HELP! system wont POST after 8800GTS driver install

If you can get bios screen- boot from cd and insert vista dvd and try to boot from it. sounds like driver failed to finish install I had a bit of this on install but not as bad as you. If you can boot from cd and get to safe mode or the MS repair tool will come up when u boot from cd either way you can then set res to native and begin working on clearing broken driver and fresh installs.

Good luck

Clear the CMOS, might help.

Update....

cleared the CMOS numerous times by shorting the jumpers and also removing the battery....no luck. It powers on for 5 sec, then off, then on by itself, then off, over and over and over, nothing on the screen at all, no POST.

stuck another, new video card in the PCIe slot, no change.

tried another power supply, no change.

the only thing that I have on it right now is the CPU (Q6600 set at 350 X 9), 2gb of Crucial Ballistix, Tuniq cooler, and video card. I removed all HDD connections etc.

is the motherboard now dead? why would it happen after installing the video card driver in vista?

any help is appreciated!! thanks!

turned the PSU switch off when resetting bios. I'll try doing it with the power cord removed. Also, another interesting thing happened after several times shorting the CMOS jumpers without success, I had removed the CMOS battery to clear CMOS. I forgot battery was still out and restarted the system with the battery out and system did the same thing with repeat loop of powering on and off.

cpu WAS running at 350 X 9 before system crashed. If the damn thing POSTs again, I'll reload factory defaults.

thanks!

would you get a BIOS beep code if the mobo is not hooked to a speaker? in other words, does the BIOS itself give the audio code or is it given through a chassis speaker? I have never heard any code from the BIOS, even with the numerous successful POSTs before it crashed.

the Tuniq heatsink IMHO was installed properly; CPU temperature was always between 34-45 deg. celcius.

I guess i could try to install another older cpu on the mobo and see if it fired up. The GA-P35C-DS3r has a long list of compatible older CPU's.

where would I get a int-19 card? what is the card called?

thanks!

Another update ....

got the mobo out of the case, left it overnight without battery and rebuilt a barebone, no luck.

got another cpu (a P4), no luck. Interestingly, there is no reboot loop if the CPU power connector is not hooked up; once the connector is connected, reboot loop.

got another memory stick, no luck.

so in short its the mobo. How and why it got killed by the video driver install I have no idea. It ran fine for a few days!

only thing is, after i verified its the mobo, as i was taking the cpu out, a small drop of the thermal grease spilled onto the CPU plate on the mobo. Not sure if this voids my warranty

getting the backplate of the Tuniq cooler off the mobo was a real pain in the *** also!

whats the difference between the DS3R and the DQ6? any quality difference?

thanks!

Stety,
do you also use the Tuniq cooler?

Woah, wait a sec, you dropped thermal grease onto the pins for the CPU on your mobo? That's what I am getting from you saying "back plate." If you did you're **** out of luck my friend. You may have just shorted out the mobo. I also have a Tuniq Tower 120 and they are a pain to install. You have to be really careful when installing those.

Question on the Tuniq - when I took it off the mobo, the sticker off the back plate is SOOOOOO strongly bonded with the mobo that it ripped off the backplate, so now I have a backplate that has no sticker on it. Is this OK for the next board? and how did you secure the Tuniq - with the four screws? thanks

I would just buy a pack of double-stick pads available at any office supply store, Walmart, etc. It should be about the same thickness as what was on the back plate originally. Clean of the back plate and cut the new pad the same shape as the other one was and apply. Then peel off the other side and mount it to the back of your new motherboard as before.

Yes, I used the four screws but I also cut a piece of medium gauge sheet metal to fit through the top slot of the Tuniq where the fan slides into the main unit. It’s inserted about an inch and a half inside with a 90 degree upward break as it exits the Tuniq. There are three additional 90 degree breaks (forming a U-shape) on the top portion allowing a tight fit when inserted into the rear of the above bracket (tension locks it in place inside the U-shaped bracket).

This is just temporary though. I’ll replace it with a better designed bracket and one that has a neater appearance since it’s visible through the side panel window but that’s all I had on hand at the time. The Tower would wobble (if my desk was bumped or had to move the case) when only supported by the motherboard but it's now literally locked in place since it’s supported at both ends and is completely stable with no stress whatsoever on the board.




You could easily do something similar as there is plenty of room to insert a thin metal plate. From that point, you can pretty much design the rest of the bracket any way you like that would best accommodate the layout of your case.

Now a question for you (or anyone else that owns the Tuniq)…

Do the ends of the heat pipes on your Tuniq look as hideous as mine? I’ve read a few reviews on it and when they provide pictures of the top, they all seem to resemble the same sloppy appearance as you see on this one.

Nightowl - yes the top of the heatsinks do look as hideous as yours

System is still stable running at 350 X 9, with q6600 running between 40-60 deg cel. depending on load.

good job on the bracket for the tuniq; this time I installed it so that the air moves to the rear of the case. This also gives more distance between the plate of the Tuniq and the mobo capacitors.

thanks for all ya'll's help