GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

[Ricibob]

Hi All,

Ive had this box working ok for over a year but have experienced a lot of problems with the 4*500Gb RAID5 volume related to disks dropping. Recently in Vista the array showed as degradded with a disk dropped - this has happened quite a few times before - and I've always managed to rebuild array and bring it up (sometimes swapping out to a spare drive I have). This time however after shutdown the machine failed to POST - it got half way through POST screen and locked at start of mem test (showed text "Memory testin" but not more...). I started pulling cards out and playing around and soon I wasnt even getting video - the board boots, all the mobo lights come on, the cpu and power supply fans start to turn but after a second it all cuts out and then restarts to repeat same thing. I have now removed everything (all drives, cards etc) except the cpu and a speaker. Same thing - no beeps, no video. I've tried with no memory, with one stick in different slots, with different single sticks in different slots. Result always the same (no beeps, no video, no POST, 1 second lights & fans then restart). I assumed it was a power supply problem so I swapped that out for a new 620w corsair - same result.
Is this board dead? What else can I try? Id like the get the mobo back on line so I can get data of the degraded RAID array. Any help most appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Mobo: GA-EP45-DS3R
CPU: Intel E6600 Core 2 duo
Mem: 2 x G.Skill Kit Extreme2 2 x 1 Go PC6400 P 800MHz
Power: Zalman ZM600-HP
Video: MSI RX2600PRO

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

Have you tried to clear the CMOS? If not, or so, please try clearing the CMOS using the long method I outline in post #2 here

http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/bios-flashing-how-qflash-guide-27576/

If that does not help you are going to need to get your board out of your case, and off the motherboard tray. Then try starting the system on a wooden table or cardboard box.

Let us know if that helps or not. Do you have any other memory to try with, in case your memory is faulty? Or can you test that memory in another board to be sure it is still working?

[Ricibob]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

Hi LSD, thanks for replying

Have you tried to clear the CMOS? If not, or so, please try clearing the CMOS using the long method I outline in post #2 here

I did do battery removal for 1min - but will try now CMOS jumper thing as you outlined.

If that does not help you are going to need to get your board out of your case, and off the motherboard tray. Then try starting the system on a wooden table or cardboard box.

The case is all alu and I was worried about a short - so I did try getting the board out and tried powering it up holding by the CPU cooler (not a great idea I think - a wooden board would have been a better bet!) - anyway it didn't change startup result

Let us know if that helps or not. Do you have any other memory to try with, in case your memory is faulty? Or can you test that memory in another board to be sure it is still working?

I've got 4 sticks of G.Skill Kit Extreme2 1 Go PC6400 P 800MHz around and I have tried each stick one at time in different slots - no luck. Also without any memory I thought I should get a error beep - but it does't even seem to get to beep stage before it resets...

Let me try the proper CMOS reset and I'll post back results. Cheers.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

1 minute may not be long enough, please try the method I mentioned and see if that helps. Also unplug your PSU, then press and hold your case power button for a bit, this will drain any remaining power from the board and PSU's capacitors.

Yes, NOT a good idea with your cooler! Please try again if need be on the motherboard box, or a wooden table.

No, sometimes there is no beep with no memory, so that is not a for sure test.

Let us know how the long clear CMOS goes

[Ricibob]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

Ok so re did proper CMOS clear and power supply drain.
Retried with board out of box placed on cardboard mobo box.
Retried single stick of each mem stick in DDR2_1.
Unfortunately same result - at start there is a tiny click from the speaker, then lights and fans come on for 1 sec then another tiny click and lights and fans go off and it repeats...
Is there anything else I can try?
Im starting to think there is little hope for this board now...
Thanks for your help.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

Yes, please try with the intel stock cooler now, to be sure your cooler is not shorting things.

Can you test your memory on another system to be sure it is OK?

