# Asus M3n78 Pro Won't start after bios update



## aviinventor (Sep 29, 2008)

Hi! I have the asus m3n78 pro.. I recently flashed with the asus update utility, and now it won't start. the screen is black, ( no signal) and theres no beeps nothing.. What to do? RMA? Help!


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## belfasteddie (Aug 4, 2007)

Try clearing the Bios. Read the book, it will show/tell you how to do it.


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## aviinventor (Sep 29, 2008)

I tried clearing CMOS, moving jumper pins, but still the same symptoms.. 
Is the Asus Crash free bios another scam?


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## lazareth1 (Jan 10, 2005)

No the ASUS crash free BIOS means if you change settings whilst overclocking and then it doesn't boot up, then the crash free BIOS resets the settings so you dont have to manually reset with jumpers etc. 

In your cause it seems like you upgrading your bios has gone bad which is an inherent risk on any mobo. See if you can boot from the mobo cd and then reflash the bios.


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## aviinventor (Sep 29, 2008)

It wont even boot from the mobo dvd, flashdrive, orr floppy.Tried everything possible!!. But, i ordered a bios chip, with the latest bios file, soo ill keep you guys posted when i receive it..


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## AbnormalCreatio (Jan 21, 2009)

if the motherboard doesnt even post... you have some other issues


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## aviinventor (Sep 29, 2008)

Sorry for not replying earlier, but i got my bios chip about one month after i ordered, from ebay. And lo and behold, It Worked..I updated the bios using the built in EZ flash, and now its working perfectly. Using Vista x86 Ultimate. AMD Phenom 9600, 4gb Corsair XMS2, onboard video card.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

thanks for the update !


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## danfo (Nov 19, 2008)

I am having the same problem, except this motherboard is brand new. Incompatible CPU with default BIOS, perhaps? Actually I'm having this problem with the same Asus mobo as well as an EVGA mobo. (it's actually my brother and my roommate--they built their own PCs after I had done so and mine works flawlessly.)

I am going to be calling Asus in a little while to try and troubleshoot this, but any comments/suggestions would be appreciated in the meantime.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

danfo said:


> I am having the same problem, except this motherboard is brand new. Incompatible CPU with default BIOS, perhaps? Actually I'm having this problem with the same Asus mobo as well as an EVGA mobo. (it's actually my brother and my roommate--they built their own PCs after I had done so and mine works flawlessly.)
> 
> I am going to be calling Asus in a little while to try and troubleshoot this, but any comments/suggestions would be appreciated in the meantime.




Please give us your full system specs including make and model of power supply


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## danfo (Nov 19, 2008)

PSU: ULTRA LS600 600W ATX POWER SUPPLY
Mobo: Asus M3N78 PRO GeForce 8300 HDMI Hybrid SLI
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Socket AM2
Cooler: ZEROtherm Butterfly CPU Cooler BTF90 778/754/939/AM2
RAM: Corsair TWINX 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz
GPU: XFX GeForce 9600 GSO 768MB PCIe w/Dual Link DVI
DVD: Lite ON 22X DVDRW IDE w/Lightscribe
OS: Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit

The OS is superfluous information, I'm guessing, since I've never gotten the thing to startup.


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## aviinventor (Sep 29, 2008)

hmm. Well, i don't see how the cpu could be a problem, cause as far as i know, the only processors that weren't supported at the time were the am3 and phenom IIs, but they have brought out a new bios release 0703, to fix this problem. 
My Phenom 9600 worked flawlessly with no problems on the default bios, released last year, august. 

Have you gotten trough with calling Asus?


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## danfo (Nov 19, 2008)

They are supposed to call me back. (ha)


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

calling Asus ............... now thats funny ............ unless you are immortal you will never live long enough to talk to their tech support ............


did the system ever run ?

if not ............ then I suggest you start from scratch and review this .......... dont abbreviate or skip ANY steps ............ especially removing the mobo from the case !

http://www.techsupportforum.com/f255/how-to-bench-test-your-system-171424.html


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## danfo (Nov 19, 2008)

The Asus mobo fires up the fans and LEDs of all the components in my bench build.

