A8N-SLI Premium Won't Post at all HELP! UPDATE!!

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Sep 4, 2004
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N E 1 care to help me troubleshoot a maybe dead mobo/video card/processor (EEEK) ??

System includes:

Asus A8N-SLI Premium
AMD Socket 939 3500+ Prescott core (E4 stepping)
Samsung 710N-2 LCD
MSI ATI Radeon X800-TD128 video card
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA 160 GB HD
Antec TruePower 500w PS
Corsair XMS 1GB Dual Channel (2x512 GB) DDR

UPDATE: BIOS out of the box was v.1008. My processor, with E4 stepping, required v.1009, as per Asus CPU support on their website. Also some issue Bios fixed related to RAM (not too clear to me), so it's possible my Corsair wasn't bad after all :? Looks like ASUS has had a BIOS update every month on this board through 2005 8O

When using the slower Crucial memory on this board, I was able to install my XP Pro, but kept getting BSOD crashes (The dreaded DRIVER_IRQL_yada yada..) even with the current drivers. I'm hoping the Bios flash and new, clean install will correct this issue...

All new components except the monitor...

Power switch on, will not even post.... No display on the monitor (completely black), but the video card fan is spinning...

AMD 3500+ E4 stepping w/ Zalman 9500 cooler.

All components assembled VERY carefully....

No BEEP codes or anything upon startup ....


Tested every way I have thought to test, with mouse keyboard disconnected, front panel connectors disconnected, no unnecessary things plugged in, etc.

This is the 1st time I can't get a newly built comp to even post...I've tried everything I can think of...

I'm trying to narrow it down to which component might be at fault.

Any ideas anyone has would be greatly appreciated..

Dumb question, maybe, but which slots are supposed to be populated with the dual channel config. as far as the memory goes with this motherboard???

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙁

DJ
 
Well I dont want to discourage you to keep trying but, I just recently had the same trouble. After 4 days of trouble shooting, 4 CPUS, 3 motherboards, 3 sets of ram, 2 GFX cards, and 2 PSU's later, I finally gave up and returned everything. Going to re-order it all, but I started of with the premium board, went to a deluxe, and eneded with an Abit Fatility. As for CPU's I was using 2 3800+ x2, 1 3800+, and 1 3500+, and I couldnt get ANYTHIG to work on it. I can only assume it was the PSU which was a Coolmax 650watt that fried everything, but I honestly dont know. Good luck lol.

Oh, and the Blue slots are the ones you want to use for Dual Chan.
 
To use dual channel properly, you should have 1 DIMM in a black slot and 1 in a blue slot. (i.e., 1 dimm in slot 1 and 1 dimm in slot 3, or 1 dimm in slot 2 and 1 dimm in slot 4)

A couple things you need to make sure of... you're video card probably has an external power connector on the card (like a 4 pin MOLEX), make sure it's connected. Sometimes systems won't post unless that's connected.

Another thing, this board has a 4 pin MOLEX power connector between the CPU and the PCI 16x slot. Make sure that's connected. Additionally, it also has a square 4 pin ATX connector above the CPU near the edge of the board- make sure that's connected as well.

Next (if it still won't POST), make sure you've got the minimum connected. IE, video card, ram, and CPU only. If it doesn't POST, try clearing the BIOS (see ur manual for clearing CMOS/BIOS). If it still doesn't work... well I would try and replace the motherboard first.

If you try all this, PM me again and we can troubleshoot further.

-mpjesse
 
To use dual channel properly, you should have 1 DIMM in a black slot and 1 in a blue slot. (i.e., 1 dimm in slot 1 and 1 dimm in slot 3, or 1 dimm in slot 2 and 1 dimm in slot 4)
Click to expand...

on the Asus board its slot 1 and 3( the two blue ones :) )

the only thing i would say is try a different GFX card it could be that one is just faulty.

All new components except the monitor...
Click to expand...

check with a new monitor i had a 20" CRT that just stopped working on me it would show the light to say it was on but it would be black. i know yours is LCD but try it anyway.

