SYSTEM FAILED CPU TEST

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s44

If one types "system failed cpu test" on any internet search one gets to
read a lot about ASUS wares. This is so for at least a couple of years.

But if one then goes to ASUS web site, there is nothing on this. ASUS is a
small taiwanese company that manufactures second class computer kits
apparently mostly for kids. It turns out the stuff doesn't work quite often,
sometimes due to poor design, sometimes due to poor quality. There is
practically no technical support, because the whole shop is just to small to
afford it. Even their US web site does not quite work.

I did not know all this before I bought one of their lemons. I'm amazed by
the lousy nature of this outfit compared to regular companies.

My cash loss is of course negligible, but I wish I knew more on this
wonderful "brand" before spending my time attaching all the wires and then
detaching them again before hanging this great product on the wall in the
garage.



XZV
 
s44 said:
If one types "system failed cpu test" on any internet search one gets to
read a lot about ASUS wares. This is so for at least a couple of years.

But if one then goes to ASUS web site, there is nothing on this. ASUS is a
small taiwanese company that manufactures second class computer kits
apparently mostly for kids. It turns out the stuff doesn't work quite often,
sometimes due to poor design, sometimes due to poor quality. There is
practically no technical support, because the whole shop is just to small to
afford it. Even their US web site does not quite work.

I did not know all this before I bought one of their lemons. I'm amazed by
the lousy nature of this outfit compared to regular companies.

My cash loss is of course negligible, but I wish I knew more on this
wonderful "brand" before spending my time attaching all the wires and then
detaching them again before hanging this great product on the wall in the
garage.



XZV
Click to expand...

Hmmmm.... I've used 3 boards (I'm still using the 3rd) and I haven't had
ANY problems what so ever... Could be you have bad luck?
 
s44 said:
If one types "system failed cpu test" on any internet search one gets to
read a lot about ASUS wares. This is so for at least a couple of years.

But if one then goes to ASUS web site, there is nothing on this. ASUS is a
small taiwanese company that manufactures second class computer kits
apparently mostly for kids. It turns out the stuff doesn't work quite often,
sometimes due to poor design, sometimes due to poor quality. There is
practically no technical support, because the whole shop is just to small to
afford it. Even their US web site does not quite work.

I did not know all this before I bought one of their lemons. I'm amazed by
the lousy nature of this outfit compared to regular companies.

My cash loss is of course negligible, but I wish I knew more on this
wonderful "brand" before spending my time attaching all the wires and then
detaching them again before hanging this great product on the wall in the
garage.



XZV
Click to expand...

Why don't you post system specs, and maybe I or some other knowledgable
people in this ng can help you out.
 
Some people should never...ever attempt to build their own ...they should be
content with the HP's,Dell's and Compaq"s not too mention Emachines.
Their cases should be welded shut.These people dont seem to have the patience,
never mind the skill, to assemble a system.
And worse...they actually have the audacity to blame the manufacturer for their
mistakes.
Are you one of them??
Or did you actually come here for help......which I doubt given that your post
lists no parts,no troubleshooting you've tried,asks for no help.........just
bitches!!
have a good day
peter.........
 
Why don't you post system specs, and maybe I or some other knowledgable
people in this ng can help you out.
Click to expand...

<gack!> Can't you just smell this troll?

To call ASUS a "small" company is a dead giveaway of the clueless talking
through his hat...
 
<gack!> Can't you just smell this troll? only a few miles away! :)

To call ASUS a "small" company is a dead giveaway of the clueless talking
through his hat...
Click to expand...
Yep for sure.
Happy Holidays!
Ed
--
1) Don't do any research, just buy parts that fit your budget.
2) Throw away any manuals or included CDs.
3) Case stand-offs are for whimps, throw em away!
4) Work in a carpeted area and wear wool socks, Do NOT ground yourself!
4) Put CPU on the desk, bend a few pins, it's fun!
5) Have at least one naked yellow or red wire touching the case.
6) Set BIOS to manual mode and just go wild and change stuff, it's fun!
7) If that doesn't work, Call DELL! :)
 
daytripper said:
<gack!> Can't you just smell this troll?

To call ASUS a "small" company is a dead giveaway of the clueless talking
through his hat...
Click to expand...

Yeah, you're probably right.... That's gonna be my downfall someday, I
give everyone the benefit of the doubt... Just ask my lousy inlaws! lol
 
s44 said:
But if one then goes to ASUS web site, there is nothing on this. ASUS is a
small taiwanese company that manufactures second class computer kits
apparently mostly for kids. It turns out the stuff doesn't work quite often,
sometimes due to poor design, sometimes due to poor quality. There is
practically no technical support, because the whole shop is just to small to
afford it. Even their US web site does not quite work.
Click to expand...

Um, you do realize that Asus is the largest manufacturer of motherboards
in the world?

