GigaByte GA-EP45-DS3R BIOS Code CE

[bigbeark]

This is a socket 775 with FSB 1600 DDR2 1200 capability.

The board starts up, displays BIOS Code CE, then shuts down, then starts again, CE, shuts down continuously til I turn off the PSU switch.

I could not find BIOS Code CE. I found one site that reference it as an OEM code related to BIOS.

I believe the BIOS Reader shows CE, but it's the next operation that causes the shutdown.

There is no damage to the motherboard, all the pins in the LGA are present and not damaged.

The CPU is an E4500 which is supported acccording to the Gigabyte website.

I tested it with and without HDD. Video card is known good. I've never known Socket 775 to be real fussy about Ram. I am using dual-sided Kingston KVR which tested good in other boards.

Any ideas?

[piernov]

Re: GigaByte GA-EP45-DS3R BIOS Code CE

Beeping without RAM?

DDR2 compatibility can be quite a pain sometimes depending on the board and the CPU

[bigbeark]

Re: GigaByte GA-EP45-DS3R BIOS Code CE

Beeping without RAM?

DDR2 compatibility can be quite a pain sometimes depending on the board and the CPU

Piernov:

with no ram installed, exactly the same sequence. Fan spins up, Bios card shows "CE", system shuts down. if not powered down, the sequence happens continously.

So this must be happening before the Ram is checked!

[momaka]

Re: GigaByte GA-EP45-DS3R BIOS Code CE

Remove 12V 4-pin CPU power connector and try turning on the board again (with or without RAM, doesn't matter.) Does the board stay on or still stuck with CE code?

Generally, this starting and stopping could be a CPU detection error. Since you mentioned all pins in the CPU socket are fine, check voltage going to the CPU (i.e. CPU V_core) when the board powers up and right before it shuts down. For this, of course, you will need to plug back the 12V 4-pin CPU power connector. Does CPU V_core appear correct for your CPU? (Usually 1.2-1.3V for Core 2 Duo, IIRC.)

Also, are you using Intel stock heatsink with push pins? If yes, take off heatsink and remove the plastic push pins completely from the heatsink. Then lay the motherboard flat on your test bench and put the CPU heatsink on the CPU without clamping it down. Sometimes those push pins put too much tension on the motherboard and can break the BGA on the CPU socket. Trying on the heatsink without clamping it down may restore those BGA connectiors. On that note, see if the BIOS code changes.

Also, if you don't have any prior history to the motherboard... perhaps someone did a bad flash on the BIOS? On that note, I see this is a DualBIOS motherboard. Have you tried booting with the other (backup) BIOS selected?

[bigbeark]

Re: GigaByte GA-EP45-DS3R BIOS Code CE

momaka, embarrassing discovery. I compared this motherboard to another socket 775 and this one is missing a pin in the second row fourth column assuming the bottom of the socket has the two cutouts for the cpu at right angles to it.

No idea how I missed this, other than 74-year old eyes. Thanks so much for helping!