| Author |
Message |
Lance R. Lindley
| | Posted on Friday, February 2, 2001 - 8:32 pm: | |
I'm having a problem with my system starting up that is similar to a couple of other folks in other threads, but their answers haven't helped me. Was running a RIOWORKS PSVA motherboard that had a tendency to hang at various stages during POST -- anywhere from memory test, to IDE detection, to even recognizing the processor -- it was different each time. Sometimes it wouldn't even turn the video on. Also strange, if I powered it down without turning off the switch on the power supply itself, it would turn itself back on again in 5 seconds.
I was increasing the RAM the other day by installing a new 256MB RAM chip and it died on me completely. Where it used to take 10 tries to get it through the POST, now it would never make it. I took the new RAM out, and tried replacing various other components, but nothing worked. So I bought a SOYO SY-6VBA 133 and installed it, along with a brand new 300W power supply (up from 250). This new board will not boot at all. LED lights up, IDE devices spin once, fans come on, but no beep, no video, no POST. I thought that must mean something other than the motherboard is amiss, but I swapped out everything one at a time: RAM, processor, vid card, IDE drives that all worked in my other machines; tried every possible jumper setting on the new MOBO as well... to no avail.
By coincidence have I purchased a dead MOBO to replace my dying one? Or is the 300W power supply the culprit (it's the only thing I haven't swapped out on the new board)? I have no diagnostic hardware to check this stuff with. I just troubleshoot by plugging everything into a working machine and seeing if it still works.
I live in Japan, and I called a local repair shop. They said, "take the computer to the manufacturer." Of course, like the rest of you, I AM the manufacturer, and I'm stumped. |
win
| | Posted on Saturday, February 3, 2001 - 4:21 pm: | |
um, hm. could be a dead mb.......
you sure all the wires and ribbon cables are hooked correctly? also, go with less ram. try a 128meg stick, see if that works, sometimes ram with cause it not to boot, and hang, if it isn't compatable with the board. also, recheck the bios settings, i think there may the solution. you may have to tweak the bios, irq's, dmas, and such, it may amount to trial and error. |
Lance Lindley
| | Posted on Saturday, February 3, 2001 - 4:51 pm: | |
I've tried various solo 128 MB chips in the RAM slots -- on both mbs -- but nothing helped. I've also gone so far as to disconnect all the IDE cables hoping to at least get the POST to run as far as the IDE check, but still nothing. Unfortunately, I can't tweak the BIOS because I can't even get to it. No video, no beep, no post, basically the LEDs come on, everything "whirs" (all the fans and drives spin) but the monitor doesn't come on and feed me the usual splash screen and POST info.
Now, this is weird: I've been swapping the old and new motherboard in and out along with various components. Well, the old motherboard seems to function now in the same messed up way it used to. In other words, it finally staggered all the way through the POST and got to Windows (with all the same equipment I've been using, including the new 256MB RAM chip). Now I'm afraid to shut it down, I may never get it up and running again. The NEW mobo, as far as I know, still doesn't work. I'm coming to the conclusion that although the problems look similar, they are two separate issues. I think my old mobo is dying and my new mobo is either dead or can't handle the faster pIII chips. The documentation is contradictory... the website says it will only handle 100MHZ chips up to 600mhz, but the manual says it will handle 133mhz chips up to 933mhz. This mobo was made in July 1999, so I'm suspicious. I'm gonig to take it back to PCDepot today and see if they'll give me my money back. Fat chance, in Japan, retailers are pretty tough on returns. |
Lance Lindley
| | Posted on Saturday, February 3, 2001 - 7:56 pm: | |
I took the SOYO mobo back to PC Depot and they gave me my money back. So now I guess I'll keep searching for a decent Slot 1 mobo with AGP 4x & 133fsb capability without onboard sound/video. If the next one doesn't work either, I'll know something really weird is wrong with my system. |
wulfie
| | Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2001 - 5:12 pm: | |
The only time I ever had a similar experience was with a brand new motherboard installed. (Have you tried flashing the CMOS?) I decided to clear the CMOS for mine, and I inadvertantly found that the jumper setting in the motherboard manual was backwards: I reset to what should have been clearing the CMOS, and it booted. It just goes to show ya you can NEVER say never. |
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