# P4P800 SE boot problems...



## tripz1196 (Jan 3, 2005)

Hello all,
Was reading all the posts regarding the problems with Asus mobo's so I decided to post another one. Well basically my monitor refuses to come out of power saving mode when I do a shut down. Restarts and stand by's are fine though. Funny thing is though, when I start it up from a shut down, everythings running (fans, video card, etc.) but theres nothing on the screen but that stupid "Power Down Mode...Please activate using PC" or something like that. Only way I can get the monitor to work is by resetting the PC with the button. 

Anyway, I got a new video card cause my old GF4 lost its fan, reseated new card, changed PSU cause I had a generic 350 watt that came with my case, cleared CMOS by removing battery, and I've tried messing with almost everything ACPI/APM setting in the BIOS to get it working.

If it will help you guys any since you usually ask for the config of the PC here it is:
Antec 430 watt TruePower
Asus P4P800 SE
Intel P4 2.4C H/T 800 FSB @ stock settings
eVGA GeForce 6800 128mb agp 8x
Corsair ValueSelect DDR400 512MB x 1
Dell P780 monitor

Voltage:
My 12v rail is steady at 11.87 to 11.9 (reading from AsusProbe, i really don't trust it)
3.3v @ 3.3v
5v @ 4.9 - 5.0
CPU is usually 40-45 at max load
Mobo gets 27-35 

don't think you guys need HD or DVD/CD-RW info...if you do please let me know. Thanks.

EDIT:
Oh my revision is 2.00 for the mobo and running latest 1007 bios


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## tripz1196 (Jan 3, 2005)

*Bump...*

Bump...
and got a little update though...
Ran MemTest86 for about 9 hours...no mem probs...
Could it be grounding on the mobo? I wasn't able to put screws in all the holes cause the crappy case I got as a present came with no instructions and not enough screws...


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

it helps to post the op.sys.
buy the screws and put them in you can buy a bagful for a couple of dollars
press f8 when booting and see if you can get the boot options screen to come up
if you can choose vga mode and see if it goes into windows,then come back and let us know where are and we will tell you what to do next


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## tripz1196 (Jan 3, 2005)

Using XP Pro SP2...sorry, forgot to post that :1angel: 
Yup, put in the last 5 screws with washers.
Can't find anything that will change it to VGA mode. Only options I have is Boot priority settings [AGP/PCI, PCI/AGP]
I have it set to AGP/PCI now, but I tweaked it to PCI/AGP before.
Some Power options but did me no good,
there was this option called ACPI APIC or something (No it's not a typo, its a setting in the Asus P4P800 SE BIOS) and I changed that to Disabled and XP refused to boot. Also tweaked ACPI 2.0 Support settings too, didn't help. There is one last thing though, the APM/Power Management area. I disabled it but it doesn't seem to disable the ACPI. 
Anyway, I'm lost and confused. I might just junk this board, contact newegg.com, get an RMA, and buy an Abit IC7-G Max II or IS-7, didn't hear anything bad about those.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

don't mess with acpi
enable apm
you get into vga mode by tapping f8 as the computer is booting and it brings up a list of boot options,which one of them is vga mode if it goes into windows then the problem is your video drivers are either
not installed or corrupted,and we can go on from there


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## magical1 (Jan 5, 2005)

dia:

His problem is exactly the same as mine, I have yet to figure it out. I have two machines pretty much identical and one seems to have the problem the fellow mentions...

My Current Configuration:

Asus P4P800 SE
Intel Pentium 4 3.0C 800MHZ
Dual Channel Corsair 1GB Kit w/heat Spreaders CAS2-3-3-5
2X160GB Seagate Barracuda SATA Hard Drive (raid 0)
2XPioneer A08 DVD Writer
Floppy
RADEON 9200 SE 64MB Video 
350Watt Enermax Power Supply

I thought it was the power supply (was a smartpower antec 350w), and that was switched, although, I may be asking for a lot with what I am running, that *COULD* be my issue but I doubt it .. as I got another working side this 
I have tried on my own to fix the issue and here is what I come up with...

It could be related to video, the previous card I had in it was a MSI Geforce 4 Ti4400 128mb... but the machine actually doesn't post. It hangs and waits, I find that if you reset it it will actually work... And once it does work there are no problems. And funny thing is that card works fine in my other computer with the same motherboard minus a hard drive and half the ram. Go Figure. 

So I thought it was ram, cause I had some cas 2.5 that I paired up and placed in another PC, upgraded to this CORSAIR.. does nothing to alleviate the problem... 

Played with the BIOS made sure I have the latest one, its current... reset to factory.. nothing. 

The Machine runs extremly stable, and I'm almost good enough to live with it cause I never reset it.. but It bugs me... 

