Help! Major Memory Installation Issue

wrote:


I dug up the receipts for the desktop. The processor receipt says "1
CPUA001368 AMD Phenom X4 9350E (65W) Quad Core Socket AM2+, 2.0 GHz,
512KB Cache, 1800 MHz HT, 65nm (HD93500DGHBOX)". You probably just
needed the 9350E but I've given you the whole thing, just in case you
need it.

So the "50" in the number, tells you it isn't one with
the bug in it (TLB bug?).

It was reviewed five years ago. It's one of the low power versions.
(Probably used in some all-in-one type pre-built computers.)

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpu...nom-x4-9350e/1

The five year span, means it's unlikely to be available at retail.
And if you wanted an exact match, you could try Ebay.

Or, you could visit a local computer recycler, and
see what they've got in AM2. You can print off the
CPUSupport list and bring it with you.

In terms of computer stores here, I've got very little
left to choose from. A couple computer stores closed,
at the end of last year. And a chain (which was growing fast),
closed in bankruptcy as well. So if I needed something now,
I'd have to shop the Internet to find it.

Here's an 8450e from China, one core less than your
current processor.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Phenom-X...item43b9e56e57

An 8550 from Cleveland Ohio. Three core. More power than
your current CPU. Probably OK. Listed as new.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AMD-Phen...item3cc53f3fc4

Just go to Ebay, type in "Phenom AM2", compare to your
M3A CPUSupport list, and look for a source close to home
(so you'll get it faster).

Don't forget to pick up a tube of thermal paste,
if you don't already have some. Arctic Silver or
Ceramique for example.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007

Many paste products will suffice. The only product I don't
like, is zinc paste in thin oil. RadioShack or equivalent
used to sell that. Even my one good local electronics store
carries Zinc paste. But my good local electronics store also
carries better products, so they're not total losers. The
definition of "good paste", is a paste which is thick enough,
it won't ooze out of the gap. The zinc pastes I've tried here,
the silicone oil leaves in a matter of days. And the resulting
zinc residue, is not uniformly distributed. I've used Zinc paste
on transistor heatsinks, on home projects, where the poor
performance is likely not that important. (I probably could
have assembled my power transistors to heatsinks, without it.)

I have a tube of AS3 I've had for a number of years, and
there is still some left.

Paul

On 19 Apr, 17:45, Paul wrote:
wrote:

I dug up the receipts for the desktop. The processor receipt says "1
CPUA001368 AMD Phenom X4 9350E (65W) Quad Core Socket AM2+, 2.0 GHz,
512KB Cache, 1800 MHz HT, 65nm (HD93500DGHBOX)". You probably just
needed the 9350E but I've given you the whole thing, just in case you
need it.

So the "50" in the number, tells you it isn't one with
the bug in it (TLB bug?).

It was reviewed five years ago. It's one of the low power versions.
(Probably used in some all-in-one type pre-built computers.)

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpu...nom-x4-9350e/1

The five year span, means it's unlikely to be available at retail.
And if you wanted an exact match, you could try Ebay.

Or, you could visit a local computer recycler, and
see what they've got in AM2. You can print off the
CPUSupport list and bring it with you.

In terms of computer stores here, I've got very little
left to choose from. A couple computer stores closed,
at the end of last year. And a chain (which was growing fast),
closed in bankruptcy as well. So if I needed something now,
I'd have to shop the Internet to find it.

Here's an 8450e from China, one core less than your
current processor.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Phenom-X...GH-socket-AM2-...

An 8550 from Cleveland Ohio. Three core. More power than
your current CPU. Probably OK. Listed as new.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AMD-Phen...M2-2-2GHz-Trip...

Just go to Ebay, type in "Phenom AM2", compare to your
M3A CPUSupport list, and look for a source close to home
(so you'll get it faster).

Don't forget to pick up a tube of thermal paste,
if you don't already have some. Arctic Silver or
Ceramique for example.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007

Many paste products will suffice. The only product I don't
like, is zinc paste in thin oil. RadioShack or equivalent
used to sell that. Even my one good local electronics store
carries Zinc paste. But my good local electronics store also
carries better products, so they're not total losers. The
definition of "good paste", is a paste which is thick enough,
it won't ooze out of the gap. The zinc pastes I've tried here,
the silicone oil leaves in a matter of days. And the resulting
zinc residue, is not uniformly distributed. I've used Zinc paste
on transistor heatsinks, on home projects, where the poor
performance is likely not that important. (I probably could
have assembled my power transistors to heatsinks, without it.)

I have a tube of AS3 I've had for a number of years, and
there is still some left.


I've hit a rather serious snag in my attempt to test my memory as the
guy at the computer store suggested. I'm assuming that my main job
here is to record how many beeps I get with each memory stick in each
slot. However, that will only work if I actually get beeps out of the
speaker. So far, that isn't happening.

The speaker thingy that he gave me is like nothing I've ever seen
before. I'm tempted to believe it is a tiny speaker itself, although
I've never seen one that looked like this. The simplest thing to do
would be to try it so I had a look at the panel header but I'm darned
if I can figure out exactly what I will disconnect to plug this in.
According to your earlier ASCII sketch, it is the rightmost pin on the
top tier of header pins and the fourth from the right. Assuming the
same orientation as the photo you linked earlier (m3a.gif), then I'm
puzzled because I have NOTHING in any of the last four pins at the top
right of the panel header. Shouldn't I be unplugging the existing
speaker in order to plug in the thing he gave me? And just to be
clear, the speaker has been connected in the past and has worked in
the recent past and I have never knowingly disconnected it. (I didn't
know it connected to the header until you described it in this thread
and I know I've never messed with the header before.)

I've taken some pictures of both the speaker thingy and the panel
header as it appears in my computer. The pictures of the speaker
thingy may be clear enough for you to make out what they are. I'm not
sure the panel header photos will be clear enough though. If you can
provide an email address - even a throwaway one we use for this one
occasion would be fine - I can invite you to look at these photos or
just send them to you directly as email attachments. Then perhaps you
can confirm that this thing actually IS a tiny speaker and verify
where I want to put it on the panel header.

Sorry to make this complicated but I'm spinning my wheels here. If I
can't get this figured out, I'll just have to bring the computer to
the tech and leave him to figure everything out. That wouldn't be the
end of the world but he suggested I do this so I'd like to try doing
it.

On 4/20/2013 11:48 AM, wrote:
On 19 Apr, 17:45, Paul wrote:
wrote:

I dug up the receipts for the desktop. The processor receipt says "1
CPUA001368 AMD Phenom X4 9350E (65W) Quad Core Socket AM2+, 2.0 GHz,
512KB Cache, 1800 MHz HT, 65nm (HD93500DGHBOX)". You probably just
needed the 9350E but I've given you the whole thing, just in case you
need it.

So the "50" in the number, tells you it isn't one with
the bug in it (TLB bug?).

It was reviewed five years ago. It's one of the low power versions.
(Probably used in some all-in-one type pre-built computers.)

