New Motherboard/CPU

Sirikin

I just bought an ASUS A7N8X-X Motherboard and an Athlon 64 3200+ Processor. I have put it all together and now when i try to boot the computer freezes just after it tests memory. The hard drive is one from my other computer and so is the 1GB DDR 2700 RAM.

After the memory is tested and it is ready to go to the next step of the boot process the computer freezes. If i press the DEL key (enter bios) the computer freezes. The computer will also freeze if i use the ESC key to skip the memory test.

Does anyone know what type of hardware problem that I may be having. I think that it is either the HDD or the DDR Ram. I'm pretty sure that the ram is Generic.

Thanks,
Malcolm

Armo

i would try removing and reaganging the ram if posible perhaps a stick is going bad

entropy

Try removing everything. The best bet is if you had some extra memory to test, but I assume it works in your old computer, right? One idea is to try another memory slot on your new board. Anyway, if that doesn't work - try taking any optical drives out. If that doesn't work, try unplugging your hard drive (just to see if you can POST). While you're in there, go ahead and double check all your cables. If all this fails, you could always try reseating the CPU, you never know. I don't have any experience with AMD (not since the k6-2) let alone this cpu/board. So these are just some ideas off my head.

MediaMan

Sirikin,

I'm guessing that Windows is not even installed yet if you say you've just built this computer and it's freezing right after the post screen.

First off I would set the BIOS to safe defaults and see what happens. You may even try clearing the CMOS and then resetting it safe defaults.

If that still results in the same problem then you may try again with a single stick of memory in DIMM 1 or as the manual suggests. At times motherboards can dislike certain types of memory and errors result.

The hard drive is not an issue as of yet due to the fact that the freezing problems are occuring before the hard drive is accessed.

If you are successful and the problem goes away then it is a particular setting in BIOS that is causing a conflict. It's a matter of optimizing the BIOS for your PC one setting at a time until you can find that particular setting that is causing you problems.

As always...run MEMTEST86 from our downloads section to ensure that your memory is not generating any errors.

I hope this helps.

muddocktor

Sirikin wrote:

I just bought an ASUS A7N8X-X Motherboard and an Athlon 64 3200+ Processor. I have put it all together and now when i try to boot the computer freezes just after it tests memory. The hard drive is one from my other computer and so is the 1GB DDR 2700 RAM.

Do you mean an XP3200+, because an A64 proc won't even fit a socket A board. A64 has either 754, 939 or 940 pins and socket A has 462 pins.

Sirikin wrote:

After the memory is tested and it is ready to go to the next step of the boot process the computer freezes. If i press the DEL key (enter bios) the computer freezes. The computer will also freeze if i use the ESC key to skip the memory test.

I see one problem right off the bat, man. The XP3200+ is a 200 fsb processor but your ram is only rated for 166 fsb speed. If you are trying to boot up at a 200 fsb speed, your ram is probably crapping out on you. If I remember right, there is a jumper on the mobo to select the default fsb speed. Set that jumper to the 100 fsb setting and try to boot up and get into bios. Frist thing is to get it booting to where you can get into the health section of the bios so you can monitor voltages and temps. Once you get it booting up reliably we can help you select a memory speed setting where you can run that proc at it's rated speed with the ram running at it's rated speed.

MediaMan

And that's a setting in BIOS.

One way or another...we get there. SM to the rescue again.