ASUS M2A VM POST problem

[freddik]

Hello,
I just replaced my motherboard with a M2A VM, which I got factory-packed as an RMA-replacement from ASUS. Fittet it with 2 GB RAM, Samsung HDD and an Athlon 64 X2. When I turned on the system for the very first time it stopped on POST, with no signal going to the monitor. Upon hitting the reset button, it came up again and this time started booting, but halted with a screen saying "Boot failure, continue or enter setup to restore default values". From there I could start the machine, installed OS, set up programs and all.
Strange thing now is, that every time I turn on the machine after it had been shut down for a while it will hang at POST, but after a reset it will restart, get to the abovementioned error page and then boot into Windows just as if all was normal. I have tried resetting the Bios to default values, I have updaten the Bios, I have changed boot orders, but that did not change a thing. The POST-problem keeps coming up, although only after booting up after the system has been switched off completely for some time.

Any hints as to what might be the problem are highly welcome!

 

[alvine]

you should contact asus

 

[clutchc]

Have you tried changing the CMOS battery?

 

[freddik]

Have you tried changing the CMOS battery?

No, I haven't. Since the board came as RMA directly and nicely packed from ASUS I would have thought that the board basically should be well functioning, including the battery. But I agree, the battery seems like a possible candidate, Asus handbooks strongly urge to touch the battery only if really necessary; what is going to happen, when I remove it? Anything worse than having to reset date and time?

 

[clutchc]

All your current BIOS settings may revert to default. Which is no problem. But I would even take it a step further and jumper the CLR CMOS pins to be sure it reverts to default when you remove the battery for changing. That way, when you boot back up (and if the problem persists) , you will be confident you tried everything you could. If that board was a replacement from Asus, it probably was a refurbished board due to its age. I've had a factory refurbished board from Biostar that was defective, so I know it happens.

You can find instructions for clearing the cmos on page 1-21 of your manual if you have the English version. But basically it just involves moving a jumper from pins 1 & 2 to pins 2 & 3 for a few seconds, and then replacing the jumper back to pins 1 & 2.

 

[freddik]

All your current BIOS settings may revert to default. Which is no problem. But I would even take it a step further and jumper the CLR CMOS pins to be sure it reverts to default when you remove the battery for changing. That way, when you boot back up (and if the problem persists) , you will be confident you tried everything you could. If that board was a replacement from Asus, it probably was a refurbished board due to its age. I've had a factory refurbished board from Biostar that was defective, so I know it happens.

You can find instructions for clearing the cmos on page 1-21 of your manual if you have the English version. But basically it just involves moving a jumper from pins 1 & 2 to pins 2 & 3 for a few seconds, and then replacing the jumper back to pins 1 & 2.

Changed the battery and put in one from a working desktop to give it a try; I also did the jumper-reset following the manual instructions for that. After reconnecting the system to power and pushing the start button I got an error message from post (4 beeps, descending melody) and the system stopped booting;. after restart it gave an error message on screen "CMOS checksum error", I started the BIOS, it was all back to defaults, so I set things up again and after that I was able to get into Windows.
So basically, this did not solve my problem: Once up, the system runs smoothly. Starting it up also works, except under one scenario: when I completely turn off the computer (i.e. disconnect the power supply from the outlet or turn the power switch on the power supply off) then it won't reboot properly, just like before. Only difference: After changing the Battery and jumper-resetting CMOS I get not just the boot failure, but also the "CMOS checksum error" plus an automatic revert to default in the BIOS.
Any further ideas?

 

[clutchc]

It may be out of your hands to fix. The first poster was probably right, contact Asus. The problem sounds like a defect in the board somewhere. Possibly even the BIOS chip itself

One other thought... Is the existing bios the latest? Even if it is, you may want to try flashing/re-flashing the latest bios and see if that fixes the problem.

 

[mrmarria]

Changed the battery and put in one from a working desktop to give it a try; I also did the jumper-reset following the manual instructions for that. After reconnecting the system to power and pushing the start button I got an error message from post (4 beeps, descending melody) and the system stopped booting;. after restart it gave an error message on screen "CMOS checksum error", I started the BIOS, it was all back to defaults, so I set things up again and after that I was able to get into Windows.
So basically, this did not solve my problem: Once up, the system runs smoothly. Starting it up also works, except under one scenario: when I completely turn off the computer (i.e. disconnect the power supply from the outlet or turn the power switch on the power supply off) then it won't reboot properly, just like before. Only difference: After changing the Battery and jumper-resetting CMOS I get not just the boot failure, but also the "CMOS checksum error" plus an automatic revert to default in the BIOS.
Any further ideas?

Freddik-
Did you resolve this? I have a suddenly non posting board (same)

Michael