Another thing, this board has a 4 pin MOLEX power connector between the CPU and the PCI 16x slot. Make sure that's connected. Additionally
Click to expand...

only needed if your PSU doesnt have a 24 pin connector, as for the 4 pin slot above the CPU i didnt know that was there my manual says it wont boot without it....im gonna have to check see if i plugged something in that(dont remember) :?

and follow mpjesse instructions i may of only been here a short while but he knows what hes talking about 8)
 
UPDATE

Listened to POST messages, got a System Failed Memory Test... (due, I think, to slots 1 and 2 being populated!)

Removed memory, and reseated in, 1st, BLUE slots (1 and 3),

and then, also in BLACK slots (2 and 4)

NO POST, and NO VOICE POST error message (nothing, silent)


Populated slot #3 with a stick of Crucial PC2700 (256 MB) and FINALLY got a post, asking for keyboard, etc.

Do you think I have 2 sticks of bad Corsair memory?? I did try each one individually in slot 3 to test them by themselves, and again, no POST and no messages....

MY video card does not have a 4 pin MOLEX connector on it. I think that's because it's a basic X800 card with only 128 MB of memory. Is that incorrect?????

I DO NOT have the EZ plug connected (4 pin MOLEX, on mobo), as the instructions call for that ONLY if you are using 2 video cards, which I am not.

Could that be my problem? If I plug that connector in, and it's not needed, will it fry my board??

I'm thinking I have 2 bad sticks of memory, if that's possible. The memory is right off the ASUS recommended list (not that that always matters..), basic XMS timings (not the high speed stuff).....


X
 
sounds likely that it is your RAM then use that 1 stick of 2700 for now.

btw i didnt realise but this board, sets up the RAM as "Two pairs of dual channel" when all 4 slots are occupied. so if you do put in four RAM dimms try to get four identical sticks.

RMA the bad ram.
 
UPDATE!!

using 2 stick Crucial PC2700 in slots 1 and 3
Posted and into BIOS without trouble (v.1008, should I upgrade and live dangerously??)

Installed basic modem, and SATA HD, which it recognized..

Looking more like memory all the time!!

Since I have to RMA the stuff now (Newegg purchased), should I consider changing memory?? It doesnt have to be fast, due to the intended use of this PC, but it has to be DEAD STABLE and reliable.

Suggestions???


X
 
Yes, I would replace the memory. Instead of PC2700, get PC3200. It shouldn't cost that much more and the FSB will run at full speed.

As for the 4 pin molex connector- connecting it won't fry the board. But like Flakes said, it's only need when using 2x video cards.

-mpjesse
 
Having the same problem. Heres my current setup:

ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
AMD 64 3500+ Venice Core (E6 stepping)
1 Gig Dual Channel Corsair XMS PC3200 DDR
XFX 7800 GT 258MB
Enermax 535W Spec 2 PSU

I'm positive everything is installed properly and carefully. My only concerns were that I wasnt starting with a fresh HDD but that would be no reason for it to not even post. (that I know of)

I'm getting the same result you initially had. Power up, everything turns on (quite gorgeously too) but nothing happens. Blank screen. No beeps.

I called Asus and one thing they suggested is that the BIOS is out of date and doesnt support the E6 core. I sent them my BIOS chip to update. I'm hoping that works and I would recommend it for you too, though Im pretty sure E4 has been supported all along.

I'm certain my RAM isnt bad, I just put it into my old system and it worked fine. I have both sticks in the blue slots

If this BIOS update doesnt do the trick, I'm in the dark for a solution. I just dont see how it could not boot.


Oh and...
MY video card does not have a 4 pin MOLEX connector on it. I think that's because it's a basic X800 card with only 128 MB of memory. Is that incorrect?????
Click to expand...

No. Your video card does not have the 4-pin connector because it is not an SLI card. The 4 pin is extra power for SLI. Just curious, do you plan on getting a different video card? Seems kinda useless to pay for a SLI board and not even use an nVidia card...
 
Lots of good questions.....

Here's the update....

I had the same (maybe) Corsair as you did, 1 GB, 2 sticks, Dual Channel PC 3200 (20-145-449 MEM 512Mx2 COSRAIR TWINX1024-3200C2). Pretty much the basic XMS stuff, basic timings, not intention of overclocking, etc.