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpu...nom-x4-9350e/1

The five year span, means it's unlikely to be available at retail.
And if you wanted an exact match, you could try Ebay.

Or, you could visit a local computer recycler, and
see what they've got in AM2. You can print off the
CPUSupport list and bring it with you.

In terms of computer stores here, I've got very little
left to choose from. A couple computer stores closed,
at the end of last year. And a chain (which was growing fast),
closed in bankruptcy as well. So if I needed something now,
I'd have to shop the Internet to find it.

Here's an 8450e from China, one core less than your
current processor.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Phenom-X...GH-socket-AM2-...

An 8550 from Cleveland Ohio. Three core. More power than
your current CPU. Probably OK. Listed as new.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AMD-Phen...M2-2-2GHz-Trip...

Just go to Ebay, type in "Phenom AM2", compare to your
M3A CPUSupport list, and look for a source close to home
(so you'll get it faster).

Don't forget to pick up a tube of thermal paste,
if you don't already have some. Arctic Silver or
Ceramique for example.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007

Many paste products will suffice. The only product I don't
like, is zinc paste in thin oil. RadioShack or equivalent
used to sell that. Even my one good local electronics store
carries Zinc paste. But my good local electronics store also
carries better products, so they're not total losers. The
definition of "good paste", is a paste which is thick enough,
it won't ooze out of the gap. The zinc pastes I've tried here,
the silicone oil leaves in a matter of days. And the resulting
zinc residue, is not uniformly distributed. I've used Zinc paste
on transistor heatsinks, on home projects, where the poor
performance is likely not that important. (I probably could
have assembled my power transistors to heatsinks, without it.)

I have a tube of AS3 I've had for a number of years, and
there is still some left.


I've hit a rather serious snag in my attempt to test my memory as the
guy at the computer store suggested. I'm assuming that my main job
here is to record how many beeps I get with each memory stick in each
slot. However, that will only work if I actually get beeps out of the
speaker. So far, that isn't happening.

The speaker thingy that he gave me is like nothing I've ever seen
before. I'm tempted to believe it is a tiny speaker itself, although
I've never seen one that looked like this. The simplest thing to do
would be to try it so I had a look at the panel header but I'm darned
if I can figure out exactly what I will disconnect to plug this in.
According to your earlier ASCII sketch, it is the rightmost pin on the
top tier of header pins and the fourth from the right. Assuming the
same orientation as the photo you linked earlier (m3a.gif), then I'm
puzzled because I have NOTHING in any of the last four pins at the top
right of the panel header. Shouldn't I be unplugging the existing
speaker in order to plug in the thing he gave me? And just to be
clear, the speaker has been connected in the past and has worked in
the recent past and I have never knowingly disconnected it. (I didn't
know it connected to the header until you described it in this thread
and I know I've never messed with the header before.)

I've taken some pictures of both the speaker thingy and the panel
header as it appears in my computer. The pictures of the speaker
thingy may be clear enough for you to make out what they are. I'm not
sure the panel header photos will be clear enough though. If you can
provide an email address - even a throwaway one we use for this one
occasion would be fine - I can invite you to look at these photos or
just send them to you directly as email attachments. Then perhaps you
can confirm that this thing actually IS a tiny speaker and verify
where I want to put it on the panel header.

Sorry to make this complicated but I'm spinning my wheels here. If I
can't get this figured out, I'll just have to bring the computer to
the tech and leave him to figure everything out. That wouldn't be the
end of the world but he suggested I do this so I'd like to try doing
it.


Obviously, the lack of sound from the originally installed speaker
is ominous. If you want to test whether the existing speaker is at
fault, unplug it and swap it with the tiny, test speaker. It is only
a 2-wire connection and polarity is not a concern.

The indication of no sound from the speaker along with what seems to
be a failure of the motherboard to go through POST and boot points to
a damaged or destroyed motherboard chipset if not the CPU. A voltage
spike whilst adding the RAM to a motherboard still powered is all it
takes. (When I service a computer, I cut off the power to its PSU in
addition to switching it off.)

Time to decide whether or not the cost of a service call is worth it.
The alternative would be to consider salvaging what still works in the
present system and using them in a new, upgraded system. (If there is
a replacement motherboard that accepts the CPU, it should be checked.)

GR

On 20 Apr, 15:22, Ghostrider " 00 wrote:
On 4/20/2013 11:48 AM, wrote:









On 19 Apr, 17:45, Paul wrote:
wrote:

I dug up the receipts for the desktop. The processor receipt says "1
CPUA001368 AMD Phenom X4 9350E (65W) Quad Core Socket AM2+, 2.0 GHz,
512KB Cache, 1800 MHz HT, 65nm (HD93500DGHBOX)". You probably just
needed the 9350E but I've given you the whole thing, just in case you
need it.

So the "50" in the number, tells you it isn't one with
the bug in it (TLB bug?).

It was reviewed five years ago. It's one of the low power versions.
(Probably used in some all-in-one type pre-built computers.)

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpu...nom-x4-9350e/1

The five year span, means it's unlikely to be available at retail.
And if you wanted an exact match, you could try Ebay.

Or, you could visit a local computer recycler, and
see what they've got in AM2. You can print off the
CPUSupport list and bring it with you.

In terms of computer stores here, I've got very little
left to choose from. A couple computer stores closed,
at the end of last year. And a chain (which was growing fast),
closed in bankruptcy as well. So if I needed something now,
I'd have to shop the Internet to find it.

Here's an 8450e from China, one core less than your
current processor.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Phenom-X...GH-socket-AM2-....

An 8550 from Cleveland Ohio. Three core. More power than
your current CPU. Probably OK. Listed as new.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AMD-Phen...M2-2-2GHz-Trip....

Just go to Ebay, type in "Phenom AM2", compare to your
M3A CPUSupport list, and look for a source close to home
(so you'll get it faster).

Don't forget to pick up a tube of thermal paste,
if you don't already have some. Arctic Silver or
Ceramique for example.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007

Many paste products will suffice. The only product I don't
like, is zinc paste in thin oil. RadioShack or equivalent
used to sell that. Even my one good local electronics store
carries Zinc paste. But my good local electronics store also
carries better products, so they're not total losers. The
definition of "good paste", is a paste which is thick enough,
it won't ooze out of the gap. The zinc pastes I've tried here,
the silicone oil leaves in a matter of days. And the resulting
zinc residue, is not uniformly distributed. I've used Zinc paste
on transistor heatsinks, on home projects, where the poor
performance is likely not that important. (I probably could
have assembled my power transistors to heatsinks, without it.)

I have a tube of AS3 I've had for a number of years, and
there is still some left.

I've hit a rather serious snag in my attempt to test my memory as the
guy at the computer store suggested. I'm assuming that my main job
here is to record how many beeps I get with each memory stick in each
slot. However, that will only work if I actually get beeps out of the
speaker. So far, that isn't happening.

