PC Sanity check

[Mongrel]

My lovely p00ter is no longer working :bigcry: after i've moved house. Basically, unpacked it yesterday and had a go at fitting a new heat sink for my AMD cpu thingy (fine and dandy).

Now, when I hit the power button everything on the motherboard (http://www.asus.com.tw/mb/socketa/a7v333-x/overview.htm) looks as though its working fine. The heat sink, gfx card and case fans spin up (although the case fans then stop, which im assuming is because the motherboard (http://www.asus.com.tw/mb/socketa/a7v333-x/overview.htm) has worked out that its not hot enough for them yet and shut them down. The system checks the floppy drive and dvd rom and the hard drives spin up to. Also the system itself isn't making any annoying beepy noises (although to be fair I can't remember it making the single beep to say that everything had booted normally).

However, for the life of me I can't get the monitor to work. When I power the bastid up it has the "no signal input" floaty thing up, so the thing is working. I've tried a different gfx card and no joy there either.

Now, im assuming (praying) that the problem is going to be either the VGA cable itself or with the monitor because everything else is working. Can someone help me stay sane by confirming the logic of....

* I can't see any scuffs on the CPU itself and I couldn't have killed the thing by adding a new heatsink.
* If I had killed the CPU by putting a new heatsink then the motherboard would get to a certain point in bootup, stop booting and start beeping. It certainly wouldn't bother spinning the hard drives and checking the floppy and dvd drives.
* My p00ter doesn't really hate my for leaving it in a box for 3 weeks :rolleyes:


...and other suggestions about how to get the thing running would be ub4h
:dork:

[[D]r_kazza]

It would be nice if you had a spare CPU to test that...

my advice would be

take EVERYTHING OUT except GFX card, 1 stick of Memory and CPU&HSF
Don't even have CDroms or HDD...

If you get to the bios OK you should be happy that those parts are fine...

if that doesn't get to bios then take out the GFX card and retry and see if you still get the beeps.

There is a small chance you've crushed the core (although you say it doesn't look like that... if you don't have a spare CPU to test against it, then it's hard to tell if you have a knacked Mobo or CPU... My suspicion is that it isn't the memory since you would probably get to bios but no further but if you aren't getting there then probably Mobo or CPU.

*** JUst seen that you've tried a different GFX card *** if your Graphics card isn't working your computer will still boot... so if you have your speakers working you will hear the Windoze startup sound... that means that it is a CPU Memory (unlikely) or Mobo...

[[D]r_kazza]

TRY THIS FIRST

I was 95% sure I'd blown my cpu or mobo a while back but in fact all that I needed to do was reset the CMOS.

Take out the battery and leave it for 10 mins... then before you reboot clear the CMOS by doing what it says on page 1-12 of your manual

ftp://ftp.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socka/kt333/a7v333-x/e1150_a7v333-x.pdf

Now try it ... gl

[~Dear Old Granny~]

Forget it.

:o

I think you're looking for a bad VGA cable connection somewhere.

[Mongrel]

Thanks mate, i'll give it a whirl......guess any hope that its just going to be a dodgy VGA cable is gone for a burton :(

[[D]r_kazza]

the best way to test is the speaker thingie... if it boots fine (i.e. you hear the windoze startup sound) then you're looking at a monitor problem.... otherwise ???

[Lt. Sex Machine]

You need the fantabulous PC World Healthcheck mate.

But don't forget to microwave your hard drive for 20 minutes before hand to avoid those embarrasing "Gary Glitter moments".

[[DOA]Mr.Pilsbury[CO]]

Sounds like the power supply to me m8. No beep codes and the case fans shutting off would seem to indicate that.

Possibly the power in your new place isnt as clean as your last house? Anyway, get yourself a 400 watt or more PSU (ebuyer have em cheap and cheerful, microdirect have sum nice mid range, or overclock.co.uk for some high end supplies).

GL :).

PiLsY.

