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Pulled vid. car/ram - lost display: incomplete boot.

M

marcplante

Senior member
Rig:

Asus M4A78T-E Mobo
XFX 6950 3G Video Card
AMD 620 Proc
Corsair 520W PSU
2 sticks of 4G Ram
2 sticks of 2G Ram

So I was contemplating pulling some of my hardware and gving my PC to my mother and updating. I pulled out the video card and 8G of Ram leaving in 4G. I then connected my DVi video cable to the connector on the Mobo instead of the video card that I had just pulled and booted the PC to see how it would do with Mobo graphics.

I got no graphics at all, and my logitech keyboard never lit, telling me I didn't get through tbe boot sequence even though I couldn't see the screen.

I plugged everything back in and restarted teh computer. Same problem. Power to everything (the fans are running) but novideo and no completed boot (dark keyboard).

I tried plugging in an older video card (880GT) same situation.

Has something on the Mobo failed (PCIE x16 slot?) Have I left my computer in limbo between video output ports?

Thanks
 
In BIOS >Advanced>Internal Graphics Configuration, did you set the value to [UMA + SIDEPORT] prior to attempting to use the onboard graphics? Have you tried clearing the CMOS?
 
I didn't check the advanced graphics before pulling the card. I assumed (learning experience) that the Mobo would hunt to an available video source. Thanks for the heads up. Clearing the CMOS to restart a HW inventory was going to be my next step

I should clear the CMOS by pulling the battery for how long? Couple minutes? I pulled it for about 30 seconds this morning (yes CPU unplugged) with no result. I suppose I didn't leave it out long enough.
 
Yeah, so Google...Duh. I'll pull the CMOS battery again tonight when I get home.
Maybe I just didn't wait long enough to get through POST after the CMOS clear. but the PC didn't want to recognize the graphics card in the quick test I did before leaving. I can't access any settings since I don't get a screen on boot, so I'll have to hope that pulling the battery solves the problem.
 
This might be a memory problem; the two 4GB sticks should be in either DIMM_A1-B1 or DIMM_A2-B2 and if that's how you're configured, but you still can't get it to POST, you should try with just one stick installed at a time, and try it in each slot, then try the other stick the same way. Regarding clearing the CMOS; disconnect the PSU from the wall outlet, hold down the case power button for 30 seconds to bleed off any residual current in the mobo, then remove the CMOS battery for at least 3 minutes.
 
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Thanks Bubbaleone. I restored the memory to it's original configuration, with all 4 sticks, so hopefully it's OK. I'll pull the appropriate sticks to retreat as needed if a proper CMOS reset doesn't work. I didn't get any of the typical warning beeps that come up during RAM failures.

Sounds like my CMOS reset wasn't thorough enough. I'll give it another pass when I get home.
 
Check that you actually have a system speaker connected to the System panel connector on the mobo.

wlpz.png


These are the error beep codes which would apply to no POST:

Memory issue: 1 long-2 short

Graphics card issue: 1 long-3 short

CPU issue: 5 short

.
 
Thanks got it. I had to back out the RAM and install it one stick at a time. First boot it only wanted one stick until it recovered its bearings. Then I shut down and added the second stick to get to 8G. not sure if I want to put back in the extra, slower 4G of RAM. Dunno that I need that much.
 
Yep...it's always best to used matched RAM if you can afford it or happen to keep a couple of matched sticks handy. Mis-matched RAM can be made to work, but it's only going to run at the speed of the slowest stick and (as you've found out) it can be problematic to get it working at all.

As (relatively) cheap as RAM prices have gotten in the past year, I've been keeping an eye on Newegg's frequent memory price markdowns and will buy matched sets when they hit really low pricing that's also accompanied with a promotional discount code. It's nice to have some extra matched RAM handy when you need it for troubleshooting.

.
 
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