Constant reboot cycle, doesn't get as far as POST.

T

Troz

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 8, 2004
Messages
416
Ok, just assembled my new computer. Hit the power button, fans spin up sounds cool, then it turns off. Then back on, fans spinning the works. Then back off. It does this over and over and over. I finally pulled the plug after the 8th or so time it did it. Not sure what is going on and my back is killing me and I need some sleep so odds are I won't have a chance to reply until tomorrow.

Hardware is as follows:

Motherboard: Abit IP35
CPU: QX9650
RAM: Corsair 2x2gig XMS DDR2 800
Video BFG 8800GT 512
PSU: Corsair 620HX
Hard Drive 500gig IDE (dammit meant to get an SATA
Lite On SATA DVD Burner.
Sound Card: X Fi Platinum.

Also, on the motherboard is an 8 pin connector. In the manual it says I can use either an 8pin cable or the standard 4 pin. Which should I use? (Had 8 pin and switch to 4 pin because oddly enough I read that fixed someone's probelm) Still does the infinite reboot cycle.

Really hoping you guys can come up with something, I spent my Christmas bonus on this thing and it kinda sucks for it to have problems and I am currently tired and in pain and just can't sit up any longer trying to solve it tonight. Too depressing.
 
Do you hear any beeps? Take off everything except one stick of ram and your video card and see if it posts. If it does, add components back one by one until you figure out what's causing the problem. If it doesn't boot, try testing with another PSU if it has the proper connectors.
 
Going to ask an obvious one so no offence.

Is the hard drive set as master on the IDE cable and is the cable attached to the primary IDE port on motherboard.

Other thing to check is the jumper setting on the back of the IDE hard drive.
Should be set to master if its the one your booting from.

If set incorrectly then this could cause similiar reboot cycles.

Just trying out some of the obvious ones.....;)
 
Case came with no speaker, will scavenge one lunch time and plug it in.

HDD is jumpered to Master and there is only 1 IDE slot on the motherboard so pretty sure I got that part right ;)

I can see I am going to have a very long day dealing with this thing, and of course sitting here at work is making it worse because I want to get it working badly.
 
You need to do a simple build outside of the case first. Put your motherboard on its box, only install one stick of memory, the video card and cpu. See if it boots that way first.
 
i always suggest this becausw i don't have a speaker;do you have led bracket to see where in the boot process your machine may be having problems.
 
Put speaker on no beeps (doesn't even get far enough to beep, nothing on screen)

Took board out, CPU and 1 stick of RAM only. Sat it on the board's box and it does the same thing. (Figured no video card would give me a nice POST beep code, but no such luck)

Still does the stupid reboot cycle non-stop. This is depressing.

(Also, this one doesn't have the LED POST reader thing. I didn't get the Pro board and now regret it, could have been useful.)

So yeah, back at work and got nothing accomplished over my lunch hour. Right now I am thinking the board is DOA which leaves me fairly screwed.
 
maybe the motherboard is trying to initialize the cpu/memory at an improper frequency and causing it to reboot. try using the appropriate jumper to clear the CMOS or pulling the CMOS battery for a bit to get it back to factory spec.

edit: well it's a new board so this probably isnt the issue, worth a shot though (may have detected incorrectly the first time and stuck with that). since you've never booted it before, double-check the connections for the power-switch, reset, power-led etc etc. it's easy to mess those up sometimes
 
Reset CMOS about...4 times throughout my troubleshooting.

Didn't even bother with reset or HDD LED when I did the on-box test. Power button only.

Fun part is I live in The Bahamas so I have to order my parts, get htme shipped to a forwarder in Florida who ships them to The Bahamas and another person ships it to my island.

2 weeks back I ordered my parts and somewhere on the way the CPU, mobo, RAM and video card were stolen. So what I have now is actually my second swet of parts =(

So if the board is dead I order it and wait 2 more weeks for it to arrive. Can't RMA because it would cost too much to ship it back from here. Dead parts are money lost.
 
Ok tried 3 different sticks of RAM (my original RAM is rated to run at 1.8v so shouldn't be an issue, where I have read of other RAM needing 2v and screwing up on an initial build until the voltage was bumped up in the BIOS).

I even tried just the CPU in the board and nothign else, it just keeps power cycling like that. It doesn't even get far enough along to begin to POST.

So right now I am calling dead motherboard unless there is anything else I can try.

Any suggestions for a new motherboard? (Support for the QX9650 out of box is a huge plus not too fond of BIOS flashing unless I have to, like I was going to have to do with the IP35 in all likely hood.)

