IP35Pro, failing at POST 90

[Rarius]

I have just bought two ABIT IP35-Pro motherboards along with a Intel Q6600 processors and 4Gb of DDR2-800MHz RAM (2x2Gb) for each of them.

One system is working fine, but the other refuses to boot up although all the major components are identical.

The motherboards arrived first, so I installed my old Pentium D820 onto it along with the RAM. Everything worked OK, and I could boot into WindowsXP once I set the drive boot order correctly.

I waited for the Q6600s to arrive and installed one into the first PC with no trouble. I installed the second motherboard and installed the Q6600 straight into it. It refused to boot up only doing the following...
Post display scrolls up to 83 then 90
The system shuts down scrolling through to 99
The system beeps (one 1sec beep) and restarts
Post display scrolls up to 83 then 90
Thats it....

All fans run fine and both LEDs on motherboard are lit
Although I have power to the keyboard, the lights on it do not flash on startup.
I have no video signal but the video card cooler fan is spinning. The video card is a Sapphire Radeon X1950Pro.

I suspected the power supply although it was a good quality supply less than a year old. I replaced it with a new 650W supply. but with no success. I have since checked the new PSU on my old motherboard and proved it to be OK.

I have tried booting the system without the graphics card, hoping for a BIOS beep code, but nothing.
I have tried booting the system with one DIMM in and with no RAM installed, hoping for a BIOS beep code, but nothing.

HELP!

[Abit_NL]

Code 90 can be BIOS problem.

Tried a CMOS Clear?

You can try to take the BIOS chip from the working board and put it on the board that is giving you code 90.

[Rarius]

Code 90 can be BIOS problem.

Tried a CMOS Clear?

You can try to take the BIOS chip from the working board and put it on the board that is giving you code 90.

I have done a CMOS clear twice... no change.
I have also reset the uGuru to defaults... no change.
I dont have the tools to remove the BIOS chip and I am sure it would invalidate my warranty if I used a screwdriver!

Any other suggestions?

Phil

[Abit_NL]

I have done a CMOS clear twice... no change.
I have also reset the uGuru to defaults... no change.
I dont have the tools to remove the BIOS chip and I am sure it would invalidate my warranty if I used a screwdriver!

Any other suggestions?

Phil

There are special tools for removing a chip, but we normally use a paper clip.

Try to swap the CPU as well. Also clean the CPU contact points with some alcohol (you can use parfume). Also check if there is any visual damage in the CPU socket (bend pins). Also be sure that there is no thermal grease in the CPU socket, that can cause such problems as well.

[Rarius]

There are special tools for removing a chip, but we normally use a paper clip.

Try to swap the CPU as well. Also clean the CPU contact points with some alcohol (you can use parfume). Also check if there is any visual damage in the CPU socket (bend pins). Also be sure that there is no thermal grease in the CPU socket, that can cause such problems as well.

I have tried two different CPUs, an old Pentium D820 and the new Q6600, exactly the same with both of them...

The CPU socket looks spotless. I am a bit wary of cleaning the socket contacts due to static.

I'll have a go swapping the BIOS chips tonight... If the working machine fails to boot then that sort of proves that that is the problem. If that IS the problem, will I need to RMA the whole mobo to get it sorted or can ABIT supply a new BIOS chip?

Thanks for your help.

Phil

[Abit_NL]

I'll have a go swapping the BIOS chips tonight... If the working machine fails to boot then that sort of proves that that is the problem. If that IS the problem, will I need to RMA the whole mobo to get it sorted or can ABIT supply a new BIOS chip?

Phil

You do not need to send in the complete board for RMA when it is working with the other chip. Just drop an e-mail the support in the NL (support@u-abit.eu) with your address and a link to this post. They will send you a new programmed chip then.