The EVGA mobo fires up all the fans and LEDs for approximately 2 seconds and then shuts off.

Niether build's mobo is posting. Neither monitor is reacting.

I am troubleshooting 2 computers by the way, here are the specs for the 2nd one:

PSU: Power Up Black 302 ATX Mid-T Case w/450w PSU (came with case: barf)
Mobo: EVGA e-7050/610i GeForce Socket 775
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 2.66Ghz Socket 775
Cooler: ZEROtherm CPU Cooler CF900 775
RAM: Crucial 2048MB PC5400 DDR2 667Mhz
GPU: BFG NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT 1GB PCIe 2.0
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home SP2 (irrelevant cuz we haven't gotten it to boot)


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

ok this is with one stick of memory right ? use only the memory slot closest to the cpu


what are the makes and models of both power supplies ........ sounds to me like they are both not fit for the job

do you have a lame PCI express video card you can try ........ like a 7300GS ?????


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

try a video card if you can that doenst need a power plug for it


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## danfo (Nov 19, 2008)

I do not have a non-uber sexy graphics card. But both mobos do have onboard graphics. Same result using onboard graphics.

Yes, just one stick of memory.

For the Asus mobo, the PSU is ULTRA LS600 600W.
For the EVGA mobo, the PSU is a PowerUp 450W, model I'm unsure. It came with this case: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=TC3J-4510 P


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## danfo (Nov 19, 2008)

I don't see any reason that the 600W ULTRA should fail on the Asus build. The 450W PowerUp, however, has a long history of epic failure (according to numerous reviews that it's received).


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

The Ultra is a twin brother to the other unit IMHO ...................... try another high quality power supply .............. Corsair 650 or 750


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I think when you compare the cost of the Ultra 600 and the Corsair 650 ........... the light will shine .........



http://www.couponmountain.com/ZipZoomfly-deal/211006.html


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## AbnormalCreatio (Jan 21, 2009)

id start with a multimeter and test both power supplies


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## aviinventor (Sep 29, 2008)

The CPU cooler could be a problem, as i have experienced earlier. Becasue the likelyhood of both of the PCs having faults is highly unlikely.
Have you applied thermal paste, and is the cpu heatsink screwed on properly?
Otherwise, the PSU could be a problem, as linderman stated, but the problem must either be PSU / and/ or cpu, as the m/b would've beeped for any other problem as in my case. 
Are all the parts new?


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## danfo (Nov 19, 2008)

All the parts are new. The cooler is installed properly (as far as I can tell: I've only installed 2 others) with a layer of thermal paste.



AbnormalCreatio said:


> id start with a multimeter and test both power supplies


Is a multimeter a piece of software or hardware? I'm Googling it now.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

multi meter =

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mibuka-6-Funcat...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

cpu cooler = a dab os thermal paste about the size of ONE grain of white rice ..... any more will cause overheating ........... heatsink should be very secure .....should require several fingers and plenty of pressure to move at all.... should not be movable by one finger


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## danfo (Nov 19, 2008)

linderman said:


> cpu cooler = a dab os thermal paste about the size of ONE grain of white rice ..... any more will cause overheating ........... heatsink should be very secure .....should require several fingers and plenty of pressure to move at all.... should not be movable by one finger


Yes it is secure.
One grain of rice? The manual that came with the cooler said to spread a very thin layer across the entire face of the CPU.
I purchased a multimeter, so I'll have that in a couple of days.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

try your power supply to test these boards ?


