can't enter the BIOS...

[stingerhs]

ok, i seem to have run into my own little problem. i'm building a computer for a friend, and i already have all the hardware put together. i also have Windows XP SP1 installed (he wanted to wait till his next paycheck before he picked up the Windows disk since you have 30 days to register. so i'm using an old disk i had lying around). the problem started happening after installing DX9c from the Driver CD that came with the video card and it forced me to reboot, which i didn't want it to do.

after the reboot, Windows would start to boot, and then a black screen would flash up with the just the mouse curser on screen. after about 1-2 seconds, the cursor would disappear and nothing would happen. concerned that it might be a weird setting with the motherboard BIOS, i reset the computer and tried to enter the BIOS. as i press the 'Delete' key to enter the BIOS, it gives me a confirmation that the BIOS are booting. however, instead of the BIOS booting, a quick message asking me to set up the RAID array flashes up for just a second before i get yet another black screen with no activity (the fans are still running, so i know the mobo is still running).

so far, i'm stumped since there are no error beeps telling me if something is wrong, and i can't even boot from the DVD drive since i can't go into the BIOS and set the boot priority. i've tried resetting the BIOS via the jumper settings on the mobo, but to no avail.

the specs:
ASUS K8N-SLI Deluxe mobo
Crucial DDR-400 memory (1GB)
NEC DVD burner drive
Seagate Baracuda SATA 3.0Gb HD (80GB) (not connected to a RAID slot)
AMD Athlon64 3800 X2
Aspire 420W PSU (came with the case, or it would've been a 500W Thermaltake)
BFG GeForce 7900 GT (not hooked into SLi mode since there's only one card)
Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi
Linksys Wireless Card (via a PCI slot)

i think its two seperate problems. the one with Windows is easy enough to sort out since i can just wipe the drive and start over with the Windows install. the problem is getting into the BIOS so that i can set the boot priority.

[stingerhs]

update: okay, i think i might know what the cause of the problem is. the little watch battery on the motherboard was bad, so i replaced it. that managed to temporarily solve the problem.

after about 30min, i had to reboot again after finishing the last of the driver installations. then, the problem started occuring yet again. was the battery installed incorrectly, or is the motherboard simply not charging the battery for some reason??

[nizzy1115]

The battery in the motherboard is not rechargeable, so your motherboard should not be recharging it. Also, did you try hitting f2 to get into the bios?

[stingerhs]

yeah, i've tried that as well, but i get the same results. i've also recieved a suggestion from a friend to put in a 500W PSU since the current unit may not be powerful enough. i don't see why, but since it is a duel-core CPU, it does use more power than what i'm used to dealing with. could that be the culprit??

[Chaky]

Sounds like a faulty MBO to me.

Your friend better dig out that piece of paper that says "warranty".

[stingerhs]

well, now i'm just confused. the computer will boot up just fine and run for hours. however, if you try to restart the computer, it runs into the same problem until its been sitting for a couple of hours. then, it will boot right back up with no hassles.

it sounds like a heat problem, but the ambient temp inside the case never even gets above 50C even with the system under a heavy load (we've managed to install and run the game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which runs very well). i'm about to tell him to just get used to the problem since the system does work, but that's going to be a pain in the arse when you want to update drivers or install anything that requires a reboot.

[Chaky]

I have GeForce 7800 GT on ASUS A8N SLI and Athlon64 +3700 and i can tell you from my expiriance that to get the overheting of the CPU or VGA is very hard work. But, the temp. limit of the CPU is adjustable from BIOS, and my VGA driver is not leting me adjust it's temp. limit. It stays on 115 °C. With some serious heatsinks it just is not possible to overheat them.

Almost forgot.

One thing also can cause such behaviour.
CPU and chipset fan rpm's.
Make sure no cables are touching the blades.

[stingerhs]

actually, i just managed to figure out the problem. after just 30-40 min of use, the monitor heats up really, really bad to the point that you can feel the heat radiating from it from just a couple inches away. once the monitor gets heated up like that, it will quickly black out the screen if the resolution is changed and will continue to black itself out afterwards.

in order to confirm that it wasn't related to the video card at all, i hooked up a different monitor to it to see if the card might be shorting something in the monitor. fortunately, it wasn't the card.

this is just a really wierd problem because i have never had this kind of a problem with a ViewSonic monitor before. oh well, i'm just going to send it back in and get a new one. thanks to those that tried to help. :D

[djrivera1]

POWER SUPPLY for sure have use these cases before and even if it say 420 watt its not it only have a 13 amp rail on the 12v side which is about only 280 watts and your running a GeForce 7800 GT and dual core processor get at lease a antec true power 450 it rated at what it say 28 amp 12v rail and so forth but go the 550 watt you might decided to do SLI later on (DON'T BUY A CHEAP POWER SUPPLY YOU COULD DESTROY YOU MACHINE DOING SO.)

[stingerhs]

POWER SUPPLY for sure have use these cases before and even if it say 420 watt its not it only have a 13 amp rail on the 12v side which is about only 280 watts and your running a GeForce 7800 GT and dual core processor get at lease a antec true power 450 it rated at what it say 28 amp 12v rail and so forth but go the 550 watt you might decided to do SLI later on (DON'T BUY A CHEAP POWER SUPPLY YOU COULD DESTROY YOU MACHINE DOING SO.)

actually, something i failed to mention here was that i replaced the 420W PSU with a 650W PSU from BFG Tech. trust me, its not the PSU. ;)

[djrivera1]

actually, something i failed to mention here was that i replaced the 420W PSU with a 650W PSU from BFG Tech. trust me, its not the PSU. ;)

Bad Motherboard then.