VOGONS


First post, by MrSzalonna

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I have a motherboard that I got back in 2024. I ordered a Pentium 3 off Ebay, but the motherboard in question doesn't supports it. Then I bought a Pentium 2, but that didn't seem to work. The board turns the PSU on by default. The board doesn't beep. The CPU and graphics adapter get hot.
When I changed it from the recovery bios to the main bios, it didn't start the PSU by default. But I had no luck. I spent 15 bucks on it so please help me.
The motherboard in question is:
https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/siemen … tem-board-d1064

Reply 1 of 5, by momaka

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Probably a rhetorical question, but I'll say it anyways: has the Cr2032 batter been checked and/or replaced? If good, does it make good contact in the battery holder it's in?
I find about half of my old P2/P3 -era motherboards will either self start and/or not POST if the CMOS battery is dead or missing.

If still nothing, try try the motherboard without RAM and GPU and have a speaker connected to the mobo's speaker header. When you do that, do you hear any beeps to indicate an error / failed POST? If not, how about try a different PSU.... or if that's not available to you as an option currently, can you at least tell us what power supply (brand and model) you are using with the motherboard?

Lastly, does the motherboard appear to be in good condition? Any scratched traces on the back or frond? Are any of the electrolytic capacitors bulging?

Hopefully this should narrow it down a bit. Let us know what you find in regards to the above questions.

Reply 2 of 5, by dionb

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When I changed it from the recovery bios to the main bios

What recovery BIOS/main BIOS? The Siemens D1064 board in the link only has a single (soldered 😦 ) BIOS EEPROM. SW1/2 toggles it between normal operation and recovery mode. Those both operate on the same BIOS.

Maybe step back: you say "working board", but in your post it doesn't sound like you ever saw it working. How are you sure it's working?

Also, which P2 did you have? Early P2 CPUs had unlocked multipliers so you need to set the correct ones on the board. Did you do that? And how do you know the CPU(s) are working?

Reply 3 of 5, by MrSzalonna

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momaka wrote on 2025-01-14, 23:34:
Probably a rhetorical question, but I'll say it anyways: has the Cr2032 batter been checked and/or replaced? If good, does it ma […]
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Probably a rhetorical question, but I'll say it anyways: has the Cr2032 batter been checked and/or replaced? If good, does it make good contact in the battery holder it's in?
I find about half of my old P2/P3 -era motherboards will either self start and/or not POST if the CMOS battery is dead or missing.

If still nothing, try try the motherboard without RAM and GPU and have a speaker connected to the mobo's speaker header. When you do that, do you hear any beeps to indicate an error / failed POST? If not, how about try a different PSU.... or if that's not available to you as an option currently, can you at least tell us what power supply (brand and model) you are using with the motherboard?

Lastly, does the motherboard appear to be in good condition? Any scratched traces on the back or frond? Are any of the electrolytic capacitors bulging?

Cmos is 3.1v, which is low, but acceptable. I broke the speaker and just tried to fix it, so I don't think there are any beeps. The board is in good condition. Traces are fine and there are no lraking caps.

Reply 4 of 5, by MrSzalonna

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dionb wrote on 2025-01-15, 01:03:
What recovery BIOS/main BIOS? The Siemens D1064 board in the link only has a single (soldered :X ) BIOS EEPROM. SW1/2 toggles it […]
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When I changed it from the recovery bios to the main bios

What recovery BIOS/main BIOS? The Siemens D1064 board in the link only has a single (soldered 😦 ) BIOS EEPROM. SW1/2 toggles it between normal operation and recovery mode. Those both operate on the same BIOS.

Maybe step back: you say "working board", but in your post it doesn't sound like you ever saw it working. How are you sure it's working?

Also, which P2 did you have? Early P2 CPUs had unlocked multipliers so you need to set the correct ones on the board. Did you do that? And how do you know the CPU(s) are working?

Thanks for the bios info. I got the motherboard from a reputable source and the CPU is from Ebay in perfect condition. Things get warm, even the CPU. I think I'll get a a post analyzer card.

Reply 5 of 5, by dionb

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What makes a reputable source isn't that everything always works, but that they sort it out if things don't. With old stuff like this you never know for sure until you've seen it working. I'd treat both motherboard and CPU as untested until you've been able to get them working. Things getting warm is a good sign, but by no means sufficient to conclude components fully work.

A POST card is always a good tool to have.

Did you see my comment on correct CPU settings on motherboard needed for earlier P2 CPUs? Which one do you have?