MSI Neo4-FI

[f4phantom2500]

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=40&threadid=1941268&enterthread=y

i got this board in last weekend, assembled my new rig, but was missing one crucial component (cpu heatsink) so wasn't able to assemble it until today. i'm using a sempron 3000 (from tiger direct, $10 plus shipping w00t), a 7600gt (got from this fs/ft forum), audigy 2 zs (ebay, havent been able to use until now), and 2GB ram (already had, worked in last rig). anyway...it wont post. i've taken it down to just the processor, ram, and video card, and still won't post. i even unplugged all the fans ('cept psu fan lol), and it still wont post. i figure it's either the video card or the motherboard, since i can't test either with other hardware there's really no telling at this point. i mean, the ram worked recently fine, and i seriously doubt its the processor, so that leaves the motherboard and the video card. i won't be able to test them out until next week, so in the meantime does anybody have any ideas?

thanks
f4phantom2500

oh, it doesn't beep at all, idk if this mobo doesn't (i thought they all did...?), or if it's indicative of a problem...i seem to remember that no beeps means something but i don't remember what >_<. also, the monitor light goes from orange to green to orange once or twice when i turn it on sometimes, like its trying to turn on or something...last time a system did this to me it turned out the video card was the issue, so i'm leaning towards that...but the guy i bought it from said it worked for him, and i have no idea about the history of this motherboard so i think it might be the mobo...ARGH!!

 

[Zstream]

Originally posted by: f4phantom2500
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=40&threadid=1941268&enterthread=y

i got this board in last weekend, assembled my new rig, but was missing one crucial component (cpu heatsink) so wasn't able to assemble it until today. i'm using a sempron 3000 (from tiger direct, $10 plus shipping w00t), a 7600gt (got from this fs/ft forum), audigy 2 zs (ebay, havent been able to use until now), and 2GB ram (already had, worked in last rig). anyway...it wont post. i've taken it down to just the processor, ram, and video card, and still won't post. i even unplugged all the fans ('cept psu fan lol), and it still wont post. i figure it's either the video card or the motherboard, since i can't test either with other hardware there's really no telling at this point. i mean, the ram worked recently fine, and i seriously doubt its the processor, so that leaves the motherboard and the video card. i won't be able to test them out until next week, so in the meantime does anybody have any ideas?

thanks
f4phantom2500

oh, it doesn't beep at all, idk if this mobo doesn't (i thought they all did...?), or if it's indicative of a problem...i seem to remember that no beeps means something but i don't remember what >_<. also, the monitor light goes from orange to green to orange once or twice when i turn it on sometimes, like its trying to turn on or something...last time a system did this to me it turned out the video card was the issue, so i'm leaning towards that...but the guy i bought it from said it worked for him, and i have no idea about the history of this motherboard so i think it might be the mobo...ARGH!!

Take the Mobo out, then test it. It could be your case shorting out the stuff.

 

[GeezerMan]

I have one of these boards. It's an OEM, it does not have an a JFP2 for a speaker connection, nor does it have a built in alert, as noted on page 8 of the thread.
Try a different video card. You can also attach a D bracket to diagnose.



Originally posted by: wayne1935
A couple of days ago I noted that the mainboard I received doesn't have JFP2 Front Panel Connector that is needed for my case speaker and Power On LED. A previous MSI board (7025), which is essentially the same board but with an AGP slot has a JFP1 and a JFP2 connector and the 7125 manual shows 2 connector blocks.

I don't see or hear any kind of onboard piezo speaker/buzzer.

Do any of you guys that purchased this Geek board have the second connector block? If not, how did you connect your case speaker?

Wayne

 

[GeezerMan]

Also, try just one stick of ram, and try different slots too.

 

[f4phantom2500]

GeezerMan:

ah, I skimmed over that post, but I thought it was just talking about the little 4 pins peaker thing you plug in (which I thought was something else, I had a mobo that had one of those but would still beep if it wasn't plugged in...i think >_>). I've tried either stick of ram in every slot, no luck.

As for different video card, unfortunately I don't have another pci-e video card or pci video card I can use right now, gonna have to wait 'til next week when I'm back at school to use someone else's. Thanks for the replies.

 

[GeezerMan]

Normally, the JFP2 is above the JFP1 on the board. This OEM board does not have the JFP2, you can see the spot on the board where it is supposed to go. You can download the MSI manual on line that is mostly correct for this board. You'll see what I mean. Some boards have a built in electronic beeper for alerts, this one does not. So, if you want an alert system of some sort. a D bracket is probably your best bet.

Do all of your fans come on when powering up? Got your two power connectors on the board?

 

[f4phantom2500]

yeah, everything's all plugged in and everything turns on and all. one thing i noticed is that the video card fan will ramp up really loud and stay at that speed; granted i haven't used the card before, in reviews i've read about it the fan ramps up at startup and then slows down, which gives further reason for me to believe that the board's stuck trying to post or something's wrong with the card.

also, i first didn't know what that little red button was, nor did i know where the clear cmos jumper was...then i dled the manual last night and found out the answer to both lol.

Oh, as far as the case shorting something out, I doubt it, I used this case in my last build with no issues, but It's worth a shot, I want my computer to work so I'll try it lol.

