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I just put this computer together yesterday, and I finally had to go to bed last night. The computer only boots when it the clear cmos jumper is set to clear. This is really strange. I have tried to isolate the problem:
I am running the motherboard on the box it came in. I have it plugged in to the power. I have the keyboard plugged in, and I have the monitor plugged in. That is ALL.
What I mean by 'it doesn't boot' is the cpu fan doesn't start, and it makes a wierd sound instead. Also, no lights are on, no beeps, which the manual says is a Abnormal: CPU / Chipset error.
Edit: now that I breadboarded it, all the debug lights are on, so it SHOULD be fine. but the cpu fan isn't spinning and it won't output graphics, so no go still...
P.S. In case you need my specs, here they are:
PSU ANTEC|EA750 750W RT
VGA MSI|R5450-MD1GH/D2 HD5450 RTL
MB BIOSTAR | TA890GXB HD R 1
DVD BRN ASUS | DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS%
HD 500G|SEAGATE ST3500418AS
MEM 2Gx2|CORSAIR CMX4GX3M2A1600C9
CPU AMD|PH II X6 1075T 3.0G AM3 RT
Caleb Jares
Posted 2010-12-13T06:09:44.373
Reputation: 2 629
If I boot it with the jumper set to clear bios, then it WILL boot, I even installed windows. BUT whenever it restarts, it trys to install windows. I had to fiddle with it and it restarted 3+ times while installing it. So is the only thing I can do is return it as DOA? – Caleb Jares – 2010-12-13T10:16:44.283
1flashing up to current bios might do something for you...another option I hadn't thought of is making sure your power and clock settings are appropriate in the bios. not having appropriate values there can give you some really weird problems – RobotHumans – 2010-12-13T14:37:08.567
+1, everyone forgets this little bit of knowledge. You should add it to your answer. – Moab – 2010-12-13T16:29:15.863
@Moab I moved it up – RobotHumans – 2010-12-13T20:33:47.523
How do I flash up to current bios? Is it in the motherboard manual? Also, how do I know what power and clock settings are appropriate? Where can I find this info? Lastly, how do I set the correct settings in the BIOS when I can only boot with the Jumper set to CLEAR BIOS? It won't save! – Caleb Jares – 2010-12-13T22:52:11.227
it clears during the boot process...if you are getting part of a boot with the clear jumper on, that's fine. then you change the settings and shutdown, clear the jumper and start again. as to how to set clock this is sometimes a jumper setting and sometimes a bios setting. your manual should tell you how to set clock, the processor should tell you what clock you need. – RobotHumans – 2010-12-13T23:25:37.110
if you aren't familiar with flashing the bios, i think that takes it out of the realm of reasonable troubleshooting. it can brick your PC – RobotHumans – 2010-12-13T23:27:10.183
I updated the bios, still no go. – Caleb Jares – 2010-12-13T23:48:22.270
So my processor is AMD Phenom II X6 1075T 3.0GHz. That means it should be at 3 GHz, correct? In addition, my memory (see OP) is 1600 MHz, but the system sets it to 1333. Is this all I'm supposed to be setting? 3.0 GHz and 1600 MHz? Or are there more things? – Caleb Jares – 2010-12-13T23:51:19.913
ram sometimes fails when underclocked...not all the time, but sometimes. i would look in to properly matching components before i started getting overly concerned about DOA. there is voltage tuning that can happen also, but that's way outside of basic help...just so you know, reports indicate that the processor you are using overclocks okay up to 4.4GHz with the right voltage settings. http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=478 indicates that 1600 is only supported overclocked. get it working stock with supported components
– RobotHumans – 2010-12-14T01:23:07.4771Maybe you mis-interpreted the jumper diagram, and you got it backwards? Grabbing at straws here.... – Moab – 2010-12-14T03:01:08.080
nice try Moab....I hope you are right... – RobotHumans – 2010-12-14T13:17:33.390
correction: I didn't update the BIOS correctly the first time. But now I did it again and I updated the bios successfully, but it doesn't change anything. I start it up with the jumper set to flash bios, and it starts up. It goes to the first screen where it says incorrect bios settings. I press F2 to load defaults, and then it goes to Hardware Monitor. It gives me the temperature, fan rpms, and voltage information. What it says after that is
Invalid system disk Replace the disk, and then press any key – Caleb Jares – 2010-12-15T03:23:35.217
I figured it out. The motherboard manual was wrong. I emailed biostar and they told me to look closely for numbers. There was a one and a three. Turns out I had it backwards! Well, thanks for the help anyways! – Caleb Jares – 2010-12-17T01:54:05.577
> if you aren't familiar with flashing the bios, i think that takes it out of the realm of reasonable troubleshooting. it can brick your PC Not really true anymore. These days, flashing programs run in Windows, have large warnings about power, and run in real-time priority, thus removing most of the danger. Moreover, most contemporary boards (made in the past 10-15 years) have corruption protection by either having a second BIOS or more commonly now, a backup image in ROM that can be flashed to the BIOS when a special hotkey is pressed on boot. – Synetech – 2012-02-08T03:44:32.753
valid point. i just get stuck on the whole writing to firmware thing. probably paranoia. it's like an if you have to ask you probably shouldn't be doing it type of thing. – RobotHumans – 2012-02-09T04:08:34.827