Abit IP-35 + No POST + Siren = no go

[godsdog]

...and makes my mate a sad boy. Not sure whether to post here or the Abit forum. So I'm going here for a general overview.

Akasa Zen
Seasonic S12 11 430w
Abit IP-35 "Dark Raider"
Intel C2D 4400
Scythe Mine (says he'll be upgrading in the future)
OCZ 2GB Kit (2x1024) Platinum Series DDR2 PC6400 800MHz Rev. 2
256MB Gigabyte 8600GT Silent Pipe II
Samsung DVD-RW
Old SATA HDD

Abit beep codes: http://forum.abit-usa.com/showthread.php?t=98625

Boot >> PSU and fans are firing up and the Abit boards power on "stutter" is there.

Abit Flash screen appears, Award BIOS screen appears >> Main Processor is there, Mem Test is ok, CPU brand name is there, CMOS checksum error - defaults loaded.

Press F1 to continue, Del to enter setup >> No further after pressing key.

Can't POST and can't get into BIOS, complete with 2 tone siren blaring out. ....which according to the Abit beep code above is caused by overheating or out of specification voltages.

I believe the default voltage for memory on the Abit board is 1.8, his OCZ likes 1.9 - 2.1, but can't change it yet, don't think that's the issue anyway.

He says he has everything down to a minimum, 1 stick of memory, 1 HDD etc
24 pin to ATX pwr1
EPS12v(8P) to ATX 12v1
4pin to ATX 4p1

He did say he managed to get the Scythe Mine the wrong way round, with the fan facing toward the power supply and is in the process of swapping it back and trying it the right way . I've not had chance to go round and check stuff, but looking at the mobo schematic he scanned and sent, there doesn't appear to be a lot that can go wrong for him.

Could it be BIOS beep code 1) No beep at all - this means your motherboard is dead, either due to a defective or underpowered power supply, poorly seated CPU or RAM, or a dead-on-arrival board.

PSU seems fine and not under powered and he says he has used a neighbours spare and the same thing happened, RAM and CPU are detected and seated correctly, albeit the RAM voltage isn't right. So that leaves a dead board?

I'm probably over looking the obvious, any ideas gratefully recieved. Thanks.

[staffsMike]

have you tried with a single stick of ram.. the first time i booted the IP-35 on all sticks it wouldn't have it..did it with one and adjusted the voltages then it was fine.

Post in the abit forum to though as they may shed some light on it for you.

[BUFF]

Right, first thing on a new abit build is to clear CMOS.
Try with only 1 DIMM installed as suggested ^.
Is he using an USB keyboard?

The hi low siren is usually caused by a fan rpm, temp or voltage being out of set warning parameters. Usually on a fan it's too low or no rpm so that's a definite possibility with a Mine I would think.

[godsdog]

Thanks both of you, I've posted in the Abit forum too, rightly or wrongly.

First thing I told him when he called was take the memory out and use one stick in slot 1. That's still the case as we speak.

He isn't using a USB keyboard.

I believe he has just cleared the CMOS using the instructions in the manual, and it's still the same.

The hi low siren is usually caused by a fan rpm, temp or voltage being out of set warning parameters. Usually on a fan it's too low or no rpm so that's a definite possibility with a Mine I would think.

Interesting! How does he tackle that one?

[BUFF]

Well, the low rpm warning shouldn't actually prevent him using it (& normally he would just go into the BIOS & change the warning levels or disable it entirely) but he could always connect up a case fan to the CPUFan header instead (the 3-pin from either of the Zen's case fans will fit on the 4-pin header).

I'm surprised that he can't get into the BIOS if he's using a PS/2 kb though - I honestly thought that would be it & that he needed to set USB support "by BIOS" rather than OS.

Do you know what other PSU he tried?
I've seen a handful of people have problems with Seasonics & the Seasonic-oemed Corsairs although there are also plenty of people running them fine.

& he doesn't really need the ATX4P1 so try without it.

[Mossy]

What voltage does OCZ platinum require? is it 2.1v?

[godsdog]

First PSU was a no name 380w I think, and I've just stuck my Seasonic S12 600 in it with identical results. ...I'll call him back when he gets out of the pub and tell him to try it without the ATX4P1.

The OCZ website just says 1.9 - 2.1, I've seen people going in the middle with 2.0 and it being reported as stable.

[godsdog]

Interesting, he just removed the ATX4P1 and it stuttered but went into the BIOS screen for the first time. Then it froze solid.

Just this second tried again and he actually managed to locate the DDR2 voltage option in the BIOS, then froze solid.

He's says he's going for a hat-trick and hoping to change voltage to 2.0v in the blink of an eye before he freezes again.

[peterb]

Obvious but - nothing fouling a cooling fan and stopping it from rotating?

[godsdog]

I've just made him recheck the Scythe Mine as he's now repositioned it correctly and he reports it blowing gently - so it's pointing the right way this time, and blowing gently, so no impedence there.

I've also got him sniffing around the minutia checking for silly mistakes.

He's also managed to change the DDR2 voltage to 2.0v and on reboot got to verifying DMI data pool where it froze.

[Thorsson]

Can he get in and check the temps just to eliminate overheating?

[godsdog]

nah, he gets into the BIOS and can briefly nose around but usually it freezes so he runs out of time.

[Thorsson]

Is this his first build? You've got to wonder if he's put the Mine on correctly, with the right amount of thermal compound, etc.

[godsdog]

It is his first build, he wanted to get stuck in and have a crack at it on his own after I whetted his appetite. I selected the components, ala the thread the other day, and he said he would keep me informed as to progress.

Progress wasn't good, we exchanged a few calls today and I ended up calling round earlier today to give him my seasonic PSU and I watched him hook it up. I had a quick look at the manuals that came with the bits of kit and they are mostly bobbins, but enough for you to get the gist. Then he had to go out.

Applying the thermal compound that came with the scythe mine was just a case of following the PDF he printed off prior to putting it all together. He stuck to the less is more principle and just applied an even smear across the surface of the cpu core, as per instructions and fitted the mine securely. Except he had it pointing the wrong way ...that's been rectified and is now pointing the right way.

I'll go round tomorrow and see what the score is regarding the BIOS and take some of my Ballistix round, but knowing his luck, it wouldn't surprise me if he's got a bad board. What I don't want to happen is for his RMA time to start winding down too much, if it is the board I'd like for him to get a quick replacement, Abit or Asus.

[godsdog]

Just replaced the Scythe Mine with the stock Intel cooler, got in, changed DDR2 voltage to 1.9 and he can now POST properly, get into the BIOS and stay there without problems. Had to leave him to the rest, his HDD still had the previous installation of XP on it from the previous box. ...I just know I haven't heard the last of this.

[Thorsson]

Sounds like there was some sort of problem with the Mine then.