No boot

[KA3]

this is a really strange problem.... when i put my 512mb pc3200 in the first slot of my abit ic7 max3 board, it will not boot. i tried clearing the cmo and even removing the battery, no luck. however, when i move the ram to the second slot it starts to boot, then freezes while loading windows. the third slot gets a little further into booting windows. finally, the fourth slot will boot and the machine runs seemingly stable... can run doom 3 and numerous benchmarks, including sisoft sandra memory benchmark. alas, if the box is bumped (i.e. i move it and it jerks a little perhaps) it will no longer boot until i clear the cmos and have the ram in the fourth slot. im am completely baffled by this. i might consider buying a new board, but i would want to move up to the new intel chipsets with pcix and that is too much of an investment since it would also require a new processor and ram. thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[RealBlackStuff]

Slot 1 is nearest the CPU.

Is that the one where it boots from OK?

Are you sure you have the memorystick pressed in all the way?
Are the white levers on the outside of the slot "locked" into the cutouts on the memorystick?

 

[KA3]

slot one is closest to the cpu, but that us the one that does not boot. slot four (the one that does boot) is furthest from the cpu. the stick has been pressed into the slot with the levers locked in every time i have had these problems. thanks.

 

[RealBlackStuff]

If your mobo is still under warranty, apply for RMA to return it, otherwise I think the chipset (North- or Southbridge) may be fried.
One of them has a cooler (fins or fan). Make sure it is connected properly (feel it if it is hot)

 

[KA3]

do you have any idea how that could have happened? this problem seemed to just come out of the blue. Also, do you think that there is any chance that it is caused by the PS? BTW, I love Guinness! thanks.

 

[Didou]

Are you trying to run that board with only one stick of Ram ? It needs two memory modules to fundtion properly as it cannot run in Single channel mode (for some reason the i865 chipset can, but the i875 cannot).

 

[KA3]

I am running the system with a single stick of ddr400 ram. I was using this configuration for several months with no prolems though, so i dont think it has to have two sticks.