ABIT AS8 Skt775 Motherboard

I have just bought this motherboard along with the components below. There are many more but not important to mention here. Some I already have and know to work fine).

(1) Pentium 4 Skt 775 640 3.2GHz 800MHz FSB HT 2MB Cache EM64T
(2) Corsair 2GB DDR XMS3200PT TwinX (2x1GB) (MY-039-CS)
(3) Akasa Eclipse-62 E-ATX Tower (with front PCI slot!)
(4) Maxtor D-Max Plus 10 300GB (7200rpm, 16MB Cache) PATA (works fine in other pc)
(5) SilenX iXtrema Pro 520W PSU (seems ok)
(6) Zalman 7700-AlCu Flower Cooler (120mm)
(7) Leadtek WinFast A350XT TDH 128MB GeForce FX5900XT AGP graphics card (works fine in other pc)
(8) Maxtor D-Max Plus 10 200GB (7200rpm, 8MB Cache) PATA x2 (works fine in other pc)
(9) IcyDock 122AKGF IDE Caddie (with front temp display) (works fine)


Despite trying different PSU's, AGP/PCI cards and various cables, reseating the DDR RAM sticks, reinstalling the CPU and fan, clearing the CMOS a few times, I cannot get the system to successfully POST or even reach the BIOS. I have not added any expansion cards or extra hard drives or CD writers etc, i.e. I have kept things as basic as possible.

The sequence after hitting the power on button is that the red led on the motherboard lights up and the numeric led goes through a sequence of POST codes. Then all the fans spin up, the hard drive/floppy/cd writer is accessed and it eventually displays the ABIT logo screen for a couple of seconds and then the whole boot sequence starts from the beginning in a never ending loop, until I hit the power button to turn the system off.

At the moment I have no other compatible RAM, CPU or motherboard to swap things around to narrow things down to where the fault is. My other PC's are older Socket370 or Socket Super 7 with SDRAM. So is there anything else I can check or do before I have to pay for the goods to be returned and checked by the shop?


Yours rather unhappy and deflated after saving up the £900 ($1700) since before Christmas...:confused:

Ego Shredder :(

When I built the system in my sig it was bloody hell at first. Seems the high performance 2-2-2-5 ram refused to boot at the stock voltage of 2.5 volts. I figured this out after trying every conceivable combination ram in different slots as well as trying to boot with a single stick.

After 3 (THREE!) days of mucking about AND RMA'ing my new $250.00 ram sticks :o in desperation,I tried some old PC2700 and she booted right up.???

I went into the bios and upped the ram voltage to 2.7 and BANG The new rig started right up with the new high freak Kingston. :p


REMOVE EVERYTHING EXCEPT 1 RAM STICK,CPU, AND VIDEO CARD! (hdd too)

1st thing I would try is booting with 1 stick of ram. Hopefully you can get into the bios and up the ram voltage.

Good luck!

Thanks gurutoo,

I only have connected to the board a CPU, RAM, one hard drive, one CD Writer, mouse, keyboard and a monitor.

I have tried using just a single stick of RAM and in different sockets etc. Today I managed to sneak a stick of Samsung PC2100 CL2.5 DDR RAM from my works pc, but I don't know if it will work in my machine. The works pc also had a stick of Infineon PC3200 400MHz so I guess they are backward compatible to a point.

If this stick of RAM manages to get things going, I will alter the BIOS settings like you say and then put my Corsair matched pair 1GB sticks in. If it doesn't work out, I will probably have to return both the motherboard and CPU, even though I wouldn't know which is at fault.

My other ASUS TUSL2-C Skt370 Intel 1.2GHz machine is still working perfectly, just as it has from day one in 2002. If it wasn't for the fact that the GeForce FX5900XT card I bought last year, was being choked by the lack of power and bandwidth from the old ASUS machine, I would not have upgraded. Ahh well!


Ego Shredder :)

Quote:

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Originally posted by ego shredder!
Thanks gurutoo,

I only have connected to the board a CPU, RAM, one hard drive, one CD Writer, mouse, keyboard and a monitor.

I have tried using just a single stick of RAM and in different sockets etc.


