System Failed CPU Test!!!

[Stooo]

I just bought a new 2.4c chip from newegg.com and it turned out to be a M0 stepping chip to boot! Problem is now the thing wont boot! I thought it was a dud so I installed my 3.2 back into the board P4C800-E deluxe now that fails to boot??? Anyone have any suggestions ? I have all my school work on the thing and its on sata drive but m other box cant use sata!!

[PCBruiser]

When you say it won't boot, do you get anything at all? Or is it dead? Normally, when you take out or replace the cpu it resets the bios to default settings. You did remove the power cord when you changed cpus didn't you?

[Gregger]

Stoo,

Check out the other boards, memory sticks etc and make sure nothing came loose during the upgrade. I've received that "failed cpu test" message from a zapped nic card. It's kind of a catch all error message that may have nothing to do with the CPU.

I'd try to eliminate that possibility by removing card by card or mem stick to see if you can pin point the item causing the error message.

Hope this helps.

[Stooo]

Originally posted by PCBruiser
When you say it won't boot, do you get anything at all? Or is it dead? Normally, when you take out or replace the cpu it resets the bios to default settings. You did remove the power cord when you changed cpus didn't you?

I switched the power supply off at the back of the case and waited till the light on the board died out... The CPU is not laying in the socket quite right either I have been trying to get it in there by rocking the lever back and forth but it is not working. Took RAM out tried different slots nadda...

[PCBruiser]

Well, if the cpu isn't in the socket correctly, that's the likely problem. You didn't force it to seat did you? Because if you did, you might have broken the socket, and that's bad news for the board. Remove the cpu from the socket and see if the lever moves up and down easily and the socket slides easily.

[Stooo]

It moves just fine it just wont seat correctly all the time.... When I took the 3.2 out I had to use a little tug on it to get it to release... no pin on the cpu itself were bent or anything but it just needed to the extra ummph.

[Stooo]

I wander if could use either 800 fsb CPU's in my P4PE with ddr 333 or ddr 500 RAM??? Just to check and see if it is the chip ( highly doubt that one)

[Gregger]

Good points bruiser.

Also check the pins on the cpu to make sure they're not bent.

Check your manual for an illustration of how the cpu has to be oriented for insertion into the socket. There should be a gold mark on one corner of the cpu that has to be matched to a specific corner of the socket on the motherboard.

If the pins are bent, you'll have to very, very carefully bend them back into position. I've seen threads on this board describing various techniques to do this if you need to.

[Stooo]

I think Bruiser hit the head on the nail when he said the socket is screwed. No pins on the chip are bent.... I wish it were that easy (Credit card would bend them back) this seems to be my socket is screwed somehow from removeing the old CPU...

[PCBruiser]

You can check the cpus on the p4pe. The ram doesn't really matter, all you want to see is if it gets to post.

[Stooo]

Ok Im on the way home to check...(in the comp lab now)

[LightSpeed]

I have a client who gets the exact same thing with a P4PE using any BIOS and a 2.4B (D1 stepping). His 'fix' is to hit the reset button a few times, until it turns on (I suggested a new PSU but he is stubborn)
Sometimes it will POST after 2x, other times 10+. Needless to say he is not too impressed with it, and doesn't turn his PC off much :o
As a sidenote, he is using a cheap (cheapest he could find, actually) PSU.
The board was sent back to ASUS and the replacement board does the same thing too...he even changed CPUs to a different 2.4b and the end result is still 'system failed CPU test' until it actually feels like booting up. He is not overclocking his system at all so that has nothing to do with it.
My 2 cents

[Anarchi]

Its possible the PCB (mainboard) is damaged.
With my old Asus P4B (i845 SDRAM), I removed the CPU and placed the board in another case, it wouldnt boot unless you lift the cpu heatsink and turn it on - indicating the PCB tracks were broken. So basically you shouldnt put too much stress on the mainboard especially around the CPU area when removing the cpu - though its hard not to be rough since the standard Intel heatsink can be a nightmare to remove.

[LightSpeed]

At first we thought it was a damaged component, after having replaced cpu/board the result is the same (4 months later). This points to the no-name el cheapo PSU

[SlowJoeBlow]

Originally posted by Stooo
(Credit card would bend them back)

Great tip Stoo...I'll have to file that one away