Man this sucks.
 
Troz said:
Any suggestions for a new motherboard? (Support for the QX9650 out of box is a huge plus not too fond of BIOS flashing unless I have to, like I was going to have to do with the IP35 in all likely hood.)
Man this sucks.
Click to expand...

I may be that the board needs a bios update in order to reconize the qx9650. If you have access to a cheaper c2d cpu, install it in your motherboard and see if it will boot. If it does update the bios and try your qx9650 again.
 
I've got a brand new Dell here still in it's box. It's got an E2140 in it, would that suffice? (Dual Core, but not C2D) Cause if so I'll strip it tomorrow and pop that chip in and see what happens.
 
I've had this happen with my Abit IP35 Pro.

The fans would come on (CPU fan also) for a 2nd, Then go off, Then a BEEP, BEEP BEEP from the speaker, Then it repeats until I unplug the psu. I'd stop it after 2 times.

This would happen when I'd goto the bios and make a slight change (Nothing OC-related), Select save and hit Y and reboot, Then it'd happen. Then once when this happened, I got the NTLDR is missing error msg on C drive. Couldnt understand that.

So I unplugged the C drive from sata port 1 and put it on sata port 2 and the error msg went away and xp loaded.

Asked Abit about it and they said that it zapped the file off the HDD, I said thats not likely, Because just by plugging the drive into another sata port, The same exact error should happen also on that port. So I tested it. I plugged the drive back into sata port 1, And the error came up. Plugged it back into sata port 2 and booted fine.
 
Yeah but I don't get as far as POST tho. Nothing ever shows on the screen. Fans all spin up, then 2 or 3 seconds later off again. Repeat ad infinitum.

Gonna try the E2140 CPU lunch time hopefully. Man I hate stripping Dell's they are a pain in the ass to get at the CPU due to the shroud they use.
 
I've been reading some Corsair PSUs have issues with IP35 series boards. So I have a Coolmax 400w PSU I can try. If it does work, could I use it to power my rig until I get a new PSU, or could I just keep it in?

+3.3v 30A
+5V 28A
+12v1 14A
+12v2 15A
-12v 1A
+5vsb 2.5A
+3.3v and +5v max 130w
+12v1 and +12v2 max 348w

That's what's on the side of the box. Think that could power my rig?
 
amperage/wattage seems a little low for that 8800gt, but i suspect it would work as a temporary replacement. i wouldnt go overlocking the piss out of your cpu/graphics in the meantime though
 
CpuMan gets a cookie, dropped in an E2140 from another computer and with 1 stick of RAM from my 2x2gb kit it POSTed. Flashed the BIOS and am about to turn it on with my QX9650 in.

Should I leave just 1 of the 2gig sticks in to load Vista or can I put both in?

I seem to remember something about needing a patch? (Loading Vista Ultimate 64 if it matters)
 
Rock on, toss in my X-fi now as well or should I get vista in and mobo drivers in and all that jazz then power down and pop it in? I have gone through so much in the last couple of days I really don't want to booger anything up.
 
eh...


to avoid any problems in general you could throw it in afterwards, but vista will have to detect it once its installed.

idk if its better to let vista detect it while its being installed or to let it find the card after vista's been installed.

its all your choice i guess. I popped my audigy 2 ZS right in before I installed Vista.
 
I waited, Vista is in and I just finished downloading the newest drivers for it. Looks like this is the last part to install.

Thank God it's almost over. Hate building these expensive rigs, nerve-wracking when something goes wrong.
 
Glad you got things going your way now :). It should be a kick ass system once you get it all up and running with Vista.
Post some pictures when it's all done.
 
Believe it or not, stock cooling, gonna wait on OCing until it is all stable. The heatsink is freaking HUGE. Didn't meassure it but it looks like an 80mm inside the fins of the heatsink.

Also on a funny note, I installed AVG and told it to update. It downloaded the update then you know how the next screen shos you each update as it applies it, and how Vista fades in new windows that open?

The updates were applied before the window could fade in completely! lol :D

The wiring job is complete crap sadly as the HDD I ordered was IDE by accident so that with a floppy cable and well I didn't care about hiding it, just mash them flat and get them out ofthe way of the fans as best as possible.

Side note, the 200mm fan on top of the Antec 900? That thing can move some air. Got that set on high, the stock heatsink fan set to high (yeah it has a toggle switch, kinda cool, blue LEDs...not so cool) Switch the 3 120mm fans for some 20db Scythe fans and she's whisper quiet.

Patches for games downloading at home while I am at work.
 
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