GA-EP45-UD3P; post but cant enter bios

[vtakk]

It has been long two weeks since I started to build this. So far no luck to have system up and running.

E6300 - 2.8Ghz - FSB1066
2x2gb kingston ddr2 8500 CL5 (KHX8500D2K2/4G)
his ati radeon 4670 iceq
500w raidmax
EP45-UD3P - Rev 1.6

it keeps restarting after being up for 2 secs or less. it is not related to cpu overheating etc etc. cleaning CMOS with jumper does not work; the only way to do so is to remove battery for like 5 mins or so. Then after it starts is does POST but... I cant enter BIOS to possibly tweak mem params etc etc (read a lot about possible fail-safe params for these boards)

usb keyboard plugged into usb or usb2ps/2 adapter lights up and turns off immediately. it stays like this forever - bios splash screen which I already hate and all powered on..

exactly the same happened to me with EP45-UD3L which I RMAed since I thought this is MB issue. But with that board I was able to boot up initially/install win and only then system died with exactly the same symptoms.

open to any thoughts and suggestions
unfortunately I dont have spare components to swap and test :(

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-EP45-UD3P; post but cant enter bios

Have you tried it with one stick of memory, outside of the case and OFF the motherboard tray and used the stock Intel CPU Fan? The Intel fan is a option, I just suggested that because some heatsinks may cause shorts on the bottom or top side of the board.

Youir PSU, is it 8 Pin EPS? Another user had the same CPU this week and this board and I initially thought it was the BIOS because your CPU is not supported until F8, but it turned out his PSU was not strong enough for the board. His was 500, but not 8 pin, he upgraded to 750, so not sure if the larger wattage helped or the 8 Pin but either way it was his 575W PSU that was to blame (Same errors). Here is that thread >>

http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/ga-ep45-ud3r-issues-36903/

[vtakk]

Re: GA-EP45-UD3P; post but cant enter bios

Have you tried it with one stick of memory, outside of the case and OFF the motherboard tray and used the stock Intel CPU Fan? The Intel fan is a option, I just suggested that because some heatsinks may cause shorts on the bottom or top side of the board.

Youir PSU, is it 8 Pin EPS? Another user had the same CPU this week and this board and I initially thought it was the BIOS because your CPU is not supported until F8, but it turned out his PSU was not strong enough for the board. His was 500, but not 8 pin, he upgraded to 750, so not sure if the larger wattage helped or the 8 Pin but either way it was his 575W PSU that was to blame (Same errors). Here is that thread >>
http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/ga-e...-issues-36903/

thanks for quick response. yes It lies on paper box with one mem stick (though there is no change in behavior using 2 in both dual/non-dual modes), cpu, intel cpu cooler and his radeon; so no shorts from both case and/or cooler mounting brackets etc

I really don't know the bios ver but I do suspect since this is 1.6 rev board it has what it takes to support 45nm E6300; And I truly believe it does (I can cause post errors manually (no mem/no vc)- so proc is detected, up and responding);

Now PSU - well this is what I was thinking about too. And I have 4 pin cpu conn; Though it is unlikely to be PSU - the reasons why:
a) it was running for more than 24h on UD3L board (well maybe not a valid point but...)
b) it does start everything, pass POST and keep sitting with no power issues (restart/shutdown by itself)
c) not sure about mb power consumption but having only radeon + 65W cpu wont cause this; it should not even come close to 50% utilization of 500W PSU.

the last thing to blame which kinda explains immediate startup issues is mem; what happens is (I believe) I clear up CMOS (by removing the batt and only that way), start it up -> BIOS tries to read hardware spec and updates default CMOS conf with vals read from the mem/cpu; POST (which is strange if mem would be bad - but I assume it just checked bus speed/voltage etc - not real R/W test); then hangs for unknown reason (???), then when I shut it down and start again it keeps restarting every 5 secs or so=screwed CMOS again. Maybe after POST it tries to update CMOS with something, hangs and when I eventually power it off during write process CMOS gets messed up causing POST issues later....

I'm starting to tear hair out of my head now.. really hope I would be able to borrow diff mem stick from a friend of mine - otherwise my hands are tights unless you guys can suggest looking into smth else. appreciate your help here

[vtakk]

Re: GA-EP45-UD3P; post but cant enter bios

QUICK UPDATE:

I went to the store and picked up 750W thermaltake with 8 pin mb/cpu conn.
Just a sanity check. But it did not help :( behaves exactly the same as with 500w raidmax + 4pin mb/cpu conn.

I don't belive cpu got fried or smth. so mem/vc is the last try. Don't think it is vc though. Most likely mem is messing with me

[Psycho101]

Re: GA-EP45-UD3P; post but cant enter bios

I've had the same issue when using USB keyboards on some motherboards. On random occasions my old MSI K8N board would refuse to respond to USB input at POST until I use a PS2 keyboard to enter the BIOS. Without altering any settings I could then exit the BIOS and the USB keyboard would then work fine.