The speaker thingy that he gave me is like nothing I've ever seen
before. I'm tempted to believe it is a tiny speaker itself, although
I've never seen one that looked like this. The simplest thing to do
would be to try it so I had a look at the panel header but I'm darned
if I can figure out exactly what I will disconnect to plug this in.
According to your earlier ASCII sketch, it is the rightmost pin on the
top tier of header pins and the fourth from the right. Assuming the
same orientation as the photo you linked earlier (m3a.gif), then I'm
puzzled because I have NOTHING in any of the last four pins at the top
right of the panel header. Shouldn't I be unplugging the existing
speaker in order to plug in the thing he gave me? And just to be
clear, the speaker has been connected in the past and has worked in
the recent past and I have never knowingly disconnected it. (I didn't
know it connected to the header until you described it in this thread
and I know I've never messed with the header before.)

I've taken some pictures of both the speaker thingy and the panel
header as it appears in my computer. The pictures of the speaker
thingy may be clear enough for you to make out what they are. I'm not
sure the panel header photos will be clear enough though. If you can
provide an email address - even a throwaway one we use for this one
occasion would be fine - I can invite you to look at these photos or
just send them to you directly as email attachments. Then perhaps you
can confirm that this thing actually IS a tiny speaker and verify
where I want to put it on the panel header.

Sorry to make this complicated but I'm spinning my wheels here. If I
can't get this figured out, I'll just have to bring the computer to
the tech and leave him to figure everything out. That wouldn't be the
end of the world but he suggested I do this so I'd like to try doing
it.

Obviously, the lack of sound from the originally installed speaker
is ominous. If you want to test whether the existing speaker is at
fault, unplug it and swap it with the tiny, test speaker. It is only
a 2-wire connection and polarity is not a concern.

The indication of no sound from the speaker along with what seems to
be a failure of the motherboard to go through POST and boot points to
a damaged or destroyed motherboard chipset if not the CPU. *A voltage
spike whilst adding the RAM to a motherboard still powered is all it
takes. (When I service a computer, I cut off the power to its PSU in
addition to switching it off.)

Time to decide whether or not the cost of a service call is worth it.
The alternative would be to consider salvaging what still works in the
present system and using them in a new, upgraded system. (If there is
a replacement motherboard that accepts the CPU, it should be checked.)


I suspect the gizmo that the tech gave me is just such a tiny test
speaker. I'm just not clear on where to connect it. I'm assuming that
I need to disconnect the existing speaker first - perhaps it was fried
as a result of my foolishness - but the spot where I _thought_ it
should be connected doesn't seem to have anything there right now. I
can only assume I am misunderstanding where it needs to go.

[Pause while I plug gizmo into panel header in indicated position even
though there's nothing connected there already.]

Eureka! We have beeping! I'm darned if I can tell how the original
speaker worked since it was apparently not connected but I clearly
have a working test speaker now.

Okay, I'm going to try what the tech suggested and put each memory
card in each slot and note the behaviour. I'll report back here when I
have the results.

wrote:
On 19 Apr, 17:45, Paul wrote:
wrote:

I dug up the receipts for the desktop. The processor receipt says "1
CPUA001368 AMD Phenom X4 9350E (65W) Quad Core Socket AM2+, 2.0 GHz,
512KB Cache, 1800 MHz HT, 65nm (HD93500DGHBOX)". You probably just
needed the 9350E but I've given you the whole thing, just in case you
need it.
So the "50" in the number, tells you it isn't one with
the bug in it (TLB bug?).

It was reviewed five years ago. It's one of the low power versions.
(Probably used in some all-in-one type pre-built computers.)

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpu...nom-x4-9350e/1

The five year span, means it's unlikely to be available at retail.
And if you wanted an exact match, you could try Ebay.

Or, you could visit a local computer recycler, and
see what they've got in AM2. You can print off the
CPUSupport list and bring it with you.

In terms of computer stores here, I've got very little
left to choose from. A couple computer stores closed,
at the end of last year. And a chain (which was growing fast),
closed in bankruptcy as well. So if I needed something now,
I'd have to shop the Internet to find it.

Here's an 8450e from China, one core less than your
current processor.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Phenom-X...GH-socket-AM2-...

An 8550 from Cleveland Ohio. Three core. More power than
your current CPU. Probably OK. Listed as new.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AMD-Phen...M2-2-2GHz-Trip...

Just go to Ebay, type in "Phenom AM2", compare to your
M3A CPUSupport list, and look for a source close to home
(so you'll get it faster).

Don't forget to pick up a tube of thermal paste,
if you don't already have some. Arctic Silver or
Ceramique for example.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007

Many paste products will suffice. The only product I don't
like, is zinc paste in thin oil. RadioShack or equivalent
used to sell that. Even my one good local electronics store
carries Zinc paste. But my good local electronics store also
carries better products, so they're not total losers. The
definition of "good paste", is a paste which is thick enough,
it won't ooze out of the gap. The zinc pastes I've tried here,
the silicone oil leaves in a matter of days. And the resulting
zinc residue, is not uniformly distributed. I've used Zinc paste
on transistor heatsinks, on home projects, where the poor
performance is likely not that important. (I probably could
have assembled my power transistors to heatsinks, without it.)

I have a tube of AS3 I've had for a number of years, and
there is still some left.


I've hit a rather serious snag in my attempt to test my memory as the
guy at the computer store suggested. I'm assuming that my main job
here is to record how many beeps I get with each memory stick in each
slot. However, that will only work if I actually get beeps out of the
speaker. So far, that isn't happening.

The speaker thingy that he gave me is like nothing I've ever seen
before. I'm tempted to believe it is a tiny speaker itself, although
I've never seen one that looked like this. The simplest thing to do
would be to try it so I had a look at the panel header but I'm darned
if I can figure out exactly what I will disconnect to plug this in.
According to your earlier ASCII sketch, it is the rightmost pin on the
top tier of header pins and the fourth from the right. Assuming the
same orientation as the photo you linked earlier (m3a.gif), then I'm
puzzled because I have NOTHING in any of the last four pins at the top
right of the panel header. Shouldn't I be unplugging the existing
speaker in order to plug in the thing he gave me? And just to be
clear, the speaker has been connected in the past and has worked in
the recent past and I have never knowingly disconnected it. (I didn't
know it connected to the header until you described it in this thread
and I know I've never messed with the header before.)

I've taken some pictures of both the speaker thingy and the panel
header as it appears in my computer. The pictures of the speaker
thingy may be clear enough for you to make out what they are. I'm not
sure the panel header photos will be clear enough though. If you can
provide an email address - even a throwaway one we use for this one
occasion would be fine - I can invite you to look at these photos or
just send them to you directly as email attachments. Then perhaps you
can confirm that this thing actually IS a tiny speaker and verify
where I want to put it on the panel header.

Sorry to make this complicated but I'm spinning my wheels here. If I
can't get this figured out, I'll just have to bring the computer to
the tech and leave him to figure everything out. That wouldn't be the
end of the world but he suggested I do this so I'd like to try doing
it.