Tried both sticks in blue slots (no post)
Swapped them, same slots (no post)

Tried both sticks in black slots (no post)
Swapped them (no post)

Tried one stick in B1 slot (nothing)
Tried the other (same result)

Repeated this combination in all slots (no post)

All this combo tested with only video card in place, and nothing else plugged in (well, USB headers)

I WAS PIST :x

Did not try memory in my other pc's (maybe should have), BECAUSE, as soon as I popped in 1 stick Crucial 256MB PC2700 in B1, it POSTED!! yayyy!!!

I popped in a second stick of the same (in A1) and it posted!!! Did this only as a test, and no, it's not staying on the board.

As of this moment I have 2 sticks, 512 MB ea, Corsair ValueSelect PC 3200 (NOT Dual Channel matched stuff) on the MB and it posted no prob. (Slots A1 and B1)

I returned the Corsair to Newegg as DOA (refund) and went ahead and did some further checking, which led me to buy some.....

Crucial Ballistix PC 3200 1GB (2x512). Read alot of good things about this stuff, and have always had Crucial in the past, and trust their reliability (never a problem, ever)
I have absolutely no idea why the Corsair didn't work, as I know this is good stuff too, generally.

The only thing I worry about is that it might be the MB, but it now seems unlikely as now I've tried 3 different types of memory on the board, in addition to the Corsair, with no trouble. I get the Ballistix memory tomorrow, so I will post then and let everyone know....

As to why I bought the SLI board with no intention of SLI use (at least for now), it's for the same reason I own a Corvette, and Escalade, and a Hummer... I used those vehicles ONLY for going to the grocery store 1/2 mile away. Just in case. OK, just kidding....I have an Abrams M1A1 tank for that, and use the others to go to the Post Office...

Actually, it was to future proof, as much as that is possible, my wife's computer. (ya, it's my wifes :? ) I've long had nVidia cards with various amounts of success, and it was a good time to switch. Both products are good. She runs a national, non-profit missing children's organization called The Childseek Network (www.childseeknetwork.com). We are in the middle of redesigning the web page and having a new logo created, etc. That's why the reliability issue is so important, and why I picked the components I did (and could afford). We have a database of missing children from all across the country, and we help families with missing loved ones with web pages, reward funds, among other things. One day we hope to have our own server to house all that data.

I wanted the best I could afford, without trading in the aformentioned vehicles :)


X
 
No. Your video card does not have the 4-pin connector because it is not an SLI card. The 4 pin is extra power for SLI. Just curious, do you plan on getting a different video card? Seems kinda useless to pay for a SLI board and not even use an nVidia card...
Click to expand...

That's not necessarily true. I had an x800 Pro AGP that an extra 4pin MOLEX connector on it that you HAD to use or the system wouldn't post. Almost all newer video cards have some sort of external power connectors these days. SLI/Crossfire or not.

The 4 pin Molex connector I was refering to in this thread is on the motherboard. The A8N-SLI Premium has a 4 pin molex connector near the CPU for SLI operation. He was thinking I meant it was supposed to be on the card.

-mpjesse
 
That's not necessarily true. I had an x800 Pro AGP that an extra 4pin MOLEX connector on it that you HAD to use or the system wouldn't post. Almost all newer video cards have some sort of external power connectors these days. SLI/Crossfire or not.

The 4 pin Molex connector I was refering to in this thread is on the motherboard. The A8N-SLI Premium has a 4 pin molex connector near the CPU for SLI operation. He was thinking I meant it was supposed to be on the card.

-mpjesse
Click to expand...

Yeah that was my mistake. I thought he was referring to the 6 pin connector, then I realized 6 != 4. 😳
 
My Brand spanking new System now includes P-180 case / ASUS A8N SLI Premium / 1-ASUS EN7800GTX / AMD x2 4800+ / OCZ PC-3200 value series 2 gig kit / 3-300 gig sata raid WD Cav / Enermzx 620W Liberty / Samtron 76v 17” crt

:cry: As with others I am having a lot of difficulty getting this to work at all. ie..
black screen no beeps
having to reboot several times to get past post
xp pro x64 sluggish etc...
Your posts have been very helpful and I will be trying all of your suggestions as soon as I calm down and put the hammer away. :wink: This is my first build and I was hoping there would be no problems...lol

A friend said that I may need washers on my mobo...is this true???
 
