Frustrating ASUS BIOS Problem!Cry for Help!!!

[Amitava83]

Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1
Status: Online

Guys,I am going totally crazy with a persistent problem with my new PC which occurs randomly and erratically,as stated below:

After I turn on my PC after a gap of ,say 5 hours,here is what happens in exact sequence:

1)I switch on the main power
2)I switch on my UPS
3)I switch on my Power Button
4)Power LED(Blue) turns on.
5)HDD LED turns on for .3 secs and then goes off
6)Monitor turns from Active Power Mode to Standby Mode.
7)All the Cabinet fans and SMPS,CPU and GPU fans are running fine.
8)BIOS does not go to post.System freezed.
8)Now I press the power button for 3-4 seconds.
9)Machine boots fine.XP/Vista runs fine.

I have checked all power connectors.I have changed my CMOS battery.Reset my BIOS.Even updated my BIOS with the latest ROM file.Problem persists.

Here are my BIOS details:
Model: P5Q-E
Version:2101
Chipset:Eaglelake
BIOS type:AMI
BIOS Size:2048K

Could it be a HDD problem?Could it be a problem with BIOS itself?Could it be a heat issue?

Please suggest as I've lost all sleep and peace of mind.

My SMPS is brand new.

My config:
C2D E7300 @2.66GHz| ASUS P5Q-E | Palit Radeon HD4870 1GB DDR5 | Corsair 800Mhz 2X2GB 5-5-5-18 | Seagate 500GB 7200.11 |Corsair TX 650W PSU

[Barney]

its called a cold boot issue and can either be the PSU, RAM or usually BIOS related and requires an update.

[Amitava83]

its called a cold boot issue and can either be the PSU, RAM or usually BIOS related and requires an update.

My PSU is OK.I changed it & bought a new one.Corsair TX 650W.R have updated my BIOS...Still problem is there...How do i check if RAM is working OK?

[kalniel]

Does the problem occur if you bypass the UPS?

[vinnyT]

You can test the memory by running memtest, http://www.memtest86.com/ from bootable media.

[Amitava83]

I checked with Memtest86+.No errors.
Please tell me one thing:Could the HDD be faulty?my hardware Enginner says it cannot be because even if the HDD were faulty,it should go to POST,at least.Is he correct?

[Splash]

Try taking the HDD out. If your symptoms stay the same it's likely something else is your cause.

I'm thinking along the same lines as Kalniel - take the UPS out of the equation and test again. Then start looking for shorts.

[Boon72]

ive just got the same board (and updated the bios to 2101) and i have no issues, but like it was said earlier remove the UPS and try it.

as you can see with my sig, ive got a similar gfx card drawing power for a lesser psu.

[Barney]

try the asus vip forums, you should get better help for the issues there as the ram may be a known issue. or it could be "one of those things" they still have not fixed.

[Amitava83]

ive just got the same board (and updated the bios to 2101) and i have no issues, but like it was said earlier remove the UPS and try it.

as you can see with my sig, ive got a similar gfx card drawing power for a lesser psu.

Your card is listed as 4780..I guess it s a typo.I too have updated the BIOS to 2101,not once but twice in the last week.

Can an INF update be helpful?Can you please let me know how to update the chipset INF?

[Amitava83]

Does the problem occur if you bypass the UPS?

Have not bypasse the UPS yet.Will try and let you know.

[Amitava83]

Its not a UPS issue I think because just now while trying to lboot into Vista from XP(after working in XP under UPS power for 30 minutes),I got the same blasted problem.System freezed.I had to press the damned Power button for 6 seconds before it would power up again.

[Amitava83]

Guys the problem,I think ,has been solved!For the past few days,it seems that one corner of my Mobo had been grounded to the metal chassis,due to the nut coming loose..This led to voltage fluctuations and subsequent booting problems.Now the machine boots fine with a single beep everytime.

My question is:Is there a possibility that my Mobo,specially the condensers & capacitors situated near the grounded portion,has already been damaged to some extent?Is there any way to know if my Mobo is perfectly all right?

[Amitava83]

Guys,problem still not solved.Even after all this,I again get the same problem:viz BIOS freezes befpre even going to POST...and MOST IMPORTANTLY ,there is NO BEEP when it occurs.After I press the Power Button for some seconds,BIOS boots up normally with single beep.


I'm having nightmares.Please help!

[Splash]

As has been said multiple times you *need* to rule the UPS out.

[stavroshamster]

Hi Amitava83,

Your problem sounds kindof similar to a quirk with my computer. I have an ASUS P5Q Pro MB, which I guess is very similar to yours.
If I switch the computer's power supply off at the mains, then back on, then boot the computer up it will look like it's loading intially, with fans, drives etc spinning up, then it will reset itself, and try to boot up again. At this point the BIOS often returns an error with the settings, and I then have to press the reset button on the computer, after which it loads normally. I think it might be something to do with the overclocked setting I use but I'm not sure.

However, if I don't turn the computer off at the mains after using it (i.e. make sure the motherboard always has some standby power going to it, and the green led on the MB is always on) I don't get this problem and the computer boots fine every time. So, it's not a big issue for me - I just leave it on standby.

Is this the same sort of thing or something totally different?