Mega 180 beeps, no POST

Ok I guess I need to sit down and tell you the whole story. I have a Mega 180 system that worked fine for two months (heck the best system I ever had) I decided to put the all in wander graphics card in to the system. I was going to the AGP slot of the motherboard of the mega 180. I went to the bios and saw something about high performance and about the AGP 8X knowing that my graphics card is for the 8X I decided to hit that save the Bios and shut down the system to put in the AGP card. After installing the card I started up my system and I got nothing to the screen, then the Mega made beep ever 3 secs. I shutdown the system by pulling the power plug. Waited 10-15 sec and tried it again, still no screen and the beeps. I pulled the plug again and uninstalled the graphics card. I again started the Mega up and switch the monitor hookups back to the built in graphs card. Still no screen and the beeps. My next guess was it had something to do with the Bios. I did the whole jumper thing and still got the no screen and the beeps. I even pulled out the battery and unplugged the power supply to the motherboard and waited 24 hours. Hooked back up everything installed the battery and powered up the system. And got no screen and the beeps.  Ok maybe it is something elese so my sister having the same Mega as I do a 180(and thanks again sis for you help and the trust to use you mega as a test base) I pulled every thing out of my mega 180 and installed it in her’s. I put in the Memory, processor, hard drive, DVD-ROM. It worked with out a flaw it was just like before. I even tested the graphics card with out going to the bios (real trust from my sis or did I not say this is what messed up mine oh well) and the graphics card worked fine. So after another time spent I put back together my mega 180 (with out the graphics card in the AGP slot) and still got the no screen and the beeps. I then tested what the on line forms asked. I tried to put in other graphics cards in the other slot to see if it was looking there for a card, no luck. Then I took the hold thing down to BEST BUY (they have helped out before good Guys there)  and they spent all day messing around trying to clear the bios and trying different memory and different graphic cards and no luck. They said to call in the warranty and see what MSI will do. (They did not charge me a thing for their time, and many of them I know want one now too even with this mess up I think this is the best thing out there in the world of pcs)
Ok so that bring us here and I thought to give you guys here a try be for I go ask MSI
Again thanks to all that help, I wish I could do more then say thank you.
Heck one more thing I would have done the redo of the flash the bios thing with the new file but the mega 180 does not have a floppy drive so no A drive.

Thanks for splitting this from the other topic to avoid any confusion.
I did use a can of air when I rebuilt my mega 180 after I tested all the parts in my sister Mega 180. And best buy looked over every thing and did not see any thing wrong.   (four eyes always are better then mine) At this point I’m out of ideas thanks again for all you help guys.   I guess I’ll send an email to MSI today and see what they say. (in a year or two I’ll hear something)   I thought it would be fair to start here before going to MSI. In all, I hope this is truly a rear thing that happens to mega 180's   for I still say this the best case to get. I love this case and I got two of my friends to buy one and my sister has one. We all love our Mega's a lot.   (Heating can be fixed with a little work ok) And the radio rocks and the looks cant be beat. I will keep you all updated and again if you all have any ideas please post them here you never know one day this might happen to you.

Similar Messages

  • MEGA 180 Beeps on PC power on

    When I power on the MEGA180 PC mode nothing happens except a repetative beep at 1 second intervals.
    I've changed the RAM, removed my AGP card & TV card but that hasn't helped.
    I'll remove everything else tomorrow and reseat it all but was wondering if anyone has any hints/pointers or nuggets of wisdom to help me out....

    http://bioscentral.com/beepcodes/awardbeep.htm
    sounds like ram to me
    read stickies top of nforce forum

  • Mega 180 no post/video

    o_0I've looked over the forum and I haven't found anything that could help (but if you know of a thread that has pertinent info then do tell).  Anyway I've been working on my Mega 180 on and off for about a month and I still can't get it to post.  I think all of my jumpers are correct and I've tried to dismantle component by component, but no avail (the only thing I got was some beep codes when I took out the ram).  
    I can tell you that the HD seems to grind a bit, the lights to the keyboard flicker on, and the fans spin when I power up (but no video...nuttin').  I even bought another processor just to make sure it wasn't that.  
    Could just be a general problem but I was just wondering if there was a persistent issue with the Mega 180s that could prevent it from booting.  
    I've built a few computers and I figured all those out, but this one is bothering me.  Thanks for any help.  
    By the the way I got:
    Athlon 3000+
    2x256mb Generic DDR2700
    80mb Generic IDE HD
    Memorex CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
    Thanks for any help.

    Anyone ever get one of these mega 180's to post/work with only a single stick of ram?  Or, am I going to find myself going to buy a second stick tomorrow?  I might be able to get my hands on a second stick tonight, who knows though.
    I'm having the same situation described above.  The monitor I am using indeed works, as it is on a KVM.  I have tried both VGA ports on the unit, to no avail.  I have also tried both PCI and AGP graphic cards, and still no avail.  The only beep is when I remove the RAM.  *sigh*
    cpu: amd barton 2500ish..
    ram: 1x corsair 256mb pc2700
    hdd: 120gb wd
    cd: p.o.s. that is sittin plugged because it died on me when trying to troubleshoot this thing.
    cpu and ram were just taken from a working PC that I decided to scrap, as I wasn't using it.
    I'm too tired to keep playing with this tonight.  So far, I feel I just bought a $300 radio that isnt worth $300.
    ...just tried another stick of ram, a generic 256mb.. it's a pc3200, but it was just laying there, asking to be tried.  still, no go.
    ok then guys.  just ignore me.  i decided to take the whole darned thing apart, to see the board in it's entirety, thinking maybe something was out of place or something...
    i get it stripped, and to my disappointment, nothing.  a rather bare board.  so, i mount it all back as I think it should go.  for giggles, i decide to boot it up (original equipment, mind you...only now, alchohol is in my system.)  and, i suddenly get post.  o_O
    lets hope it statys that way. :D

