Abit AT7-MAX2 Not Posting!!!

[Alex11]

HERE IS MY STORY...
I recently bought parts form a Website to build a new PC...The CPU Cooler I got was an unbranded one as the Thermaltake Volcano 7+ wasn't in stock at the time...I got the PC up & running in no time but had temperature being close to 60 C (inside CPU temp) and 44 (normal temp) with the Case open...This is when the fun starts...
I just got the Volcano 7+ I was looking for together with 4 extra case fans and a Memory Heat Spreader...The problem is that I have a LED showing in the mobo that everything is OK (BTW the mobo is an ABit AT7 MAX2 (KT400 VIA Chipset) )but when I switch on : Power is on for about a second and then it switches off automaticaly.
NOTE:If it is of any help the case is an AOpen HQ P4 model with a 300W PSU.It is supposed to be a P4 case but the ABit mobo has 2 PSU entries (4 pin & 12 pin) and not the P4 one.The case has all three. With the previous configuration (different CPU cooler, no case fans) I need only connect the 12 pin PSU connector to the mobo and everything would be OK...

FOUND THE PROB But UNFORTUNATELY it is not the only one I came accross...
1) The problem was the Cooler.After spending 6 hrs on it I reclaced the Volcano 7+ with the old one and power was on again as usual...This was due to one of the following:
A) Because of the different kind of thermal compound used in the Volcano 7+ (the other one had it in already) OR
B) The Volcano has two different cables.The RED-BLACK cable which is the cooler cable and the YELLOW cable which is the RPM one...The Volcano 7+ comes with a Fan speed controller which also has THE SAME TWO CABLES together with a converter for the PSU.Pluging the two RED-BLACK cables together (and then the converter cable to the PSU) leaves us with two Yellow ones and only one of them can be plugged in the M/B leaving the other one loose.Tried all the combinations but it didn't work...
The unbranded one had just one connector (both Cooler cable and RPM meter cable in the same connector)...So I decided to leave that in and try to make up for it with the 3 case fans, the HDD Cooler and the Memory Cooling kit...
2) Now a new problem has come to my attention : I SWITCH THE COMPUTER ON...Power is ON and NOTHING on screen...FOR SOME REASON it doesn't even get to the memory check area (I have removed the MEM Module lots of times) keyboard is dead...For some reason I got a funny feeling it is stuck in the RTC process (it has happened to me once before this system)... Otherwise I don't know what it could be...
Since yesterday I removed everything and put everything back in place twice but to no avail...
Can anyone help?

Thanx In Advance...!


<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Alex11 on 12/06/02 01:01 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Alex11]

Forgot to mention that I have already tried reseting the BIOS through the jumper (not through the battery though)...

 

[CMRvet]

Did you test the PSU in other system?

<b>(<font color=yellow>as good as it looks</font color=yellow>)</b>

 

[Alex11]

No but I know the PSU works...Before changing the cooler and adding case fans the same PC with the same components was working fine...

 

[rusky01]

Abit may have included the very annoying feature that was introduced on a KT7 BIOS.

If the bios detects the fan speed is lower than 400RPM the system shuts down, scared the crap out of me after I reflashed the bios! Make sure you have a fan with a sense wire on the correct fan header (FN2 on the KT7 not FN1 as you would expect).

Just found this...
Support Athlon XP 2400+, 2600+ CPU. Please be noted that Athlon XP 2400+ and 2600+ CPU need AMD certified heatsink; otherwise, the system will be quite unstable or even fail to boot up. Please check AMD recommended CPU cooler in following URL. http://www.amd.com/gb-uk/Processors/ComputingSolutions/0,,30_288_1274_3734^4348^4356,00.html

Hope this helps.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by rusky01 on 12/06/02 05:07 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Alex11]

Just got an answer from Abit Technical Support which virually told me everything I already knew...
This thing is starting to anoy me BIG TIME...
I will probably return the M/B as DoA and try getting a replacement and see what happens...
I've built 3 AMD Systems so far...None of them had problems...Even with this system (before I added the fans) worked perfectly!!! The only drawback was that I had to leave the case open because of temperature issues... Now I find myself in a very awkward possition...
You know...Everywhere I go I suggest to people who ask for my advice to switch to AMD with no doubts about the outcome and when I get to make the switch my self THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS!!! ...

I have thought of a million reasons and the most likely one \9and by far the crazyest one as well) is that I do get beeps but my speaker is damaged!!! He he...I wish it was that because now I don't know if its the M/B (most probable) or the CPU...
Thanx anyway...