Help With Old PC please for friends father

[proph3t]

Hey I have a PC with CPU i am not sure of it is a Asus CUV4X with
128MB of RAM. Upon Boot it usually shuts down after the initial BIOS
boot process. When i get it to restart (big hassle) it goes directly
to bios with the error the CPU setting was invalid I have tried all
three available settings (minus manual) 333/550/766. And have the same
problem with all three. What next step shouldi proceed too take out
the chip and ID? or would it be one of the presets for sure?

All help appreciated

 

[Grinder]

Hey I have a PC with CPU i am not sure of it is a Asus CUV4X with
128MB of RAM. Upon Boot it usually shuts down after the initial BIOS
boot process. When i get it to restart (big hassle) it goes directly
to bios with the error the CPU setting was invalid I have tried all
three available settings (minus manual) 333/550/766. And have the same
problem with all three. What next step shouldi proceed too take out
the chip and ID? or would it be one of the presets for sure?

It makes sense to definitively determine what processor you have. Also,
I would probably put a new CMOS battery in.

 

[Paul]

Hey I have a PC with CPU i am not sure of it is a Asus CUV4X with
128MB of RAM. Upon Boot it usually shuts down after the initial BIOS
boot process. When i get it to restart (big hassle) it goes directly
to bios with the error the CPU setting was invalid I have tried all
three available settings (minus manual) 333/550/766. And have the same
problem with all three. What next step shouldi proceed too take out
the chip and ID? or would it be one of the presets for sure?

All help appreciated

http://dlcdnas.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/sock370/pz133/cuv4x/cuv4x-102.pdf

What could be happening, is the processor is overheating, because
the setting is too high, and the processor switches off the
system via THERMTRIP.

Remove the heatsink. Read the part number or other details off
the top. You can look up the processor here. You can use the SLxxx
part number in the search box.

http://processorfinder.intel.com

You could use jumper settings, rather than going jumper
free. That would require changing the JEN jumper (so the
motherboard knows the DIP switches are being used). The
multiplier switches likely don't do anything (because
most of those processors will be locked). You can set the
multiplier, according to the details of the processor,
but it shouldn't really interfere with anything if it
was wrong for example.

There are also some jumpers for frequency, and the canonical
choices are 66/33, 100/33, 133/33, where the second number
is the PCI bus frequency. The first number feeds the CPU.

So if you had a 550MHz processor, it might be 5.5 x 100, so
you'd use 100/33 and the multiplier switches to 5.5.

The purpose of using the jumpers, is to take control
of your destiny. And basically verify the thing is
tripping out on an overheat.

If it still trips out in the same way, then you might
suspect the power supply has gone bad, and you're hitting
a power peak at the instant it shuts off. If installing
a substitute supply, it may require a supply with -5V on
the output. So check the current supply, to see if there is a
pin 18 wire and pin present. Modern 20 pin supplies have
removed pin 18 ("-5V"). If the pin was missing, and the
system had been running fine, you'd know -5V was not needed.
Otherwise, you might not know for sure whether it needs it or
not. Computers were supposed to stop using -5V years ago,
but that doesn't mean that there aren't designers who
broke the rules. It would have been a touch of class, if
motherboards not using -5V, had pin 18 missing on the
motherboard side of the equation.

( Pin 18 uses a white colored wire, if present. See page 27.
This old spec, is from when supplies still had -5V. )

http://web.archive.org/web/20030424...org/developer/specs/atx/ATX_ATX12V_PS_1_1.pdf

When you fit the heatsink back on the processor, you'll need
some fresh thermal interface material. For example, you
could apply some AS Ceramique to aid heat conduction.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100009&Tpk=ceramique

There is also a cleaner you can get, or someone else suggested
something like Goo Gone. Try not to get paste on surfaces
other than the ones that will be conducting the heat. On
the processors with the small contact area, it is more
important to apply a thin layer of paste, to maximize the
heat transfer.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100010

We haven't discusses the CPU Vcore yet. The BIOS can apparently
override the default voltage. The processorfinder.intel.com
web page may or may not show you the proper Vcore. If the BIOS
has a "Default" setting, you could try that, then the next time
the BIOS starts, look in the Hardware Monitor BIOS page and
read out the measured value. That will tell you roughly what
is going on. For example, if the default (signaled by the VID
pins on the bottom of the processor, feeding the Vcore regulator
chip) is 1.65V, then you might see 1.71V at idle in the hardware
monitor. Asus regulators usually overvolt 50-60mV above the
specified value at idle. When the processor is running a 100%
computing load, the voltage should drop in response.

As an example of a situation to avoid, a Tualatin processor (likely
comes after the CUV4X shipped) is installed, its default is 1.5V.
If you run one of those at 1.8V, it dies after three weeks to
one month. Other processor families may have a different degree
of tolerance to a too-high value.

It could be as well, that the CMOS battery is bad. (It is an
old motherboard, after all.) You can measure that, without disassembling
anything. Using a multimeter set to the volts ranges, connect the
black lead to a screw on the back of the computer (use an alligator
clip on one of the I/O connector screws). That is so you don't
accidentally short something inside the computer. Then, using the
red lead, plugged into the "volt holes" on the meter, you can touch
the top surface of the CR2032 coin cell. It has a big (+) on it.
You should get 3.0V if the battery is good. Replace the battery if it is
2.4V or lower. The battery is only used, when the supply is
completely off (switched off at the back). it holds the
BIOS settings, and allows the RTC to keep proper clock time.
It fades fairly quickly, so once it drops below 3.0V, is
likely won't last much longer.

http://www.p4c.philips.com/files/c/cr2032_01b/cr2032_01b__fg_.jpg

The CMOS battery might last 10 years, if the power supply was
never switched off at the back, at night. It would last about
3 years, if the computer is switched off at the back, or is
switched off at a power strip. That would give you some idea
how often it would need to be replaced. But measuring it is
easy, as you can do that without removing the battery from
its socket.