[ChumbaWumba]

whoa whoa whoa

make sure the heatsink fan is in the correct fan plug thing. You'll prolly have 2 fan slots near the heatsink, if they ain't both in use u have to make sure the "fan1" slot is being used instead of the "fan2" slot, otherwise u'll get exactly what your getting

[Enema]

Had this problem a few weeks ago, sounds like the CMOS needs clearing. If you installed a newer CPU maybe the voltage stup aint right ?

[[D]r_kazza]

ftp://ftp.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socka/kt333/a7v333-x/e1150_a7v333-x.pdf

Chumba, that's the old switch off if fan speed is too low chestnut... not all that common on newer motherboards since a few people are using watercooling now...

Anyway I've checked his manual (URL above) and he only has 2 fan PSU ports on the mofo... he doesn't have this feature to switch off...

BUT he does have OVER SHUT DOWN SETTING... this shuts down the system if the CPU heats over a certain setting... perhaps his HS isn't seated correctly?... but he'd know a shutdown when he hears it, it sounds more like the thing is "on" but just not displaying.

[Lt. Sex Machine]

In fact the 333 is one of the very few motherboards of it's time to utilise the on-die thermal checking of the Athlon-XP.

However.

I have the original version (not X) of that motherboard myself and I managed to "kill" 2 before I got a 3rd one that was well behaved.

Whatcha need to do is firstly check your speaker is actually connected. Then check the motherboard for two jumpers:

1. The first jumper changes the destination for the POST beeps from the external 3.5mm jack to the internal speaker, by default this is set to the 3.5mm jack so either connect external speakers to that or else move the jumper position.

2. There is another jumper that alters the state of the verbal warnings you get if there is a problem (yes you actually hear a female voice telling you "System failed CPU test" or whatever). Keep this enabled until you have found the fault then disable it if you are irritated by the thing.

Once you have done this you should get a clear diagnostic. By the way I had to change my power supply to a higher quality one for my motherboard to (eventually) work but as yours has been working this sounds less likely (though not improbable).

While I am on full ramble :D take your AGP video card out and replace it with a PCI one, there is a good chance that it's not receiving enough power at start up to correctly function, they are quite sensitive to this problem these days as the AGP specification is pushing things a little bit power-wise.

[Mongrel]

Thanks guys, im reasonably sure that the CPU isn't overheating. Basically, this was my first ever self built PC and I was p00ing myself over the idea of frying my CPU. Therefore I got the motherboard with the onboard thermal cutout and it has saved my butt on a couple of occasions. Basically, when it over heats it just shutsdown in exactly the same way as if you'd unplugged it from the wall. Doesn't seem to be doing that this time.

I'm going to check the speaker cable is properly connected and then get rid of everything apart from one memory stick, the cpu (and cooler) and the gfx card. If this doesn't work i'll set the CMOS back to default. If this doesn't work its down to a new motherboard / cpu ;(

On the plus side, since it looks incredibly more than likely that i'm going to have to strip the fecker down and rebuild at least i'll be able to add the gear from Quiet PC (http://www.quietpc.com) that i've had my eye on for a while. I'll grab the 400W PSU while im there too :)

[Lt. Sex Machine]

Don't forget those jumpers I just mentioned mate, I am 99% certain thats the reason your internal speaker is silent.

[[D]r_kazza]

if you have a nice friendly computer shop (a small family job is the best) you could take it to them and they may well have a spare they could test it with... without having to buy anything first

If I were you I'd clear the CMOS first... that takes 2 seconds to do

[Defragmentor]

Local shops are good like that, there was one in my town that wouldn't give you the time of day for £20, and now their business is dwindling and the customers are all going over the road to the new store. They're much friendlier and more helpful, when I got my router the bloke wired 3 cables for me and took every one of them back when they didnt work until I got the right one. Nice chaps. I bought a keyboard and a few odds and ends too since they were so helpful - so niceness probably does pay a little.

[Cannon_Fodda]

Just a quick one to try, check your power switch isn't sticking.

