Fuzz

turned the pc on a few mornings ago to find it restart (within first few secs)about three times before booting
Once it got to the discover hardware section it would take longer than usual to find them and then boot as normal..
Suggestions have been that it is either a CD drive dying or a HDD

So;
pulled primary IDE (CD+ HDD)... no different
pulled secondary IDE (2xHDD's).. no different

Not pulled the 2 SATA HDD's yet as I've only got a few attempts to investigate before it works normally, as if it's heat related???
Any other checks I can do after it's been off for a while and cooled back down?
I've only had the MB a month or so after replacing my ASUS A7N8X Deluxe rev 2 because the LAN NEVER worked properly since I had it (thought it was me being a dum *** until 2 people who do know what they are doing looked at it and couldn't get it to work, Figment and Snowcrash).
I replaced it with another ASUS but this time a A7N8X-E deluxe rev 1.
Nothings running clocked or ever has been on this board.
erm other info;
Athlon 3200+
RAD 9800 Pro

Cheers for any light cast on this.

Andy

jpor

iTrader: (1)

You need to work methodically for a start. Disconnect everything except for: 1 x Stick of RAM, CPU, Graphics card (make sure things are pushed in right (loose Connections don't help)). Then try powering up. If everything is fine then start sticking each component in one at a time and powering up each time until you have found the problem. If the PC still restarts when down to 1x stick of RAM, CPU and Graphics Card. Then try swapping the RAM stick to start with. The only other thing I can think of why this has just started, is maybe that the BIOS has problems with your RAM timings for some reason (Had this happen 2 years ago with a Giga-Byte Board and Corsair XML RAM). If still no go, try some other RAM. Hope things work out.

Jon.

Nick

Yup, RAM, graphics card, CPU or PSU. What models are they?

Fuzz

CPU Althlon barton 3200+
PSU is Antec true power 430w
RAM Corsair XMS 3200LLPT
power Color RAD 9800 Pro

All peripherals now removed and it's still doing it.
tried the other stick of RAM and still doing it..

Andy

jpor

iTrader: (1)

Have you tried another type of RAM? Something a bit slower. Could be the RAM timings the Board does not like with the Corsair.

Fuzz

It's been fine for the last month or so the new MB has been in there...
perhaps it wasn't clear in my original post.

Fuzz

further investigation has revealed a few things..
Taken newer MB out and replaced with old one (nothing wrong with it apart from the LAN issue that was never resolved)

STill did it ...

One thing noted was that although I'd pulled the IDE's i'd left the power connectors connected....
Looks like it could be a PSU issue......
you think??

Too warm now to re-try it.

Andy

Fuzz

nice and cold again this evening..
With no power connected other than the graphics card and the MB it booted straight away firat time...
Plugged in SATA drives power connectors and Serial cables...
It's doing it now...
So could be my raptors or the PSU...

Andy

Fuzz

Primary IDE in and power connectors to CDdrive +one HDD... (not raptor)

hmmm booted fine..

WTF..

Andy

jpor

iTrader: (1)

Looking like the SATA drives to me. Had something similar happen at work. Plugged in the SATA into the HDD and bingo board would not power up. How long have you had the PSU for?

Fuzz

Added 2 more HDD's via secondary IDE... back to not booting.
HDD's beep and take a while to come on line (wirr up to speed) while PC is hanging on the "discover hardware" section of boot, once Both HDD's get going, boot continues fine.



PSU then... AGAIN..
Anyone find Antec PSU's unreliable? (this being the second one that's died (if it has) although not with quite such a "bang" as the last one )

or could it still be something else??
Andy

Fuzz

PSU replaced under warranty on 29/10/03

Raptors purchased on 15/08/03 and 3/11/03 respectively...


Andy

jpor

iTrader: (1)

Possibly. You mention HDDs meaning more than one? Have you tried one at a time? Maybe a dodgy HDD and not the PSU.

Fuzz

I ran on the assumption that the raptors are quite a drain on power supply due to thier speed....
when the raptors made it stutter, I removed them and tried one HDD and it didn't stutter, so added another set to see if the drain tipped the PSU over the edge... and it did.
I cant try one HDD at a time as it seems not pull enough power to make it do it.
Both raptors are a RAID set so I can't split them up..

Only the Raptors are SATA, the other 3 HDD's are on the IDE channels. (2 on one channel and a HDD and a CD drive on the other).

Andy

Fuzz

individually connected all the HDD's and the cd drive, testing each one in turn, Pc boots and finds each item fine..

Convinced now it's the PSU...

Andy

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

Yep def the PSU, its not providing consistent power by the sounds of it.