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## danfo (Nov 19, 2008)

That is the next thing I'm going to do. But I will not be home until late tonight, so I'll update again tomorrow.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

ok sounds good


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## aviinventor (Sep 29, 2008)

Take a look at this thread, looks a bit like your problem in a way. And also, did you try taking out the processor, and placing it back in? And also, clearing the bios, by removing the battery? And is the 4 pin power connector for the cpu plugged in? That is vital for the cpu to get power to start up, and wouldnt start without it.

http://www.techimo.com/forum/technical-support/101874-no-beeps-wont-boot.html


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## danfo (Nov 19, 2008)

aviinventor said:


> Take a look at this thread, looks a bit like your problem in a way. And also, did you try taking out the processor, and placing it back in? And also, clearing the bios, by removing the battery? And is the 4 pin power connector for the cpu plugged in? That is vital for the cpu to get power to start up, and wouldnt start without it.
> 
> http://www.techimo.com/forum/technical-support/101874-no-beeps-wont-boot.html


I generally shy away from forum posts that are that old (2004).

Yes we re-inserted the CPU. Have not cleared the BIOS, but I'll try it after I test my PSU's. I got home really late last night and was unable to test the systems with a PSU that already is known to work.

The 4-pin connector is connected. On the EVGA mobo, however, connecting the 4pin results in the system shutting off after about 2 seconds. Without it plugged it, it spins & lights just like the Asus mobo, w/o post or monitor response.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

On the EVGA mobo, however, connecting the 4pin results in the system shutting off after 


defintely either a motherboard or power supply problem


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## AbnormalCreatio (Jan 21, 2009)

with the evga motherboard and it lasting 2 seconds with the 4 pin plugged in, that could be cpu failure,motherboard, or powersupply. try running it without the cpu in, but WITH the 4 pin plugged in. if nothing changes, that rules out the cpu


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## danfo (Nov 19, 2008)

AbnormalCreatio said:


> with the evga motherboard and it lasting 2 seconds with the 4 pin plugged in, that could be cpu failure,motherboard, or powersupply. try running it without the cpu in, but WITH the 4 pin plugged in. if nothing changes, that rules out the cpu


I have run that test and it is not the CPU. My money is on a bad PSU. Gonna find out soon... maybe tomorrow morning.


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## aviinventor (Sep 29, 2008)

Hmm. That's the same problem i had with my old pc. Without the 4 pin power connector, the cp would come on, and would stay on, but no video, post etc. 
With the 4 pin power connector plugged on, it would come on foe 2 seconds and then shut off.
The problem ended up being the CPU. But in your case it could possibly be the PSU. 

But the same combo i have, uses only 350w out of my 500w psu.. Phenom 9600, m3n78pro, onboard vga. 4gb corsair ddr2. 
And, let me guess, Asus didnt call back up to now. =p


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## danfo (Nov 19, 2008)

aviinventor said:


> And, let me guess, Asus didnt call back up to now. =p


They actually did a couple of days ago! We were troubleshooting until my brother couldn't locate the adapter cord that plugs into the mobo and connects with a VGA monitor. I don't even remember seeing that kind of cord in the box, but I'm sure he just lost it. The suspicion with his build is that the BIOS needs to be set to recognize the PCIE graphics instead of defaulting to the onboard graphics. Sigh...

I'm a little concerned that you said you had the same problem w/ the Quad processor because my roomy has been sitting around not doing anything about the problem for almost 2 months now. I worry that he might not win the favor of an RMA being that he didn't try to do anything earlier. (He still isn't doing anything... just me).


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## AbnormalCreatio (Jan 21, 2009)

whats with the bashing on asus' technical support? are they bad? they rocked for me! i had my m3n78-vm board fry and they sent me a new one in a week, and THEN had me ship them my old one. it was awesome


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I am VERY happy to hear that ............... maybe they had their fill of bad taste with their level of tech support and have improved their customer service relationship ........ my numerous experiences with them spanning on many years was a constant downhill slide ........ their RMA eligibility was always good ........ but actual tech support was close to non-existent


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