Asus P4P800-E Deluxe startup problem

[jstover]

About every 4 years, I build a new office system. This time, I selected a P4P800-E Deluxe MB and ATI AIW9600 AGP card. The hardware assembly is completed, but when I power on to try to set up the BIOS, the monitor displays "Please check the signal cable," signifying that it is not getting a video signal.

Here's the weird thing: I have a working system with an Asus A7V266-E MB and ATI Rage 128 Pro AGP card, but I get no video from the Rage card when I install it in the P4P motherboard. I also get no video when I install the AIW9600 card in the A7V system. The truth table reads like this:

P4P + AIW = no video
P4P + Rage = no video
A7V + AIW = no video
A7V + Rage = video

Ordinarily the no video condition from the AIW in both MB's would cause me to suspect the AGP card, but I can't figure out why I can't get video from the Rage card in the P4P MB, and I can in the A7V. Both AGP cards are supposedly compatible with a 1.5V supply, and both MB's supposedly supply 1.5V to the AGP slot. I realize I have a lot of variables to check, but for this forum, I'm interested only in known motherboard problems. Have any other hardware geeks out there experienced a similar problem with no video output from various AGP cards in this MB, and do you have any insights into what might be causing it?

 

[Zap]

Two potential problems, but first did you plug in the extra P4 12v cable from the power supply to the motherboard?

First, you may have a dead AIW video card. These things happen. You'd want to pop it into a few other known working systems and if you get no video in all of them, then the card is indeed DOA.

Second, your new system has problems either with a dead component, incompatible components or something shorting out the motherboard. My suggestion for this is to take everything out of the case for troubleshooting purposes. Put the motherboard on a block of foam (or cardboard box), re-install the CPU, fan/heatsink and RAM, put in the known working video card and hook up a power supply. For good measure, hook up the PC speaker. Then, try turning it on. Do the fans spin up? What noises do you get from your PC speaker? If at this time it turns on fine, then reassemble in the case and test it again. If not, then time to swap out other parts until you find the culprit.

Potential issues:
- new motherboard doesn't like the Rage 128
- new motherboard doesn't like RAM (some known issues concerning this)
- something not seated right in motherboard
- motherboard shorting out in the case
- power supply problem (yes, even with new stuff)

If you hear long beeps or short burst of beeps from the PC speaker when you power the system on, it can be a RAM or video problem.

Try these things out and let us know how it turns out.

 

[jstover]

Thanks for your response, Zap. I'm sorry it took so long to acknowledge, but my main computer went down while I was involved with this new build (something about not being fully ACPI compliant after 4 years of service under WIN2K Server, and a BIOS upgrade by the manufacturer last year) -- but that's another story.

Upon further testing, I was able to get the new graphics board to work in a known good Asus MB system, but neither it nor the known good graphics board will work in the new Asus MB system. I was not able to get the new MB to even start up out of the case; probably had it hooked up incorrectly. Based upon current test results, however, the new Asus P4P800-E Deluxe MB seems to be either mis-installed or faulty.

I've checked over my connections more than twice, and the only question that remains unanswered is whether one of the mounting holes should not be grounded. The last time I ran into this problem was with an Asus A7V266-E, and I found by Ohmmeter testing that one corner mounting hole was a common connection for a low voltage supply. I changed the standoff at that hole to plastique (OK, probably nylon, but I FELT like blowing it up by then), and the board started right up. This glitch was not addressed in the Asus owner's manual (and this was a mature board model when I installed it over a year ago), nor did anyone on the Asus owner's forum admit to knowing anything about it.

I guess I will change all of the standoffs for the new MB to non-conductive material, and see what happens. It would be just my luck that one of the mounting holes is required to be grounded to the case for a return path! It would be nice to hear from someone who can say definitively whether the mounting holes on this MB should or shoud not be grounded to the case, and which ones should or shouldn't.

JS

 

[jstover]

PS

Fans spin, components click and whirr, no case speaker sounds, no video, onboard audio output not hooked up.

 

[mechBgon]

Could you give an exhaustive list of the specs of the new system, including the brand and model of the memory modules and the power supply?

 

[jstover]

Case and PS: Antec Sonata, 380W Tru-Power
MB: Asus P4P800-E Deluxe
CPU: Intel P4, 2.40A GHz, 533MHz bus, 1MB L-2 cache
Memory: 2 x Kingston (Hynix) KVR400X64C3A/512 (on MB's approved memory devices list)
AGP Graphics Card: ATI All-In-Wonder 9600
HDD: 2 x Western Digital 120GB EIDE, UDMA/100 connected to Promise Primary RAID port
DVD multi-R/W: Asus DRW-0804P
Nothing else installed except the floppy drive.

