Asus P5K Deluxe HELP!

You should be able to up date the BIOS using a Floppy, just about all mobo will allow for this. Really sounds like a problem with your Windows installation. It's a wonder you were able to get 98 installed in the first place. I'm guessing you have the upgrade version of XP, i.e., you have to have 98 installed before you can install XP. Given that's not exactly a budget machine I'd pop for an OEM version of XP, not a upgrade, for $90 at a place like newegg especially if your version of XP doesn't have SP2. If you don't have an internal DVD burner, I'd get one. They run about $30 for a Samsung, Lite-On, or LG. Is the video card PCI or PCIe x 16? If it's not PCIe x 16, I'd get a new video card.

I don't game so not real well versed on video cards, usually I go with an entry level middleing card, currently a 7600GT but this is a good place to start. Right now video cards are moving to Direct X 10 and while you can get some of these cards at a reasonable price, they'll drop in price over the next 6 months to a year. You are probably best off getting a card that will run the games you play now and plan on upgrading once you know what you'll be playing in the future. But I'm sure you can get more specific suggestions from others that are into games.
http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/0 [...] ards_for_t he_money/

It does sound like your mobo may be bad given the USB problems with a clean install of Vista. If it were me, I'd send it back, you really shouldn't be having this problem and you've messed with it long enough. I wouldn't sower on ASUS, they make good boards, keeping in mind that every company will send out a bad product now and then.

Sounds like you're approaching retirement as it should be, reverting to an adolescent attitude with enough money to buy the necessary toys.

Checking newegg looks like mobos are 30 days for refund or exchange but it wouldn't hurt to contact them. This is from the ASUS site. While I like ASUS boards, their web site is sometimes a pain to find things on.

RMA Support:
E-mail: rma@asus.com
Tel: 510-739-3777
Fax: 510-608-4511
http://usa.asus.com/aboutasus.aspx?show=3

If you mean by the back plate, the plate that came with the mobo with holes that match up to the board, it should not have been glued on, they just pop out and in. Once the board is screwed in the plate will be secure. If you glued it in, you'll need a solvent that will dissolve the glue. Not sure what it is or where you'd get it but I would check a hardware store, not computer but plain old hardware store. But take the board out before you use a solvent and make sure that none of it gets on the wires, in fact I would take the PSU out before using it. Also clean the case after you use the solvent. You'll also need thermal paste, Arctic Silver is good. Before putting the CPU/HSF in the new board clean the old paste off of both with rubbing alcohol. Coffee filters work great, won't scratch and no lint. Then apply just a dab of the thermal paste, more is not better.

They really are. Once you get the new board let us know how it works out.

On the upside this is the stuff that can drive you to drink

Couple things, make sure the onboard audio is enabled in the BIOS and the speakers are plugged in correctly, the front should be plugged into the green. If you're running more than the front speakers, I'd disconnect all but the fronts until you get this straightened out. When you talk about the controls to adjust the volume do you mean in the onboard audio software? Do you have any yellow ! in hardware manager? In XP in the Control Panel under Sound and Audio there is a Volume setting that includes Mute, haven't used Vista but there is likely a similar setting. If the audio drivers are up to date and no yellow !, it's likely a software setting. Have you tried a separate audio card?

Often times the drivers on the mobo CD are not the most recent, you have to down load those from the ASUS site. In addition to the Sound and Audio in the Control Panel, my ASUS board, an AM2, has a program called Sound Max, it's the software that comes with the onboard audio and one of the features is a Set Up Wizard. Hope you don't have to do a lot of driving in Atlanta unless you like to play Nascar driver

Glad you got it worked out. At least you can relieve you frustrations on the Atlanta freeway along with everyone else. Probably the worse city I've ever driven in although Knoxville ranks up there given the highway is always under construction.