Unable to boot: Epox 9PNA+Ultra post code FF

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Feb 23, 2009
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Epox 9PNA+Ultra mobo
AMD A640 3800
2x1GB Crucial RAM
nVidia 7600 card
Seagate SATA drive
Antec Sonata II case with Antec PS

Machine was working last night. It fails to boot this morning, stuck at post code FF (attempt to boot, the first code). I've already tried to reset CMOS but it does not help.

The CPU and case fans both turn on. But the power supply fan remain silent. I think the Antec PSU does not spin up until there is heat. The screen remains black.

What can I do to trouble shoot? PSU? Mobo? CPU?

Thanks!
 
I believe the board displays FF when it's functioning normally.

Try a different video card if you have one.
 
FF is the normal after it runs through it's tests. But it sounds like you're saying it displays FF and never cycles through the rest of the tests (and the rest of the LED post codes first).
 
Unplug all power connectors going to the board

and pop the CMOS battery out for at least 24hrs

After that pretty much all juice with have leeched out.

That has worked for me on numerours occasions. YMMV
 
Apparently, 2 hours is not good enough.

The button battery shows a black ring. Voltage measured is still 3V though.

I will leave it overnight to try again.

Could it be the battery is dead?

Thanks!
 
It would boot with a bad battery. You just wouldn't be able to save your settings.
 
If I remove the battery, it won't boot. With the battery, it will boot if I unplug and then re-plug the power. The reset button won't work. After I shut it down, the power button won't work until I unplug and replug the power supply.

The 5V and 12V from the PSU appear to be fine. Any other voltage do I need to measure?

Thanks!
 
You don't happen to have a spare PSU around that you could test with do you? Just try the whole system with a different PSU to see if that's the issue.
 
I would guess your most likely culprit is the motherboard followed by the PSU or memory. Chances of a dead CPU are very slim.
 
grab a fresh ram stick, stick it in slot 4 alone. Its been the reason for me several times. I have personally only seen a cpu fry on video , not with my eyes, its pretty damn hard to kill a cpu.
 
i just had that exact problem. dead mb. you are not getting any beep codes, correct? take out all the ram and see if it does the same (no post, no beeps)
 
No luck with the cmos reset. With or without ram, not post, no beep.

I do notice one thing. The power button works only once. After I shut it down by holding the power button down, it won't be able to turn it back on again. When I unplug the power, in about 3 seconds, I will hear a short sound which might be some sort of discharge. I won't get a backup psu until Thu. Is there anything I can test before that?

Thanks!
 
one of my older systems just quit ,worked great one day,dead the next ,antec spII 500watt ps died ,actually works one minute then dies,i traced the problem to the 3.3volt line it will just drop to nothing.replaced it with cheapo ps and system runs fine.
 
Where can I find the 3.3V line? I can't locate the AUX line. I have SATA and IDE connector, mobo, 4-pin (2x2) connector and PCI-e (2x3).

Thanks!
 
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