Please, do yourself a favor in the future and don't go and make clueless
posts like this without knowing what you're talking about, or giving any
coherent description of a problem you're trying to solve..
 
my hit / miss ratio is 60/40...(for the good, but not that impressive
for such a renowned MFG...


Hmmmm.... I've used 3 boards (I'm still using the 3rd) and I haven't had
ANY problems what so ever... Could be you have bad luck?
Click to expand...



ñíñjà¤têç

-----END-PGP-SIGNATURE-----
 
Hi,

You need to get informed.

1. Asus manufactures over 30,000,000 motherboards yearly last I read.
2. Dell, HP, Compaq, Intel, you name the brand - have all used / continue to
use asus motherboards.
3. when you buy a motherboard and want premium support then pay for it. For
most of us that *never* need support from asus, having to pay for an army of
support people that speak hundreds of languages is not a good investment.
4. Asus is suprisingly small. For the amount of product they design and make
the head count is commendably small. Nevertheless this does not stop them
from producing products which are equal to any out there. Just be careful -
if you point at someone elses product it may have been made by asus.

If you want help - as others have said, state your case clearly and you may
be surprised by the quality of responses and effort made by those here.

So, please post back, state the exact config you have: motherboard, version
(its on a sticker on a PCI slot usually), bios version, memory size & make /
model / timings, other hardware, PSU make, model and rating etc. Say what
you have done, if the system has ever worked, what you have tried...

Best wishes...
 
Many of you are implying that this fellows problems can be fixed the system
builder. They cannot be. ASUS acknowledges that this a problem and are
working on fixing it with BIOS changes. This is an excerpt from the BIOS
notes for Ver 1013 for an A7N8X-E Deluxe.

"Fixed Speech IC detect abnormal for CPU overclocking" There are several
other related messages in this series.

I have one of these boards, and installing BIOS 1013, still does not
completely fix the problem. If there is a problem with the BIOS, no amount
of work by the system builder is going to fix the problem.
 
Thats good then. But how do you know he has an A7N8X-E Deluxe?
Steganography perhaps?

I certainly made no promise about a fix. How could I when there are no
details of the system?
 
Ed said:
only a few miles away! :)


Yep for sure.
Happy Holidays!
Ed
--
1) Don't do any research, just buy parts that fit your budget.
2) Throw away any manuals or included CDs.
3) Case stand-offs are for whimps, throw em away!
4) Work in a carpeted area and wear wool socks, Do NOT ground yourself!
4) Put CPU on the desk, bend a few pins, it's fun!
5) Have at least one naked yellow or red wire touching the case.
6) Set BIOS to manual mode and just go wild and change stuff, it's fun!
7) If that doesn't work, Call DELL! :)
Click to expand...
I haven't had a good laugh in a while, Thanks!

Ron
 
s44 said:
If one types "system failed cpu test" on any internet search one gets to
read a lot about ASUS wares. This is so for at least a couple of years.

But if one then goes to ASUS web site, there is nothing on this. ASUS is a
small taiwanese company that manufactures second class computer kits
apparently mostly for kids. It turns out the stuff doesn't work quite often,
sometimes due to poor design, sometimes due to poor quality. There is
Click to expand...
practically no technical support, because the whole shop is just to small to
afford it. Even their US web site does not quite work.

I did not know all this before I bought one of their lemons. I'm amazed by
the lousy nature of this outfit compared to regular companies.

My cash loss is of course negligible, but I wish I knew more on this
wonderful "brand" before spending my time attaching all the wires and then
detaching them again before hanging this great product on the wall in the
garage.



XZV
Click to expand...

I beg to differ. Asustek is not a "small taiwanese company that
manufactures second class computer kits". It manufactures several
hundred thousand motherboards a month and is the motherboard supplier
to several major computer companies, such as HP. Both my ASUS boards
have performed flawlessly.

Arnie
 
I wish someone could help, but I do strongly believe that this is a defect
that can only be cured by replacing that motherboard with one that works. I
did mention that I've read a lot of messages from people with this problem
who spent a lot of effort trying to fix it and no one suceeded. I had many
devices of all sorts that had defects, but never dealt with a total wall of
silence. I wrote email and called ASUS and there was zero response. The sign
of a lousy company is when they tell you they'll call back, and when their
web site doesn't work. I don't trust a fruitcake maker without a web site,
but a computer-related company with a part-dead website?

So everyone is welcome to help, but I don't hold my breath. I posted not to
complain or even to get help, but to give a warning (community service) and
express my amazement at a technology company that has no technical support.

As to the actual nature of the defect, my personal guess is that due to the
use of low quality parts the power supply to the CPU on the motherboard is
failing. Most likely it's the use of garbage-quality electrolytic
capacitors. In fact, it turns out it is not uncommon that these capacitors
leak like used batteries on some of the motherboards assembled by these
"famous makers from Taiwan". Several months after they leave their shop.