If you had nothing connected to the 1x4 SPKR area of the PANEL
area, it would be pretty hard for the speaker in your computer
case to make a sound :-)

The portable speaker you've been sold, is likely a piezoelectric type.
It's a round black disc, about the size of a quarter or a dollar coin,
with two electrical connections on it. For computer usage, it will have
a red/black twisted pair of wires connected. And, we would hope, have
a 1x4 pin spacing. (Red wire on pin 1, nothing in 2, nothing in 3,
black wire on pin 4.) That would mate to your M3A SPKR pins.

Now, if the piezo happens to have a 1x2 connector, that won't fit the
1x4 span of the M3A motherboard. If it was the converse (1x4 speaker
wire, 1x2 type motherboard), you can move one of the pins out of
the plastic shell, and move it to a different position in the
shell. On the 1x4, there are tiny plastic tabs in each pin bay,
that if *gently* bent outwards with a hobby knife, allow the
pin and wire to be withdrawn from the shell. That's how you
adapt a 1x4 piezo, for a 1x2 motherboard (such as a Dell/HP etc).
Asus motherboards tend to have larger PANEL header areas, than
Dell or HP systems. An Asus can be as large as 2x10, while a Dell
or HP could use a 2x4 configuration, with 1x2 spacing times four
wire pairs. A company making piezo speakers, isn't going to waste
their time making all possible combinations of plastic shells
on the end. So you can try taking a 1x4, and move one of the pins
so that the span is 1x2. That's how you'd fit the 1x4 piezo, to a
Dell or HP.

Since your Asus uses a 1x4, that isn't necessary. Either the piezo
you've been given has the right span, or it doesn't. If the piezo
had a 1x2, you'd need to buy a 1x4 shell from here, and transplant onto
the end of the piezo. Kinds pointless. I'd just go to the
computer recycler, and get a regular magnetic speaker with 1x4
on the end, for nothing.

(Example of a 1x4 shell, for home projects - make sure the pins fit,
or buy a set of pins to go with it, if the existing pins don't fit.
I'd just buy one of each, because the postage will be more than the
goods. This is if your piezo, had a 1x2 on the end.)

http://www.frontx.com/cpx075_3.html
http://www.frontx.com/cpx076.html

*******

1) Connect piezo. Connect with power off. Greatest danger is
bending a pin with the power on. The +5V, as far as I know,
is not fuse protected. I remember someone relating a story,
where they shorted the speaker +5V wire, and it became glowing
hot when pinched (and shorted) to the computer case :-)
Work with the power off, and double-check it's on the correct
set of pins. Don't let the wire get jammed in the computer door.
While it doesn't really matter, if it makes you feel better, you
can connect the red wire of the piezo, to the SPKR pin labeled +5V.

2) Start system.
3) If you hear zero beeps, based on your previous symptoms, it is
CPU or DIMM. Since you've tested four DIMMs, and heard zero beeps,
you replace the CPU. (Since the CPU was previously working, we'll
assume the failure is not a coincidental failure elsewhere on the
motherboard. *All* of my advice assumes computer faults are
independent, and two silly things didn't happen at the same time.
4) If you hear three beeps, that tells you the core portion of the
CPU still works. Now, we're still roughly in the same position.
A pad (I/O driver) is blown on the memory interface, a pin is
bent or damaged on the DIMM slot (unlikely, as you've tested all
slots), or the DIMM is bad (unlikely, as all DIMMs tested give
the same symptoms). So even if you do get beeps, it doesn't
really change my advice, which is to test with another CPU.
The core of the CPU can continue to work, even if the memory
interface gets damaged, or has an I/O pad failure.

On motherboards where the memory controller is inside the Northbridge,
then the response is to change the motherboard, rather than change
the CPU. But on the M3A, the AMD processor has the memory controller
inside the CPU, and there is a 144 pin interface on the processor, that
connects to the two DIMM channels and four DIMM slots. Either DIMMs are
bad, DIMM power is down, or CPU memory interface is blown. So my advice
above, is specifically for the OP and his M3A, and would not apply to
every possible motherboard/CPU combination. I have a table in my head,
of what to do :-) Based on the symptoms that the system previously
was working, my assumption is the +5VSB helped blow out the memory
controller interface = New CPU.

Now, if you got one beep, it POSTed and booted, that would be
a miracle. Here's hoping.

Paul

wrote:


Eureka! We have beeping!

Good work.

Paul

On 20 Apr, 16:37, Paul wrote:
wrote:
On 19 Apr, 17:45, Paul wrote:
wrote:

I dug up the receipts for the desktop. The processor receipt says "1
CPUA001368 AMD Phenom X4 9350E (65W) Quad Core Socket AM2+, 2.0 GHz,
512KB Cache, 1800 MHz HT, 65nm (HD93500DGHBOX)". You probably just
needed the 9350E but I've given you the whole thing, just in case you
need it.
So the "50" in the number, tells you it isn't one with
the bug in it (TLB bug?).

It was reviewed five years ago. It's one of the low power versions.
(Probably used in some all-in-one type pre-built computers.)

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpu...nom-x4-9350e/1

The five year span, means it's unlikely to be available at retail.
And if you wanted an exact match, you could try Ebay.

Or, you could visit a local computer recycler, and
see what they've got in AM2. You can print off the
CPUSupport list and bring it with you.

In terms of computer stores here, I've got very little
left to choose from. A couple computer stores closed,
at the end of last year. And a chain (which was growing fast),
closed in bankruptcy as well. So if I needed something now,
I'd have to shop the Internet to find it.

Here's an 8450e from China, one core less than your
current processor.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Phenom-X...GH-socket-AM2-....

An 8550 from Cleveland Ohio. Three core. More power than
your current CPU. Probably OK. Listed as new.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AMD-Phen...M2-2-2GHz-Trip....

Just go to Ebay, type in "Phenom AM2", compare to your
M3A CPUSupport list, and look for a source close to home
(so you'll get it faster).

Don't forget to pick up a tube of thermal paste,
if you don't already have some. Arctic Silver or
Ceramique for example.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007

Many paste products will suffice. The only product I don't
like, is zinc paste in thin oil. RadioShack or equivalent
used to sell that. Even my one good local electronics store
carries Zinc paste. But my good local electronics store also
carries better products, so they're not total losers. The
definition of "good paste", is a paste which is thick enough,
it won't ooze out of the gap. The zinc pastes I've tried here,
the silicone oil leaves in a matter of days. And the resulting
zinc residue, is not uniformly distributed. I've used Zinc paste
on transistor heatsinks, on home projects, where the poor
performance is likely not that important. (I probably could
have assembled my power transistors to heatsinks, without it.)

I have a tube of AS3 I've had for a number of years, and
there is still some left.

I've hit a rather serious snag in my attempt to test my memory as the
guy at the computer store suggested. I'm assuming that my main job
here is to record how many beeps I get with each memory stick in each
slot. However, that will only work if I actually get beeps out of the
speaker. So far, that isn't happening.

