PCI Post Card code "3P"

[qwerty642]

Okay I'm working on a custom built machine, the board says a MSI 648max, and the BIOS sticker reads:
"686
AMIBIOS
1999
BX79
7 0 3 1"

When booting the machine there is no display or any beeps (I've even reset the cmos and removed the ram still with no beeps) only the hard disk and fans spin. I popped in the PCI Post card and it reads a code of "3P" but i can not find any matching code for "3P" in the AMIBIOS section.

Any help would be greatly appreciated     
 

[fwilson]

qwerty642,

I can not find the specific checkpoint code 3P either.  In the AMI BIOS the 3x series of BIOS chekpoint codes all seem to be memory related.  I would check to make sure the memory is compatible and/or try different RAM.

-Fred

[colinc]

Something to think about:

The POST card displays the values in hex. 3P is not a valid hex value. If I stand on my head, it looks like dE, which is a valid hex value. Unfortunately, DE is not a publicly documented standard AMI BIOS code. It may be a custom MSI specific or chipset specific code that is not publicly documented.

The Dx series of POST codes relate to the bootblock initialization checkpoints. The bootblock initialization code sets up the chipset, memory and other components before system memory is available. So I think that would point to a motherboard component or chipset failure, or even the RAM, as it gets initialized during this part of POST. I would try swapping the RAM if you have a comparable module available, and then retest.

Hope some of that is useful.

~Colin