First Edition September 2006Copyright © 2006 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.15G063644020

E2437

Q &A

Motherboard

Troubleshooting Guide

2 Motherboard troubleshooting

Motherboard troubleshooting

This guide provides some solutions to the problems you may encounter after assembling your PC. Try performing the suggested solutions before calling for technical support.

Solutions to basic problems Many booting failures are caused by negligence in following simple procedures such as connecting cables or installing computer peripherals like graphic cards, memory modules, CPU, or hearsink fan assembly. This section provides basic tips on how to avoid these problems.

Check connectors

• Make sure there is no foreign materialonthegoldfingersorpins. See pictures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.• Wipe the surface of the goldfingerswithcleanclothor eraser. • Make sure the pins on the IDE, CPU and onboard connectors are not bent. See pictures 4 and 5.

• If the damage to the pins occured due to customer handling, the retailer may charge you or refuse to repair the damaged components.

• Contact your retailer if any of the components are bent, damaged, or missing.

Picture1.GoldfingersofaVGAcard

Picture2.GoldfingersofaDDRmodulePicture 3. Socket LGA 775

3Motherboard troubleshooting

• Carefully clean the surface of the CPU and apply a thin layer of thermal interface material. See picture 6.

• Make sure there is no foreign material on the heatsink and fan assembly. See pictures 7.

• Clean the heatsink and fan assembly according to the instructions provided by the heatsink manufacturer to prevent malfunctions caused by dust or foreign material.

Picture 5. CPU pins

Picture 4. Connector pins

Picture 6. CPU surface

Picture 7. Heatsink and fan assembly (Intel®)

Check CPU and heatsink and fan assembly installation

Picture 8. Heatsink and fan assembly (AMD®)

4 Motherboard troubleshooting

Turn off the power and remove the power cord before adding or removing any components and add-on cards.

More troubleshooting solutions

Beep Description Undetected devices / errorOne continuous beep followed by Graphics card three short beepsOne continuous beep followed by Memory two short beeps (repeated)One continuous beep followed by Fan error or CPU overheating four short beeps

Detecting problems1. Check the error messages displayed during system POST, and take the

corresponding actions according to the detected errors.2. Check the table below to ensure all the devices are properly

installed.

3. Refertothetablebelowtodetectproblemsandfindthesolutionsincorresponding pages.

After performing all possible troubleshooting solutions and the problems still exist, contact your retailer or ASUS technical support.

Indicators

Error Power LED Screen Fan Beep Error message Solution PageNo Power off no display stopped no beep no display one 5

Boot failure/ on no display stopped no beep no display two 6no screen on no display working no beep no display two 6display on no display working beeping no display two 6

Cannot enter on display working beeping display three 6 OS/other on display working no beep display three 6 problems on display working no beep no error message three 6

5Motherboard troubleshooting

Picture 11. Connect the power cord to the wall socket

Picture 9. Power LED

Picture 10. Power supply unit (back)

Power switch

Voltageswitch

Solution one ASUS ATX or later motherboards come with a power LED that lights up to indicate that the board is powered on. If the power LED doesn’tlightup,yourboardmayhave power problems. Try the following solutions:

1. Make sure the voltage switch is set to the standard voltage value of your region. 2. Make sure the power supply is turned on ( means power off, while means power on).

• While changing the voltage setting, unplug the power cord from the power connector to avoid damage to the power supply.

• Do not connect the power cord to a 220 voltage power outlet when your power supply is set to lower voltage rate. Doing so can cause severe damage to your power supply.

3. Check if there is power:

b. Plug the system and monitor power cords to other power outlets to check if the power outlet is working.c. Use a new or another power cord.

a. Remove devices between the power supply and the power outlet, such as extension power cables, power line surge protection, or UPS (Uninterruptible Power System). Connect the power cable to a wall socket directly to check if the power is interrupted by any of these devices. See picture 11.

6 Motherboard troubleshooting

• If you have tried all instructions in Solution one, but the problem still exists, the power supply may be defective. Contact your retailer for help.

• If the power supply works but there is no power onboard, the motherboard may be defective. Contact your retailer for help.

Solution twoBoot failures and monitor display problems can be caused by a device malfunction or improper installation of devices. Try the following:1. Make sure the monitor and system are properly connected to the power outlet.2. Check if the problem is caused by defective devices: a. Remove all add-on cards and devices from the system, except the

motherboard, graphics card, memory, power supply, processor, fan, keyboard, and mouse, then restart your system.

b. Remove the motherboard from the chassis if the system cannot boot after step a.

c. If the system boots successfully after step a, there might be a problem with one of the cards or devices removed. Install the cards and devices one by one until problem occurs.

3. Check if the problem is caused by the main components. Replace the main components one by one with working components. Replace following this order: memory, processor, motherboard, hard disk/optical drive, graphics card, keyboard, mouse.

If the problem is caused by one of the devices, contact your device retailer or manufacturer for repair.

Solution threeFailure to enter the OS can be caused by incomplete driver installation or incompatible software. Try the following: 1. Some software and driver problems can easily be solved by resetting the BIOS. See Exit menu section in the BIOS setup chapter of your motherboard user guide, and follow the instructions to Load Setup Defaults and reset the BIOS.

7Motherboard troubleshooting

2. If your system can enter the BIOS Boot Block only, you need to update your BIOS using the ASUS CrashFree BIOS utility. Refer to the motherboard user guide and follow instructions in the ASUS Crash Free BIOS utility section.3. Your problem may be caused by a component malfunction. Refer to Solution two to detect the defective component and try the following:

Processor

Picture 12. BIOS version

a. VisitASUSwebsite (support.asus.com.tw) to check if your processor is supported by the BIOS version on this motherboard. See picture 12 to locate the current BIOS version.

b. If your processor is supported by this motherboard, but needs an updated BIOS, you can use the ASUS EZ Flash utility to update your BIOS. Refer to the motherboard user guide and follow instructions in the ASUS EZ Flash utility section.

• If your processor is not supported by this motherboard, contact your retailer if you can exchange it with a supported one.

• If you cannot update the BIOS, contact your retailer for help.

Memory Refer to your motherboard user guide or visit the ASUS website for the latestMemoryQualifiedVendorsList(QVL).

• IfyourmemorymodulesarenotlistedintheQVL,contactyourretailertochange it with a supported one.

• If your memory modules are supported by this motherboard, but the problem still exists, contact your retailer for help.

• If your memory modules proved to be functional after doing the tests in Solution two, but the problem still exists, it may be caused by the motherboard. Contact your retailer for help.

• If you want to install more than one memory module, we recommend you to use modules with the same CAS latency and from the same vendor.

8 Motherboard troubleshooting

4. IfyouinstallyourOSonSATAharddisksorharddiskswithRAID,don’t forget to install the SATA or RAID drivers.5. Record all the error information, and visit the ASUS website (support. asus.com.cn/default.aspx) or the Microsoft website (support.microsoft.com/search) or other support websites of your components’manufacturerforhelp.