Computer problems, need help from tech wizards!

gordonmull · 05-17-10, 02:00 PM

Hey folks

I was hoping one of the tech geniuses on here might be able to give me a bit of advice. I'm running on:

Asus P5N-E SLI motherboard
Nvidia Geforce 8800
win xp media edition
1 gig samsung DDR2 DIMM RAM (formerly 2 gig

and this leads me to the problem)

The problem started yesterday but I think the symptoms may have been showing for a while in the form of the odd blue screen of death. Tried to start up this morning and...nothing. Not even the boot screen listing the components.

In my usual approach to anything that has stopped working I immediately grabbed a screwdriver and got into the guts to see if I could find the problem. An hour of head-scratching later and I pulled the RAM out of the first yellow slot and she booted up fine. Not to be outdone I thought I should check whether it was the stick or the slot so I took the other stick out and put it in there. To my initial dismay the computer did not load up.

OK, after the tears had subsided I remembered I had 2 other black slots so I cheered up a bit then and put the sticks in their black places, fired her up and NOOOOOOO!!!

.

Denied.

Testing continued and I pulled the RAM out of the left hand side black slot and the PC booted up fine. It looks to me like both slots on the left are not working. Somebody please, please put me out of my halved memory misery and tell me my motherboard isn't completely b*****d.

The set up on my board is four slots in a row || || like that and the colours are yellow, black, yellow, black, from left to right. They are coded (Channel A) A1, A2 and (Channel B) B1, B2.

Is there anything at all I can do? I've thought of trying to update BIOS but I got a wee pop-up from ASUS warning me that this could be dangerous. Is it really all that dangerous? If so, what precautions do I need to take and is it really worth it?

I've also seen some stuff on the web where other people have had RAM issues and reset CMOS. I have never attempted this before, so could someone let me know if I run the risk of frying what remains of my system?

Is there anything else I can try?

Any help anyone can give would be appreciated greatly.

rudderless · 05-17-10, 11:05 PM

Doesn't look promising does it. If the slots are dead bios update won't help. I take all your ram sticks are tested and working. You won't fry it by resetting the cmos, had to do this on lots of occasions. I always reset it before installing any new motherboard. According to your manual you should be able to restore your original bios from the installation cd. Good luck

Canovaro · 05-18-10, 12:44 PM

There are many others having the same problems with memory on that motherboard.

Some say a bios update to 1103 will help.
On guy solved it by setting the memory to 5-5-5-14 and 2.1v in bios
Another set it to 'auto' and 2.2v

Also check this out:
Memory Qualified Vendor List for P5N-E SLI
http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/...-E_SLI_QVL.pdf

However it MAY be a heat problem caused by not enough power to the fans of you cpu or gpu. If you let it all cool, you should be able to boot again. If not, it's not a heat problem. :-)

gordonmull · 05-18-10, 05:02 PM

Thanks guys.

I think it may be a power issue, since i unplugged my dvd, case fan and hd and got a boot with both sticks in place. after that I could boot to windows fine with both sticks but it froze the system after a short while.

Gonna order a new power unit and try that, wish me good luck fitting that baby!

I'm just glad that it's (hopefully) not the slots that are away.

EDIT: And just before I do that, Canovaro, are ASUS' warnings of impending doom when you update bios woth listening to? I might give it a bash. Can I revert to the original if I need to? I have no disc to fall back on but I have a laptop and a memory stick.

EDIT AGAIN: The PC was pre built and working fine up until now so would adjusting settings be any use? I know from this my RAM sticks are compatible.

rudderless · 05-18-10, 09:20 PM

That is good news. PSUs have caused me numerous problems over the years. Better to buy a decent one with plenty of capacity, some generics are fine others are rubbish.

Quote:

are ASUS' warnings of impending doom when you update bios woth listening to?

Standard warning,"on your own head be it" sort of thing.

