P-III 450 Only Boots To Safe Mode If At All.

[aldtech]

I have P-III 450 (450/512/100/2.0V S1)(costa Rica)that will boot but only under certain conditions. In most cases when used as a replacement/upgrade in an existing or working generic system the best I can get is to boot into safe mode. When installed into a brand name system (HP, Compaq) the system will not boot and sometimes reports an error code which usually translates into a voltage error.
I seems that maybe the previous owner may have tried to overclock the CPU and thus fried it. Has anybody had a similar problem and has recovered the CPU? Just hoping I can get some use out of this CPU instead of just a paperweight.

Thanks,

AL

[Target]

Are you trying this CPU in motherboards that support the CPU (ie: confirmed that the voltages, FSB, etc are supported)? If you are trying to place this into machines that previously had Slot1 Pentium II's or Celeron CPU's, you might have to flash the bios for the motherboard before you can install the PIII and have it operate properly (if it supports PIII's).

The fact that you can "sort-of" get it to work in some machines leads me to believe that the CPU is not dead.... or at least not completely.

Check to make sure that the motherboard and bios is capable of supporting that processor. If they do, ensure that the latest bios is installed on the motherboard.

From there, its just a matter of correctly setting up the jumpers/bios and you should be on your way.

I'd try to get it to work on one system at a time, so as not to confuse things too much. Pick one, and check what I have listed above. Should you need further advice, we can then get the specs from you and dive into it a bit further.

Keep us posted.

[aldtech]

I have just re-tested the CPU again under all of the conditions you (Target) have mentioned.

I have just tried the suspect CPU in a known good working system (IBM 300PL)which has the exact same CPU as the one in question. In this box the system will post but is dead after the initial "IBM" flash screen. Previously on an HP Vectra VLi 8, the system would report an error code which translated to a voltage error. The working CPU from the IBM system does work with the original sys brd that I was initially trying the suspect CPU on. This test alone should disqualify all questions about sys brd and bios issues compatibility issues. All good points which made me want to recheck my work.

Subsequently, I have tried reseting the jumper settings, on the IBM, to accomidate a slower or faster CPU with no change in results - system posts, locks up after flash screen.

I currently plan (when I can get the time) to put together a dedicated test platform in order to test this CPU with different configurations. Untill then I'm willing to listen to any other suggestions.

Thanks

[Target]

Based on what you have said, and the test you ran with the known working system.... I'd say you have a faulty CPU.