Anyone have any ideas?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

i would think you are well underpowered
http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/
http://forum.msi.com.tw/thread.php?threadid=31880&sid=087b3b7f6446dda3aefe25bab14ddb5c


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## tripz1196 (Jan 3, 2005)

*Underpowered?*

Hello again,
I'm not trying to be a ******* right now but how am I underpowered? Aren't fully configured systems supposed to put out 400 watts...maybe 450 if you have a video card that requires some kind of extra connection from the PSU (PCI-X and higher end AGP) and the wattage hungry Prescott? 

I'm pretty sure my antec is getting the job done, like I said my rails are almost dead on, maybe a little over and under depending on how my system is doing. 

I've been researching on this and a good amount of people are having this problem with the P4P800 series regardless of whether it is the Deluxe, SE, or S version of the mobo, except when I search it the thread ends. I don't know if this is a common problem or what not but I'm looking to get this resolved so I can use this mobo as a spare with the ****ty *** case I got since I gave up on using this setup for my primary PC. I recently purchased a brand new Abit IC7-G with an Antec performance server case and put everything else in there.

I'm thinking it was a problem with the grounding in the crappy case if thats even possible but if something doesn't even come with a manual or wiring diagram then its got to be BELOW run of the mill equipment. 

All i gotta say is, I'm NEVER buying another Asus board. I know there's always a bad batch but when you pay money for something and then they don't create a fix for it but only give you the run around when you call tech support and keep walking you through some BS troubleshooting steps, I find that ridiculous. 

That's my 2 cents on this matter, maybe a mod should rename this thread, make it sticky, have OTHER people say how annoying this problem is, email the thread over to them, and make Asus create a BIOS revision since they don't want anything to do with it and keep going around it.

- John

EDIT:
And according to the first site you gave me Dai, I only will use approx. 389 watts MAX as the disclamier says on the top of the page. I assume I can rule out the PSU now or is it really necessary to get a 550 watt PSU if I won't even use half of it? 
================================
Intel 2.4C Northwood @ 3.0Ghz 1000FSB
Abit IC7-G i875P Intel chipset
Corsair 512MB x 1 DDR400 (5:4)
eVga GeForce 6800 128MB
Antec 430 TruePower PSU
Antec PlusView1000 AMG case
Plextor 320-A CD-RW/DVD
Sony DRU-710A DL DVD+R
Maxtor 40 Gig ATA
Maxtor 60 Gig ATA
5 x Antec 80 mm SmartCool & Blue LED fans

Coming soon:
Seagate 120GB SATA150 7200RPM HD
Corsair XMS 1gig (512 MB x 2) Gig DDR400 RAM


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

tripz1196
the underpowered comment was in answer to magical1,as you can see from lesser amount of equipment on your compter requires 389w,magical1 has nearly double what you have and only a 350w p/s.
i use a P4P800s and have never had a problem with it
i don't have any washers on the screws attaching the m/b
if you put in a new video card and there are no drivers the only way you will get anything on screen is in vga mode,this enables you to see what you are doing to install the drivers.
this applies to whatever m/b you are using.
i usually ask anyone hijacking a thread to post their own thread,but in this instance i thought the problem was similar and revelant to a lot of the similar problems being posted and the answer to magical1 quick and simple and not likely to go any futher and cause confusion,unfortunately it has.


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## tripz1196 (Jan 3, 2005)

*Drivers?*

But don't the drivers auto load for XP Pro? I haven't had a single driver issue with XP since it first got released like 2-3 years ago. Windows ME had A HUGE driver compatablity issue but XP has been good to me with loading default drivers that matches the newly installed equipment. 

And right now this is more then just a loading issue.

Windows loads perfectly fine, I'm overclocked on air cooling, system is ungodly stable, BUT the problem is when I shut down from the XP start menu and power the PC back on using the power button on the PC, I don't get anything (4 out of 5 times). I physically have to restart the computer using the button and after that everything else is smooth sailing. It seems like a glitch in the ACPI system in the BIOS but I don't know, I'm not a Comp Engr. 

The other guy who responsed said he was having the EXACT same problems with almost identical specs except for PSU, which might solve his problem if he replaced his PSU to an Antec or some other brand name. 

As for me, I have tried everything and given up. All the other forums i googled have others who had this exact same problem but the thread just dies, no one can find a resolution. 