I have seen this MANY times at work with dust & crap encrusted cases, and if anyone cares to try it themselves to see if it sounds similar to his situation, feel free, switch on your systems and don't release the power button, it will do the powerup, and as soon as about 5 seconds are up, it powers down again.

I AM TEH WINNAR !!!!!11111oneoneone (If I'm right obviously)

[Mongrel]

*sigh* Well after a very unproductive evening it looks as though im going to have to splash out on more kit :bigcry:

Tried taking all the components out but CPU / Heat sink, one stick of memory and the GFX card. Result? :biggercry

Tried using a different VGA cable. Result? :biggercry

Tried clearing the CMOS settings. Result? :biggercry

I made sure the speaker cable was attached (it is) but the thing just isn't booting up. It sounds like its running through the start up checks but never ever sounds like its loading the OS. Also a bit strange that im getting no beeps at all.

Anyway, thanks for all your help guys but it looks as though Dr K IS TEH WIN!!!1!! with this one. Either mobo or cpu or both gone cheeks up so im going to have to replace bits that may or may not be deaded.

So, with that in mind a couple of questions. Apart from the old fecking up and not working thing I quite like my ASUS motherboard. Is it worth getting the same one again or is there something a bit more spangly that I should go for? Ideally want to run P2700 memory and have an onboard IDE raid controller.

Also, would anyone recommend the Zalman Flower (http://www.quietpc.com/cpucooling.php) thingy for a XP2100+ ? Want to have a nice and cool system that makes no noise at all. Anyway, cheers for your help guys :pikachu:

[[D]r_kazza]

:bigcry:

sorry to hear it mate...

My advice would be to get a high spec heatsink with a quiet fan... The zalmans are good & quiet but they aren't magnificent...

Go for this heatsink (http://www.overclock.co.uk/moreinfo.php?id=628) with this fan (http://www.overclock.co.uk/moreinfo.php?id=128) (nice 80mm which means it's quieter than a 60) then if you need more p0w4r then you can always fit a delta screamer at a later date.

That's the best heatsink you can get at the moment and the fan will be as quiet as the zalman one... with a 2100 you'd definitely need the fan WITH the zalman flower so it doesn't get rid of the need for a fan.

<obligatory pimp for the Soyo Dragon Ultra Platinum 100% Uber fast Mofo>

(did I mention watercooling)

[Mongrel]

Oooh, got any links for water cooling mate? How expensive / difficult to fit / noisy is it?

[[D]r_kazza]

watercooling

Cost: 150ish for an entry level system like this (http://www.over-clock.co.uk/acatalog/Full_Kits.html) or this (http://www.wizarddesigns.co.uk/coolset.htm)

info & vendors here (http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14060)

Some piccies of systems (including mine) (http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14077)

Difficulties... 1) finding room for the radiator reservoir & pump, 2) making sure there are no LEAKS!!! :eek:

to be fair though I've had a leak and it sh@ me up... cleaned it up fine though with no permanent damage... didn't half give me a scare. best advice is to avoid a Waterblock (cpu cooler) with a Plexi/perspex top... they are VERY liable to cracking and leaking.

Apart from that it was really very easy mate, just like building your own system... read a bit, order all the stuff and then take your time.

If you're serious about it then post on Bit-tech extreme cooling and you'll get some useful answers :)

p.s. one PITA though I have watercooled my GF4... when I get a new Gfx card in a year or whenever I'll either have to fit a watercooling block to it or take this part out of the loop...

Oh and the only fans you'd need are on the radiator and they're usually 120mm and very quiet. the pumps are silent (as good as)
the noisiest thing in the system will probably be the HDDs

[Mongrel]

Hmmm, suspect I might lie awake at night panicing about wether a water cooled system is busy weeing all over itself.

The heat sink that Dr K recommended looks nifty but is out of stock for 2 weeks! Anyone recommend either a) another site that sells it or b) a great but less nifty heat sink to which I can add an 80mm fan?

Also is the Zalman Flower thingy that poor?