Ego Shredder :)

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I strongly suggest you disconnect the Hdd and optical drive as well.
1 ram stick
1 video card
1 cpu
Break it down to the lowest common denominator.

Just get into that bios and take it from there...;)

Update...

Well I did what you said to the letter with a known working stick of DDR RAM, CPU+Zalman cooler, AGP card and no hard drives, floppy or CD-ROM/Writers connected. Hopefully using a PC2100 stick of RAM is ok with my board, but I guess it should be. I cleared the CMOS again too.

Switched on and at least that horrible buzzer siren alarm doesn't sound now. The PC still powers off after a few seconds with nothing appearing on screen and no chance of seeing and entering the BIOS. There are no POST beeps at all, only the sound of the case and cpu fans whirring away briefly.

All I can think of doing now is:

(1) Try a different stick of PC3200 RAM to see if that makes any difference (borrow one from my works pc again).

(2) Also maybe having a third go at installing the Zalman 7700 cpu cooler, which isn't as tight a fit as my Zalman 6000 P3 model in my opinion. I could clean the glue from the CPU and try the stock Intel cooler perhaps.

(3) I could try the PSU in another computer to see if that is definitely ok.

(4) The Pentium 4 which I suppose could be faulty in theory.

(5) Try a different monitor screen, so I can rule this out as well.

(6) Weep like a baby and then pretend I haven't actually blown £900/$1700 on a non-functioning high end computer...:(


Ego Shredder :)

I'll get some major stick for replying to my own topic 17 years later, but hey.... that is just the OCD in me lol. Anyway about six months later in 2005 I was at work, and a colleague was pushing me to resolve my PC problem and was amazed I had not simply returned the motherboard for repair or replacement etc. So I did exactly that and received my motherboard back a week later repaired, and it worked perfectly for the next seven years, until one evening exhausted I did my usual thing of dealing with the now old PSU and its fan that kept stopping. I usually just poked a screwdriver in and flicked the fan blades to get them going, but due to being VERY tired I over did things and poked the screwdriver too far and shorted something, which basically blew the BIOS chip. I could have replaced this for £9 but decided it was time for an upgrade. That subsequent upgrade in February 2012 is what I am still using today in October 2022! I'd love another upgrade now but prices have gone through the roof in recent years, even with second hand components.

I still have my pc from 17 years ago.... I'm using it to elevate a floor lamp. :eek:

Rofl!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ego shredder!

I'll get some major stick for replying to my own topic 17 years later, but hey.... that is just the OCD in me lol. Anyway about six months later in 2005 I was at work, and a colleague was pushing me to resolve my PC problem and was amazed I had not simply returned the motherboard for repair or replacement etc. So I did exactly that and received my motherboard back a week later repaired, and it worked perfectly for the next seven years, until one evening exhausted I did my usual thing of dealing with the now old PSU and its fan that kept stopping. I usually just poked a screwdriver in and flicked the fan blades to get them going, but due to being VERY tired I over did things and poked the screwdriver too far and shorted something, which basically blew the BIOS chip. I could have replaced this for £9 but decided it was time for an upgrade. That subsequent upgrade in February 2012 is what I am still using today in October 2022! I'd love another upgrade now but prices have gone through the roof in recent years, even with second hand components.

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What factors have contributed to the high cost of computer components in recent years, even for second-hand components? please let me know

It's interesting to see the evolution of your PC troubleshooting journey over the years. Have you encountered any similar challenges recently, and how has the landscape of PC building and problem-solving changed for you since then?

Steve R Jones, it's amusing to hear about the creative repurposing of old PCs. Do you often find new uses for outdated hardware, or do you prefer to upgrade regularly?

SpywareDr, any humorous or unexpected stories from your tech adventures that you'd like to share? It seems like everyone has their unique experiences in the world of computers.

Ego shredder!, considering your experience in troubleshooting, what advice would you give to someone facing similar issues with their PC, and how has the process evolved since your early days of building computers?
Steve R Jones, given your creative repurposing of old PCs, what's the most unconventional use you've found for outdated hardware, and do you have any favorite repurposing projects?
SpywareDr, with your expertise, are there any notable incidents or unexpected turns you've encountered in your tech adventures, and how have they shaped your approach to cybersecurity?