After 4 years with my SCSI RAID full tower, with a bazillion fans and parallel 1GHz P3's, the goal was to obtain as much speed as my budget would allow in as quiet a case as was available. I believe all of the components are well-spec'd; now if I could only get it to work!

 

[mechBgon]

Hmmm. You got a Prescott CPU. Looking at Asus's CPU-support page, I see that you need a minimum PCB version of 1.02 and also a minimum BIOS revision of 1002. Could you look at your board, locate the BIOS chip in its little socket, and tell me what the sticker on it says, and also find the PCB revision number (usually in microprint below the big P4P800-E Deluxe logo), to see if this board meets those two prerequisities?

 

[jstover]

MB is V1.02
BIOS is 1001, but that only limits the CPU features the board can use. It should not keep it from booting. Ya gotta' get it runnin' before ya can flash the BIOS.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: jstover
MB is V1.02
BIOS is 1001, but that only limits the CPU features the board can use. It should not keep it from booting. Ya gotta' get it runnin' before ya can flash the BIOS.

Sometimes that is indeed the case, and sometimes it's not. Do you know for a fact that the P4P800-E Deluxe will run a Prescott in this situation? Got access to any other Socket478 processors you could use in it for BIOS-update purposes?

 

[jstover]

Know for a fact only from mfr's. literature, but can't recall where I found it and don't have time to do the research twice. I'm satisfied that the CPU feature restrictions are minor until the BIOS can be flashed to 1002. As I remember, they consisted of things like can't address all of 1MB L-2 cache.

 

[mechBgon]

Then I would follow Zap's advice: lay the board on cardboard, give it only the bare essentials (CPU/heatsink, video, one memory module, power, Power_SW wire), and see if it'll run like that. Check that its Clear CMOS jumper is not in the Clear position from the factory, and confirm that your power supply's 115V/230V slider is set to the right voltage for your area.

If it won't run like that, then maybe it's time to RMA it to Asus.

 

[jstover]

I believe you've lost sight of the problem. It's not a dead board, I just have no video output. The board "runs," and sounds from the system are normal for power-on. I get lights, fans, clicks and whirrs, but have no way to tell what is happening without video. I checked the voltage selection and CMOS jumper as a matter of routine during installation.

 

[mechBgon]

Got a PCI video card you could try?

(also, it might help to edit your first post to include "Asus P4P800-E Deluxe" in the title, to attract the attention of P4P800-E Deluxe owners in particular )

 

[jstover]

Thank you both for your effort. I have been researching this further, and can't locate the source where I thought I read that BIOS Ver 1001 would have little effect on the CPU. In fact, the Intel Website does not recommend any ASUS MB for their P4 2.40A, even though the ASUS Website says its P4P800-E Deluxe will support this CPU with BIOS Ver 1002.

I have asked the tech support guy in Taiwan to tell me exactly what effect the BIOS Ver 1001 would have on the performance of the 2.40A, or if the CPU will work at all with this BIOS version, and will be happy to post his answer here if I get one.

I will probably just buy a P4 2.40C (which both Intel and ASUS say will work with all BIOS versions for this board), and sell the new, retail boxed 2.40A, with Intel heatsink and fan. If you know of anyone who is interested in a virtually unused, complete P4 2.40A retail package, let me know. All reasonable offers will be considered.

--"You pay for your education, no matter where you get it."

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: jstover
Thank you both for your effort. I have been researching this further, and can't locate the source where I thought I read that BIOS Ver 1001 would have little effect on the CPU. In fact, the Intel Website does not recommend any ASUS MB for their P4 2.40A, even though the ASUS Website says its P4P800-E Deluxe will support this CPU with BIOS Ver 1002.

I have asked the tech support guy in Taiwan to tell me exactly what effect the BIOS Ver 1001 would have on the performance of the 2.40A, or if the CPU will work at all with this BIOS version, and will be happy to post his answer here if I get one.

I will probably just buy a P4 2.40C (which both Intel and ASUS say will work with all BIOS versions for this board), and sell the new, retail boxed 2.40A, with Intel heatsink and fan. If you know of anyone who is interested in a virtually unused, complete P4 2.40A retail package, let me know. All reasonable offers will be considered.

--"You pay for your education, no matter where you get it."

I think the 2.4C might be the nicer processor to own anyway, although if you keep the system for four years, the SSE3 support of the Prescott could end up being an asset. The For Sale & Trade forum here would be a good place to unload the Prescott if you do decide to take that route.

