No BIOS start on a Gigabyte GA-7VT600

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

Hi there,

I've just replaced the guts of an old Pentium 2 machine with the above
mobo, an Athlon XP2700+ and so on. Switching on the machine there
seems to be power to all the components (fans spin, disks spin up,
lights on mobo etc) but the BIOS itself does not start: there is no
beep code and nothing on the screen. If I remove components (such as
graphics card or memory), I get appropriate beep codes so I don't
think the mobo itself is broken. I've also tried flipping the BIOS
battery and moving the memory with no success.

I've seen advice that says I should try reseating the processor, but
fitting the processor was outrageously simple and I can't really see
how that could be wrong. The power supply is also flakey (makes odd
noises); could that be a problem? Again, I doubt it because if that
wasn't working the fans wouldn't start up. Any other suggestions?

Peter

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

On 13 May 2004 08:06:25 -0700, theoryboy@my-deja.com (Peter Saffrey)
wrote:

>Hi there,
>
>I've just replaced the guts of an old Pentium 2 machine with the above
>mobo, an Athlon XP2700+ and so on. Switching on the machine there
>seems to be power to all the components (fans spin, disks spin up,
>lights on mobo etc) but the BIOS itself does not start: there is no
>beep code and nothing on the screen. If I remove components (such as
>graphics card or memory), I get appropriate beep codes so I don't
>think the mobo itself is broken. I've also tried flipping the BIOS
>battery and moving the memory with no success.
>
>I've seen advice that says I should try reseating the processor, but
>fitting the processor was outrageously simple and I can't really see
>how that could be wrong. The power supply is also flakey (makes odd
>noises); could that be a problem? Again, I doubt it because if that
>wasn't working the fans wouldn't start up. Any other suggestions?
>
>Peter

Odds are it's the power supply. Measure the voltages at the ATX connector
with a multimeter (while dead/on/no-post)). However it could still be the
PSU even if voltages look ok. Providing details of make/model/capacity of
power supply might help to determine if it's in the ballpark for powering
the new parts, though a more complete description of those parts may also
be needed.

You might strip system down to minimums, CPU heatsinkfan, video card, one
memory module, and underclock the motherboard (via jumpers if available
else at least use the clear CMOS jumper or pull battery for 10 min. with
AC disconnected).

Presuming these (at least motherboard, CPU, and ????) are new, untested
parts you might see if you can borrow a good power supply from someone,
trying to narrow down the potential problem before returning or purchasing
new parts.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

In article <cd67a0dn859980ksls63bl5k4d1ol502s9@4ax.com>,
spam@spam.com says...
> Odds are it's the power supply. Measure the voltages at the ATX connector
> with a multimeter (while dead/on/no-post)). However it could still be the
> PSU even if voltages look ok. Providing details of make/model/capacity of
> power supply might help to determine if it's in the ballpark for powering
> the new parts, though a more complete description of those parts may also
> be needed.
>
> You might strip system down to minimums, CPU heatsinkfan, video card, one
> memory module, and underclock the motherboard (via jumpers if available
> else at least use the clear CMOS jumper or pull battery for 10 min. with
> AC disconnected).
>

I'd agree with that... sometimes the BIOS config can be
funky (esp on a fresh, out-of-box board), and clearing
the CMOS can rectify the issue. I've had to do the
clear-the-BIOS after upgrading (flashing) the BIOS as
well.

Disconnecting (both power and data cables) any drives is
a good next step, combined with pulling out any add-in
cards. Then you can start adding components back in one
at a time until the problem shows up again or you have a
working system.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

Thank you both for your responses. I was tempted to replace the power
supply too, but opted to wait until I could test it with a replacement
graphics card - this did the trick. I'm quite surprised that the BIOS
(this is a dual-BIOS board, too) couldn't give me any warning of this
- it just refused to do anything.

Peter

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

On 14 May 2004 04:00:38 -0700, theoryboy@my-deja.com (Peter Saffrey)
wrote:

>Thank you both for your responses. I was tempted to replace the power
>supply too, but opted to wait until I could test it with a replacement
>graphics card - this did the trick. I'm quite surprised that the BIOS
>(this is a dual-BIOS board, too) couldn't give me any warning of this
>- it just refused to do anything.
>
>Peter

Glad to hear it's sorted out.

Which video cards were involved?
Do you think it was a dead card, incompatibility with the motherboard, or
still insufficient power (now works due to newer card using less power)?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

kony <spam@spam.com> wrote in message news:<avb9a01ovpltthqegg3soiibdfhntph4d5@4ax.com>...
> On 14 May 2004 04:00:38 -0700, theoryboy@my-deja.com (Peter Saffrey)
> wrote:
>
>
> Which video cards were involved?

The dud card was an HP GeForce FX 5200 (8x AGP, 128MB RAM). I tried
the graphics card from my home machine, which is a GeForce 4 Ti (4x
AGP, 128MB RAM) and it booted straight away. I subsequently bought a
new GeForce MX 4000 which also worked fine.

> Do you think it was a dead card, incompatibility with the motherboard, or
> still insufficient power (now works due to newer card using less power)?

My home card needs *more* power, not less, because it has a fan and
the HP card didn't. I think the HP card was just broken. I admit I've
never experienced DOA hardware before, but I guess it has to happen
sometimes. It must have been seriously knackered to stop the BIOS from
even reporting anything - the BIOS is usually capable of some
diagnostics on faulty hardware (duff memory etc).

Peter