GA-P35-DS3R will not post

[jaydub]

Ok, I've had this for a few weeks and has been running fine. Got home today windows was frozen, powered off and back on and it won't post. All of the fans run, drives spin, no post though.

I pulled out both sticks of RAM, powered on, and it beeps 3 times, then many times (kinda long beeps), so I know the mobo notices no RAM. If I put in stick #1, that stick does the same, 3 then many beeps. If I put in stick #2, it doesn't beep, but also doesn't post. If I have the "no beep" stick in (stick #2), and pull the video card I still get no beeps, so the mobo doesn't seem to notice that the video card is missing.

The GB manual on bios beep codes is useless, as is the website. I see nothing about 3-many beeps. According to them a missing video card should give "1 long, 2 short" beeps, but I get nothing of the sort.

I'm severely puzzled. The two sticks of RAM give two different results, neither of which posts. I also tried them in both channels 1 (yellow) and 2 (red), same thing.

Please help.

 

[Mondoman]

Try clearing the CMOS if you haven't done that yet. Perhaps your PS has partially failed.

 

[lunyone]

I'm going with a partially bad PSU. I had something like this happen to me, but I could smell the burnt caps when it happened. Try the CMOS reset, but my $ is on a bad PSU. Do you have an older PSU that you could try? This would help to eliminate it. Most electronics don't usually fail just sitting idle. What are your specifications, by the way? I'm mainly wanting to know what your PSU model/brand is. But if you would be so kind in listing the rest of the build, it might help us help you.

 

[randomizer]

Is it just me, or are there alot of P35-DS3x's having problems?

 

[Zorg]

It appears that way doesn't it. Thank God I got a DQ6... knock on wood.

Edit: I really did knock on some wood.

 

[lunyone]

Is it just me, or are there alot of P35-DS3x's having problems?

I'm betting most of the issues are related to poor PSU's that are spiking components, but that is just my opinion. This is why I ask for specs, so we can see what we're dealing with.

 

[jaydub]

Thanks for the responses. Here are the specs:

Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
Intel E2160 Dual Core 1.8Ghz
Antec Earthwatts EA430 430W
Patriot Extreme PC2 6400 LLK (2x1Gb)
ATI X600SE 128MB (bare bones card)
TR Ultima 90 cooler
WDC 400AAKS SATA
Cooler Master Centurian

I had the CPU oc'd to 3.0Ghz and running stable for a few weeks. The ram is 2.2v spec'd, and I had it running at 2.3v, 5-4-4-10 @ 1065Ghz, so it was OC'd a bit too. The video card is probably about the lowest powered PCI-E available, doesn't even have an aux power supply, so I'd be surprised if the PSU was being stressed too much by that. Shouldn't the Antec 430w be able to power some moderate OC's with very little req. from the video?

[update] - I just punched the power button this morning, after sitting all night, and it posted! This was with RAM stick #2, the one that wasn't beeping, but also wasn't posting. I had reset the bios several times last night but the dang thing wouldn't post, but the first thing this morning it does, without even touching it?!? I would conclude that I have at least 1 bad stick of memory (#1), but why would sitting overnight allow it to post? Seems as though I've read about this symptom before, where it only posts after sitting for 8-10 hours, but I don't recall the resolution.

Any other clues? Thanks a mil.

 

[lunyone]

Your 430w PSU should be fine. I have a link that has the 380w version of yours running a e6600 OC's w/a 8800gtx!! So you should be fine with it. You might be having an issue with your mobo. In the industry we call it a "cold solder" joint. This means that something might not have been full soldered onto the mobo (not everything was heated up properly, thus the term "cold solder" came from). Not sure that is the problem, but usually when things heat up you'll encounter issues like this. Have you tried stick #2 in the other slots? I know that you currently are running now, but thought I would ask it, since it wasn't mentioned yet (or maybe I missed it).

 

[jaydub]

...Have you tried stick #2 in the other slots?...

I tried every combination of single sticks in all of the slots last night. #2 wouldn't beep, but it wouldn't post either, in any of the slots. I still have stick #1 out but I might give it another try. I thought it was trashed last night because it kept beeping but now I don't know since it mysteriously decided to post this morning when it wouldn't last night. I think I can rule out PSU and CPU, and RAM stick #2 passed MemTest86+ this morning, so it seems ok. So it's either mobo or stick#1, but if it was just stick #1 then it should've posted last night after I removed it. So maybe mobo AND stick#1. Dude, I should've bought a Dell.

"Cold solder" makes since though, if cooling off makes it post. Hmm.

 

[jeremyrailton]

mine did something similar once, but i reset the CMOS and it fired right up.

 

[jaydub]

Another update:

The computer ran Prime95 all day today with ram stick #2 without any issues. I got home from work and decided to try stick #1, the one that was causing the bios beep last night, and it posted and booted right up. I just finished 3 hours of MemTest86+ on both sticks without any errors, so it sure seems like the RAM is good to go.

I'm not sure what to do now. Should I go ahead and RMA the mobo? It's within 30 days so I figure 'Egg would do it without issue. Or should I just chalk it up to solar flares and hope it doesn't happen again?

 

[randomizer]

Might as well RMA it. Wish it was that easy here, they actually check to make sure it doesn't work in australia, and charge you if it still does.

 

[jraab22]

RMA it. I have the same board and it sounds like I had the same problem. I was running it at stock speeds for about 4 weeks or so, completely stable. One day out of the blue got a blue screen, wouldn't post after rebate. Fan would try to spin, gfx card would try to start and I'd get nothing. Just an endless cycle of trying to start and then dying. I was out of the newegg RMA time period so I had to send to gigabyte. Came back 2 weeks later, no clue what they did, but it works fine now.

I'm running mine with 4 sticks of 1gb RAM, and a 620W corsair psu.