new build will NOT post- I am no NOOB----------Any ideas?

[resinboy]

Hi Everyone-
been building for 12 years or so- this one has me baffled.
Helping out a friend, he ordered all really nice new gear from the Egg:
Intel D975xbx2 Board
Intel E8400 Dual core
OCZ pc6400 NVIDIA SLI READY ram
HIS Radeon 4850
Corsair power supply
Antec case, etc.

After the first build of this system, will not emit the "beep" just before vsync.
I have a very similar new system, so we started swapping parts: first the cpu, then ram, then video card- no difference. This was done in the case, as well as on cardboard with only 1 stick of ram, tried in all 4 slots. Board has 2 vid card slots, tried both, even though if you are running only 1 card, you are supposed to use slot 1.

Acted like dead video slot, did an RMA, got a new board- same thing.

Now, if the ram was not compatible, I should still get a POST screen, correct? The ram was supposed to be optimized for an NFORCE chipset, but should still at least post in his board, right? ( I have the exact ram running in a Gigabyte board- works well).

If I leave out the ram, and power up, I get a beep code from the board like usual, but trying the same with the vid card, I get nothing. Shouldn't I get a beep for no vid card? And if this is the problem ( another dead vid card slot) Newegg will think we are noobs and don't know what we are doing.
I just finished cleaning up my new build on my box, and hate to tear it apart to troubleshoot my friends again, since we had the SAME results 2 weeks ago.

BTW, during power-up, board led's light up, cpu fan spins, vid card fans and led's all light: If I hook up a SATA HD, the drive spins up ok, but still, no beep, and then no post. Tried re-setting CMOS, etc- no luck.

And yes, I hooked up the secondary 8 pin power connector for the motherboard, as well as the 6 pin pci-e power connector for the vid card (tried both on the PS).

ANY IDEAS? This is the first build in which I am genuinely STUMPED.

Resinboy

 

[Billb2]

Intel issued a new BIOS on 9/3/08. Release Notes

Do both boards have the same BIOS?

 

[resinboy]

Billb2, thanks for the reply
How can I tell which bios they have if I can't even get a vid signal? Also, if I download a new bios and put it on a thumbdrive, how can I run it, if I can't get a vid signal? I seem to be stuck in the proverbial catch22......

 

[Kyanzes]

Have you tried the recovery mode? A long time since I had such a mobo but the 975XBX had a jumper that allowed me to launch the system in a recovery state. Have you tried that? Think it's the one at the right of the IDE connector (next to the middle hole in the bottom)

Some other ideas:

Did you connect any fan to the CPU FAN connector? Could be the board thinks there's no CPU cooling.

Have you tried a different PSU?

Have you tried to use the 2x4 pin power connector that is supplied with the board INSTEAD the one that comes with the PSU? It just occured to me that I had a similar issue when I tried to use the XBX with an 1x4 plug (meh). It started then nothing happened. Could be that the PSU has loose contacts on the 2x4. Just a guess.


It's a very nice mobo but the boot handling and the startup USB handling is terrible. Aside from that, a nice piece of hw.

 

[Atheus]

Instead of swapping parts into the new machine try swapping parts out into the older known working machine. Try the RAM and processor first, then the vid card - if you find it doesn't work with any of those parts then you found your culprit. If they all work then you're left with motherboard and PSU again. We can almost rule out the motherboard because you replaced it already, and you can't swap the PSU into the other system to test it, because if it's bad it could kill other components... you could RMA the PSU in this case I suppose... the problem with broken PSUs is that you sometimes think it's something else first, you replace that, and then the PSU blows it again and you have no idea what's going on.

 

[resinboy]

kyanzes:yes, I have tried clearing the cmos, then tried booting with jumper in the recovery mode position- no good. ( same jumper for both). Have always had a fan in the fan header connector ( i remember that one from a while ago). Yes, tried the 4 into 8 jumper they supplied, as well as using the cable straight out of the power supply.

Atheus: that is the Sunday AM plan: I will start putting his parts into my box and see what happens. I originally tried my cpu, vid card and ram, with his original board and PS. And man, I hope the PS isn't killing these boards.............

Guys, please check back tomorrow as I will pursue this further.

 

[Blazer]

try some other ram, kingston, corsair, just std ram rated at stock voltage, i have run both the 875 and 975 msi boards, even given its an intel board it still a 975 chipset and needs a really good psu and not a dual rail.

 

[resinboy]

morning update:
tried the following, transferring it to my working box:
video card- ok
ram, both sticks- ok
cpu and hsf- ok

apparently the PS isn't smoking any of these parts,, so do you think it is ok to try his power supply in my box? Mine would be a bitch to remove and try in his rig............unless you think it is FUBARRING his boards?

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: resinboy
morning update:
tried the following, transferring it to my working box:
video card- ok
ram, both sticks- ok
cpu and hsf- ok

apparently the PS isn't smoking any of these parts,, so do you think it is ok to try his power supply in my box? Mine would be a bitch to remove and try in his rig............unless you think it is FUBARRING his boards?

His PSU in your machine fine, your PSU in his machine *not* fine - or I wouldn't try it anyway. Have you got a really old crap box you can try it with? Or even fire it up with the green wire trick and a fan then check the voltages with a DMM.

 

[resinboy]

jumpered his ps, got 12.1, and 4.9v respectively, so got brave and built his board on a piece of cardboard next to my box, extended all my leads, and tried again- no boot. Soooooo, either his board is the problem, or for some damn reason, the ram is keeping it from even posting.
He is contacting Newegg again, discussing the problem, and seeing if he can get another brand of board, maybe even the same Gigabyte I have, since all of his parts seem to work in my rig.
Hmmm, ONLY thing I haven't tried is making sure his PS will fire up MY rig, guess that's for this afternoon.

 

[resinboy]

used his PS, and my rig fired right up- Intel definitely has a problem with this board- maybe a bios issue, but I have no way to flash it, if it won't even POST.

 

[Jest3r]

I had a customer that claimed he used a older processor to get his system to POST. He updated the BIOS that way, then put the new processor back in. Worth a shot if you have an older LGA775 laying around.

Specifically, he used a e4500 in a board, updated the BIOS, then threw a e8400 in and it worked, whereas the e8400 wasn't working with the older BIOS.

Give it a go =D

 

[resinboy]

that'll suck if that's all it is, and it makes sense at this point, however we are both coming from socket 478 boards........... since an e8400 is considered "old" at this point, you'd think the bios would be able to handle them ok.

 

[resinboy]

late update for those that care

Jest3r hit it on the head, I have to assume: I ordered a Gigabyte board, that matched my own , system booted right up, and has been running fine since last Saturday. I have to assume the Intels had an older bios with no support for an 8400 dual core.