cannot enter the bios

[peter panini]

Hi everybody!

I have got 'new' components for my computer. That is a used asus p5b-e mainboard with an intel cpu and a radeon x1950 pro.
When i press the power button, the mainboard bios picture (i guess) appears for a few ms, followed by some error messages:

checksum error...
bio settings wrong
overclocking failed...
usb device over current status detected

So i hought i might enter the bios to see what i can do. but it is impossible!
I tried pressing del, f1, f2, f8, f10 repetitively and many times. I also let 2 other people try their best, but nothing.

Then i decided to reset the bio via the mobo jumpers. no change.

After that i removed the bios battery and tried booting, but nothing.

Then i found out how to enter the bios flash menu with alt+f2 (pressed in the very right moment). Ok, i thought and downloaded a new bios, put it on a usb stick and successfully installed the new version. still there seems to be no way to enter the bios.

Then i checked my motherboard for any misplaced screws causing an electrical short, but negative.

I also removed my hd and all the other drives, disconnected my sound card, removed all RAM except for one which i tested in any slot. the same with a second RAM.

Im confused, because there is so few i could possibly do without entering the bios.

Any ideas?

[LochLomonder]

Welcome to the forum, Peter.

Usually the Del key will work to enter the BIOS; however, obviously not in this instance. Perhaps you could try hitting the Ins (Insert) key. This works on some Asus motherboards.

[peter panini]

Thanks for the quick response. but insert does not help either.

[jlreich]

What CPU do you have? Looking at the CPU support list CPU's with 1333MHz FSB are only in beta support, and even some of the other CPU's are only beta support. It is possible if you have a 1333 FSB chip it doesn't like it. But only way to tell if that is the issue would be to try a CPU with a lower FSB.

When you flashed the BIOS did you flash it to a version that at least supports your CPU?

After you flashed the BIOS you still had the exact same error messages? Or was it different?

When you reset the CMOS did you remove the power cable from the wall, wait at least ten minutes and push the power button a couple times before trying to clear the CMOS?

[peter panini]

What CPU do you have?

The CPU is a Core 2 Duo E6400 with a FSB of 1066. It had already been used with this mainboard before.

When you flashed the BIOS did you flash it to a version that at least supports your CPU?

Actually i dont know. But the bios version before did because the whole system (cpu+mobo+ram) had been running properly before. The asus homepage is partially down, so i cannot check. But the version before was something 1801 and i installed 1807....

After you flashed the BIOS you still had the exact same error messages? Or was it different?

Nothing changed.

When you reset the CMOS did you remove the power cable from the wall, wait at least ten minutes and push the power button a couple times before trying to clear the CMOS?

The first try was like this:
remove the power cable
remove the cmos
move the jumper
plug in power
push the power button 3,4 times
unplug power
move jumper back
wait at least 5 minutes
put cmos back
boot

Then in another try i removed the cmos and tried to enter the bios without it several times. The next day i put the cmos back in and tried again.
But nothing changed at all.

The CPU, mobo, RAM and videocard all worked together a few months ago at my brother's. He got himself a new computer and gave me his old stuff. But i cant make it work.

[jlreich]

I hate to say it but with the errors you are getting it sounds like either the CMOS chip or BIOS chip is corrupt.

Perhaps someone else will have some other ideas but that is what it sounds like to me.

How are the caps on the board? Any swollen or leaking caps?

[FTT]

The first try was like this:
remove the power cable
remove the cmos
move the jumper
plug in power
push the power button 3,4 times
unplug power
move jumper back
wait at least 5 minutes
put cmos back
boot

Let's try this one more time before abandoning up the ghost.

Unplug the mains but do not put the power supply button to O. Leave it on I.
Press the power button / you should a brief spin/lights for less than a second.
Move jumper to the reset position and press power button again a few times.
Replace jumper to the run position, plug your computer back to the mains and try to boot.

[mjc]

Hi everybody!

I have got 'new' components for my computer. That is a used asus p5b-e mainboard with an intel cpu and a radeon x1950 pro.
When i press the power button, the mainboard bios picture (i guess) appears for a few ms, followed by some error messages:

checksum error...
bio settings wrong
overclocking failed...
usb device over current status detected

Ummm...did you ever address that issue?


It is quite possible that something is stuck in one of the USB ports, one of the 'external'/front panel connections is hooked up wrong or one of the pins is bent.

With that condition existing, you won't get a keyboard to work correctly and probably won't get any USB devices to work right.

[jlreich]

Good looking out MJC. I saw that but it got lost in the other stuff. Yeah if there is a bent USB pin shorting out or a bad device in a port it won't boot and will give such errors. I have seen this a few times myself.

Definitely look over all the USB ports to make sure there is nothing wrong there. Usually just moving the pins that are shorting away from each other solves the issue. The port may not be usable again but the system works fine.