The speaker thingy that he gave me is like nothing I've ever seen
before. I'm tempted to believe it is a tiny speaker itself, although
I've never seen one that looked like this. The simplest thing to do
would be to try it so I had a look at the panel header but I'm darned
if I can figure out exactly what I will disconnect to plug this in.
According to your earlier ASCII sketch, it is the rightmost pin on the
top tier of header pins and the fourth from the right. Assuming the
same orientation as the photo you linked earlier (m3a.gif), then I'm
puzzled because I have NOTHING in any of the last four pins at the top
right of the panel header. Shouldn't I be unplugging the existing
speaker in order to plug in the thing he gave me? And just to be
clear, the speaker has been connected in the past and has worked in
the recent past and I have never knowingly disconnected it. (I didn't
know it connected to the header until you described it in this thread
and I know I've never messed with the header before.)

I've taken some pictures of both the speaker thingy and the panel
header as it appears in my computer. The pictures of the speaker
thingy may be clear enough for you to make out what they are. I'm not
sure the panel header photos will be clear enough though. If you can
provide an email address - even a throwaway one we use for this one
occasion would be fine - I can invite you to look at these photos or
just send them to you directly as email attachments. Then perhaps you
can confirm that this thing actually IS a tiny speaker and verify
where I want to put it on the panel header.

Sorry to make this complicated but I'm spinning my wheels here. If I
can't get this figured out, I'll just have to bring the computer to
the tech and leave him to figure everything out. That wouldn't be the
end of the world but he suggested I do this so I'd like to try doing
it.

If you had nothing connected to the 1x4 SPKR area of the PANEL
area, it would be pretty hard for the speaker in *your computer
case to make a sound :-)

And yet I used to get a bright clear beep from the computer before my
recent troubles. I'm baffled by how I got that even though nothing is
connected to those speaker pins in the header, unless perhaps the
external speaker was generating the same beeps.

The portable speaker you've been sold, is likely a piezoelectric type.
It's a round black disc, about the size of a quarter or a dollar coin,
with two electrical connections on it. For computer usage, it will have
a red/black twisted pair of wires connected. And, we would hope, have
a 1x4 pin spacing. (Red wire on pin 1, nothing in 2, nothing in 3,
black wire on pin 4.) That would mate to your M3A SPKR pins.

Actually, the tech didn't sell it to me, he simply gave it to me. I
think he may have meant it to be a loan though so I'll offer it back
to him in case that's what he meant. And it doesn't look quite like
what you're describing. It's more of a cylinder than a coin. (When
would you ever have seen a dollar coin? I'm assuming you're American
and I've never seen dollar coins on your side of the border ;-)

Now, if the piezo happens to have a 1x2 connector, that won't fit the
1x4 span of the M3A motherboard. If it was the converse (1x4 speaker
wire, 1x2 type motherboard), you can move one of the pins out of
the plastic shell, and move it to a different position in the
shell. On the 1x4, there are tiny plastic tabs in each pin bay,
that if *gently* bent outwards with a hobby knife, allow the
pin and wire to be withdrawn from the shell. That's how you
adapt a 1x4 piezo, for a 1x2 motherboard (such as a Dell/HP etc).
Asus motherboards tend to have larger PANEL header areas, than
Dell or HP systems. An Asus can be as large as 2x10, while a Dell
or HP could use a 2x4 configuration, with 1x2 spacing times four
wire pairs. A company making piezo speakers, isn't going to waste
their time making all possible combinations of plastic shells
on the end. So you can try taking a 1x4, and move one of the pins
so that the span is 1x2. That's how you'd fit the 1x4 piezo, to a
Dell or HP.

Since your Asus uses a 1x4, that isn't necessary. Either the piezo
you've been given has the right span, or it doesn't. If the piezo
had a 1x2, you'd need to buy a 1x4 shell from here, and transplant onto
the end of the piezo. Kinds pointless. I'd just go to the
computer recycler, and get a regular magnetic speaker with 1x4
on the end, for nothing.

(Example of a 1x4 shell, for home projects - make sure the pins fit,
or buy a set of pins to go with it, if the existing pins don't fit.
I'd just buy one of each, because the postage will be more than the
goods. This is if your piezo, had a 1x2 on the end.)

http://www.frontx.com/cpx075_3.htmlh...om/cpx076.html

The piezo he gave me had a 1x4 connector and GR (Ghostrider) said the
orientation didn't matter so I connected it and it worked.
*******

1) Connect piezo. Connect with power off. Greatest danger is
* * bending a pin with the power on. The +5V, as far as I know,
* * is not fuse protected. I remember someone relating a story,
* * where they shorted the speaker +5V wire, and it became glowing
* * hot when pinched (and shorted) to the computer case :-)
* * Work with the power off, and double-check it's on the correct
* * set of pins. Don't let the wire get jammed in the computer door.
* * While it doesn't really matter, if it makes you feel better, you
* * can connect the red wire of the piezo, to the SPKR pin labeled +5V.

2) Start system.
3) If you hear zero beeps, based on your previous symptoms, it is
* * CPU or DIMM. Since you've tested four DIMMs, and heard zero beeps,
* * you replace the CPU. (Since the CPU was previously working, we'll
* * assume the failure is not a coincidental failure elsewhere on the
* * motherboard. *All* of my advice assumes computer faults are
* * independent, and two silly things didn't happen at the same time.
4) If you hear three beeps, that tells you the core portion of the
* * CPU still works. Now, we're still roughly in the same position.
* * A pad (I/O driver) is blown on the memory interface, a pin is
* * bent or damaged on the DIMM slot (unlikely, as you've tested all
* * slots), or the DIMM is bad (unlikely, as all DIMMs tested give
* * the same symptoms). So even if you do get beeps, it doesn't
* * really change my advice, which is to test with another CPU.
* * The core of the CPU can continue to work, even if the memory
* * interface gets damaged, or has an I/O pad failure.

On motherboards where the memory controller is inside the Northbridge,
then the response is to change the motherboard, rather than change
the CPU. But on the M3A, the AMD processor has the memory controller
inside the CPU, and there is a 144 pin interface on the processor, that
connects to the two DIMM channels and four DIMM slots. Either DIMMs are
bad, DIMM power is down, or CPU memory interface is blown. So my advice
above, is specifically for the OP and his M3A, and would not apply to
every possible motherboard/CPU combination. I have a table in my head,
of what to do :-) Based on the symptoms that the system previously
was working, my assumption is the +5VSB helped blow out the memory
controller interface = New CPU.

Now, if you got one beep, it POSTed and booted, that would be
a miracle. Here's ...

read more »

Okay, I've done my testing. Frankly, I have no idea what the results
mean but let me describe what I did so that you can verify that I did
everything reasonably and in a way that doesn't make the results
meaningless.

First, let me describe the memory chips with a short descriptive name,
the model number of the chip (and size), and the position where it
should be located once everything is working.

