AB9 QuadGT Post code 2d = no bootup. Options?

[sundevil_1997]

Without having changed anything or tweaked anything and now power surges or sudden shutdowns (in other words, with no warning), the PC didn't boot up. Nothing ever displayed on the monitor, it just kept saying "No signal". So I swapped monitors...nope, same problem. So I opened the case and the POST code shows "2d". Looking that up, it says it is where it's supposed to display the bios info and splash screen. Clearly that's not happening.

I replaced the video card with the exact same card from another PC, and it still did not get past 2d (and the card I replaced worked in the other PC). I then reset the bios with the little switch in the back....still nothing.

I emailed abit asking for help, but I'm guessing that might be a dead end since they're getting out of the business. It's too bad, I've otherwise loved this board.

Any suggestions, or should I just head to newegg now and get it over with?

Thanks!

System: Dual Core Pentium, WinXP Home, 2 GB OCX, 200 GB RAID1 MSI GeForce 6600.

[BUFF]

welcome :smile:

It helps others to help you if they know exactly what you are dealing with.
Please supply a full system specification incl. make & models (i.e. dual core pentium or 2Gb OCX(Z?) is not good enough).

[sundevil_1997]

Ok. Got some details wrong.

Intel Pentium E2160 Allendale 1.8GHz
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
MSI NX8600GT-T2D256EZ GeForce 8600 GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card
Antec NeoHE 50

All of that to say that I believe I can tell you exactly what has killed this motherboard, and it's this:

Envision G22LWk 22" LCD Monitor

How do I know it's the monitor? Because I have now just killed my 2nd PC containing the abit board, and the killing blow was that I plugged in that monitor and tried to bootup with it.

The backstory is that I was using the 2nd PC (which is identical to the one that died) to access the hard drives off my now dead PC. So I took them out of my case and put them into the 2nd PC's case. That all worked fine, and they were accessible in windows and everything, and I thought "Well good, at least I can still get some work done."

Then, in a fit of inspiration, I decided why not enjoy dual monitors for a while, since my monitor isn't doing anything until I get my PC fixed. So I take my monitor and plug it into the 2nd PC's second video port. Then I try to boot up. Nothing. No splash screen on either monitor. I open up the case for the 2nd PC...and it is now showing 2d also, and no bios clearing or removing of monitors or power resets will get it past 2d.

I think there might be something actually wrong with the monitor, as instead of showing "no signal" on the screen and then powering of after 10 seconds, (like the other monitor does), it just stays there, showing no signal. I also have to hold the button for a couple seconds to turn the monitor off, as opposed to the normal monentary press.

But even if there is something wrong with the monitor (which I have tested, and it still does display fine)...I just can't fathom how that would be causing a bios error in the motherboard. The video cards are fine so far as I can tell.

I'm thoroughly apalled.

[BUFF]

have you tried clearing the CMOS with the jumper rather than the switch?

[sundevil_1997]

Yes, I tried both. I also verified when I cleared with the jumper that the post code was CC, and it was.

Here is the latest annoying development...so, now that I've already ordered two replacement motherboards, I decided to try one more thing. I got the DVI to VGA adapter out and plugged in the "good" (not the suspected one) monitor up to the video card via VGA. And lookat that...it boots! I'm now typing on it.

Last night, even if I had only the "good" monitor plugged in with the DVI cord, it still wouldn't come up. Now, with the VGA cable it does.

Because this is our last straw as far as working computers go, I'm not going to try anymore experiments on this one..I'll go back and try them on my dead computer instead. First I'll see if it boots up hooked up to this good monitor via VGA, and then if it does, then after I'm done cursing, I'll hook up the "bad" (really can't say for sure how or if its bad, as if I unplugged this VGA cord right now and plugged it in, the monitor DOES work...the problem just seemed to be on bootup) monitor to it and see what happens.

I'm not calling this solved by any means, so I'd still appreciate any insight or suggestions if you have them. Why would a DVI cord to a monitor that may have some kind of issues cause the motherboard to halt at "2d", and then still not recover until you plugged in a monitor via VGA?

[Richh]

I'm not calling this solved by any means, so I'd still appreciate any insight or suggestions if you have them. Why would a DVI cord to a monitor that may have some kind of issues cause the motherboard to halt at "2d", and then still not recover until you plugged in a monitor via VGA?

This is, as you've already surmised, a really strange/unusual mode of failure. Any concrete explanation would, I suspect, require an in-depth electrical analysis of your system.

It's bizarre because, on the face of it, there's no reason why what you connect to the monitor output of the VGA card should affect the motherboard in any way - the graphics card provides a significant degree of electrical separation.

About the only guess I can come up with is that there's some sort of electrical short, either in the monitor cable, or in that monitor itself, which in turn is affecting the graphics card and which, in further turn, is dragging down a supply voltage on the motherboard.

None of that, unfortunately though, gets you any closer to a solution. If your QuadGT is still non-cooperative, I'd try a new/replacement BIOS chip as a first diagnostic step.

[sundevil_1997]

Well, here is the post mortem, as it were.

My main PC is back up and running, thanks to another DVI to VGA adapter and VGA cable.

So I now have two PC's that will only boot up if they use a DVI-VGA adapter and VGA cable. It's like they've caught some permanent allergy to DVI cables, within 8 hours of each other.

I only assume it is the motherboard that is the problem...it could be the video card I guess. The bios POST code indicates that it is displaying the splash screen. Maybe if the video card never responds appropriately to the command, then it won't proceed? *shrug* I don't have another video card for PCIe16, so this isn't something I can test at this time.

For now I'm up and running...but it's one of the weirdest and most annoying glitches I've encountered.

Thanks for the help anyway.