[[D]r_kazza]

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/tekheads/product?id=600864

The zalman is pretty good to be honest... if it is on a CPU where you don't need the fan then it's brilliant and silent.... however when you get higher power CPUs you need the fan that comes with it... this kind of defeats the purpose of having it... the volume now depends on the fan... if you can attach the same fan to a HS that works better then it MUST be better than the flower.

You want to have the option to upgrade your chip... and although the flower can cope with 2.6+ AMDs why go for a HS that can "cope" when you can get one just as quiet that can waltz it! :)

Kazza

:greedo:

{edit} too... many dotdotdots... am turning... into... Jer...emy... Clarks...on

[Flomotion]

I've got the flower with an XP2000, i have the fan on about 50% power, temps are 43 idle 47 under load max. Pretty good, really, it's about 3 degrees higher than I was getting with a 7200rpm fan. Bear in mind it's in a Coolermaster ATCS-710 case which is pretty large. Afaik it won't actually fit in a 'normal' case.

It's not silent, but it's not far off, and it's a damn site quieter than the beast I had before; I could hear it in the room below through the floorboards....

[~Dear Old Granny~]

I have the Zalman flower Doc, and it comes with a very quiet fan which has a clever overslung fan setup which also has an in-line speed controller, you can turn it down a fraction and it runs silent.

Looka me not reading other people's posts. :moose:

[Mongrel]

Originally posted by Flomotion
I've got the flower with an XP2000, i have the fan on about 50% power, temps are 43 idle 47 under load max

FFS my previous heat sink/ fan combo which you can hear outside of my old house when it was running clocked in at an unhealthy 57 C idle and 63 deg under load. What a piece of crapola :eek:


Anyway, ordered the heat sink that Dr K suggested (thanks again mate) and hopefully should be up and running again this weekend :)

[[D]r_kazza]

let me know how it goes :)

:greedo:

[[D]r_kazza]

Message from Numbnutz
….. I had the SAME problems on a PC I looked at 3 weeks ago.

System would fire up, fans etc, but no beeps or monitor stuff. To get it going I …..


Stripped out non-essential gear (as you suggested)

Reset the jumpers to be BIOS controlled (i.e. jumperless)

Reset the BIOS

Moved changed the speaker switch from the stupid vocal commands via the sound card to the normal ‘BEEP’ stuff

System would then fire up and BEEP – which pointed to a problem with the ATI AGP graphics card

Tried re-seating the card to no avail.

Tried a PCI card – which worked.

Tried the AGP card again and after a couple of careful re-seats of the card it booted OK.

It pays to keep a cheap PCI card knocking around in cases like these!

Regards

NN
He says re-seat the Gfx card a few times... and he (and I) also hope that you haven't spent any money unnecessarily! :{

:greedo:

[Mongrel]

Me too :D


Never mind, just splashed out £380 of which only about £160 was the CPU and Motherboard so its not that bad in the grand scheme of things :) Will try it again tonight anyway (thanks NN, nice to know you're still hovering around in the background) and see if I can't claim the money back on my Barclaycard (should it work).

Incidentally, I talked the the bloke who runs Quietpc today..... I know others have bought stuff from there but it does sound like he's sitting in his bedroom forwarding stuff on from Overclockers.....is their stuff actually any different or have I just paid for the 200% markup they seem to add to their price? :P


Anyway, thanks yet again guys.... i'll let you know how it all goes. :pikachu:

[Mongrel]

Okay, quick update for those who are interested (see h00ge post above). I went out and bought …


* A new ASUS A7v333 RAID thingy (same as before)
* A new AMD 2100+xp cpu thingy
* A new ultra quiet 400w PSU thingy
* A big feck off heat sink (as specified by Dr K)
* A new CPU fan
* Some new case fans


Put everything together and, surprise surprise, it came up the first time. W00T! I thought…..however 90 seconds later it went down again. Okay, thermal cut out has kicked in…..prolly didn't stick the heat sink on properly. So…..I took it all apart and put it all back together again and……the same problem as before has re appeared :bigcry:

Everything spins up but no joy. The first time I put it together the mobo beeped once to say that everything was fine but now there are no beeps at all to say there are any problems. The monitor doesn't respond and the thing no longer cuts out after 90 seconds. I've checked that the power button, speaker and reset leads are properly attached to the mobo.