So here it is:

1. P4C800 Deluxe bought last year (2004).

2. Runs a pentium 4 Northwood 3 Ghz/512/800 1.55 V max

3. Is not running overclocked, but overclocks at least to 3.3

4. Power supply is Inspire 500 W, but this is not relevant, since people
describe exactly the same problem with all brands of power supplies
including Antec, and others.

5. Again, the same probem occurs in all sorts of configurations.

6. The BIOS is the newest for this board, v. 1019. Upgrading the BIOS from
older version did not do anything to this behavior.

The problem is:

The system halts at POST with the message "System failed CPU test". After
recycling power, most of the time it starts normally. However, on occasion,
need to repeat the power cycle. Recently even four times.

Sometimes starts the first time.

The problem did not occur for the first month or so. Now nearly every time.
According to some people with this problem, it will get worse until no go.

This occurs only at the first start of the day. After started, keeps
running, and can be turned off and restarted without a problem.



Happy New Year.

XZV
 
I had the same issue and replaced the board with another and it works fine.
Try removing the CPU and reseating it first to see if that helps.

Good Luck
 
"s44" said:
I wish someone could help, but I do strongly believe that this is a defect
that can only be cured by replacing that motherboard with one that works. I
did mention that I've read a lot of messages from people with this problem
who spent a lot of effort trying to fix it and no one suceeded. I had many
devices of all sorts that had defects, but never dealt with a total wall of
silence. I wrote email and called ASUS and there was zero response. The sign
of a lousy company is when they tell you they'll call back, and when their
web site doesn't work. I don't trust a fruitcake maker without a web site,
but a computer-related company with a part-dead website?

So everyone is welcome to help, but I don't hold my breath. I posted not to
complain or even to get help, but to give a warning (community service) and
express my amazement at a technology company that has no technical support.

As to the actual nature of the defect, my personal guess is that due to the
use of low quality parts the power supply to the CPU on the motherboard is
failing. Most likely it's the use of garbage-quality electrolytic
capacitors. In fact, it turns out it is not uncommon that these capacitors
leak like used batteries on some of the motherboards assembled by these
"famous makers from Taiwan". Several months after they leave their shop.
Click to expand...

You should check Homey's site - http://motherboardrepair.com/
Notice how Asus is not listed as using crappy capacitors.
Set your mind at ease. Homey repairs large numbers of motherboards,
but Asus is a tiny part of his business.
So here it is:

1. P4C800 Deluxe bought last year (2004).
Click to expand...

See suggestion at bottom of posting...
2. Runs a pentium 4 Northwood 3 Ghz/512/800 1.55 V max

3. Is not running overclocked, but overclocks at least to 3.3

4. Power supply is Inspire 500 W, but this is not relevant, since people
describe exactly the same problem with all brands of power supplies
including Antec, and others.
Click to expand...

Is not relevant until the power supply fails :-) Power supply
failures are more common than motherboard failures, and are the
first part to swap out of a system. In the 500W class, there
are a number of dodgy brands to stay away from.
5. Again, the same probem occurs in all sorts of configurations.

6. The BIOS is the newest for this board, v. 1019. Upgrading the BIOS from
older version did not do anything to this behavior.

The problem is:

The system halts at POST with the message "System failed CPU test". After
recycling power, most of the time it starts normally. However, on occasion,
need to repeat the power cycle. Recently even four times.

Sometimes starts the first time.

The problem did not occur for the first month or so. Now nearly every time.
According to some people with this problem, it will get worse until no go.

This occurs only at the first start of the day. After started, keeps
running, and can be turned off and restarted without a problem.



Happy New Year.

XZV
Click to expand...
<<snip>>

A long time ago, there was a problem with the P4C800 deluxe
- see the post by Mechabouncer in this thread. This only applied
to the first few thousand boards. The solder short is somewhere
around the plastic stiffener for the CPU, on the underside of the
board. The picture is with the plastic part removed, showing how
the hot solder got distorted enough to touch an adjacent solder
joint.

http://www.techsupportforums.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=41955
http://web.archive.org/web/20040227200251/http://koti.mbnet.fi/~nightops/eki/DSC00249.JPG

If the solder is partially touching, this can overload the +12V
from the power supply. Either fix the solder blobs yourself, if
you have a high wattage power supply, or do the right thing, and
RMA the board to Asus for one which is soldered properly. The
above JPEG picture shows the bottom of the motherboard, with the
plastic piece removed. Even without removing the plastic, you
should be able to see whether the solder was pinched while the
board was soldered with the plastic in place. If the solder
looks pinched, you can then have a look underneath it, to see if
it is partially shorted.

The Asus 3 year warranty should sort out most problems. The one
exception might be getting a replacement board, if you mess up
a LGA775 processor socket :-)

HTH,
Paul
 
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