Name Type Position
------ ---------------------------- ---------
Old1 KVR800D2N5K2 (1GB) Old - A1
Old2 KVR800D2N5K2 (1 GB) Old - A2
New1 KVR800D2N6K2 (1 GB) New - B1
New2 KVR800D2N6K2 (1 GB) New - B2

I was tasked to test each memory card in each of the 4 slots with all
of the remaining slots left empty. I did exactly that, then did a few
additional tests out of personal curiousity. In each case, I cut the
AC power to the tower via the toggle switch at the back of the case
and waited for the green LED on the mobo to go off. In each case, I
tested a given setup at least three times and, in a couple of cases, 5
consecutive times. The results were as follows. I hope this doesn't
come out as a dog's breakfast; I'm using Google Groups and there
doesn't seem to be any way to make it display my post in a fixed font
although I've tried.

MEMORY(S) SLOT(S) BEHAVIOUR
----------- -----------
------------------
Old1 A1 CPU fan turns
off - pause – beep – pause - double-beep
Old1 B1 No beeps (CPU
fan doesn't stop)
Old1 A2 CPU fan turns
off – pause- beep – pause – double-beep
Old1 B2 No beeps (CPU
fan doesn't stop)
Old2 A1 CPU fan turns
off – pause – beep – pause - double-beep
Old2 B1 No beeps (CPU
fan doesn't stop)
Old2 A2 CPU fan turns
off – pause – beep- pause – double-beep
Old2 B2 No beeps (CPU
fan doesn't stop)
New1 A1 CPU fan turns off
– pause – beep – pause - double-beep
New1 B1 No beeps (CPU fan
doesn't stop)
New1 A2 CPU fan stops –
pause – beep – pause – beep – pause – double-beep (first time)
CPU fan
stops – pause – beep – pause – double-beep (next four times)
New1 B2 No beeps (CPU
fan doesn't stop)
New2 A1 CPU fan stops –
pause – beep – pause - double-beep
New2 B1 No beeps (CPU
fan doesn't stop)
New2 A2 CPU fan stops –
pause – beep – pause – beep – pause – double-beep (first time)
CPU fan
stops – pause – beep – pause – double-beep (next four times)
New2 B2 No beeps (CPU
fan doesn't stop)
Old1/ Old2 A1/A2 CPU fan stops –
pause – beep – pause – beep
New1/New2 A1/A2 CPU fan stops – pause
– beep – pause – beep
New1/New2 B1/B2 No beeps (CPU fan
doesn't stop)
Old1/New1Old2/New2 A1/B1/A2/B2 No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)

To summarize this, there were only four different behaviours that
occurred:
Behaviour 1: the CPU fan stopped after a few seconds, then there was a
pause, a single beep, another pause and a double beep.
Behaviour 2: the CPU fan stopped after a few seconds, then there was a
pause, a single beep, another pause, a single beep, another pause,
then a double beep.
Behaviour 3: the CPU fan stopped after a few seconds, then there was a
pause, a single beep, another pause, then a single beep
Behaviour 4: In all other cases, the CPU fan did not stop and there
were no beeps.

Behaviour 1 was noted when there was a single memory card installed
and the slot used was A1 or A2 (regardless of using old or new memory
card)

Behaviour 2 was noted only the first time a new memory card (either
one) was used in slot A2; subsequent tests of the same configuration
produced Behaviour 1

Behaviour 3 was noted when: there were two memory cards installed and
the slots used were A1 and A2 (regardless of whether the cards were
old or new)

Behaviour 4 was noted in all other cases.

I don't know if the CPU fan shutting itself off proves anything or is
completely irrelevant. Given that the B1/B2 slots behaved differently
than the A1/A2 slots and that the A1/A2 slots have been used
successfully for several years, is it possible that the B1/B2 slots
aren't turned on? In other words, is it possible that the B1/B2 slots
aren't being recognized yet because they need to have a jumper set or
have something done in the BIOS (when we can get to the BIOS again) to
ensure that those slots are active?

wrote:


Okay, I've done my testing. Frankly, I have no idea what the results
mean but let me describe what I did so that you can verify that I did
everything reasonably and in a way that doesn't make the results
meaningless.

First, let me describe the memory chips with a short descriptive name,
the model number of the chip (and size), and the position where it
should be located once everything is working.

Name Type Position
------ ---------------------------- ---------
Old1 KVR800D2N5K2 (1GB) Old - A1
Old2 KVR800D2N5K2 (1 GB) Old - A2
New1 KVR800D2N6K2 (1 GB) New - B1
New2 KVR800D2N6K2 (1 GB) New - B2

I was tasked to test each memory card in each of the 4 slots with all
of the remaining slots left empty. I did exactly that, then did a few
additional tests out of personal curiousity. In each case, I cut the
AC power to the tower via the toggle switch at the back of the case
and waited for the green LED on the mobo to go off. In each case, I
tested a given setup at least three times and, in a couple of cases, 5
consecutive times. The results were as follows. I hope this doesn't
come out as a dog's breakfast; I'm using Google Groups and there
doesn't seem to be any way to make it display my post in a fixed font
although I've tried.

MEMORY(S) SLOT(S) BEHAVIOUR

I snipped this section and moved it down below... In case
Google shortens the post later.


To summarize this, there were only four different behaviours that
occurred:
Behaviour 1: the CPU fan stopped after a few seconds, then there was a
pause, a single beep, another pause and a double beep.
Behaviour 2: the CPU fan stopped after a few seconds, then there was a
pause, a single beep, another pause, a single beep, another pause,
then a double beep.
Behaviour 3: the CPU fan stopped after a few seconds, then there was a
pause, a single beep, another pause, then a single beep
Behaviour 4: In all other cases, the CPU fan did not stop and there
were no beeps.

Behaviour 1 was noted when there was a single memory card installed
and the slot used was A1 or A2 (regardless of using old or new memory
card)

Behaviour 2 was noted only the first time a new memory card (either
one) was used in slot A2; subsequent tests of the same configuration
produced Behaviour 1

Behaviour 3 was noted when: there were two memory cards installed and
the slots used were A1 and A2 (regardless of whether the cards were
old or new)

Behaviour 4 was noted in all other cases.

I don't know if the CPU fan shutting itself off proves anything or is
completely irrelevant. Given that the B1/B2 slots behaved differently
than the A1/A2 slots and that the A1/A2 slots have been used
successfully for several years, is it possible that the B1/B2 slots
aren't turned on? In other words, is it possible that the B1/B2 slots
aren't being recognized yet because they need to have a jumper set or
have something done in the BIOS (when we can get to the BIOS again) to
ensure that those slots are active?

The AMI beep codes are listed here.

http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/amibeep.htm

The "pause – beep – pause - double-beep" is listed as video failure.
Which is curious. The "A" channel seems to be working (as a video
test probably comes after RAM test). Using "B" channel at all,
seems to stop it dead (probably crashed in BIOS).