I've tried swapping out the memory and the gfx card again and same problem……The only thing I can think of now is that Cannon is right and the power button is crapping itself (case is a relatively new Chieftech Scorpio jobby, definitely not coated in cr4p …yet :D ). Anyone got any suggestions as to how I go about checking this?

[[D]r_kazza]

:bigcry: :bigcry: :bigcry: :bigcry:

Well the way the switch works is just a push to make switch so in effect it is just shorting the two pins for a moment and then leaving them seperate.


*** WARNING if you aren't sure what I'm talking about don't try the following... you take responsibility etc... also if I were you i'd try it on your old mobo first ***

OK so you should have all the little pin headers going to:
HDD led, Power LED, Power switch, Reset switch and Speaker...

what you need to do is to temporarily short the two pins of the power switch
I'm talking about pins 6 & 7 (numbered from the left of the BOTTOM row) shown on page 1-18 of this
ftp://ftp.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socka/kt333/a7v333-x/e1150_a7v333-x.pdf

Don't attach the reset switch (it doesn't need to be connected to boot) or any of the other connectors... and make sure that the SMI pins are clear and not touching anything

I'm not sure what the best method of shorting it is since I don't know what cables you do & don't have... if I were you I'd rip apart the internal speaker one as I never use it... The very worst way (but easiest) will be to just use a single bit of wire and touch the two pins but a wobbly hand could make it difficult.

Anyway It's up to you... it is a bit of a fudge but it will let you know what's going on.


*** NOTE: although this is all on your own back, bear in mind the number of times that people mis-connect these pins... get the jumpers back to front etc.... the voltages are pretty low and there isn't a lot of damage that I've heard done by mis-connecting these.... I doubt you'd bu99er anything up but as always it is your call ****

Sudden thought... instead of shorting the two pins manually... leave all the header pins empty EXCEPT... attach the RESET SWITCH to the power switch pins.... now pretend the reset switch is the on button

[Glide, TTS]

any chance you could list an exact list of the components with model names? it would help a lot.

[MaNuAl_OvErRiDe]

When I built this PC, it did the exact same thing. So happens that the FSB was pumped up to 260 :eek: instead of what it shoulda been 134 or something.

Everything went, no beeps and the screen was black. I took the battery out for 2 hours or so, poped it back in and it booted up nicely.

[Mongrel]

Ooh ta mate :) I'll give it a whirl :D


Tried powering up with the reset switch (ala kazza's suggestion), same situation. I'll whip the battery out now and give it a try :lips:

[Mongrel]

Took the battery out last night and put it in again this morning. 10 hours without a battery and still the same problem :bigcry:

[[D]r_kazza]

time to take it to a shop mate....

the only thing I can think of that is left to test is the PSU :{

[Glide, TTS]

like i say, can you list the exact components in there? might be able to give some suggestions then

[Mongrel]

Right, have now replaced.....



The Case
The PSU
The Motherboard
The Monitor
The VGA Cable
The Graphics Card
Virtually every cable in the machine



...and guess what? Still no poxy fecking joy. I can't understand this at all, by every reasonable thought the thing should at LEAST boot to a stage where you can get a response out of it but no :bigcry:

Has anyone got any suggestions about anything else to try? I've spent close to £1500 in buying the components and then buying replacement components so im a bit loathed to splash out another £1000 in buying a prebuilt one (that still won't be as good as the one I built should have been). Anyway, for those that are interested the components are......