Paul

 

[philo]

It makes sense to definitively determine what processor you have. Also,
I would probably put a new CMOS battery in.

Yes...that's what it looks like to me...

I'd put in a new cmos battery...then set the bios to default

 

[proph3t]

Hey thanks for all your responses I have just returned home so I will
try all your suggestions starting with the CMOS battery.. I placed a
call apparently CMOS batteries are not standard so ill have to bring
it in to be sure it is an identical model.

Anyways I shall get back to you thanks so much again

proph3t

 

[Paul]

Hey thanks for all your responses I have just returned home so I will
try all your suggestions starting with the CMOS battery.. I placed a
call apparently CMOS batteries are not standard so ill have to bring
it in to be sure it is an identical model.

Anyways I shall get back to you thanks so much again

proph3t

Manual says it is a CR2032. All the PCs I have in the house use
the same CMOS battery part number. So it is a common one, and
one you can find at just about any place that sells batteries.
Radio Shack would have it. Even the place I get watch batteries
had some.

Paul

 

[proph3t]

Hey All me again and I have another strange set of events. I booted
the PC with the new 2032 batter it went to BIOS I entered the lowest
cput setting 366 and saved the changes the computer booted with no
problem. I then warm rebooted to just to check the computer too see if
there were any issues... none.

I then tried a cold boot the PC boots for 2 seconds CPU fan begins to
spin then stopped. Then I turn off the master I/O switch on the back
of the power supply. Then turned it back on and booted the PC went
into the BIOS automatically and the setting was saved still at 366
(was not doing this before must of been the battery change) I then
saved all changes and exited the BIOS it then proceed to look like it
will restart but the PC fan and HDD activity stops and the PC just
sits there with the power light on. I am now at a point were i cannot
get past the BIOS stage just like before. I am at a loss and feel like
stomping on this thing like they do in Office Space.

Please help it seems like something so simple as when the PC boots
into windows there are no issues and it seems quite stable

Thanks Again im gonna loose it!!

 

[terryc]

I then tried a cold boot the PC boots for 2 seconds CPU fan begins to
spin then stopped. Then I turn off the master I/O switch on the back of
the power supply. Then turned it back on and booted the PC went into the
BIOS automatically and the setting was saved still at 366 (was not doing
this before must of been the battery change) I then saved all changes
and exited the BIOS it then proceed to look like it will restart but the
PC fan and HDD activity stops and the PC just sits there with the power
light on. I am now at a point were i cannot get past the BIOS stage just
like before.

Open this system and find out exactly what cpu you have installed, then
set that correctly.

Sound like a POST failure as well. It could be the bios say simply "nope
this aint a "366"(386?), or it might be more.

Basic boot power off problem resolution is to turn off machine and
disconnect every card, hard disk, floppy, etc from the motherboard, then
boot it up until missing os error pops up.

then one by one, re-install everything with same test, until, because you
have plugged in the hard disk with the Os, it starts to boot the OS.

 

[proph3t]

Hello again, I got an ID on the cpu P3 550 so i set the BIOS
accordingly. The PC continues to boot and go into BIOS I then save and
restart and it boots normally. However when I shutdown/restart the
computer shuts off or reboots but then fails to load BIOS and simply
haults with the power light flashing I hold it for 5 seconds PC shuts
down I then boot and it goes into BIOS automatically with CPU settings
saved, I exit and PC restarts and boots normally seems very strange to
me. I have given it back for a time as it is functioning saving cpu
settings at least so it is bootable and my friends father needs the
Japanese OS installed. It will work for his purposes but I will
continue to troubleshoot BIOS settings and a possible clear when I go
there. Is a Power Supply likely? I can only see this getting worse in
a few months or less if so...

Thanks for all suggestions

 

[Paul]

Hello again, I got an ID on the cpu P3 550 so i set the BIOS
accordingly. The PC continues to boot and go into BIOS I then save and
restart and it boots normally. However when I shutdown/restart the
computer shuts off or reboots but then fails to load BIOS and simply
haults with the power light flashing I hold it for 5 seconds PC shuts
down I then boot and it goes into BIOS automatically with CPU settings
saved, I exit and PC restarts and boots normally seems very strange to
me. I have given it back for a time as it is functioning saving cpu
settings at least so it is bootable and my friends father needs the
Japanese OS installed. It will work for his purposes but I will
continue to troubleshoot BIOS settings and a possible clear when I go
there. Is a Power Supply likely? I can only see this getting worse in
a few months or less if so...

Thanks for all suggestions

There is a LED between PCI slot #4 and #5. Does that flash too ?
If so, that could be a power supply issue. On Asus motherboards,
a LED like that is powered by +5VSB. And such a LED should never
flash - that LED should be on, as long as the +5VSB supply
rail is being delivered by the power supply.

According to the CUV4X manual, the Power LED on the front of the
computer should have this function -

"This 3-1 pin connector connects to the system power LED, which
lights when the system is powered on and blinks when it is in sleep
or soft-off mode."

Since the Power LED is driven by motherboard logic, it is possible
for that to flash due to the programming of the chip that is
driving it. The Power LED on the front of the computer, is under
more intelligent control, than the LED on the surface of the
motherboard.

The LED on the surface of the motherboard, between slot #4 and #5,
is a dumb LED without logic drive. It is powered straight from
the rails, and should be an accurate indicator of the state of the
+5VSB power rail. If that LED blinks, it means the power supply
has an overload problem on +5VSB.

Paul