 

[GeezerMan]

yeah, borrow a video card if you can.It's almost worth it to have a low end card around to test things with.

 

[f4phantom2500]

ARGH!!! im really starting to get a headache here...i went to unscrew the board, screwdriver didnt work on em all, had to dig around to find a screwdriver that would work. board still didnt work when i took it out. went to put it back in, one of the screws didn't line up right and twisted into the riser wrong. i went to unscrew it and it took the riser out of the tray. so i took the board out (again) and am now trying to get the screw out of the riser without hurting the board.


ah, one more thing here...whenever i plug the psu into the mobo and the psu's on, it turns on, even though i don't press the button. the psu has an on/off switch on the back so i turn it off now whenever im messing around with stuff, but right after i flick that switch it all turns on, and i have to hold the button on the front of the case to turn it off...from then it'll turn on when you presss the button on the front of the case. after it's all plugged in, if you switch the psu switch off then on it doesn't do anything, so it only happens when you plug the psu into the mobo.

 

[GeezerMan]

Check your wiring of the reset and the power switch using the PDF manual MSI has

 

[f4phantom2500]

i used the pdf to set them up, but since it wasnt working i unplugged everything except the power button.

*UPDATE*

just for the hell of it, i tried using ram from my parents computer, and it posts and all, but when it gets to the part where it loads windows it just resets. then next time it pulls up u no if i wanna boot in safe mode, normal, last good config etc. But at least it turns on. however, it works fine in their computer. also, my ram doesn't work in my parents computer, it just starts beeping at me. im not positive that it means the ram's messed up, it could just mean that the motherboard can't support dimms that large (1GB).

 

[GeezerMan]

Fresh install of windows?
Clear the CMOS again with the red button. Go into the bios and load system defaults.

 

[f4phantom2500]

doin' that right now...hey i was thinkin', might it be that the bios that came on the board doesn't support my 1GB sticks for w/e reason (too dense, brand, whatever)? if that's the case, wouldn't installing the 7125v1D bios (dled them on my laptop last night) on the board do the trick?

 

[GeezerMan]

Well, the old bios should handle 1GB sticks just fine, mine did. I did load the 1D bios myself after I loaded windows. May be a ram incompatibility.

 

[f4phantom2500]

this may be a silly question, but how do i flash the bios? i've never done it before, and i don't really want to follow a guide because this situation is a little different what with it being more of a totally different bios than an "update". since you've done it, what do i do?

 

[GeezerMan]

Several ways, I used the MSI windows flasher, Live Update. Live update will give you the latest 1D bios as an option. You can also use a floppy, but that's more risky. Read the Geeks thread for all of the ways to do it. Easiest is the Live Update, though some people don't like windows based flashers. Do it right, or you get a dead board.

 

[f4phantom2500]

! success!! yay! at first i didnt know how to go about getting the nic driver onto the mobo, since i dont have a floppy drive...i had to burn a cd with my laptop (thank god it had a cd burner...i had 1 cd-r left lol).


ok this is weird...i tried throwing in my ram again, nope. so i thought i'd try with the dell ram in slot 1 and one of my ram sticks in slot 2 (note the dell ram is 256mb, mine is 1024). windows booted up and said that i have 512mb ram...>_< what the hell?!?!?

 

[GeezerMan]

Originally posted by: f4phantom2500
! success!! yay! at first i didnt know how to go about getting the nic driver onto the mobo, since i dont have a floppy drive...i had to burn a cd with my laptop (thank god it had a cd burner...i had 1 cd-r left lol).


ok this is weird...i tried throwing in my ram again, nope. so i thought i'd try with the dell ram in slot 1 and one of my ram sticks in slot 2 (note the dell ram is 256mb, mine is 1024). windows booted up and said that i have 512mb ram...>_< what the hell?!?!?

Read the manual, it might have ram issues if you mix ram. Are they single sided and double sided ram?. Probably not recommended to do that

 

[f4phantom2500]

ah, yes they are. i didn't thnk it'd be a big deal since they aren't running dual channel. hat's kinda gay, my old nf2 board didn't have that problem. well, new technology, new problems.

 

[GeezerMan]

What does the bios say is your total ram?

Try CPU-Z too

 

[f4phantom2500]

bios says 512MB with that setup, cpuz says 256 in first slot and 1024 in second. i think its weird cuz like, if it doesnt support the ram, then why is it booting up and using 256MB of it? i would think that it'd either totally support it or wouldn't support it at all.

 

[GeezerMan]

well, choose a stick that works for now until you can install a better matched set.

 

[f4phantom2500]

yeah, right now im running the 256 dell stick and one of mine, for 512...im getting a 3500 venice in a few days (using a sempron 3000, which apparently is based on the winchester core), im hoping the memory controller is the issue, and that swapping it out for the new processor will do the trick; i remember reading the venices werent as finicky with memory as the winchesters, so hopefully that does it...if not im gonna try to find someone to trade ram with lol.

 

[GeezerMan]

I forgot about you using the sempron, that is probably the problem

 

[f4phantom2500]

oh man, i really really hope so...i don't want to have to hassle with selling/buying ram.