Wierd BIOS problem: random freeze during/after boot.

[tvarad]

I have a J&W minix mini-itx motherboard which was working fine in a HTPC setup until I decided to replace a slower AMD BE2300 CPU with a faster 4850e. After that, it started freezing either during or immediately after booting. From the J&W support forums, there was someone who had similar but less severe problems as mine that he traced to the backplate that holds down the CPU cooler through four spring-loaded screws. I removed the backplate and just used nuts on the four corners and voila: problem solved! Well, almost. The problem is now similar to that alluded to in the forum.

It randomly freezes immediately after a cold-boot or when I plug in an USB device like a pen-drive for the first time. I have to reboot and if that doesn't work I have to clear the CMOS for it to work properly. The system is then quite stable.

I tried everything, including updating the BIOS to the latest version but still can't seem to lick the problem. Has anyone seen similar behavior or have any ideas on where the problem may lie?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Billb2]

Does the current BIOS that in installed support the newer CPU?

 

[tvarad]

Originally posted by: Billb2
Does the current BIOS that in installed support the newer CPU?

The 4850e is a standard AM2 CPU with a lower wattage spec that doesn't require a BIOS upgrade. In fact it was working fine in the 690G MB that I pulled it from. Only the Phenoms require a BIOS upgrade which I've downloaded and applied from the J&W website. I even put back the BE2300 to see if it would make a difference, but the result was the same: random freezes during boot or insertion of a USB device. I'm now wondering if I inadvertently poked a SMD or two and damaged them when I removed the board to swap the CPU's.