Comp won't boot when CPU Freq set to 166 - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Bigwahzoo · 10-23-2004, 06:34 PM

I bought a Sempron 2400 and ECS k7VTA3 motherboard combo from outpost but I can't get it to boot with the CPU freq set to 166. Everthing works fine at 100 or 133 but when I swith the jumper to 166 it won't boot. I downloaded the latest bios but that didn't help the situation either. So right now the best i can do is 1333mhz when it is supposed to run at 1666. Any suggestions on what to do next would be helpful,

NavySEAL · 10-23-2004, 07:20 PM

Maybe the VCore?

guthmund · 10-24-2004, 12:09 AM

I found a copy of the manual on-line, but couldn't get it to download.

You downloaded the latest BIOS, so that rules out the semperon/compatability problem that I seen on some other websites.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I'd check the power supply.

A friend had a similar problem. He couldn't get his pc to work if he changed the FSB to 333mhz, but had no problem running it at 266mhz. Long story short, turns out the power supply wasn't powerful enough. By fiddling with some power settings in the BIOS we managed to get it to work until his new power supply showed up. Now everything works fine.

You could check the memory, double check the temp, double check the jumpers and fiddle with the BIOS settings, but my money is on the powersupply.

How much "stuff" do you have in the pc? How powerful is the power supply?

Bigwahzoo · 10-24-2004, 06:56 AM

I will check out the power supply. It is a 400 watt supply but it is some generic brand supply that came with the case. Right now all that is in there is a hard drive and dvd burner.

Bigwahzoo · 10-24-2004, 10:00 AM

I tried a different power supply and the same problem happens. Fine at 100 and 133 mhz but won't boot at 166.

Also the vcore is at 1.60 which is correct. Any other suggestions??

Lasereth · 10-24-2004, 10:32 AM

The only other thing that I can think of is if the processor you have isn't a Sempron 2400+ and is actually a lesser version that has a FBS of 133 instead. Are you positive it's a Sempron 2400+?

-Lasereth

Bigwahzoo · 10-24-2004, 04:39 PM

Yes I am positive that it is a 2400 as it came in a retail package. Thanks for the advice.

Evil_Timmy · 10-24-2004, 07:07 PM

What speed is your RAM at? If it's not rated PC2700 (DDR333) or faster, you'll run into problems when you try to boot. If your RAM is fast enough and you've got two or more modules, try only using one at a time, to see if one of them is the cause of the problem.

Redjake · 10-24-2004, 07:21 PM

my old gigabyte motherboard had a jumper on it that controlled the FSB of the processor. check for switches or jumpers on the motherboard that might change the FSB. usually it will say "100/133/166" on it or something, indicated you can change it around. that's the only advice I have!

Bigwahzoo · 10-24-2004, 07:21 PM

It is PC2700 but I will try booting with only one stick at a time.

guthmund · 10-24-2004, 07:30 PM

Hmmmm....

Okay. Let's through out a whole bunch of shit and see if anything sticks.

This board has several different revisions only two supporting the Semperon chip (v. 6 and v. 8) The one being sold at outpost is v. 8.

Is that right?

Well, I'm going to assume it is because that's all I could find there.

Two jumpers on the board have to be switched to get it to run at 333mhz. Two columns of three on the right with the top two of each column shorted out. I'm sure you've done this right, after all you said you switched it back to 266mhz and it ran fine. So, it doesn't sound like you might have misread the diagram.

You've downloaded the latest BIOS for this board, which according to this page is version 8.0d, but this page has it at 8.0e.

Which one have you downloaded?

You've checked the powersupply.

Of course, the memory has to support the 333mhz FSB as well, but that doesn't seem to be the problem. You've told us it's pc2700. The memory isn't corrupt otherwise you'd get the error all the time regardless of the setting. One stick at a time would be worth checking out. Try them both seperately maybe it is bad memory, though I seriously doubt it.

You're sure it's a Semperon 2400+. It's not a powersupply issue. It's not a memory issue. You've updated the BIOS and set the jumpers right.