I do have one other idea to mention, and that is possibly ordering a replacement BIOS chip that's pre-programmed with the latest BIOS. The place that comes to mind is http://www.badflash.com. Good luck, whichever way you end up going

 

[jstover]

Good point about SSE3 support. It appears I could have the best of both worlds with the 2.80E, and still not break my budget.

Regarding my current dilemma, I thought about upgrading the BIOS, but the fact that Intel does not recommend any ASUS MB for the 2.40A makes me a little nervous. It's not that they don't recommend ASUS boards, or even this MB; they do recommend this MB for other P4's. If Intel and ASUS want to duke it out over compatibility, they can afford to. My time and money are not plentiful enough to get caught in the middle.

 

[jwark]

Where did you find this? Asus lists that processor as being compatible witht their boards. I bought an asus P4S800D and it won't post with that p4 2.40A processor in it. ASUS swears up and down it will work and I'm having a very hard time getting anyone to take responsibility for it. Do you have a link of where it mentions problems with asus boards and this processor?

 

[jstover]

UPDATE:

I replaced the P4-2.40A with a P4-2.80E, which should work with any BIOS version used by this MB, but the BIOS still doesn't POST. I'm happier with the potential of the 2.80E, so I have no regrets about purchasing it, but CPU-BIOS compatibility doesn't seem to have been the problem.

With no video initiation and no POST failure beeps, I'm beginning to think that the Rev. 1001 BIOS is just DOA. Is there any way to check this, besides replacement?

For JWARK:

The ASUS Website contains a list of P4-MB compatibilities at http://www.asus.com/support/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx. You may have to enter your MB model. The page indicates that the P4-2.40A is only compatible with this MB if BIOS Rev. 1002 is installed, but it doesn't indicate the incompatibility symptoms that will occur.

 

[jstover]

The link in my previous post doesn't work as-is. Use http://www.asus.com/support/cpusupport/ to get to the compatibility page.

 

[jstover]

More for JWARK:

When I said "this MB," I meant mine. The P4S800D requires BIOS Rev. 1005 for compatibility with the P4-2.40A CPU.

 

[brtecson]

Hello, I recently built system w/ p4p800 and 9600aiw, but with a p4-3.0c. My problem turned out to be the heatsink...my thread

Originally posted by: brtecson
I took this comp to a professional repair guy to trouble shoot it. He found that the heatsink was on there too tight, and it pressed the processor out of alignment with the socket. He loosened it so the mounts are just barely torqued down and it works fine now. It only cost me $20, which was a lot less than I expected, so I gave him a hefty tip

Any of you guys have this problem before? I have never heard of anything like this.

And by the way, the online instructions for the thermalright SUCK. They are written in jap-arab-span-chin-glish.

 

[Etsp]

I have had the same problem, twice actually, on both the P4P800-E deluxe and the P4P800-SE. If you had taken the advice to unplug everything that wasnt needed, you would have gotten video. The problem lies within your mouse, the first time you start up that motherboard, leave the mouse unplugged and let it boot. After the first boot, it will post with the mouse plugged in, I dont know why this happens, I just know it does.

 

[netloss]

I have the same problem, unplugging the mouse does nothing. Also - the thing with the heat sink just sounds bizarre. I can't imagine why a heat sink problem would cause no video at all. Quick shutdown yes, but not even a post or error message?


I just got this stuff from Newegg and tried to put it together:

P4p800-E Deluxe
Corsair Value Select pc3200 1 gig, 2 512 dimms
p4 2.8e prescott
antec truepower 380 psu (in an Antec Sonata case)

Fans spin... No video... No beeps! Aieee!!!

I mean... when you just get zero video (and I tried 2 different working AGP 4x video cards), does that mean the board is fried, period, or is there much else to do?

I also swapped in a celeron just because there seemed to be some feeling that CPU could be the problem, earlier in this thread... no dice.

TIA if anyone wants to suggest...

 

[jstover]

Never heard of overtightened heatsinks or mouse conflicts with POST, either, but did start the MB with nothing attached, and still got the same non-response. I have RMA'd the MB back to ASUS, because Comp-U-Plus says I've had it too long (even though it never worked). Will post the results here when it comes back.

 

[bo0mer]

I think it's a compatibility issue with the:
- Antec Sonata PSU (TruePower 380WS)
and the
- P4p800-E-Deluxe

I think they fixed in the newer build of the mobo, you can fix that problem by changing the PSU
Any of you guys tried the Sonata PSU with the P4P800-SE ?