You can try to flick the board on and off many times quickly with the power switch and PSU Switch, sometimes this will get a board going again but this normally is used when you have a failed BIOS/flash

[Ricibob]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

In fact Im running the stock cooler (its an HTPC machine and always ran at standard) - so I tried with that removed for a few seconds (it doesn't power up long enough for the cpu to even heat) - still no luck.
I don't have another machine handy to test the mem - so I pulled out an Asus P5W DH Deluxe mobo I have spare and tried the cpu, a mem stick, grahpics card and PSU in that - that board POSTed fine - so looks like everything is ok at that end.
Finally I put everything back in the Gigabyte board and retried, including quite a few quick on/off flicks at the PSU and power button (occassionally saying "stand clear" like in ER episodes... if I had a defibrillator handy I'd be about ready to try that...) - but that didn't wake it up either.
Short of defibrillatorulation - anything else to try? I checked how long Ive had this board - only a year and half - and its always been run cool - doesn't seem normal for it to up and die? Is there any hope left?

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

Well no need to remove the cooler silly :)

I just wanted you to test with that in case you were using an aftermarket one that might have been shorting out on you.

Well sounds like you need to RMA the board since all your hardware tests good in the Asus. You can try one last thing if you want, shorting the MAIN BIOS out, but aside from that you will need to RMA. Shorting the MAIN BIOS has saved MANY boards from RMA, if you would like the info to do this let me know, otherwise let me know if you need the RMA info. It normally takes 2-3 weeks to get a board back from RMA

[Ricibob]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

Well no need to remove the cooler silly :)

Sorry - I was getting desperate...
Actually I read the post (http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/how-...-failed-33904/) about forcing spare bios to flash main and wanted to ask you if I should be trying this or not. So Ive tried that now - in fact I tried all 3 methods in that post. Yours (pin 5-6) and the posters (pin 5-7) didnt give any change the cycling continued - I was fairly persistant with the 5-6 but just could get it to change anything. The last suggestion (pin 1-6) did keep the fans and board lights on while the short was held but once it was off it was back to same problem state.
So it looks I think like the board is dead. I bought it in Oct 2008 - any chance of an RMA? How would that work (Im in France)? Thanks again for your help on this - disappointing we didnt get to a solution.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

That is what info I would have linked you to, my second post there.

So when trying my method, did you start it up several times while trying? Sometimes it takes a time or two, the machine should power up and then instantly fully down due to the short, then you would be presented with the recovery screen.

Yes, you would be able to RMA. They have 3 year warranty. I am not sure where the RMA page is for France, but you can email or call them and find out. Here is the information for that

EU info here
GIGABYTE

France does not have any info posted when you choose that country so you may just need to contact the EU office. There is however a few more EU numbers located here
GIGABYTE

And a French Forum here, you could ask there as there is Gigabyte Employees there
GIGABYTE Community - Accueil

[Ricibob]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

Yep I understood from what people had said that you have to try a few times with the pin 5-6 thing - so did that quite a bit - sadly to no avail. Anyway good news on the 3 year warranty - I try that route and see how it goes. Thanks a lot for all your help.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

Ahh ok, just wanted to be sure you didn't give up too quickly.

Hey, you said you tried all methods on that one page.... You didn't try the solder method posted by the OP in that topic did you? Hope not, if you didn't, please DON'T as they will deny your RMA likely if you do.

Let us know how the RMA goes, how long it takes, ect. Thanks

[Ricibob]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

Hi,

Just a quick note to conclude this thread. I eventually got round to contacting Gigabyte and got a very quick and easy issue of an RMA. A new board came back 2 weeks later - no detail about what was dead on old one but I was happy to have a shinny new one! After hooking everything back up and squeezing it back in the case (the Silverstone case is big but with the 5 drives + 2 optical drives plus big passive cooler on vid card - that was no easy feat) and remembering to re-enable RAID on SATA in bios I arced up the machine and it was as good as new. The RAID array showed a failed disk but rebuilt ok (for the nth time...). So everything good now. In general very happy with Gigabyte RMA service

[yuu]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

Glad to hear that,
They replaced it with the same board? It is not being produced since 2008.

I had similar problems the other day, and it became clear that my system only refused to boot from complete turn off from the power outlet, as reboots were no problem at all. It turned out that i had 220v kicking from everywhere including CPU cooler and Vga cooler, all the metal surfaces, the power outlet wasn't grounded properly. But itis rock solid now.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo wont POST - is it dead?

Thanks for posting back to let us know what happened with this, that helps unsure others don't think Gigabyte screwed you on the RMA or something.

Ouch yuu, glad to hear nothing fried from that 220V