MEMORY SLOT BEHAVIOUR
------ ---- ------------------
Old1 A1 CPU fan turns off - pause – beep – pause - double-beep
Old1 B1 No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
Old1 A2 CPU fan turns off – pause - beep – pause – double-beep
Old1 B2 No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
Old2 A1 CPU fan turns off – pause – beep – pause - double-beep
Old2 B1 No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
Old2 A2 CPU fan turns off – pause – beep - pause – double-beep
Old2 B2 No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
New1 A1 CPU fan turns off – pause – beep – pause - double-beep
New1 B1 No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
New1 A2 CPU fan stops – pause beep pause beep pause double-beep
(first time)
CPU fan stops – pause beep pause double-beep
(next four times)
New1 B2 No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
New2 A1 CPU fan stops – pause – beep – pause - double-beep
New2 B1 No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
New2 A2 CPU fan stops – pause beep pause beep pause double-beep
(first time)
CPU fan stops – pause beep pause double-beep
(next four times)
New2 B2 No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)

Old1/Old2 A1/A2 CPU fan stops – pause – beep – pause – beep
New1/New2 A1/A2 CPU fan stops – pause – beep – pause – beep

New1/New2 B1/B2 No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
Old1/New1Old2/New2 A1/B1/A2/B2 No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)

So now we get to review your video card situation. The AMD 770
has no integrated graphics, so now we're looking at the video card
and the PCI Express x16 slot. Does the card have an auxiliary
power connector ? Is it connected ? Make and model of video card ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD_770#770

Paul

On 20 Apr, 21:22, Paul wrote:
wrote:

Okay, I've done my testing. Frankly, I have no idea what the results
mean but let me describe what I did so that you can verify that I did
everything reasonably and in a way that doesn't make the results
meaningless.

First, let me describe the memory chips with a short descriptive name,
the model number of the chip (and size), and the position where it
should be located once everything is working.

Name * *Type * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Position
------ * * ---------------------------- * * *---------
Old1 * * *KVR800D2N5K2 (1GB) * * Old - A1
Old2 * * KVR800D2N5K2 (1 GB) * * Old - A2
New1 * KVR800D2N6K2 (1 GB) * *New - B1
New2 * KVR800D2N6K2 (1 GB) * *New - B2

I was tasked to test each memory card in each of the 4 slots with all
of the remaining slots left empty. I did exactly that, then did a few
additional tests out of personal curiousity. In each case, I cut the
AC power to the tower via the toggle switch at the back of the case
and waited for the green LED on the mobo to go off. In each case, I
tested a given setup at least three times and, in a couple of cases, 5
consecutive times. The results were as follows. I hope this doesn't
come out as a dog's breakfast; I'm using Google Groups and there
doesn't seem to be any way to make it display my post in a fixed font
although I've tried.

MEMORY(S) * * * * * SLOT(S) * * * * * * * * BEHAVIOUR

I snipped this section and moved it down below... In case
Google shortens the post later.











To summarize this, there were only four different behaviours that
occurred:
Behaviour 1: the CPU fan stopped after a few seconds, then there was a
pause, a single beep, another pause and a double beep.
Behaviour 2: the CPU fan stopped after a few seconds, then there was a
pause, a single beep, another pause, a single beep, another pause,
then a double beep.
Behaviour 3: the CPU fan stopped after a few seconds, then there was a
pause, a single beep, another pause, then a single beep
Behaviour 4: In all other cases, the CPU fan did not stop and there
were no beeps.

Behaviour 1 was noted when there was a single memory card installed
and the slot used was A1 or A2 (regardless of using old or new memory
card)

Behaviour 2 was noted only the first time a new memory card (either
one) was used in slot A2; subsequent tests of the same configuration
produced Behaviour 1

Behaviour 3 was noted when: there were two memory cards installed and
the slots used were A1 and A2 (regardless of whether the cards were
old or new)

Behaviour 4 was noted in all other cases.

I don't know if the CPU fan shutting itself off proves anything or is
completely irrelevant. Given that the B1/B2 slots behaved differently
than the A1/A2 slots and that the A1/A2 slots have been used
successfully for several years, is it possible that the B1/B2 slots
aren't turned on? In other words, is it possible that the B1/B2 slots
aren't being recognized yet because they need to have a jumper set or
have something done in the BIOS (when we can get to the BIOS again) to
ensure that those slots are active?

The AMI beep codes are listed here.

http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/amibeep.htm

The "pause – beep – pause - double-beep" is listed as video failure.
Which is curious. The "A" channel seems to be working (as a video
test probably comes after RAM test). Using "B" channel at all,
seems to stop it dead (probably crashed in BIOS).


I'm not sure what "crashed in BIOS" means. Does that suggest that
there's not a hardware failure and reconfirming a setting in the BIOS
will fix that problem?

Why don't the other combinations (Behaviours 2 and 3) appear in the
beep code table?
Or is that not a full list of all the possible beep codes? I found
that chart too but with the other combinations missing, I was afraid I
had the wrong table or one that wasn't applicable for this model of
motherboard.

MEMORY SLOT BEHAVIOUR
------ ---- ------------------
Old1 * A1 * CPU fan turns off - pause – beep – pause - double-beep
Old1 * B1 * No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
Old1 * A2 * CPU fan turns off – pause - beep – pause – double-beep
Old1 * B2 * No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
Old2 * A1 * CPU fan turns off – pause – beep – pause - double-beep
Old2 * B1 * No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
Old2 * A2 * CPU fan turns off – pause – beep - pause – double-beep
Old2 * B2 * No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
New1 * A1 * CPU fan turns off – pause – beep – pause - double-beep
New1 * B1 * No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
New1 * A2 * CPU fan stops – pause beep pause beep pause double-beep
* * * * * * *(first time)
* * * * * * *CPU fan stops – pause beep pause double-beep
* * * * * * *(next four times)
New1 * B2 * No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
New2 * A1 * CPU fan stops – pause – beep – pause - double-beep
New2 * B1 * No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
New2 * A2 * CPU fan stops – pause beep pause beep pause double-beep
* * * * * * *(first time)
* * * * * * *CPU fan stops – pause beep pause double-beep
* * * * * * *(next four times)
New2 * B2 * No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)

Old1/Old2 * A1/A2 * CPU fan stops – pause – beep – pause – beep
New1/New2 * A1/A2 * CPU fan stops – pause – beep – pause – beep

New1/New2 * * * * * * B1/B2 * * * *No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)
Old1/New1Old2/New2 * *A1/B1/A2/B2 *No beeps (CPU fan doesn't stop)

So now we get to review your video card situation. The AMD 770
has no integrated graphics, so now we're looking at the video card
and the PCI Express x16 slot. Does the card have an auxiliary
power connector ? Is it connected ? Make and model of video card ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD_770#770

* * Paul

The video card is an NVIDIA GEFORCE 9500GT according to the receipts.
It's interesting that you mention the video card. There is one small
thing I noticed when I was doing my tests. I was surprised to see a
rather large fan mounted to the bottom of the card. I may have seen
that before at some point but I'd completely forgotten that it had a
fan of its own, over and above the CPU fan and the case fans. Anyway,
just out of curiousity, I tried spinning the fan with my finger and
found that it didn't turn. I had assumed it would freewheel when not
being driven by electricity but it didn't budge. I didn't apply any
real pressure for fear of breaking it but I was surprised that it
didn't turn. Now that I think of it, I don't think that fan EVER
turned during the couple of hours I spent doing these tests. It didn't
dawn on me until now that it probably should have been turning all or
most of the time. (I told you I'm not a hardware guy! More proof of
why I'm not a hardware guy and shouldn't ever pretend to be ;-)

There is no wire running to the video card from elsewhere in the
computer. There is one pair of wires running from underneath the fan
to a spot a short distance from the fan on the card itself and that's
the only wire connected to the card. I tried powering up again (with
all four memory slots in use) and that video card fan is definitely
not turning. Before powering it up, I tried turning that fan with my
finger and pushed somewhat harder than I did yesterday; it's
definitely not turning. I wonder if it has a brake of some kind that
only releases when it has power?

