Arug, it pains me to write these words.
I upgraded my computer about a year ago now with FIC's AD11, AMD TBird 1.2, Crucial 256MB 2100 DDR Ram, and I used a Maxtor 5400 RPM 8GB HDD I had lying arround.. Put it in a new Tyan case with a 300 Watt Power Supply. It worked great and I was loving it.
Then a few months in it wouldn't post, at all... Try as I may, me nor a family friend who is inclined with technology in general (he works as an IT-Manager) could not get it to post. I sent the board back, and got a new board. Hooked it all up, and it kept beeping at me. I figured it was the RAM, and I sent it back to Crucial. The RAM was fine. I went out and paid the $62 + Shipping to get a K7S5A online. Great deal, I thought.. After a few months it started cold booting. I thought it was a problem with my power supply, as it was not AMD Approved. Yet I can't afford things I don't need, so I went out to Best Buy and got a non-approved Antec 300 Watt Power Supply (a local small-time OEM builder said this SHOULD work). It didn't. I took out my K7S5A and put back in the FIC AD11. I couldn't get it to work anymore (got the beeps), so I had to force the memory into the 2nd DDR Slot (which I accidently broke the clip off a few months back when I first got it). I did get it in, and the computer did post. My Floppy Drive didn't get detected, and when Windows 2000 started to open up I got an error that it couldn't load up. Now I am getting errors left and right telling me that it can not read my OLD Hard Drive. I can't find the Windows 2000 CD, and I can't flash the FIC's BIOS.
What should I do? Go out and get a new Hard Drive?? Is that even the problem (this FIC Board sucks a lot)?? I can't get a floppy disk in there, so it may be hard installing an OS on the system.
I keep having this feeling like I should ditch both boards and go with an AOpen or Antec motherboard, get a new CPU (that small-time OEM guy said that was probably the problem with all the cold-booting) by trading in the one I have now.
I can take a 20% hit off of whatever products I want to send back and get a new XP System. I can take back the Power Supply to Best Buy, get all of my money back and get a 320 Watt AMD Approved PS. Then sell the K7S5A board on EBay for $15 (hey, impress your friends when you break a AMD Motherboard when you hit the damn thing over your head).
I am in way over my head with all of these errors left and right. Cost is a problem aswell.
I upgraded my computer about a year ago now with FIC's AD11, AMD TBird 1.2, Crucial 256MB 2100 DDR Ram, and I used a Maxtor 5400 RPM 8GB HDD I had lying arround.. Put it in a new Tyan case with a 300 Watt Power Supply. It worked great and I was loving it.
Then a few months in it wouldn't post, at all... Try as I may, me nor a family friend who is inclined with technology in general (he works as an IT-Manager) could not get it to post. I sent the board back, and got a new board. Hooked it all up, and it kept beeping at me. I figured it was the RAM, and I sent it back to Crucial. The RAM was fine. I went out and paid the $62 + Shipping to get a K7S5A online. Great deal, I thought.. After a few months it started cold booting. I thought it was a problem with my power supply, as it was not AMD Approved. Yet I can't afford things I don't need, so I went out to Best Buy and got a non-approved Antec 300 Watt Power Supply (a local small-time OEM builder said this SHOULD work). It didn't. I took out my K7S5A and put back in the FIC AD11. I couldn't get it to work anymore (got the beeps), so I had to force the memory into the 2nd DDR Slot (which I accidently broke the clip off a few months back when I first got it). I did get it in, and the computer did post. My Floppy Drive didn't get detected, and when Windows 2000 started to open up I got an error that it couldn't load up. Now I am getting errors left and right telling me that it can not read my OLD Hard Drive. I can't find the Windows 2000 CD, and I can't flash the FIC's BIOS.
What should I do? Go out and get a new Hard Drive?? Is that even the problem (this FIC Board sucks a lot)?? I can't get a floppy disk in there, so it may be hard installing an OS on the system.
I keep having this feeling like I should ditch both boards and go with an AOpen or Antec motherboard, get a new CPU (that small-time OEM guy said that was probably the problem with all the cold-booting) by trading in the one I have now.
I can take a 20% hit off of whatever products I want to send back and get a new XP System. I can take back the Power Supply to Best Buy, get all of my money back and get a 320 Watt AMD Approved PS. Then sell the K7S5A board on EBay for $15 (hey, impress your friends when you break a AMD Motherboard when you hit the damn thing over your head).
I am in way over my head with all of these errors left and right. Cost is a problem aswell.