[Napdog]

I've just build a new system. Asus p5n-em hdmi motherboard, core 2 duo E8500 processor. I boot the system for the first time, and get the asus splash screen. I then press del. to get to my BIOS setup. Then, trying to navigate in the BIOS, after I press a couple of the arrow key it hangs. I reboot, and get to the splash screen and hit the Tab key, and a white line appears in the top left hand corner of the screen. The screen flickers a few times, and nothing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Hi there and welcome to the forums.

Try running through all the steps in this thread, see if any help.

Post back with any results.

Cheers

Troy

[Troy]

Hi there and welcome to the forums.

Try running through all the steps in this thread, see if any help.

Post back with any results.

Cheers

Troy

[warriorscot]

Lol where did you find that old gem troy, that thread actually has my first ever post on g2g in it, can't believe that was only three years ago feels like a lifetime.

What it seems to me from first glance is one or more of a few problems:
1.Your PSU is giving bad power to the board
2.The CPU is overheating and hitting its failsafe point
3.The Bios is bad and needs flashed
4The board is bad and needs an RMA

Because you can get into Bios in the first place is what leads me to the above problems, there are allot of other problems that cause failure to boot but because the system is booting and then crashing it leads me to those four.

If its the PSU, the only way to properly check that is replacing it with one you know works if it does its a PSU problem RMA and get a new one. You could also check all the voltages and outputs yourself but if you had the knowledge and equipment to do that you probably wouldn't be on here asking for help. You can also do it the other way if you have a system that you don't mind if it gets toasted and try the suspect PSU with that system that you know works.

If its the CPU try removing the heat sink and cleaning off the thermal compound on it put on fresh stuff then reseat the heat sink. If still no go probably not the heat although the CPU may be a duffer in those cases the system just won't start but its something to keep in mind if nothing else is broken.

Being unable to boot I am unsure as to if it will load its flashing utility but you can get a pre flashed chip from Asus to install, they did this for some people on boards with allot of problems as it was quicker than an RMA and cheaper for both parties.

If its duffed or you just can't flash it and nothing else works RMA it, Asus is a bit iffy when it comes to Nvidia sometimes, they make good boards but they can have quite a high number of RMAs with some.

[Troy]

Lol where did you find that old gem troy, that thread actually has my first ever post on g2g in it, can't believe that was only three years ago feels like a lifetime.

Why, it's one of the stickies right underneath my system building sticky!

Edited by troy, 09 September 2008 - 07:32 AM.

[warriorscot]

Just goes to show nobody reads the stickies, Doby was the master of those little canned hardware troubleshooting speeches, he had a great one on checking CPU temperatures by feel.

Nice guide, I was always tempted to write one myself but I am always to keen with my own builds I just get stuck right in. Mind you where is your Anti-stat bracelet setting a bad example you always think you don't need one till the day you fry 200 quid CPU. AND you forgot the most important tool when PC building, A cup of tea and digestive biscuit at regular intervals.