Please Help: Abit KR7A doesn't work with my Geforce4 TI4400 anymore. I am really stuck.

[Metalloid]

I dont know if any of you have seen my earlier threads about this problem, so I will just start a new one.

First of all, system specs:
Athlon XP 1900
Abit KR7A
PNY Geforce4 TI4400
Crucial 256mb PC2100
Maxtor 40gb 7200rpm
Hercules Fortissimo II
Netgear NIC
Antec TRUE430 PSU

This problem started about 3 months ago. My system worked fine for about a month and a half and then it started to lock up after a few minutes in Windows, and I would have to reboot using reset button (ctrl+alt+del did nothing). Then I stopped getting video at all when I turned the system on. I had almost narrowed it down to what I thought was the problem, a bad video card. My other system's ATI 32mb ddr worked in my system, and my Geforce4 worked in my other system. Just then my L&C Switching 400w psu died. I sent it back and the company sent me a crappy house brand. Then they sent me a 450w house brand, and when I got it, I started getting CMOS checksum errors at POST. (Keep in mind that I only got these errors with the Radeon 32mb. I didnt even get to POST with the Geforce4.) When I would try to reset the settings it would lock up in the middle of it. So I flashed the BIOS to the newest one, and reset the CMOS jumper, and I got rid of those errors, but I still got no POST and no video and no beep codes with the Geforce4. I wasn't sure if my motherboard was dead, or if my PSU wasn't powerful enough. My friend was in need of a new PSU, so I sold it to him and finally broke down and bought an Antec TRUE430 for $73 from newegg. I figured that the power supply was the problem the whole time and that wonderful Antec would solve my problems. Well I got it in today, and when I booted up I got no video. So I hit reset and got same thing. I shut off all power completely, and when it got to POST it froze on the RAM test, gave me an incorrect CPU speed, and incorrect RAM amount, and my keyboard didnt work so I couldnt enter BIOS or reset the computer. I tried this a few more times, only to get similar results. I got the same cpu speed (1.2ghz), but a different RAM reading. (I already checked, and the RAM stick is fine.)

Can anyone help me? Is there an incompatibility between my motherboard and video card? Is my motherboard just flaky and I need to RMA it? Thanks in advance to anyone who can give me advice to this problem. It has gone on too long and I need to do something about it.

 

[RanDum72]

Can you go into the BIOS and see what the settings are (especially the advanced chipset options under memory, AGP, and PCI)? If it doesn't get cured by some BIOS settings, you may have either faulty memory or mobo. Most likely, its the mobo.

 

[Metalloid]

I reset the CMOS jumper, so they should be all set to default. And no, I cant get into BIOS because even if I do get video, it just freezes on the RAM test.

 

[Metalloid]

BUMP

 

[Metalloid]

Someone please help.

 

[RanDum72]

Reseat the memory and reboot. Don't wait for the memory test to finish before pressing the 'del' key, as soon as you restart press it. Do you have another stick of memory to test with?

 

[Onezentide]

It does sound like bad memory...

Another thing to try is to take off the Mobo's battery for a couple of minutes. That will reset the Bios.

 

[Metalloid]

As I stated in the original post, I already tested a different stick of memory, that is not the problem. I didn't bother trying to take out the battery because I already reset the BIOS with the jumper, but I guess it is worth a try. Will let you know how it goes in an hour or two.

 

[billyjak]

Did you try taking out the Netgear Nic and rebooting, sounds like an IRQ problem.
Another possibility is the power connector on the GF4 card, try rinning it off a 4 pin molex connector with a 3 pin to 4 pin adapter, your motherboard pin set may not be supplying the proper juice.
It does sound like a memory problem.
Did you remove all the Raderon driver files befor putting the GF4 in.
I would revove everything except ram and video and go from there, did you unplug the power cord when resetting the CMOS
Try different slots for the ram. The ram maybe bad.
Make sure the CMOS jumper pin is set at default, the errors you describe will show if the jumper pin is not on right or set to clear CMOS.

 

[Metalloid]

Ok, I took out everything but video card, put RAM in a different slot, the jumper is fine, and yes I unplugged computer before resetting CMOS. Billyjak, when you were talking about the Geforce4 connector, are you talking about the fan connector? Because the fan connector is 2 pin, not 3. I am almost positive it is the motherboard that is bad. Monday I am calling Abit, and getting my RMA number so I can finally get my computer back.