I don't know. There's an off chance it might be a heat issue. If that were the case, however, I'd imagine it would shut itself down randomly. Not hang at the same place every time. Not to mention immediately setting the jumpers back wouldn't cool the chip down so there would still be a considerable wait to boot it back up.

I've read of instances where an AGP video card will conflict with BIOS settings and prevent the PC from booting up, but if that were the case it wouldn't matter what the FSB speed was. It wouldn't boot up at all.

I can't say what the problem is right now...
Let me do a bit more research and ask a couple of friends. I'll see if they have any idea what's going on.

Bigwahzoo · 10-25-2004, 05:12 PM

Thanks for all your help Guth, you have really researched this alot. The board is actually v6.0 I believe it is only sold as part of the sempron combo. The computer is actually for my sister and since she was being impatient I gave her the computer on Sunday night despite the slower speed. I will be visiting her again probably on Wednesday and I will continue troubleshooting. I will try out the one stick of ram and see if that helps. Thanks for all the help and I will let you guys know the final outcome.

guthmund · 10-25-2004, 09:40 PM

I like doing this stuff.

It bugs the hell out of me when I can't understand why things do not work and it just so happens I've got a little bit of know-how in this area.

I found the right board online right after I posted that, but was too lazy to come back and edit the post.

Of the people I've asked, no one can tell me why it's running as it is. If the jumpers are right, the BIOS is set up correctly, the memory is compatable and it's not a power issue, they see no reason why the chip isn't running at the correct speed. I've still got a few phone calls to be returned, so, maybe they'll come up with something.

I just thought I'd add a few things...

Here's a link to the right board BIOS it's at version 6.0c and here's a page with a guy who has a similar problem and a fellow here seems to think it might have something to do with the video card.

I would be interested to know that when you bump it up to 266 if the BIOS recognizes the right chip with the correct speed?

I don't know....more to come?

10-23-2004, 06:34 PM	#1 (permalink)
Bigwahzoo Insane	Comp won't boot when CPU Freq set to 166 I bought a Sempron 2400 and ECS k7VTA3 motherboard combo from outpost but I can't get it to boot with the CPU freq set to 166. Everthing works fine at 100 or 133 but when I swith the jumper to 166 it won't boot. I downloaded the latest bios but that didn't help the situation either. So right now the best i can do is 1333mhz when it is supposed to run at 1666. Any suggestions on what to do next would be helpful,

10-24-2004, 12:09 AM	#3 (permalink)
guthmund big damn hero	I found a copy of the manual on-line, but couldn't get it to download. You downloaded the latest BIOS, so that rules out the semperon/compatability problem that I seen on some other websites. I know I sound like a broken record, but I'd check the power supply. A friend had a similar problem. He couldn't get his pc to work if he changed the FSB to 333mhz, but had no problem running it at 266mhz. Long story short, turns out the power supply wasn't powerful enough. By fiddling with some power settings in the BIOS we managed to get it to work until his new power supply showed up. Now everything works fine. You could check the memory, double check the temp, double check the jumpers and fiddle with the BIOS settings, but my money is on the powersupply. How much "stuff" do you have in the pc? How powerful is the power supply? __________________ No signature. None. Seriously.

10-24-2004, 10:00 AM	#5 (permalink)
Bigwahzoo Insane	I tried a different power supply and the same problem happens. Fine at 100 and 133 mhz but won't boot at 166. Also the vcore is at 1.60 which is correct. Any other suggestions?? Last edited by Bigwahzoo; 10-24-2004 at 10:10 AM..

10-24-2004, 10:32 AM	#6 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	The only other thing that I can think of is if the processor you have isn't a Sempron 2400+ and is actually a lesser version that has a FBS of 133 instead. Are you positive it's a Sempron 2400+? -Lasereth __________________ "A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

10-24-2004, 07:21 PM	#9 (permalink)
Redjake I'm a family man - I run a family business. Location: Wilson, NC	my old gigabyte motherboard had a jumper on it that controlled the FSB of the processor. check for switches or jumpers on the motherboard that might change the FSB. usually it will say "100/133/166" on it or something, indicated you can change it around. that's the only advice I have! __________________ Off the record, on the q.t., and very hush-hush.

10-23-2004, 07:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
NavySEAL Crazy Location: U.S.	Maybe the VCore?