As a remedy for not being able to enter the BIOS, if you can get hold of a cheap PS2 keyboard, you may need to alter the settings for USB keyboard support to allow you to use the USB keyboard from then on. OFC, every time you flash the BIOS or reset the CMOS you'll have to use the PS2 KB again. I believe the USB KB option is disabled by default after a CMOS clear (it is on my board). Strange thing is that my USB KB works fine at POST and in DOS even when USB KB support is disabled.

[vtakk]

Re: GA-EP45-UD3P; post but cant enter bios

I've had the same issue when using USB keyboards on some motherboards. On random occasions my old MSI K8N board would refuse to respond to USB input at POST until I use a PS2 keyboard to enter the BIOS. Without altering any settings I could then exit the BIOS and the USB keyboard would then work fine.

As a remedy for not being able to enter the BIOS, if you can get hold of a cheap PS2 keyboard, you may need to alter the settings for USB keyboard support to allow you to use the USB keyboard from then on. OFC, every time you flash the BIOS or reset the CMOS you'll have to use the PS2 KB again. I believe the USB KB option is disabled by default after a CMOS clear (it is on my board). Strange thing is that my USB KB works fine at POST and in DOS even when USB KB support is disabled.

so what happened when your usb kbd was not detected?

I don't believe this is usb kbd related issue - reason - no kbd -> try to lookup bootable dev and continue. This may be not true if default CMOS has HALT ON ALL ERRORS set. Usually it is set to: ALL BUT KEYBOARD

So if no kbd - it would continue to boot up... true?

anyway ANOTHER UPDATE: I went to retail store and picked up 2x1GB PC6400 corsair; SAME BEHAVIOR

nothing except CPU/VC left (confidering MB is okay)

folks, I need fresh ideas! pls

[Psycho101]

Re: GA-EP45-UD3P; post but cant enter bios

The only way to confirm what is currently set in the BIOS RE halting on errors is to get into the BIOS, which is a problem. As you say it depends on what the default setting is. It can also vary depending on what set of defaults for CMOS settings are used. With Optimized defaults it's probably a default setting of halt on all but KB, but if you've tried solving the problem by clearing the CMOS using the jumper pins or removing the battery then the board will be using failsafe defaults which could be different. I think it could still be a KB issue with regards to getting into the BIOS.

As for why the rig isn't continuing to boot after not seeing a KB, this could be the real symptom of the problem. If something is wrong with a BIOS setting etc then it may be preventing the PC from going any further. Sometimes even the things that seem like they shouldn't make a difference can actually be a part of the solution. This is the only rason why I have a PS2 keyboard at hand. It's here for the sole purpose of getting into the BIOS on tempremental boards. I've had the issue happen on all brands. If this weren't the case the Keyboard would be in the bin, it's actually been bent by about 60 degrees in the centre as I pinched it out of a skip. I think someone tried to put it over their knee to snap it but wasn't up to the task.

[vtakk]

Re: GA-EP45-UD3P; post but cant enter bios

The only way to confirm what is currently set in the BIOS RE halting on errors is to get into the BIOS, which is a problem. As you say it depends on what the default setting is. It can also vary depending on what set of defaults for CMOS settings are used. With Optimized defaults it's probably a default setting of halt on all but KB, but if you've tried solving the problem by clearing the CMOS using the jumper pins or removing the battery then the board will be using failsafe defaults which could be different. I think it could still be a KB issue with regards to getting into the BIOS.

As for why the rig isn't continuing to boot after not seeing a KB, this could be the real symptom of the problem. If something is wrong with a BIOS setting etc then it may be preventing the PC from going any further. Sometimes even the things that seem like they shouldn't make a difference can actually be a part of the solution. This is the only rason why I have a PS2 keyboard at hand. It's here for the sole purpose of getting into the BIOS on tempremental boards. I've had the issue happen on all brands. If this weren't the case the Keyboard would be in the bin, it's actually been bent by about 60 degrees in the centre as I pinched it out of a skip. I think someone tried to put it over their knee to snap it but wasn't up to the task.

I totally hear you. And if CMOS settings after reset have halt on ALL then it is possible it would behave like it does. I agree.

I'm gonna buy cheap ass PS/2 kbd tomorrow and if it boots up and picks the kbd up I'm gonna get seriously DRUNK

[vtakk]

Re: GA-EP45-UD3P; post but cant enter bios

I tried USB->PS/2 adapter - no luck

[vtakk]

Re: GA-EP45-UD3P; post but cant enter bios

ok it is not a keyboard issue.

The only one component left is - CPU.
Is it possible so MB detects CPU and passes POST but later on due to unknown issue with CPU it just hangs? Thoughts?

[vtakk]

Re: GA-EP45-UD3P; post but cant enter bios

ok it is not a keyboard issue.

The only one component left is - CPU.
Is it possible so MB detects CPU and passes POST but later on due to unknown issue with CPU it just hangs? Thoughts?

sent CPU for replacement.

[vtakk]

Re: GA-EP45-UD3P; post but cant enter bios

sent CPU for replacement.

new CPU arrived today and started up in a blink of an eye.
now need to tweak mem/cpu params and run stress tests.

ps: it would be too smooth to have no issues - this time I want to thank some idiot @intel for designing cooler mounting - I just can't believe this **** passed QA or even smbd who can actually think a little.


2ALL: thanks a lot for all your support and help!