Chieftec Scorpio Green DX-01-GN-D 340W PFC Midi Case (http://web6.scan.co.uk/Products/Info.asp?WPID=33656)
AMD Athlon XP 2100+ (http://web6.scan.co.uk/Products/Info.asp?WPID=20955)
512 MB PC27000 ( x 2)
Delta Heat Sink and Fan (http://web6.scan.co.uk/Products/Info.asp?WPID=13779)
82.3Gb IBM Deskstar 120GXP ATA-100 (7200rpm,2MB Cache, 8.5ms) x 2 (http://web6.scan.co.uk/Products/Info.asp?WPID=17096)
128Mb ABIT Siluro GeForce 4 Ti4600 TV Out/DVI 2.9ms Memory (http://web6.scan.co.uk/Products/Info.asp?WPID=20851)
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy Player (http://web6.scan.co.uk/Products/Info.asp?WPID=12731)
Asus A7V-333 viaKT333 + USB2 + ATA133 (http://web6.scan.co.uk/Products/Info.asp?WPID=20332)
400w PSU from QuietPC.com (http://www.quietpc.com/psu.html)

...and bog standard dvd drive, floppy, mouse etc.

I was advised by the vendor (Scan) to take the motherboard out of the case, clear the CMOS and then hook it up to the PSU. Then with only the CPU / HS and one stick of memory to connect the two pins that the Power Switch connector attaches to (ala Kazza's suggestion) and see what happened. Basically, the bloke said "If it works like that you have a memory problem, if not then its the motherboard". Tried it, didn't work. Got a replacement Motherboard and .......still the same fecking problem.


This is really starting to get on my jubblies :mad:

[Lt. Sex Machine]

Did you read my reply when you first had the problem or just skip over it, sounds startling similar to what I experienced...

[Mongrel]

Originally posted by LSM
In fact the 333 is one of the very few motherboards of it's time to utilise the on-die thermal checking of the Athlon-XP.

However.

I have the original version (not X) of that motherboard myself and I managed to "kill" 2 before I got a 3rd one that was well behaved.

Whatcha need to do is firstly check your speaker is actually connected. Then check the motherboard for two jumpers:

1. The first jumper changes the destination for the POST beeps from the external 3.5mm jack to the internal speaker, by default this is set to the 3.5mm jack so either connect external speakers to that or else move the jumper position.

2. There is another jumper that alters the state of the verbal warnings you get if there is a problem (yes you actually hear a female voice telling you "System failed CPU test" or whatever). Keep this enabled until you have found the fault then disable it if you are irritated by the thing.

Once you have done this you should get a clear diagnostic. By the way I had to change my power supply to a higher quality one for my motherboard to (eventually) work but as yours has been working this sounds less likely (though not improbable).

While I am on full ramble take your AGP video card out and replace it with a PCI one, there is a good chance that it's not receiving enough power at start up to correctly function, they are quite sensitive to this problem these days as the AGP specification is pushing things a little bit power-wise.



This post? Tried all of that apart from the PCI video card. Thought it could be a power thingy too but upgraded from the 340W PSU that came with the case to the 400w PSU with the same probs.

[Lt. Sex Machine]

Hmm, see like I say I got through 3 boards before I finally got the thing up and running.

The last time I returned it I asked them to test the CPU as well just to be sure and not to send me anything that hadn't been tested as I couldn't be faffed to strip and rebuild my machine again at that stage. It just so happened that I uprated my PSU at the same time so that may or may not have something to do with it.

I am still at the conclusion that that mobo struggles with certain AGP cards and actuall wrecks itself as a result though I have no proof.

If you bought the mobo, CPU and memory from the same place might it be wise to return it all and all them to locate which part is duff as I did, saves a whole load of grief.

You say you tried the thing with the jumpers to get the onboard audio warnings working - did they give you any clues as I found them surprisingly helpful myself :)

[Defragmentor]

I don't mean to insulting after all these suggestions, but is your motherboard seated correctly? You first problem sounded like it was shorting on the case... not sure what's going on this time. :|

[[D]r_kazza]

mongeh, do you live anywhere near Numbnutz or stevep?

[Mongrel]

Originally posted by Defrag
I don't mean to insulting after all these suggestions, but is your motherboard seated correctly? You first problem sounded like it was shorting on the case... not sure what's going on this time.

