ASUS board not detecting monitor (tried 2 gfx cards)

nogoodreason

nogoodreason

nogoodreason

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Hi guys, I really hope someone can help me out with my problem as this has been driving me up the wall all day.

Rig:
Antec P182
Seasonic M12 700W PSU
ASUS P5K-E/WiFi
Q6600
Nvidia 8800GTS 512mb (followed by an Nvidia 7800GTX 256mb)

I've assembled a rig using the parts above, that I know have all worked fine in the past (they were last used only a couple of months ago). When I boot up, neither of my monitors are detected: the blue light on the monitors go orange and I get a 'no signal' message.

I unplugged everything except the graphics card and still had the same result, so (in case the gfx had somehow stopped working) I tried it with another card that definitely works, and the problem persists.

I tried clearing CMOS twice (removing battery from mobo, moving jumper, replacing jumper, replacing battery) but still no change.

I'm all out of ideas. Obviously I've tried removing power cord, hitting power button (to clear any remaining juice), waiting 5 minutes and then powering back up. I've moved, removed and re-seated the graphics cards too.

Anyone got any bright ideas?
 
1. Were the monitors plugged in before you switched on the system?
2. Check the 20/24pin and 4/8pin 12V connectors. Some mobos also require you to plug in an extra molex plug into the motherboard itself which powers Pci express cards
 
The monitors are 100% operational - I use them daily. As for mobo connections, there's the lil' one in the top left corner and the big standard one on the far right.

I have got so frustrated with this motherboard now that it's OUT of the case and sitting on my desk. Gonna crack open my new PSU and see if that gives any better results.

Can you suggest a test to perform on a motherboard to decide whether it's time to RMA it? (It's still within warranty)
 
*Groan*

Removed the mobo from the case, plugged it into my brand new PSU and... still not detecting the monitor.



Unless you guys have anything else to suggest, I'll RMA it in the morning and hope the RMA guys agree with my conclusion.
 
nogoodreason said:
Anyone got any bright ideas?
Click to expand...

Yeah! :)

If your using a dual channel kit then remove one of the sticks and try booting again (and with both sticks seperately) . . . What memory are you using anyway :confused:

If its not a memory problem then remove heatsink, remove CPU, examine the LGA775 socket pins for any damage or substance that shouldn't be there, if it looks good then carefully re-install CPU and Heatsink and try again. :cool:

nogoodreason said:
still not detecting the monitor
Click to expand...
Is that another way of saying your PC isn't POST'ing or booting?

Is it loading Windows in the background or just nothing?
 
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I did try booting with just a single stick of RAM (it's a decent brand of XMS3 Corsair, never had any trouble with it in the past) but that didn't make a difference.

In fact, the *only* change this motherboard has seen since the last time it was used was that I used some ArctiClean to remove the thermal paste from the CPU and cooler, and applied Arctic Silver 5 to it instead. Although I'd be surprised if a dab of ArctiClean has killed the CPU (in fact, presumably if it *had* the system wouldn't even be booting).

As for exactly what the computer is doing:
The lights come on
The hard drives whirr into action
The fan on the graphics card goes into 'really fast mode' {the way it does when a computer is just booting up} but doesn't ever slow down

No OS noises are heard. And I've tried tapping 'DEL' during bootup, followed by F4 (load defaults), Y, and F10, Y, (save and exit BIOS). If BIOS was being loaded then that sequence would cause the computer to reboot, but it doesn't. :(
 
Ok so basically the computer doesn't POST. . .

You mentioned XMS3 Corsair which is a DDR3 product series? I guess you meant XMS2 Corsair?

Has this memory every worked in this board before or is this the first time you tried?

Did you take the CPU out of the socket when you cleaned it? or did you clean it in the socket?
 
Big.Wayne said:
Ok so basically the computer doesn't POST. . .

You mentioned XMS3 Corsair which is a DDR3 product series? I guess you meant XMS2 Corsair?

Has this memory every worked in this board before or is this the first time you tried?
Click to expand...


D'oh. I meant DDR2.
And yes, this setup had been running perfectly for just over a year. I recently bought a new motherboard and so removed this (with CPU, RAM etc still attached) and placed it in the box my new mobo came in.

The only thing that has changed is the thermal paste on the CPU.


Did you take the CPU out of the socket when you cleaned it? or did you clean it in the socket?
Click to expand...

I removed it from the socket. I noticed the guy who'd applied the original thermal paste had made a right mess of it and had got paste on the bracket, socket and mobo - although as the system had been running fine all this time I guess I'd got lucky.
I removed the paste from the metal bracket but didn't dare put any ArctiClean on the mobo or the socket for fear it might damage it.

It's possible some ArctiClean got close to the edges (so potentially went on the underside) of the CPU, although I left everything overnight so am sure everything was dry before putting it back in the system.
 
