P4B533-V crashing/shutting down on boot-up ...

[swlong]

Howdy-

I've got an Asus P4B533-V w/ P4 2.4Ghz and 512MB ram, running XP Pro.
Last night while I was using my machine, it came to a halt with a
somewhat loud thunk. After rebooting, the machine simply shut down
during the boot-up sequence. This repeats ad nauseum. If the system
stays on long enough, the BIOS will come up and say that the CPU speed
has been set incorrectly, and ask me to reset it - however, it's set at
2400MHz... the BIOS is holding the time and drive settings correctly,
so I don't think it's the BIOS. Saving or discarding changes and
rebooting leads to either the machine making it into the XP boot
sequence and then shutting down again, or the machine shutting down
very quickly.

I thought it might be a power supply issue, but the motherboard green
light is on, and the link lights on the onboard network card light
normally. I tried reseating the cards, memory and processor. I thought
it might be a heat issue, although the Asus Probe reported normal
temperature levels after the first reboot. I allowed the machine to
cool for several hours but it didn't correct the problem.

Best as I can figure, something wonky has happened to the processor. It
might be some sort of voltage issue but everything is looking good in
the BIOS (until it crashes), and even when it shuts down I'm still
getting good power to the motherboard LED and the network card lights.
Doesn't seem like a short. If I remove the processor entirely, I get
the requisite POST error and the friendly voice informing me the CPU is
not detected.

Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem, or has any other
ideas on trouble shooting. I have a friend with an old P4 1.9GHz chip
that's going to lend it to me for troubleshooting, so that should help
me further diagnose the problem.

Other specs available on request. Any help/suggestions appreciated.

Wesley

 

[Paul]

Howdy-

I've got an Asus P4B533-V w/ P4 2.4Ghz and 512MB ram, running XP Pro.
Last night while I was using my machine, it came to a halt with a
somewhat loud thunk. After rebooting, the machine simply shut down
during the boot-up sequence. This repeats ad nauseum. If the system
stays on long enough, the BIOS will come up and say that the CPU speed
has been set incorrectly, and ask me to reset it - however, it's set at
2400MHz... the BIOS is holding the time and drive settings correctly,
so I don't think it's the BIOS. Saving or discarding changes and
rebooting leads to either the machine making it into the XP boot
sequence and then shutting down again, or the machine shutting down
very quickly.

I thought it might be a power supply issue, but the motherboard green
light is on, and the link lights on the onboard network card light
normally. I tried reseating the cards, memory and processor. I thought
it might be a heat issue, although the Asus Probe reported normal
temperature levels after the first reboot. I allowed the machine to
cool for several hours but it didn't correct the problem.

Best as I can figure, something wonky has happened to the processor. It
might be some sort of voltage issue but everything is looking good in
the BIOS (until it crashes), and even when it shuts down I'm still
getting good power to the motherboard LED and the network card lights.
Doesn't seem like a short. If I remove the processor entirely, I get
the requisite POST error and the friendly voice informing me the CPU is
not detected.

Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem, or has any other
ideas on trouble shooting. I have a friend with an old P4 1.9GHz chip
that's going to lend it to me for troubleshooting, so that should help
me further diagnose the problem.

Other specs available on request. Any help/suggestions appreciated.

Wesley

I would try another PSU. Your current one may be about to fail.
You could also check for bulging capacitors around the CPU
socket area - as a rule that doesn't happen with Asus boards,
but is something else to look for.

The reason for suggesting the PSU, is it is the most likely
component to fail in the computer.

Paul

 

[Wesley]

I think you're probably right. I spent some time running the machine
and watching the parameters (heat, voltages) in the BIOS. Everything
was within normal limits until the shut down. In many ways, it
resembles what happens if I hold the power switch down to force the
computer to shut down, so I'm somewhat suspecting the power switch or
the PSU at this point.

A local joint offered to diagnose it for free, but I just can't bring
myself to do that. As soon as I figure out the culprit, I'll post
the results here...

Wesley

 

[Wesley]

Just to let everyone know, and anyone else who has a similar problem...
it did in fact turn out to be the PSU. I replaced it w/ a new 450W
unit, and now the machine is running just fine.

Incidentally, the problem with the old PSU wasn't detectable by any of
the simple PSU testers various shops around town tried.

Thanks for the assistance!
Wesley