Yep, checked that and its definitely sitting where it should be. However, I did think it might be a prob with the case causing a short and so i've replaced that too :eek: In fact I think replacing bits as I went along might have been a st00pid thing to do since nothing has ever worked I don't know if it EVER has worked :bigcry:


No clue where NN or SteveP live im afraid mate (I live in NW London) BUT......im prepared to offer FREE Beer + Naked photos of my sister for anyone who can make the poxy thing work :pimp:

[Lt. Sex Machine]

You can run the thing outside the chassis altogether if thats a concern remember. Free pictures of naked beer you say? :naughty:

[[D]r_kazza]

mong I'm off on holiday tomorrow but after the 14th Jan maybe I could drop round one weekend and see what i could break for you?

I'm in N10 btw.

Let me know when I get back if it is still fecked

Kazza

[Mongrel]

Thanks mate, that would be really really appreciated. Until then im going to be mostly hitting my PC with a hammer until it gives in. :D

[Mongrel]

Right, well the continuing story in the saga that is my PC......



After spending close to £400 in new components, taking it apart and rebuilding it 400,000 times and hitting it with a hammer.....



a friend suggested that we switch a jumper setting from boot up beeps to the voice instructions....ho ho ho say I, i've tried that before.

Never-the-less, he goes ahead. Switches the jumpers and.....the thing springs in to life :rolleyes:


Now, why a setting controlling which speaker your PC should use would stop it from booting for a ****ING month is beyond me.... but there you have it.


Thanks to all who have made suggestions, thanks in particular to Dr K who was going to be a star and come and sort it aaaaaaaaaaaaat but its running now and im not turning the ****ing thing off again :)

[Lt. Sex Machine]

Originally posted by Lt. Sex Machine
1. The first jumper changes the destination for the POST beeps from the external 3.5mm jack to the internal speaker, by default this is set to the 3.5mm jack so either connect external speakers to that or else move the jumper position.

2. There is another jumper that alters the state of the verbal warnings you get if there is a problem (yes you actually hear a female voice telling you "System failed CPU test" or whatever). Keep this enabled until you have found the fault then disable it if you are irritated by the thing.

Sometimes it pays to read stuff, especially when it's from somebody who has had a similar experience. Of course the fat wad of cash is an influence too :P

[Mongrel]

Sometimes it pays to read stuff, especially when it's from somebody who has had a similar experience. Of course the fat wad of cash is an influence too

Did try it about 15 times, both when you suggested it and when I was getting a bit desperate and trying anything that I can think of. Bloody typical that someone come around looks at it for two hours, does ONE of the many things that i've done in the past and the thing springs into life :|

[Lt. Sex Machine]

I agree there is absolutely no logic, I have to confess I was on a bit of a wind-up there as you've been going over and over this for so long now.

The real reason I made those suggestions is so the voice thingy could tell you what it reckoned was wrong - I found it quite useful when I was diagnosing mine and that was driving me up the wall at the time.

Still no matter at least it's working at last :)

[Mongrel]

I have to confess I was on a bit of a wind-up there as you've been going over and over this for so long now.


Aye, I guessed that :rolling: Thing is that when I changed the jumpers over to voice mode the fifteen times it made no difference whatsoever. Then, yesterday, we made the change and the box started saying

"mmmppphh mmmppphh mmmmmmmmmmphh mmmppphhmmmppphh" over and over......so there were three of us with our heads in the case trying to work out what the strange Taiwanese lady was telling us :P

Well, was funny for me but maybe you had to be there :E

[Lt. Sex Machine]

Hehe yeah the cack speaker you get fitted to the case is so poor its almost impossible to make out - until you read the manual and it actually does list the phrases in there. I dont get why they cant just have beep codes as you have to look them up anyway :)

So are you saying it was the jumper to enable the voice errors or the jumper to change the output from the rear speaker jack to the onboard speaker?

Reason I ask is the verbal warnings are enabled by default whereas the case speaker isn't.