no boot on abit7-2 w/ raid

specs: p4 2.26, 512 ddr pc2700 mushkin, ati 8500 le (also tried ati ve ddr), 80 gig matrox 7200 rpm, lite on 3rw.

my problem: when i power on the computer i get a delay and then siren-like beeping.

to eliminate any ideas of it being something else, i am trying to boot with no hard drive, cd-r or floppy.

i am pretty sure the continuous beeping like this signifies a missing dram problem however my ddr chip is locked in tight..i am not sure how i can tell whether or not the chip is fried but all the contacts look brand new and no visual evidence of anything being damaged.

one thing i noticed is that the heatsink doesnt seem to be extremly tight on the base/cpu. The heatsink base is only locked down on the motherboard in two opposite corners because that is all the base would allow. I can barely wiggle the base but it can come up a tiny bit..Scares me a bit but i am not sure how i can lock it down more.

the cpu fan connector is secure in its place which leads me to believe it must be the ram?

anyone experience this problem and if so, what is the solution?

is it my ram for sure? how can i tell whether or not it is fried?

thanks in advance

also..any jumpers or switches on the board i need to edit except the cmos?

cmos is on normal now and j4 is on factory default because i dont think i need to touch it according to the manual..

anything else i might have not set that would prevent the computer from booting? switches etc..

thanks and please help me : )

I got a siren noise like that when I was experimenting with my 4 pin wire wrap - turned out the cpu wasnt seated fully in the socket

If it's a two tone sounding like "neeener neeener" then it is defenately a cpu problem. I have had several experiences with this sound, and it has always ment that the cpu wasn't seated properly...sometimes you might need to clear the cmos after reseating the cpu, or it will (sometimes) still refuse to boot.
I built a comp for a freind and found him a deal on an E.S. tualie and when I first tried to boot, it gave me the siren, and I cleared the cmos, and it booted normaly...go figure