Have heard of some problems, but I've never had any. Follow the instructions and you should be fine.
Plenty of sites out there on how to backup and update the different bios.
If it helps I have my fingers crossed for you

05-17-10, 02:00 PM	#1
gordonmull Lieutenant Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Scotland Posts: 269 Downloads: 20 Uploads: 0	Computer problems, need help from tech wizards! Hey folks I was hoping one of the tech geniuses on here might be able to give me a bit of advice. I'm running on: Asus P5N-E SLI motherboard Nvidia Geforce 8800 win xp media edition 1 gig samsung DDR2 DIMM RAM (formerly 2 gig and this leads me to the problem) The problem started yesterday but I think the symptoms may have been showing for a while in the form of the odd blue screen of death. Tried to start up this morning and...nothing. Not even the boot screen listing the components. In my usual approach to anything that has stopped working I immediately grabbed a screwdriver and got into the guts to see if I could find the problem. An hour of head-scratching later and I pulled the RAM out of the first yellow slot and she booted up fine. Not to be outdone I thought I should check whether it was the stick or the slot so I took the other stick out and put it in there. To my initial dismay the computer did not load up. OK, after the tears had subsided I remembered I had 2 other black slots so I cheered up a bit then and put the sticks in their black places, fired her up and NOOOOOOO!!! . Denied. Testing continued and I pulled the RAM out of the left hand side black slot and the PC booted up fine. It looks to me like both slots on the left are not working. Somebody please, please put me out of my halved memory misery and tell me my motherboard isn't completely b*****d. The set up on my board is four slots in a row \|\| \|\| like that and the colours are yellow, black, yellow, black, from left to right. They are coded (Channel A) A1, A2 and (Channel B) B1, B2. Is there anything at all I can do? I've thought of trying to update BIOS but I got a wee pop-up from ASUS warning me that this could be dangerous. Is it really all that dangerous? If so, what precautions do I need to take and is it really worth it? I've also seen some stuff on the web where other people have had RAM issues and reset CMOS. I have never attempted this before, so could someone let me know if I run the risk of frying what remains of my system? Is there anything else I can try? Any help anyone can give would be appreciated greatly.

05-17-10, 11:05 PM	#2
rudderless Watch Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 20 Downloads: 27 Uploads: 0	Doesn't look promising does it. If the slots are dead bios update won't help. I take all your ram sticks are tested and working. You won't fry it by resetting the cmos, had to do this on lots of occasions. I always reset it before installing any new motherboard. According to your manual you should be able to restore your original bios from the installation cd. Good luck

05-18-10, 12:44 PM	#3
Canovaro Ace of the Deep Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Netherlands Posts: 1,062 Downloads: 34 Uploads: 0	There are many others having the same problems with memory on that motherboard. Some say a bios update to 1103 will help. On guy solved it by setting the memory to 5-5-5-14 and 2.1v in bios Another set it to 'auto' and 2.2v Also check this out: Memory Qualified Vendor List for P5N-E SLI http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/...-E_SLI_QVL.pdf However it MAY be a heat problem caused by not enough power to the fans of you cpu or gpu. If you let it all cool, you should be able to boot again. If not, it's not a heat problem. :-)

05-18-10, 05:02 PM	#4
gordonmull Lieutenant Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Scotland Posts: 269 Downloads: 20 Uploads: 0	Thanks guys. I think it may be a power issue, since i unplugged my dvd, case fan and hd and got a boot with both sticks in place. after that I could boot to windows fine with both sticks but it froze the system after a short while. Gonna order a new power unit and try that, wish me good luck fitting that baby! I'm just glad that it's (hopefully) not the slots that are away. EDIT: And just before I do that, Canovaro, are ASUS' warnings of impending doom when you update bios woth listening to? I might give it a bash. Can I revert to the original if I need to? I have no disc to fall back on but I have a laptop and a memory stick. EDIT AGAIN: The PC was pre built and working fine up until now so would adjusting settings be any use? I know from this my RAM sticks are compatible.