Just Built PC won't even boot

[jaswenson]

Ok I just put together a PC with the following components:
Intel Celeron 900
Intel 810emo Motherboard
TDK 16x Velo CD
256 MB pc 133 SDRAM Mtek
IBM 40GB 5400 Hard Drive

I've built computers before, and I am sure I have everything correctly installed. The problem is when I turn on the computer it doesn't get past the intel splash screen. Although F2 should get me into the bios nothing happens. When I switch the bios jumper to the config mode, it displays my processor speed and RAM size and says entering set up and hangs. I can't get into the bios at all.

I think it could be the following problems, but I don't know
It needs a bios upgrade to use the 900 celeron, but how do you upgrade the bios without a supported processor?

The ram is bad.

The bios chip is bad.

I'm an idoit.

So if any one has an idea please email me,
Thanks
Joel

[MCSE Tech]

The solution to your problem is in your question. The fact that your MB needs a BIOS upgrade to run your processor is the reason why it won't boot up. As far as it knows, it does not see a processor there. The best thing that I can recommend is find you a very cheap 366 or so, just make sure it is FPGA and not PPGA or it won't run on that board. There are tons of places where you can find one for under $30.

[kenja]

Um, I believe F(C)PGA (Flip-Chip Pin Grid Array) and PPGA (Plastic Pin Grid Array) should be transposed in the preceeding post.

[MCSE Tech]

What are you talking about? Granted I meant 566 and not 366, but hopefully you are not trying to tell me that he needs a PPGA for his board?

[kenja]

I've seen many socket 370 motherboards designed for PPGA that will not work with a FC-PGA, I can't remember seeing the reverse situation.

Now that I've bothered to go to Intel.com, I see the D810emo only supports PPGA Celerons (533MHz and below; a 533MHz FC-PGA Celeron was also made). "Processors Supported - Intel® Pentium® III processors in the FC-PGA package type and Intel® Celeron™ processors in the PPGA package type"

D810emo (http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/d810emo/procsupp.htm)

Celerons (http://support.intel.com/support/processors/celeron/24766.htm)

[This message has been edited by kenja (edited 10-10-2001).]

[jaswenson]

Ok, if the board will take fcppga P3s why wouldn't it take a fcppga celeron?

[jaswenson]

It does properly display that i have a celeron 900, so it does recognise the processor

[kenja]

"...if the board will take fcppga P3s why wouldn't it take a fcppga celeron?" Good question, jaswenson. Most boards that are limited to PPGA won't supply the lower core voltage that FC-PGA requires, and that's not the case here, so...

I'd say the motherboard/BIOS is limited to a frequency multiplier of 8x. The processor clock is a multiple of the FSB clock (also called the system clock). Intel designed all PPGA Celerons to use a 66MHz FSB. Multiply 66MHz by 8 and you get the 533MHz (roughly).

Intel gave Celerons the 100MHz FSB starting with the 800MHz. I'm thinking one of these might possibly work on your motherboard, but I see Intel only supports the 100MHz FSB Pentiums up to 750MHz.


[This message has been edited by kenja (edited 10-10-2001).]