10-24-2004, 06:56 AM	#4 (permalink)
Bigwahzoo Insane	I will check out the power supply. It is a 400 watt supply but it is some generic brand supply that came with the case. Right now all that is in there is a hard drive and dvd burner.

10-24-2004, 04:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
Bigwahzoo Insane	Yes I am positive that it is a 2400 as it came in a retail package. Thanks for the advice.

10-24-2004, 07:07 PM	#8 (permalink)
Evil_Timmy Upright	What speed is your RAM at? If it's not rated PC2700 (DDR333) or faster, you'll run into problems when you try to boot. If your RAM is fast enough and you've got two or more modules, try only using one at a time, to see if one of them is the cause of the problem.

10-24-2004, 07:21 PM	#10 (permalink)
Bigwahzoo Insane	It is PC2700 but I will try booting with only one stick at a time.

10-24-2004, 07:30 PM	#11 (permalink)
guthmund big damn hero	Hmmmm.... Okay. Let's through out a whole bunch of shit and see if anything sticks. This board has several different revisions only two supporting the Semperon chip (v. 6 and v. 8) The one being sold at outpost is v. 8. Is that right? Well, I'm going to assume it is because that's all I could find there. Two jumpers on the board have to be switched to get it to run at 333mhz. Two columns of three on the right with the top two of each column shorted out. I'm sure you've done this right, after all you said you switched it back to 266mhz and it ran fine. So, it doesn't sound like you might have misread the diagram. You've downloaded the latest BIOS for this board, which according to this page is version 8.0d, but this page has it at 8.0e. Which one have you downloaded? You've checked the powersupply. Of course, the memory has to support the 333mhz FSB as well, but that doesn't seem to be the problem. You've told us it's pc2700. The memory isn't corrupt otherwise you'd get the error all the time regardless of the setting. One stick at a time would be worth checking out. Try them both seperately maybe it is bad memory, though I seriously doubt it. You're sure it's a Semperon 2400+. It's not a powersupply issue. It's not a memory issue. You've updated the BIOS and set the jumpers right. I don't know. There's an off chance it might be a heat issue. If that were the case, however, I'd imagine it would shut itself down randomly. Not hang at the same place every time. Not to mention immediately setting the jumpers back wouldn't cool the chip down so there would still be a considerable wait to boot it back up. I've read of instances where an AGP video card will conflict with BIOS settings and prevent the PC from booting up, but if that were the case it wouldn't matter what the FSB speed was. It wouldn't boot up at all. I can't say what the problem is right now... Let me do a bit more research and ask a couple of friends. I'll see if they have any idea what's going on. __________________ No signature. None. Seriously. Last edited by guthmund; 10-24-2004 at 07:35 PM..

10-25-2004, 05:12 PM	#12 (permalink)
Bigwahzoo Insane	Thanks for all your help Guth, you have really researched this alot. The board is actually v6.0 I believe it is only sold as part of the sempron combo. The computer is actually for my sister and since she was being impatient I gave her the computer on Sunday night despite the slower speed. I will be visiting her again probably on Wednesday and I will continue troubleshooting. I will try out the one stick of ram and see if that helps. Thanks for all the help and I will let you guys know the final outcome.

10-25-2004, 09:40 PM	#13 (permalink)
guthmund big damn hero	I like doing this stuff. It bugs the hell out of me when I can't understand why things do not work and it just so happens I've got a little bit of know-how in this area. I found the right board online right after I posted that, but was too lazy to come back and edit the post. Of the people I've asked, no one can tell me why it's running as it is. If the jumpers are right, the BIOS is set up correctly, the memory is compatable and it's not a power issue, they see no reason why the chip isn't running at the correct speed. I've still got a few phone calls to be returned, so, maybe they'll come up with something. I just thought I'd add a few things... Here's a link to the right board BIOS it's at version 6.0c and here's a page with a guy who has a similar problem and a fellow here seems to think it might have something to do with the video card. I would be interested to know that when you bump it up to 266 if the BIOS recognizes the right chip with the correct speed? I don't know....more to come? __________________ No signature. None. Seriously.