Hey nogoodreason,

The basic problem you are having is a No POST situation, sorry If I'm being thick but I am having problems understanding the history of things, I am trying to do some detective work as that's normally the best way to trouble-shoot.

I'm not following the story, can you paint me a picture heh! :o
 
No problem. :)

Okay, for just over a year I had the following rig:



ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP | Q6600 @3.0GHz | Tuniq Tower 120 | 8GB Corsair DDR2 XMS2 @800MHz | X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS | BFG GeForce 8800GTS OC 512MB | 2x WD Raptor X 10,000 RPM 150GB | 2x WD 500GB | Antec P182 All Black Edition | Akasa Fan Controller | Noctua Silent Fans | Seasonic M12 700W | Vista Ultimate 64-Bit Edition

In July I decided to upgrade to Core i7 so I bought a new mobo/CPU/RAM. I removed the current motherboard (with RAM and CPU still attached) and placed it in the box my i7 mobo arrived in. Placed it on a shelf and forgot about it for a month.

Due to overheating issues, I've decided to buy a new case and build a new rig around the i7 mobo.

My plan was to put the P5k-E back in the Antec P182, rebuild my original rig, and sell it to raise enough cash for my i7 project. While I was at it I decided to clean off the old thermal paste on the Q6600 and add some nice Arctic Silver 5 instead.

I rebuilt the rig, exactly as it was, knowing that every component worked fine. But, for some strange reason, it now will not POST even if I clear CMOS.
 
Ok cool! :)

I reckon you need to remove the heatsink, clean off the TIM, raise the LGA775 locking bracket and leaving the CPU in the socket still, clean the bracket 100%, carefully remove the Q6600 and clean that front and back using IPA (it's ok to clean the rear of the chip) then examine the LGA775 socket and pins looking for any guff, fluff, TIM, damage etc

If the CPU and LGA775 socket are spotless and everything looks in order then carefully re-install the CPU, add TIM and replace the heatsink.

Also if you have removed the mobo from the case and then re-installed it back some time later is there any brass case stand-offs in the wrong position? . . . I had that case and I remember most of the stand-offs are built into the case but there was the option to add some extra? :confused:
 
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I had a problem when vista deleted the my driver when I installed another to test. you should be able to get round it by using a tv to interface, then you should be able to physically see to install software you need
 
Thanks, Wayne. Will give that a try later today.

Is it safe to apply ArctiClean to the motherboard itself, or to the pins on the socket? Both have a bit of old thermal material on them. Although, as I said, they must've been there all along even when the system ran fine.

TIM is Thermal Insulating Material (Arctic Silver 5), right? (Just checking)
 
I haven't ever touched or gone near the LGA775 socket/pins, I don't think its normally a good idea to attempt to clean them but if you have AS5 TIM in there your in trouble!

You would need to make sure the LGA775 socket is 100% clean, the problem being that in the process of trying to wipe the TIM away you may spread it around! . . . . I'm not sure if AS5 is conductive due to its silver content?

If I'm following this correctly it seems you had some luck to begin with but in the process of removing the CPU you may have allowed the TIM to move (or splodge) more into the socket! :(

It could be something else but you really need to remedy this as its an obvious trouble-shooting step! :cool:
 
Big.Wayne said:
I haven't ever touched or gone near the LGA775 socket/pins, I don't think its normally a good idea to attempt to clean them but if you have AS5 TIM in there your in trouble!

You would need to make sure the LGA775 socket is 100% clean, the problem being that in the process of trying to wipe the TIM away you may spread it around! . . . . I'm not sure if AS5 is conductive due to its silver content?

If I'm following this correctly it seems you had some luck to begin with but in the process of removing the CPU you may have allowed the TIM to move (or splodge) more into the socket! :(

It could be something else but you really need to remedy this as its an obvious trouble-shooting step! :cool:
Click to expand...

The thermal material that's on the board/pins is the standard stuff that came with the Tuniq cooler, not AS5. It was the result of the doofus who originally put the machine together. However that means the spilled thermal material has been there since the very beginning, so the machine's never had a problem with it.

I removed the CPU from the motherboard before cleaning it, so the crap I wiped off is on a tissue, not the mobo. The Arctic Silver 5 is only on the CPU and CPU cooler (i.e. where it should be ;) )


All the same, I will try giving that area a complete clean as I'm otherwise all out of ideas.
 
On my old Asus P5E, the main 24 pin connector was a pig to get in properly. It was really stiff and if it was'nt all the way in i would have problems like yours. I know it's probably one of the first things you did, but make sure the 20+4 pin connectors are both in all the way and clipped down. Sometimes the 20 pin would be all the way in but the 4pin next to it would'nt go all the way in. Same with the 8 or 4+4 pin connector.
 
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