Weirdest computer issue I've encountered

[MasterCraft]

System in sig.


I'm posting this in 2 forums for maximum visibility.


I recently bought a new case, and swapped everything over to the new case because the VGA coolers I bought didn't fit in the old one.

on fresh CMOS settings (removed battery + unplugged) I get a fresh post, asking to recover bios settings. If I do anything in bios and save, I get a no video, no post, no beeps.

If in bios, I discard settings and exit it goes right to post, with video, and goes all the way into windows.

I did move the 2nd 580gtx to the bottom slot PCI-E, instead of the middle, but both cards work ,I've tested them seperately, and even with 1 card I see the same results.

If I make ANY changes in bios, I have to completely reset CMOS to get a post with video. and then it makes me go into bios to "recover settings".

I made it into windows once by discarding the settings, as said above, but all my settings had been reset. It was like I had no video drivers installed.

Is this a VGA issue with the new coolers? (they worked perfectly before I swapped cases), or a motherboard bios issue?

All things are seated, reseated, and reseated again, temps all look good. Stock settings on all as far as I can tell, and triple checked all cables. Other than swapping the coolers, the case change was the only modification, otherwise completely the same.


So I'm currently in windows on the same machine, both cards are working. But if I reboot, make any changes to bios, or do anything except hit F1 on post, then discard changes, I get black screens with no video post.

I even tried 1 stick of memory on several dimms to see if it was a memory issue, no dice.

Any ideas?

 

[MasterCraft]

Update:

I can make no changes to bios and just discard and exit, and it goes right to windows, no issue. If I make ANY changes, or reboot after being in windows, regardless, it goes back to not posting, until I reset CMOS.

 

[Automata]

I deleted your duplicate thread in the other forum because I think this one fits best with the problem you are describing. Please only create one thread per topic.

 

[MasterCraft]

another update:

Bios update to 3602 (latest on the ASUS website) failed to fix the problem.

I'm stumped and could really use some help.

 

[MasterCraft]

nobody?

 

[MasterCraft]

Update again:

Going down to 1 video card, and testing outside the case, still no luck. On a suggestion I checked the bios chip (and the rest of the motherboard) for anything damaged or contacting, I don't see anything, and I'm running minimals.


regardless of the card, plus I post on the same comp, so I think I can rule out a video card being the issue.

I'm going to replace the CMOS battery today to see if it's just not holding settings.

Inside windows it works great, but I can't OC or do anything in bios, or restart without losing video and having to clear CMOS to get it back, as stated above.

 

[wagex]

it really seems to me you need a new motherbaord p67 boards are annoying, i know i have probably the worst one of all of the p67 boards ever made. or atleast try another one to see if it works.

 

[Automata]

Have you completely reseated everything? Processor, memory, power connectors? If you have spare parts, start swapping them out or trying individual parts in another system. Disconnect anything not vital to the POST; run one stick of RAM, a single video card (and a low power one, if you have one), no hard drives or DVD drives, etc.

I've had issues like this with a PowerEdge 2650 somewhat recently. I had the server out of the rack, and completely ripped apart. It wouldn't boot any disks without errors or crashing. It took me hours of solid troubleshooting - removing memory, power supplies, processors, voltage regulators, etc - before I figured out it was the CD drive.

 

[MasterCraft]

Have you completely reseated everything? Processor, memory, power connectors? If you have spare parts, start swapping them out or trying individual parts in another system. Disconnect anything not vital to the POST; run one stick of RAM, a single video card (and a low power one, if you have one), no hard drives or DVD drives, etc.

I've had issues like this with a PowerEdge 2650 somewhat recently. I had the server out of the rack, and completely ripped apart. It wouldn't boot any disks without errors or crashing. It took me hours of solid troubleshooting - removing memory, power supplies, processors, voltage regulators, etc - before I figured out it was the CD drive.

Yeah I've reseated everything multiple times, it's actually on a bench now outside the case, running minimum as you suggested. I have a 560 gtx that I tried it with too, same result.

 

[MasterCraft]

it really seems to me you need a new motherbaord p67 boards are annoying, i know i have probably the worst one of all of the p67 boards ever made. or atleast try another one to see if it works.

I would if I had another board. If I need to buy another, I'll just buy a maximus V and be done with it completely.

other than this issue, the computer runs famously.

 

[Tech Tweaker]

This might just be your lucky day.

I had the same exact problem with a board of mine 6+ months ago. Identical symptoms too.

I tried everything, and I mean everything. Different power supplies, different memory sticks and kits (with different speed ratings), different memory slots, different video cards, different PCI-Express slots, running in a case, running case-less on an open test bench, replaced the onboard battery, ran with and without an optical drive, tried different optical drives, different IDE cables. It took me months to track down the problem, but I did eventually track it down.

In my case the CMOS/BIOS chip itself (the actual physical chip) had just inexplicably gone bad without any cause or warning. After replacing the chip everything ran fine with all of the same components I had originally been testing it with. To make sure I switched the original chip back in and again the issues returned, put the new one in and then everything was fine again. It helped that my bios chip was one of the socket-type of chips so it was easily removable.

 

[MasterCraft]

This might just be your lucky day.

I had the same exact problem with a board of mine 6+ months ago. Identical symptoms too.

I tried everything, and I mean everything. Different power supplies, different memory sticks and kits (with different speed ratings), different memory slots, different video cards, different PCI-Express slots, running in a case, running case-less on an open test bench, replaced the onboard battery, ran with and without an optical drive, tried different optical drives, different IDE cables. It took me months to track down the problem, but I did eventually track it down.

In my case the CMOS/BIOS chip itself (the actual physical chip) had just inexplicably gone bad without any cause or warning. After replacing the chip everything ran fine with all of the same components I had originally been testing it with. To make sure I switched the original chip back in and again the issues returned, put the new one in and then everything was fine again. It helped that my bios chip was one of the socket-type of chips so it was easily removable.

I would dread that actually.

dealing with asus customer service is almost worth just buying another board to avoid it.

Unless there is somewhere else I can get a bios chip for this board?

 

[txus.palacios]

I would dread that actually.

dealing with asus customer service is almost worth just buying another board to avoid it.

Unless there is somewhere else I can get a bios chip for this board?

Ed (Bobnova) might be able to help you, he is the electronics man around here. I know you can get some off eBay.

 

[Tech Tweaker]

I would dread that actually.

dealing with asus customer service is almost worth just buying another board to avoid it.

Unless there is somewhere else I can get a bios chip for this board?

I bought mine off ebay actually (my board was well out of warranty anyway, so Asus wouldn't have done anything for me without payment).

I'll send you a link to one via PM.

 

[MasterCraft]

asus has bios chips on it's website for sale.

Anyone have experience with that? my board does have the removable bios chip.

I'm going to nascar for 6 days tomorrow, so I might just order it and resume when I get back.

 

[MasterCraft]

bump + update

Battery didn't fix it.

Bios arrives today, I think that's my last hope for this board.

 

[MasterCraft]

Bios in, same issue.

Not sure what else to try short of replacing the board.

Man this sucks.

 

[MasterCraft]

Any motherboard recommendations?

I'm thinking about the ASUS Maximus V FORMULA

 

[MasterCraft]

I went with the formula. guess we'll see if that fixes it. I'm talking to myself anyway.

 

[txus.palacios]

Sorry, couldn't reply today (or yesterday) because Linux decided to go bananas and compile modules for a kernel that wasn't even installed. It probably was my fault for feeding it the wrong flags, though.

The Formula is overkill for your system if you are not going to overclock it with LN2. I would recommend something from ASRock, those guys seem to have improved a lot since the old days.