help with intel 850gb mobo (3beeps)

[gtr]

Stuff i'm using.

intel 850mobo.
p4-1.9Ghz
enermax tower and powersupply (300w)
geforce 3 ti.
samsung 2-(256mb pc800)=512 total ram
2 blanks.
ibm-40gig hd ata100 7200rpms

unplugged. modem, sb audigi, etc...

It's 3 beeps and nothing. Tried different video card and same thing. Tried the geforce and worked on different computer. Cpu not hot whatso ever after booting.

please help. no insturctions, bought online.

[Rocketmech]

Its either Ram or Video. Really,really reseat them firmly. Maybe try the ram in another slot.

[winger]

What do the beeps sound like, and what type of BIOS is it?

This will determine what the problem is. For example, an Award BIOS user who encounters 1 long beep, followed by two short beeps, is encountering a Video adapter failure.

check the BIOS name, restart to recreate the beeps, then try this site:
http://www.bioscentral.com/
look for the link for "<my BIOS type> beep codes. "

Hopes this narrows down the problem.

[gtr]

It's 3 slow beeps. I checked the video card on another computer and it works fine. I also tried a pci video card and the same beeps occured. As for the bios i have no idea b/c i'm not getting a video output on my monitor. Maybe the ram is bad or faulty cpu or board? It's gotta be one of the three. I've unplug and replug the ram as the same thing. The cpu is also cold when the computer is on. And 3 beep in the book i looked up online stands for first 64k memory failure. So i think it's the ram?

[nishant]

Hi

I had the same problem as you with my P4. What I did was unplugged everything from the mobo and connected it again. What I think is that your ram may not be seated properly, those rambus modules need a bit of force to put in, there should be 2 clicks heard if dne correctly. Dont push too hard or u risk bending the board its very fragile. Oh yeah one more thing u said 2 are blank, the mobo should have continuity modules in the blank spaces it shouldnt be empty. What are the combination of the 4 lights on the back they are there to give info, so inform us about it. Goodluck

[gtr]

I'll try reseating the ram, i'm getting 2 greem 2 amber. I thing the greens are on top away from the board.

So you've experence 3 beeps too. I dont know about the 2 clicks but i know the plastic is locked. I don't have much experence with intel but i hardly have any seating ram problems with ddr's. I'll try seating them like you said and let you know.

[nishant]

yup the color combination is definately a memory problem, do u have 2 sticks of other rambus? If yes try using them, the 256 sticks may have problems, u could probably get them replaced under its waranty, dont worry i dont think the problem is too severe,

Good Luck and a happy new year to you.

Regards
-Nishant

[gtr]

Does the RAM need to be in pairs? Like 2/128 or 2/256? I have 2 256mb rimms and was wondering if i need to use 1 dummy in bank 0 (if using one of them? I already have 2 dummys in bank 1. I'm thinking both ram can't be bad? One has to work or something. If i can't find a solution it's going back.

And people say athlons need more tweaking? I'm having more trouble with the intel chips.

[nishant]

yup they have 2 be in pairs in each bank. If u have 2 banks the first one should be filled with ram and the last bank filled with continuity rimms, or both banks filled with ram, the ram has to be pairs of 64, 128, 256, 512. Check the speed. The 850 accepts both pc 800 or pc 600. but u need to use either pc 800 at a time or pc 600. U cant mix them up in a bank. Check the ram to see if they are really identical, meaning pc 800 and pc 800. Its true that these little things are frustrating in the beginning, but after little discoveries u'll enjoy ur computer and ur rig is good, so dont be too hard on ur self. :) take care

Regards
-Nishant

[gtr]

I went back to united micro and have the problem fixed. They gave me differet kinds of ram. Actually both samsung pc800 but one is single sided and the other is double sided. Now it boots up and i'm installing windows. Thanks for you help! No thermal paste and it runs 100x cooler than my 1.4 athlon with the huge delta fan??

[nishant]

You're verywelcome, Good luck with the new PC!!!

Happy New year

Regards
-Nishant