Post Code Errors on Boot!

[Hawk]

Hey All,
Just got the system put together here's the specs..
Mobo... Abit AN7 nForce 2 Ultra 400 (http://www.microcenter.com/byos/byos_single_product_results.phtml?product_id=234843)
CPU... ..... Athlon XP 3200+ (http://www.shopping.com/xPF-AMD_Athl...Hz_AXDA3200OEM)
PSU..... Fortron 450 (http://www.directron.com/ax450pn.html)
Ram........ 2X 1G OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 Platinum (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1487205&CatId=1833)
GPU.... .... Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro 256MB (http://www.eproscomputers.com)
I have one Sata 36G Raptor hooked up, 2 X 1Gb OCZ ram, NEC 16X DVD R/RW, Saphire Radeon X1600 256MB.
I disconnected everything else Except fans,PS and critical stuff.
I'm getting a blip of power and then the post codes First code that pops up is 8.3, then it gives me two more, second is 9.A, third is 9F.
Anyone have any ideas? I tried reading the post codes in the manual, but can't make heads or tails from it.
I'm trying to get this system up for my main rig and folding.
If I don't get it today, I'm afraid it won't get done for a long while. (work is going to tie up my time.) So, I'd really like to get it finished.
I'd appreciate any and all help given. Thnx
P.S., I've tried clearing CMOS a couple of times but still get the same errors.
Checked all cables, jumpers on MB, and checked PS plugs with tester -- all fine.

[Bad_Karma]

I did a check on your motherboards compatibility tests here:
http://www.abit.com.tw/test_report/AN7/02.php

I might be reading it wrong but it looks like that board only supports up to 512mb in each mem slot. (I could be wrong).

Try using other RAM if you have any available to play with.

[Hawk]

Thnx BK,
I checked the manual and it says 128-256-512-1GB can be used in each slot for a total of 3GB. Also, It's brand new ram too. Never been in any machines except this one today. I have 2 1G sticks in slot 3 + 2 as recommended in the manual.
Any other ideas?

[Bad_Karma]

The only other thing I can think of right now is that your Mobo might not have the latest bios and or the bios chip on the board itself is damaged. The bios settings should at least show up if you have everything removed including the ram. This is a weird one. Hopefully someone shows up that has had more experience with this sort of situation. Sorry dude I'm not too sure what could be wrong at this point. It sounds like it has to do with the motherboard itself though.

[Hawk]

No, I don't have the ram removed. That has to be in to run...
Maybe I'll try removing one stick of ram and try each slot with one stick.
And the mobo is brand new/refurbished/ tested at my request.. Has all the standard stuff with it and it's all new. I haven't used it till now.

[Hawk]

Another thing too is the post code errors are displayed on the bottom lefthand corner of the mobo. It's a little digital window.

[Hawk]

Tried one stick of ram in each slot. Powered off and unplugged psu, cleared cmos on each try.
Then tried the other stick in each slot. Power off, unplug, cmos reset after each try.
Still get same post codes. 8.3,then 9.A, then 9F.

[Bad_Karma]

I looked up those post errors on the abit site and they don't mean jack to me.
If you have a different stick of ram lying around try sticking that into the board. You might also want to check the CPU heatsink and make sure that it is seated properly. I have had many no posts in the past and that was usually the problem (besides a piece of hardware being borked!).

[Hawk]

Pulled everything and started over found out there's 2- 12v 4pin plugs on PS and switched to other one and it booted right into the bios...
Changed a couple of minor things for my setup. Nothing serious. Turned off keyboard wake/sleepmode etc. Changed boot sequence to cd first for XP install.
Problem== Bios was reseting, I didn't realize it and I turned it off. It showed a split second warning not to turn off while bios is reseting, but it was set to instant off so I couldn't stop it at that point.
Now I think I borked the bios chip, because it won't boot to bios anymore.
It only gives one post code now which is 9.0... (Complete uGuru initial proccess) (( Award Bios take over booting job.)
I'm so frustrated with this thing I'm ready to chuck it out a window!
I've tried reseting Cmos again 4-5 times.-- nothing. Took battery out 10 mins and then reset cmos after putting battery back in -- nothing.
Didn't we have someone here that reprogramed bios chips?
or does anyone know where i can buy one?
I'm going to leave it set for a few hrs without battery and then reset cmos to see if it will come back up. But I doubt it will.

[Sledgehammer70]

what happened to the Nvidia graphics card?.

[Hawk]

what happened to the Nvidia graphics card?.
Only nvidia card I have ever had was yrs ago.
I've got 6 ATI cards in my pc's.