, which turned-out to be "1CB5". He advised me to flash the mobo BIOS in DOS from a floppy, so I did just that. Well, the new BIOS seemed to do the trick, because after I updated the BIOS, powered-down the system, and removed the Millenium II (installing my VisionTek X1900XT-X), and powered back up I was able to get video and POST. F'in finally! JFC!!! Only strange thing is now I get a "Warning!!! Have Option ROM cannot be Invole (Vendor ID: 9005h, Device ID 8092h)". At least I have video now though.
Last friday (2/15) I thought that with the exception of the "Warning!!!" at boot-up about the Option ROM I was OK. However, Most of the time, my PC still won't Cold Boot, so I will be talking to Henry at MSI Tech Support about another BIOS revision. Hopefully, another BIOS tweak will solve my boot problems. Seems quite unlikely that my PC Power & Cooling 510 SLI can't cut the mustard. 12V Rail is rated at 34W continous (38W Peak) at 1% Regulation (best in the industry).
Or, maybe my card is marginal, but I don't think so, since I used the "Overdrive" utility in Catalyst 6.2 (yuck!) to OC to 690/800Mhz to run 3DMark 05 and it ran multiple times with incident. Also ran Halo at 1600x1200 (highest my 204B supports) with everything turned on and set to "High" and it was still fine.
Maybe a flakey PCI-E slot? Doubt that too, since (listed as #10 below in my steps I've taken) I plugged my new X1900XT-X into my brother's K8N Neo PE (same board I have) and no video or boot either.
I should add that Henry (MSI Tech Support) said that MSI tested MSI's X1900XTX Series with the K8N Neo PE and they did not have any problems running it. Hmmm...
I hope I can resolve this issue without having to get another mobo or XTX. When it runs, the XTX is great. I guess theres always the new R580 chipset mobos like the Asus A8R32 MVP coming out soon. Crossfire would be pretty cool, but I can't quite justify it with my Samsung 204B either.
I'll update this thread again after I get and test the next BIOS revision from MSI. Nothing like being a Beta tester with expensive new toys!
END UPDATE 2/21
Last Monday (2/6) I receive my new VisionTek X1900XT-X Bundle (X1900XT-X, "Got Xtasy?" tee-shirt, and 128MB USB 2.0 Drive) and install it with my brand-new K8N Neo4 Platinum board (non-SLI). My PC Power & Coooling 510 SLI hasn't arrived yet, so I throw in a 510 ATX Deluxe (same specs as 510 SLI but has all Molex plugs - no dual 6-pin PCIe power connectors like the 510 SLI) and a PCIe adapter.
System won't post. Hmmmm....is my brand-new $650.00 VisionTek XT-X DOA? Hope not. Well, I know my PC Power & Cooling 510 ATX Deluxe is good and puts out plenty of power - is it the PCIe adapter? Maybe this board is finicky about the location and size of the RAM modules upon first boot-up? Maybe this board had an old BIOS that doesn't support the FX-57? Maybe it's because I am trying to cheat and not re-format my drives and do a fresh Windows install? (my wife's PC has Win XP Pro, but I've been putting off installing Win XP Pro on my system, as I like Win 2K Pro).
So, a week's worth of troubleshooting and I still haven't run my new $650.00 videocard. F'in A!!!! Possibly not in chronological order, in the past week I have:
(1) Swapped my FX-57 for the FX-53 in my wife's PC, thinking that my board's no POST problem was caused by my FX-57 not being recognized by an older BIOS (didn't know what BIOS my board shipped with since it never POSTed). It was a long shot, but it was feasible.
(2) Swapped known good, compatible RAM 1GB (2x512MB) and 2GB (2x1024MB) DUAL CHANNEL memory kits in various RAM slots. Also tried 512MB single sticks;
(3) Updated the mobo BIOS from v1A (was it came with) to 1B using the MSI "Live Update" utility.
(4) Obtained an RMA from Mwave (where I bought the mobo), and driven out there (PITA). When I got to tech support I watched as the tech tested my (K8N Neo PE) mobo/FX-57 combo using an ATI X300 PCIe videocard, some POS ATX 350W PS, and a Molex-to-PCIe adapter. Without any drives attached the mobo POSTed fine. BIOS was Revison 1A, which was the last official MSI BIOS before the release of the current 1B BIOS. Then I asked the tech to test my VisionTek X1900XT-X. The tech proceeded to plug the same PS/PCIe adapter into into my XT-X, but no go. After some dialogue and my statement that ATI specifies a minimum of 450W PS for use with a single XT-X (550W minimum for Crossfire) he says they don't have any 500W power supplies in the tech area. A dirty look and 5 seconds later he poroduces a 500W Antec unit (still no PCI-e connectors, though). Whatever, if my mobo POSTs with my XT-X installd in it I am gonna jack-off right there. No good. I drive home more frustrated then when I arrived there, hope dashed on the rocky shores of despair.
(5) Un-installed my Audigy2 ZS along with all drivers for it. Re-checked to see that the AC97 onboard sound was disabled in the BIOS, as well as being sure that I had not installed the driver for it;
(6) Swapped my Adaptec SCSI controller in-and-out of various PCI slots, although I knew this was futile. I have set-up two (2) K8N Neo2 PEs' using Adaptec SCSI controllers so I already had a good idea that this wouldn't work, but WTF, right?
(7) Low-level formatted my RAID 10 array and installed Win XP Pro in a bare-bones system, trying to isolate the no POST problem. My drives were due for a clean wipe anyway, at least I'll be able to play that copy of BF2 I bought at release. Not.
(8) Holding out hope that my new card isn't DOA, but leaving room for the possibility the Dark Side over takes me. Unable to fight-off the curiosity I go to Fry's and buy an X1900XT. I take it home, plug it in and no video. Damn.
(9) My new 510 SLI arrives Friday (2/10). I pull the 510 Deluxe out of my system and install my 510 SLI. Finally, no chessy PCIe adapters! So what - still no video.
(10) Hmmmm...maybe there is some incompatibility between the K8N Neo4 Platinum / X1900? Since my eldest brother lives only 15 minutes from me and runs a K8N Neo4 Platinum (like me) I drive down to my brother's house when our schedules permit and pull his Power Color X850XT and install my VisionTek X1900XT-X. No video! WTF?
(11) Spent many hours reading posts on Anandtech, Extreme Systems, and various other support forums for MSI, ATI, and others trying to see if anyone is running a K8N Neo4 PE and an X1900-Series board. I haven't seen this yet. Most X1900 owners seem to be running A8N SLIs', A8N32 SLIs', A8R-MVPs', or PURE Crossfire Advantages', or PURE Innovations (not commercially available in the US yet).
(12) Resisted the temptation to kill something - including my PC.
EDIT: (13) Spoke to MSI Tech Support about this apparent compatibility and they are looking into it. Since MSI is marketing their own X1900XTX one would "assume" that they would have tested these out on the K8N Neo4 PE. Maybe they did, but there are no X1900-Series listed in MSI's Compatibilty Report for the K8N Neo4 PE. However, the X1800s' aren't listed there either.
As I type this my beastly system is running great on an old 16MB Matrox Millenium II installed in one of the 32-bit PCI slots. Great 2D but not games. Good thing my 172X has DVI and and analog connectors and that I had my old Millenium II laying around. HELP!!!
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