================================
Intel 2.4C Northwood @ 3.0Ghz 1000FSB
Abit IC7-G i875P Intel chipset
Corsair 512MB x 1 DDR400 (5:4)
eVga GeForce 6800 128MB
Antec 430 TruePower PSU
Antec PlusView1000 AMG case
Plextor 320-A CD-RW/DVD
Sony DRU-710A DL DVD+R
Maxtor 40 Gig ATA
Maxtor 60 Gig ATA
5 x Antec 80 mm SmartCool & Blue LED fans

Coming soon:
Seagate 120GB SATA150 7200RPM HD
Corsair XMS 1gig (512 MB x 2) Gig DDR400 RAM


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

with the video drivers until windows connects to d/l them they are not on the system and starting in vga mode is to stop them from auto loading,once they are on the system.
when you install new video drivers you need to uninstall the old ones first or it leads to conflicts and if a/virus is running when you install them they can be installed corrupted.
overclocking is a prime suspect for the system to become unstable try dropping it back.
acpi 
http://www.intel.com/technology/iapc/acpi/faq.htm
having to restart a number of times before success from cold start is usually an indication that the p/s is not up to scratch


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## tripz1196 (Jan 3, 2005)

*Thanks Dai and gang...*

Thanks Dai,
Appreciated the help but I junked the board and finally got the new board installed and running the case and it works flawlessly.

I don't know what kind of experience you guys had with Asus, but I had it. I probably will never buy another one and thats only voicing my opinion. I read good reviews about both Asus and Abit, went Asus, got upset, got Abit, and love it. 

Anyway, to all you people with problems with the Asus boards that have the boot up problem...
My fix was to buy another branded board and everything went away. I also noticed that Abit specifically said it was ACPI compliant on their website so I kinda figured that would cure my monitor issue at cold start ups. The Asus ones are probably 100% ACPI compliant too but mine had issues.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

well at least you are up and running,i have been lucky buying m/b haven't had a crook one i usually buy on price if the m/b has what i am looking for on it,i don't think i have ever had 2 m/b from the same maker


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## tailazoom (Jan 7, 2005)

I have two systems, home/office, with P4P800 SE and the problem of no post on power on every once in a while. I also have problems in winxp sp2 with usb2: only one port working at high speed, the others giving a useless unknown device. I confirm that the net is full of both problems and only a few individual solutions. Mine was to disable usb and install a pci-Nec-usb2 board. No more power-on and usb2 problems, with a cheap solution: 24 euros.


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## magical1 (Jan 5, 2005)

*fixed!*

Actually I upgraded the bios on that board to the latest one, and It still had the same problem, and it was again working fine, and I went to plug in my portable USB hard drive, and it did something I've never seen before, IT FROZE!! .. I was like ***... but guess what?? I went to turn it on the next time and nothing....

Nadda, dead, wont turn on at all.... 

So.. I am in the process of RMAing the mobo... in the meantime, I pulled everything, and ordered a new Intel 865PERLK motherboard, installed it and all my old hardware and it works like a Charm.... I can see you saying I'm pulling a lot of power, but really I have no high end, high draw video card in that baby, and like I say I have a pretty much identical unit with no problems whatsoever.

Mike

Video drivers has nothing to do with this problem.. It is a system level issue... I have tried multiple power supplies in my issue, I had disabled devices, yes I thought It could be power related.

But the simple fact that it didn't even get to the bios screen... basically the way I'd know if the computer was going to work is if you power it on, and you dont see a hard drive light flash you would know it wasn't going to post. 

You woud have to hit the "reset" button and it would then post ... no errors, no nothing, but this is ANNOYING.. and to the person that has this same problem, I'd suggest replacing your motherboard.... It will definatly help.... because like mine, It may give up the ghost, and better to do this while you have a warranty! 

Like I say, I am having no problems with its identical system, pretty much identical specs, except a ANTEC p/s ... and the original PS in that machine was a antec, I only switched it cause I thought it *COULD* be the cause, but it did nothing for me... 

The intel board is working fine.... This is the first ASUS I have had defective ever, and I have probably owned 8 or more of them... Everyone has problems.. but since I am not a overclocker anyways, I am going to stick with these intel boards from now on... I really Like them.

Mike


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## darkfyrelady (Jan 6, 2006)

It's good to finally see a somewhat legitimate thread on this issue. My current setup relies on a P4P800SE, and I've been having all the problems listed, save for the fact that once my computer decided not to post from cold boot, I had innumerable sata and obs problems as well. 

Arguably, to eliminate this problem one would have to replace the mobo. A month ago I had decided to unplug my scanner from the front USB panel on my machine and replace it with my graphics tablet - big mistake! Like tailazoom and magical1, my computer asplode. Literally. After reconfiguring the BIOS numerous amounts of times (including software resets, hardware swaps in machine) it came down to the same damnable issue.

Basically, I am not pleased with Asus, nor is anyone else in my dorm building. I just thought I would release some of my trailing frustration in an empathizing manner, because although I know many people who have been through many Asus mobo's and have been quite content, this did it for me.


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## polsar (Mar 7, 2009)

i had this porblem too and more. But i found problem for my mobo. Maybe your problem is same. When my mobo is did not boot, HDD led was always on. Then i applay force on AGP slot, and led was off. After shutdown and restart it boot. in the past i reset several times to boot but after this no reset required. 
maybe this solve your problem. 

Pray for me. That's all :smile:


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