Hi im not that good with hardware but i try lol. Im having a funny problem and not sure what the real issue is. Let me explain it the best i can.
Im running a p4 2.4, 512mb ram, asus mobo.
It was acting very funny freezing and when i played mp3s they sounded like when u play something in a radio when the power is dieing r-e-a-l-y s-l-o-w.
The no it all computer person i am i did the best thing possible..format and re-intall windows hehe.
This is when the real problems came, after putting windows on, the computer would not boot i would get nothing at all,no signal to to the monitor or anything. The computer would turn on and you could hear the hdd spin and all the lights came on etc. So i played around with it and finally noticed that when i would take out the cmos battery and replace it i could get the PC to boot up. Only problem is that if i try to change anything in cmos the computer locks up and i have to remove the cmos battery again to get it to boot up. And once in awhile the PC will lock up for no reason and i have to do the cmos battery routine again to get her to boot.
So tell me what u guys think ty

Welcome to the PC Guide Forums!! :D

Hmmm... It almost sounds like your CMOS chip itself has gone bad. Especially if you have onboard sound. The next thing I would do is email Asus and see what they say. Has your computer suffered any surges lately? Anything that may have caused this?

Welcome to the PC Guide Forums!! :D

Hmmm... It almost sounds like your CMOS chip itself has gone bad. Especially if you have onboard sound. The next thing I would do is email Asus and see what they say. Has your computer suffered any surges lately? Anything that may have caused this?

No i went like 3 months without useing it before this there was no problems

Is the Cmos chip replacable or the whole mobo has to go?

If the mobo is still under warranty, just use that. The CMOS chip unfortunately is soldered to the mobo. The whole thing has to go. Annoying to say the least, but Asus is good about RMA's.

im pretty sure any warranty i had is over now and besides i dont have any papers for it and i forgot were i bought it even

Doesn't matter where you bought it, Asus made it. They can handle the warranty directly. And you don't need any papers (just some info off the mobo itself) And are you sure the warranty is over? Mobo's have 3-year warranties! Just a thought...

Otherwise, if it's been more than 3 years, it might be a goner. You can try a few more things, like another PSU or a barebones boot. But for a weird problem like this I think the mobo is dead.

just an update now when the computer is on for more then an hour there is a strong smell of burning plastic in the air..is this good?
P.S im not kidding lol

No, that's not really a good sign. :p

Turn the computer off and unplug it. Then open it up, let it air out for a few minutes, and smell inside. If you can find the source of the smell, that would help to narrow things down.