Let me say, I've built bunches of systems, and this one has been the trickiest for some reason. I can see from other posts that people using this MOBO have had similar trouble along the way. My observations.....

Nothing wrong with asking for help here!!! Even the simplest questions will get an answer, just be patient and persistent! This is a great place for help and a great supportive community!!!

As your trouble was the same as mine, USE THE POST REPORTER!! It saved me a lot of time, and I figured out I had some bad sticks of memory. It may at least point you in the right direction.

Check your BIOS on the ASUS website, and make sure your version supports your processor. My processor was new enough, as was my board, that I thought I was ok. I discovered I wasnt. Flashing the BIOS may not solve all your trouble, and may be a bit tricky, but it could help. See posts here for further help.

I haven't had a shorting problem for a long time, but as to washers, as long as you don't crank the screws tight, you should be ok. If you overtighten them, like the book says, you could screw your MOBO (so to speak :)) Usually, if this is a problem, you have this spontaneous reboot situation for no reason, thats really hard to pinpoint. Assume for now you didnt overtighten your screws, unless you know you did. Its kinda a feel thing, and after you build a few, you kinda know....

Don't assume your memory is ok. Try switching them around, using one stick, removing and reseating, trying different memory if available. I used some slower memory, which worked great, but then exposed a software/hardware issue. At least it narrowed it down...

I'm assuming youve removed each component (Disconnected I mean) and tried to repost. Try unplugging/removing everything except your power supply (unplug and then reseat), your video card (do the same) and memory(do the same). Dont connect anything else, and try to POST. Could be another component. See what happens, and listen to the POST REPORTER via headphones. You may have done this, but if not, do it. :)

Pretty much all systems go together the same way. As dumb as it sounds, eliminate the variables one at a time, and alot of time you can get to the root of the trouble. Being really cautious during an install can pay off later, so go easy on pushing in connectors, carefully seat ram, insert and double check your work as you go, etc. It's not until you build several system that you discover you can be a little harder on stuff and not worry too much :)

Post your questions here, and BE SPECIFIC with your info. That way, everyone can help, and I'm sure you can work stuff out. As I said before, I never had any install troubles with all the systems I've built, UNTIL this one. With everyone's imput, I was able to pinpoint the trouble pretty quickly, and my system runs fine now (knock on wood, all of that other stuff..) I'm just finishing up all of my software installs...
 
So it sounds like I was pretty much right as far as the BIOS not being compatible with the CPU?

I should be getting my BIOS chip back from ASUS within the next few days, so Ill let you know if getting it updated worked for me.
 
Not sure about the BIOS thing helping, but I do know that my orig version of BIOS did not support my CPU, as far as the ASUS website said. The new version did also correct some issues with memory, but as I said, I had some old memory that worked fine. The memory fix isnt too specific, so its hard to tell if it had any impact.

Curious as to know if there was a reason you didnt flash your own BIOS upgrade....

I now own Crucial Ballistix stuff, and no probs so far!!

Ill let ya know
 
I didnt flash my own BIOS because I couldnt even boot to do so. The only way I could've done it would be a remote flash through another comp, but that's risky and im not really experienced with that kind of thing. So I just sent my BIOS chip to Asus instead.
 
NOOB...
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
eVGA 7800GT CO 256-P2-N517-AX
2x512 MB CORSAIR VALUE SELECT
LITE ON IDE DVD/CDRW COMBO
Seagate Barracuda SATA HD

I've tried reseating the memory in various arrangements. No luck. Tried reseating the graphics card. Nope. The 4 pin MOLEX on the board is only for non-24 pin PSUs, correct? And to what do you connect the 4 pin ATX plug near the CPU??

I'm getting nothing... no POST, nothing.
 
