POST - CPU fail

[MrRiplEy[H]]

The CR2032 lithium batteries shouldn't get drained that much.  It takes a minimal amount of power to keep the clock and system running.  I've had old motherboards in storage for 4-5 years and I've pulled the CMOS battery and it still tested at 3.2 volts (3.25-3.3 is new condition voltage, anything around 3.0x and lower is considered bad).

When you short cirquit one it can empty in a couple seconds. That's what shorting the CMOS pin effectively does to clear the CMOS. That's why you need to be quick if you are too lazy to remove the battery.

[drdeathx]

Close to your battery you should see the jumper. It is a 3 pin config(you will not see all 3 pins with the jumper on, just 1 next to the jumper. The jumper is covering 2 pins). The jumper should be blue. Follow MrRips advise. Pop out battery, Take the jumper and move it to the other side     

                           . . .    <<<<<dots signify the 3 pins(original config with jumper on 2)

                            ^^

                           . . .    <<<<<DOTS SIGNIFY CONFIG WHEN BATTERY IS OUT(move jumper over)
                           ^^


                           . . .    <<<<<<RETURN JUMPER TO ORIG. CONFIG AFTER  BATTERY RE-INSTALL
                            ^^     

                           BOOT COMPUTER

check this link

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-501&va=reset+bios+jumper&sz=all

The picture in the center(2nd line) shows a YELLOW JUMPER. Enlarge the pic. Your jumper will most likely be blue. You will see the 3 pins. Follow above instructions but refer to your motherboard manual 1st. Moving the jumper grounds the mb and drains the power. This resets bios to original config.

[drdeathx]

GOOD LUCK! let us know.

[oboe]

Thanks for your help.  I dug out the manual and found a jumper called "Clear RTC RAM" which had a reset procedure exactly as you guys described - power off, remove battery, change jumper to alternate pin setting for 5-10 seconds, replace battery and power up.   This procedure is supposed to clear CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters according to the manual.

Battery checked out at 3.10V.   Anyway, did all that, powered up again, and now I don't even have the voice report on the POST.   Just constant hard-drive access, which sort of worries me - don't know why it would want data from the harddisk if it hasn't even made it through  the POST yet.
 

[BaldEagl]

Here's one other thought:  When you power up do so with the side panal off and make sure the CPU fan is running.  A CPU can build heat very quickly and if the fan's not running it might be doing so to the point that it's shutting itself down.

That's probably not it but at least it's worth a look.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Thanks for your help.  I dug out the manual and found a jumper called "Clear RTC RAM" which had a reset procedure exactly as you guys described - power off, remove battery, change jumper to alternate pin setting for 5-10 seconds, replace battery and power up.   This procedure is supposed to clear CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters according to the manual.

Battery checked out at 3.10V.   Anyway, did all that, powered up again, and now I don't even have the voice report on the POST.   Just constant hard-drive access, which sort of worries me - don't know why it would want data from the harddisk if it hasn't even made it through  the POST yet.
 

Next step is to remove every unnecessary add-on card from the computer. Leave _one_ stick of ram, displaycard and cpu. That's it. Try to reboot.

If it won't work, switch another stick of ram. Retry.

And when you get tired to joking around, buy a new motherboard / CPU / integrated graphics combo for $150 and continue playing

Asrock makes new AMD/ATI based motherboards with integrated graphics that swipe the table with similarly priced add-on graphics.

[oboe]

Oh, I'm already tired of playing around with it!   

Looking at upgrading CPU/MoBo/video card - might as well get a new hard drive cuz they're cheap, too.

I have a Antec Sonata II case that I like but think the 380W PSU might not be enough for a new 8800+ class vid card.

I'll have to check out the Asrock mobos with integrated video - thought that was a no-go for graphically intensive programs like AH2.

I'd like to get a system where I can max out every graphic feature and option.

[Fulmar]

Oh, I'm already tired of playing around with it!  

Looking at upgrading CPU/MoBo/video card - might as well get a new hard drive cuz they're cheap, too.

I have a Antec Sonata II case that I like but think the 380W PSU might not be enough for a new 8800+ class vid card.

I'll have to check out the Asrock mobos with integrated video - thought that was a no-go for graphically intensive programs like AH2.

I'd like to get a system where I can max out every graphic feature and option.

You're gonna need to set a budget first and foremost.  What can you afford?  Integrated will 'get you by', but don't plan on maxing out any graphics on a game unless it was 5+ years old.  When you're figuring out your budget, get a list of items you can carry over to the new system to help cut costs.  Such as CD/DVD drive, case, keyboard etc.

[drdeathx]

power supply should be "OK"

[Fulmar]

Depending on the card, I'm guessing the PSU will not be okay mainly for a lack of amps on the 12V.  That is if you're looking for a card that has some horsepower to it (7600 or newer nvidia's, 3850+ ATI.  I'm basing this off of the possible age of the PSU and its lower wattage output.  If it is a PSU that's getting up there in years, I'd recommend replacing it anyways and parts don't last forever.

[BaldEagl]

power supply should be "OK"

Without knowing the exact component configuration of his intended machine or the amperage output of his PSU it is impossible to make that statement.

Most modern video cards call for 400-450W power supplies and there are PSU's in that range that will still not run them.

[oboe]

Been looking at Asrock boards, and they have an interesting one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157115

I could get a Core2 Duo or Dual Core CPU with this $60 board and use all of my other components, I think.    My video card is the old AGP type - a nVidia 7600GS.

I think total repair cost then would be around $200, depending on the particular CPU I settle on.   Thoughts?>

[DES]

I've been using that board for close to a year now. I've had no issues so far but it is limited for overclocking. You can't raise vcore to the cpu. I'm currently running an Allendale 4500 at 2.6 with the stock heatsink.

[Fulmar]

Also note, that that motherboard has a PCI-E 4x slot, not a regular 16x slot you find on most boards.  So if you do upgrade in the future, even if you get that big expensive card, you'll be limited in performance by the 4x slot being slower.

[drdeathx]

Oboe wouldn't recommend that board. Memory is maxed at 2g and video 4x/ $30 more gets you twice the board.