Mobo Choking on Boot (Asus A7N8X-e deluxe/nforce 2)

[jewbloob]

I have just gotten I new computer (athon xp mobile 2200, aiw radeon9800 pro, 1gb corsair value select ram). I installed everything correctly, and it has been running fine for 2 or 3 days. But yesterday while playing farcry, my screen would randomly go black, so I rebooted. Now it chokes between detecting the processor and the memory test.

I then thought that I might have inadvertently changed something wrong in my bios, so I reset it. I still had the same problems. I then thought it was my processor, so I switched it out with a normal athlon xp 2400+. The computer booted, and farcry worked fine, so I was satisfied. But when I rebooted the next time, I ran into the same problems. I then switched back to my other processor, just to see the same boot-once-then-fail pattern.

I then decided to just wait it out. Eventually it does get past the choke point, but when it is time for windows to start, the screen just goes black and my monitor says no signal.

I am assuming that my motherboard is the problem. I have requested an RMA at ZipZoomFly already. Any suggestions?

 

[cerwinvega]

OK, have you reseated everything ?

Memory, all PCI cards, vid card, etc ?

Certain that no stray stand-off's are shorting the board ?

PSU verified good ?

SATA drive ?

 

[jewbloob]

Yes, I have tried all of the above. but even if i didnt, why would switching out the processor allow the comp to work only once? How does the bios know that it is a different processor if I have reset it and taken out the battery?

 

[cerwinvega]

That's hard to say.

I asked what I asked, simply because I have found that often the hardest part of diagnosing an issue is getting the problem described properly by the user in the frst place. You may very well be describing things exactly as they are, but, you also may be missing some important detail that would shed a clue. I don't know, I can't tell that from here.

That's nothing against you, so ya know, just my experience.

Only suggestion I can make is to go through things methodically, maybe see if a friend will let you swap parts in and out to test each individually.

 

[jewbloob]

That's hard to say.

I asked what I asked, simply because I have found that often the hardest part of diagnosing an issue is getting the problem described properly by the user in the frst place. You may very well be describing things exactly as they are, but, you also may be missing some important detail that would shed a clue. I don't know, I can't tell that from here.

That's nothing against you, so ya know, just my experience.

Only suggestion I can make is to go through things methodically, maybe see if a friend will let you swap parts in and out to test each individually.

Well, as I said, I already swapped out my proc for the 2400+ my friend has. We have tried booting with each stick of ram, without hard drives installed, and with a different video card, but to no avail. This friend i am talking about happens to work at a computer store, and he said that sometimes motherboards just die and he sees it all the time. He said that the company usually orders a new motherboard. But why would a brand new motherboard that has been used for 3 days just decide to die?