From: Barry Watzman on
Re: "The code is register based, until ...."

That is an assumption on your part. And in some cases it may be true.

But if you are familiar with writing assembly language code, and you
know what goes into a BIOS, you would also know that on a modern
motherboard, it is impossible to get to the point where the single
success "beep" is issued without having a stack and the ability to call
subroutines.

Modern motherboards require FAR too much initialization before memory
can be sized or tested (even superficially) to allow you to get very far
using entirely register based code. Can you get some kind of error beep
out while still in entirely register based code? Depends on how much
priority the code writers put on that particular objective. Yes, I have
seen boards that would issue a beep with no memory at all. But in my
own [fairly extensive] experience, they are the exception, not the rule.
Most commonly, with no memory at all, you get absolutely nothing.


Paul wrote:
> Barry Watzman wrote:
>> Some memory is normally required. Without memory (RAM) the CPU cannot
>> establish a stack and cannot execute subroutine calls (or, more
>> correctly, the returns from those calls). This will usually prevent
>> even the POST single beep.
>>
>
> The code is register based, until memory is commissioned. The
> memory is not running, at startup. There is setup to be done
> first. And it can beep, with the memory missing.
>
> Paul
From: TJ on
maybe a faulty PSU? did you tried another one?
From: GMAN on
In article <uNGdnUCR1PJfEh3WnZ2dnUVZ_qWdnZ2d(a)giganews.com>, Bill Anderson <billanderson601(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
>What is required to make a beep?
>
>Processor (and fan unless you're living dangerously)
>Power supply
>Stick of memory
>
>Anything else? Is a video card required?
>
>I'm still having my crazy problem in which my P5K Deluxe system won't
>post. It's getting worse. I cannot believe the problem is my power
>supply as I have two power supplies and when I switch them out the
>problem continues unchanged. I even RMA'd one of them and it came back
>untouched -- they could find no problem.
>
>I want to strip the system down to the barest essentials and add things
>one at a time to figure out what makes it fail. Problem is, failure is
>intermittent so this problem is a tough one to pin down.
>
You are connecting the 4pin connector to the board correct?
From: Bill Anderson on
TJ wrote:
> maybe a faulty PSU? did you tried another one?

Thanks, TJ, but I have two power supplies and the computer behaves
exactly the same no matter which one I use. I suppose it's possible
both could be failing in exactly the same way, but I think that's unlikely.

--
Bill Anderson

I am the Mighty Favog
From: Bill Anderson on
GMAN wrote:
> In article <uNGdnUCR1PJfEh3WnZ2dnUVZ_qWdnZ2d(a)giganews.com>, Bill Anderson <billanderson601(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
>> What is required to make a beep?
>>
>> Processor (and fan unless you're living dangerously)
>> Power supply
>> Stick of memory
>>
>> Anything else? Is a video card required?
>>
>> I'm still having my crazy problem in which my P5K Deluxe system won't
>> post. It's getting worse. I cannot believe the problem is my power
>> supply as I have two power supplies and when I switch them out the
>> problem continues unchanged. I even RMA'd one of them and it came back
>> untouched -- they could find no problem.
>>
>> I want to strip the system down to the barest essentials and add things
>> one at a time to figure out what makes it fail. Problem is, failure is
>> intermittent so this problem is a tough one to pin down.
>>
> You are connecting the 4pin connector to the board correct?

Yes indeed. Remember, failure is intermittent. It wouldn't work at all
without that 4 pin connector. Actually it's an 8-pin connector with my
newer PC Power and Cooling PSU and 4 pin with my older one. Either
connector works.

--
Bill Anderson

I am the Mighty Favog