Forgive me for the long post, but I've spent two days working on this problem and need some advice. I'm building a new inexpensive PC for a family member and have run into some issues. First off, here is the system:
AMD Phenom 8450 Triple-Core Processor
Gigabyte GA-MA78G-DS3H Motherboard
Mushkin 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 1066 Desktop Memory Model 991599 (1 module)
Those parts are all brand new, but I'm using an old case and power supply along with hard drives from a previous PC. After assembling the system, it started up, I went into the BIOS to familiarize myself with the new motherboard settings (I didn't change anything, but this was my first time with a Gigabyte mb), and then restarted the PC. I decided to do a fresh install of windows XP.
The installation was going normally until about 60% through the installation when it gave me a blue screen error that told me to shut down the system and retry the installation . . . it looked like a memory error (it definitely referenced a memory address in the error description). After shutting down the system and turning it back on, I was greeted by a series of loud beeps and no monitor signal. The beeps continued indefinitely, and in no discernable pattern (most of the beeps were long, but some were short). I restarted the system several times with the same results.
Consulting the motherboard manual's troubleshooting section (and I'm not sure how much I trust this section considering certain parts were obviously not written for this specific motherboard), and the BIOS beep codes didn't really give me a clear answer as to the specifics of the problem. The closest 2 were:
Continuous long beeps: Graphics card not inserted properly
Continuous short beeps: Power error
Neither completely matches the beeps I'm getting because most of the beeps are long, but a few are short. This motherboard has onboard video, with the monitor plugged directly into the mb, so I doubt it's the graphics card issue, unless the motherboard is defective. Just for good measure, I tried out a compatible Radeon HD video card in the PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot with no better results. I then swapped in 2 other power supplies and neither fixed the problem.
The next most likely solution seemed to be the memory, so I pulled out the module and replaced it with a similar module from my own computer (also a Mushkin 1066, but it's a 1GB module), with no change. I tried the module in each of the 4 slots, all with the same result. To make absolutely sure the new module was not defective, I pulled out the remaining 3 memeory modules from my own computer and inserted the new one and was able to get Vista running on that computer just fine. The module looks to be working.
Now here's the surprising part. I put the new 2GB module back into the new system, turned the power on, and the system posted. I started up the XP installation again, and went through the installation process and again got a blue screen error part way through the installation. I'm not sure if it was at the same % or not . . . I wasn't looking at the screen at the moment it happened. Shut down the PC, power it up again, and I got the same continuous, non-patterned beeps, mostly long, some short. The same thing has happened every time I have powered up the system since.
So, what are my options now? I could RMA the motherboard if it's likely to be the problem, but then again, it could be the CPU. I think I amply demonstrated that this is not a memory or PSU related problem. If I replace the motherboard, I'd be tempted to just go back to ASUS (I'm used to their motherboards and BIOS) and forget Gigabyte. What should my next move be?
AMD Phenom 8450 Triple-Core Processor
Gigabyte GA-MA78G-DS3H Motherboard
Mushkin 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 1066 Desktop Memory Model 991599 (1 module)
Those parts are all brand new, but I'm using an old case and power supply along with hard drives from a previous PC. After assembling the system, it started up, I went into the BIOS to familiarize myself with the new motherboard settings (I didn't change anything, but this was my first time with a Gigabyte mb), and then restarted the PC. I decided to do a fresh install of windows XP.
The installation was going normally until about 60% through the installation when it gave me a blue screen error that told me to shut down the system and retry the installation . . . it looked like a memory error (it definitely referenced a memory address in the error description). After shutting down the system and turning it back on, I was greeted by a series of loud beeps and no monitor signal. The beeps continued indefinitely, and in no discernable pattern (most of the beeps were long, but some were short). I restarted the system several times with the same results.
Consulting the motherboard manual's troubleshooting section (and I'm not sure how much I trust this section considering certain parts were obviously not written for this specific motherboard), and the BIOS beep codes didn't really give me a clear answer as to the specifics of the problem. The closest 2 were:
Continuous long beeps: Graphics card not inserted properly
Continuous short beeps: Power error
Neither completely matches the beeps I'm getting because most of the beeps are long, but a few are short. This motherboard has onboard video, with the monitor plugged directly into the mb, so I doubt it's the graphics card issue, unless the motherboard is defective. Just for good measure, I tried out a compatible Radeon HD video card in the PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot with no better results. I then swapped in 2 other power supplies and neither fixed the problem.
The next most likely solution seemed to be the memory, so I pulled out the module and replaced it with a similar module from my own computer (also a Mushkin 1066, but it's a 1GB module), with no change. I tried the module in each of the 4 slots, all with the same result. To make absolutely sure the new module was not defective, I pulled out the remaining 3 memeory modules from my own computer and inserted the new one and was able to get Vista running on that computer just fine. The module looks to be working.
Now here's the surprising part. I put the new 2GB module back into the new system, turned the power on, and the system posted. I started up the XP installation again, and went through the installation process and again got a blue screen error part way through the installation. I'm not sure if it was at the same % or not . . . I wasn't looking at the screen at the moment it happened. Shut down the PC, power it up again, and I got the same continuous, non-patterned beeps, mostly long, some short. The same thing has happened every time I have powered up the system since.
So, what are my options now? I could RMA the motherboard if it's likely to be the problem, but then again, it could be the CPU. I think I amply demonstrated that this is not a memory or PSU related problem. If I replace the motherboard, I'd be tempted to just go back to ASUS (I'm used to their motherboards and BIOS) and forget Gigabyte. What should my next move be?
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