Sanador, the 4 pin molex is only for non-24 pin PSUs or if you are running 2 video cards. You need to plug in the 4 pin by the CPU though. You should have a proper connector coming from a seperate rail on the PSU. There will be an 8 pin connector that you attach to the adapter that came with the motherboard (or maybe mine came with the PSU, cant remember now).

I finally got my BIOS chip back. After putting it in, still got no Post. I switched the RAM to the stuff I had in my old comp (2x256 Pc3200) and it booted. So now I have 2x256 in the blue slots and 2x512 in the black and it's working fine.


BF2 has never looked better 😀
 
Sanador,

I too had similar trouble as detailed above. Try some of the fixes I tried above.

Use the post reporter to see if you can identify the trouble, and where its coming from. Attach only yout PS, video card, and monitor, and plug in a set of headphones into the green audio output on your MOBO. That's how I discovered I had trouble with my RAM. Try to boot with one stick of RAM in the B1 slot.

Do you have any older slower memory you can try in this board just to test it?? I had the same RAM you are trying to use that worked fine until I got my replacements....

It's possible you have a BIOS problem, but without having a way to post, you wont know the version of BIOS you have. (I don't think anyway) ASUS has updated the BIOS almost every month since this board hit the market. The current BIOS seems to fix newer CPU issues, as well as some RAM issues. Could be nothing more than that..
 
Thanks and forgive the earlier post... late and getting frustrated with first build. The green LED on the mobo is lighting on power up as are all the case LEDs. Fans run, save one seemingly minor issue with the rear 120 requiring a nudge to get started. All I'm missing is the POST... a minor problem.

I have tried using only one memory stick in the B1 slot, as well as both in the 2/black slots and one in each color, to no avail. When I get home today, I'll try stripping down to bare bones. Also, I have two old, probably 128 MB and unmatched, sticks of memory. Should I try plugging those in there? There's also my old graphics card... this is gong to be a project.

Thanks xfile. I'll get on it and get back to you guys.
 
I recently just did a massive upgrade on my computer and i happened to have ran into the same problem but not until after i did a couple of things.

I was working with a pretty nice Overclock until i added the second gig of ram. With the new ram i have to run at stock speeds much more than 10mhz (110 total) will cause my system not to boot. I started getting BSOD after disabling some items such as Parallel Ports, Game Ports, 1394 Ports, and the 2nd Lan I wasnt using anyway. I got a BSOD the other day when i started up XP and my Razer mouse wasnt initialized i simply unplugged it and plugged it back in and whamm... BSOD it goes so fast i cant read the message so i don tknow if it is the IRQ one but i am left to believe it is. I simply run my CPU, MEMORY at stock speeds with an extra few tenths of volts on both the CPU and the Memory. My problem might be that the ram i have is different versions. I have the old winbond BH5 chips (V1.1) and the 2nd gig is (v3.1) of my ram. With one gig it defaults to the right timings 2-3-2-6 but with 2 Gb in it goes to 2.5. I changed it manually and it posts and is stable but only at stock speeds. Any suggestions as to exact culprit. As for now everything is stable. I am pondering the thought of sticking with 1gb until i get some matched pair of 1gb modules... it was super stable with the 1GB of BH5 and O'Cn was never a problem.


---------------------------------------------
AMD X2 4400+
A8N PREMIUM MOBO
4 X 512 Corsair xms 3200ll - 2-3-2-6
7800GTX 256mb VCard
74gb Raptor
 
Been doing a lot of research on this board and have this memory going into new build this weekend.

The problem is that the bios is reading the wrong latency on the corsair memory. You need to manually adjust the latency numbers of the corsair and then the problem should be fixed. Check out the reviews on newegg for the corsair, several folks mentioned it in reviews of the memory. IF I remember correctly, it recognizes as 3 (first number) but is actually 2.5. that's why you can get boot with the 2700 memory.
 
Thanks JD, but if I've read the forums correctly, you need the system to POST before you can adjust those numbers. I'm not getting the infamous "beep," so I'm not able to get into any settings, BIOS or otherwise.
 
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