Does the CPU fan turning off have significance in diagnosing the
problem?

Is there any more I can do for myself before bringing it in for that
diagnostic at the computer store? Are there any components we can be
sure have not failed, like the motherboard or CPU, or is the
diagnostic the best way of determining all that?

I'm trying to formulate alternatives. If I'm looking at building a
whole new computer (or pretty close), I wonder if I might be better to
remove the drives, mount them in an enclosure of some kind and access
them from my laptop and do without a desktop. That's got a major
problem associated with it - the desktop is XP SP3 and the laptop is
Windows 8 - but maybe I'd be able to see and access most of the data
anyway.

But I'm probably getting ahead of myself. Let's figure out how bad
this is first before declaring the desktop dead and moving on....

wrote:


The video card is an NVIDIA GEFORCE 9500GT according to the receipts.
It's interesting that you mention the video card. There is one small
thing I noticed when I was doing my tests. I was surprised to see a
rather large fan mounted to the bottom of the card. I may have seen
that before at some point but I'd completely forgotten that it had a
fan of its own, over and above the CPU fan and the case fans. Anyway,
just out of curiousity, I tried spinning the fan with my finger and
found that it didn't turn. I had assumed it would freewheel when not
being driven by electricity but it didn't budge. I didn't apply any
real pressure for fear of breaking it but I was surprised that it
didn't turn. Now that I think of it, I don't think that fan EVER
turned during the couple of hours I spent doing these tests. It didn't
dawn on me until now that it probably should have been turning all or
most of the time. (I told you I'm not a hardware guy! More proof of
why I'm not a hardware guy and shouldn't ever pretend to be ;-)

There is no wire running to the video card from elsewhere in the
computer. There is one pair of wires running from underneath the fan
to a spot a short distance from the fan on the card itself and that's
the only wire connected to the card. I tried powering up again (with
all four memory slots in use) and that video card fan is definitely
not turning. Before powering it up, I tried turning that fan with my
finger and pushed somewhat harder than I did yesterday; it's
definitely not turning. I wonder if it has a brake of some kind that
only releases when it has power?

Does the CPU fan turning off have significance in diagnosing the
problem?

Is there any more I can do for myself before bringing it in for that
diagnostic at the computer store? Are there any components we can be
sure have not failed, like the motherboard or CPU, or is the
diagnostic the best way of determining all that?

I'm trying to formulate alternatives. If I'm looking at building a
whole new computer (or pretty close), I wonder if I might be better to
remove the drives, mount them in an enclosure of some kind and access
them from my laptop and do without a desktop. That's got a major
problem associated with it - the desktop is XP SP3 and the laptop is
Windows 8 - but maybe I'd be able to see and access most of the data
anyway.

But I'm probably getting ahead of myself. Let's figure out how bad
this is first before declaring the desktop dead and moving on....

I gave you my diagnosis, and I'll repeat it again.

1) B channel on CPU memory controller has failed. To regain
usage of all four slots for memory DIMMs, you'll need to test
with a replacement processor. If a test processor determines a working
A1/A2 channel and B1/B2 channel, then we know the original CPU
had a dead B channel. If for some reason the replacement processor
did not repair the problem, then it's motherboard. But the motherboard
contributes next to nothing, to memory operation on the M3A. Only
if a pin was bent, or the VDIMM regulator blew up, would the
replacement processor fail to fix it. You've already told me
a visual check of the DIMM slots reveals nothing. And your A1/A2
work, which proves VDIMM is working. Ipsofacto - replace CPU !
If you want to run with only two DIMM slots, use only A1/A2, then
hold off on buying the replacement CPU for now. We have to work
on our video. CPU is not a priority at the moment. But it has
to be fixed eventually, some day. We want working video, to prove
we're making progress.

2) The BIOS beep pattern is beeping about a video problem. You
have discovered a video card fan which no longer rotates. This
is a bad sign. Uh oh! In some cases, on fan failure, the heat from
the GPU, melts the plastic body of the fan (which is confirmation of
evil spirits :-) )

We term this a "double fault". And only testing, either temporary
testing (using computer shop test CPU and test video card), or you
purchase "worthy" replacement parts and test with them. If you do it
that way, you risk spending more for the overall repair, than going
through the computer shop. I repair my own systems... because
I'm an idiot, and I wouldn't do it any other way. My worst case
experience, I bought one new item, of everything. That's an expensive
way to do repair, but it's part of the gamble of repairing your own
stuff by yourself.

Most of the time, I narrow it down to just the defective item, but
I don't get lucky every time. Even a computer shop will guess incorrectly,
and sometimes it leads to the computer shop suffering burnt out test
components. That's the risk they take, and why the repair fee is higher
than it should be - it helps pay for the stuff they wreck.

*******

The bearing on the video fan has probably failed. The fan draws power
from the two pin header on the video card PCB. The video fan does not
need to be plugged into the motherboard, because there is a perfectly
good fan header right on the video card. It will be a two wire fan,
with no RPM measurement capabilities. Too bad the video card company
didn't spend a few cents on a fan failure indicator!

There is no point "just replacing the fan", because the card is
giving us evidence it is dead. We won't know it's really dead,
until a test card has been substituted in its place.

Now you need to borrow a video card for testing. With same slot
type as 9500 GT.

The idea would be, you test to see if you can enter the BIOS, or get
the BIOS screen up and running. If you boot into Windows with the new
card in place, you'll end up running at a low resolution (like 800x600),
depending on the driver situation. Some driver work may be needed,
to get full resolution back. Uninstall original driver from Add/Remove,
install new driver from video card boxed CD.

We don't know the video card is dead. If the card is naturally a low
power card, perhaps a fan failure won't kill it. On high power cards,
there have been cases where a fan failure, leads to the fan being
melted, as the chip underneath overheats :-)

If we look at your motherboard chipset info...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD_700_chipset_series#770

"770

One physical PCIe 2.0 x16 slot"

So you should be able to use any PCI Express video card you
can find in that slot. Subject to your power supply being
able to provide enough power. If you buy a $500 card, the
supply may not be adequate. If you buy (or borrow) a cheap
$50 card, the power is likely to be less than 50W.

For example, a Geforce 210 card is available for $30. Not
a gamer card by any stretch of the imagination. And your
local shop will likely charge a bit more than $30
for their Geforce 210. This is good enough to be a
"frame buffer", but may not be strong enough to run "The SiMMs"
latest version.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814134157

Good luck,
Paul