  • Mega 180 Dead ?? Wont POST, HIFI Works. [SOLVED]

    Hiya all, was wondering if anyone can help me out.
    Been running a MSI Mega 180 for a couple of years now, without a problem, the system consisted of the following parts.
    MSI Mega 180
    AMD Athlon CPU
    512MB Ram
    40GB HDD
    Sony DVD-ROM
    This morning i carried out a small upgrade on my other system, which left my a Pioneer DVD Burner (DVR-108) spare, so i decided to swap out the old Sony Reader from my Mega180.  I removed all the leads, opened h case and swapped out the drives.  Upon plugging the Mega 180 back in the PC fired up as if the power button had been pressed.  However it didn't boot i got a long beep from the unit followed by a 5 second gap then another long beep, i assume that this repeats, i didn't want to leave it beeping for ages.
    I have since removed the DVD Burner, HDD and the RAM and am still getting the beeping, i have searched around the forum but cannot find the exact same problem.  Is is the Power Supply that has died, the motherboard or the CPU??
    The HIFI mode still works, and reads Cd's from the new drive.  The Burner also spins up, ejects and closes while the PC is beeping, the HDD also spins up.
    I have removed the HDD, DVD and all the internal casing to check the motherboard visually and all seems fine. here is my problem (the stock PSU is being used just connected externally)
    http://s177.photobucket.com/albums/w237/Rich_Lumb/?action=view&current=Mega180beep.flv
    (The quality is a bit poor all the beeps are the same tone/length/volume
    Can anyone help me out??
    I cant test the CPU as all my other systems are Pentium 4's, if i can ascertain that it is the CPU i will go buy another, i dont want to waste any money if i dont need one though.
    Thanks Again,
    Rich

    SOLVED IT (I Think)
    Was looking through the forums and found a unlucky fella with the same beeping as me, he fixed it by swapping the RAM.
    I swapped the RAM from slot one to two, that DIDNT fix it so back into one again, the 180 then stopped turning itself on when i plugged in the Power Lead, the power button turned on the power but nothing on screen, also no beeping, strange
    another CMOS clear later and the machine showed up the MSI onscreen branding and loaded the default CMOS Setting after pressing F1 up came Windows.
    So i dont know what caused this, i might go again, i just dont know (i'm backing up incase)
    Is it my PSU thats on its way out??
    Will keep you posted
    Rich.

  • Mega PC 651 - no POST beep, no booting! another one!!

    Mega PC 651 - no POST beep, no booting!  
    I have looked at the forum and seen several postings similar, but nothing I have read helps
    The MEGA PC651 is built with the following
    Intel Pentium 4 2.4ghz 533mhz SKT478  1mg cache Retail Boxed Processor
    Maxtor 6Y080L0 Plus 9  80GB 7200rpm UDMA133
    DVD Samsung 52x32x52x16x Int IDE Combo
    RAM Ebuyer 256MB DDR333 PC2700 Extra Value Ram (x two)
    Not sure if the P4 processor is compatible, it has 1MB of cache. does that make it a Prescott, I can't seem to find out. the tag on the box reads BX80546PE2400ESL7YP
    I do not get any POST beep,  the cpu fan or the HDD does not run when I push the  PC power button, in fact the only thing that starts is the power suply fan. The Hi-Fi Part works fine. I can't shut shut down the PC-part with the power switch, have to unplug the cable.
    Is the problem the processor or the mother board
    Tried clearing the CMOS but no change
    Thanks in advance

    A Celeron 320 is a Celeron D, as far as I know and so it is also not supported.
    Have a look at the official MSI Mega Pc page and you'll find a cpu-support list

  • [SOLVED] Mega 180 + AGP additional card = beeps and no boot

    Hy, I've just got a mega 180 that works just fine ... with no agp card ...
    If I plug an additional card into it, like the basic 6600, the pc won't boot and beeps will be heared.
    These are : beeep (1-2 sec), ... (2 or 3 sec), beep, ..., and so on ...
    Again, if there is no additional card, it works just fine.
    I've tried it with an old xentor 2 card --> same result.
    Is there any bios setup ?
    Anything to do ?
    Plz help ! :-)
    Config :
    bios v3.5
    sempron 2500+
    2*256 corsair high speed
    80Go HD
    Leadtek 6600TD 128Mo

    Quote from: VieuxEd on 22-April-05, 18:11:09
    3. Can you get into the bios, and change the settings to not use the onboard (don't remember the exact words, but it's somewhere in there, see the manual if you cant find it).
    I've been looking at it but could not find it ! --> can you please tell me the right setup ?
    Is it anyway possible to make the mega pc 180 work with the onboard Graphic card and an additional one at the same time ?
    Because right now, with the beeps, I don't have access to the bios.
    So I will have to setup first the bios with no additional agp card (setup not to use onboard) and then turn it off and then plug the agp card
    Coul it be possible for the agp plug to be broken ?
    It's not impossible that the AGP slot is broken, but I would try other things first.
    As you say, you can change the BIOS to use AGP card, shut it down, plug in the AGP card, and power on.
    Chapter 3.8 in the manual (avaible @ http://www.msi.com.tw). Please work with me... 
    You can also try to fiddle around a bit with the other AGP settings and see what happens....

  • Mega 180 garbled

    About a week ago my 180 shut itself off. Ever since, on reboot the display is flickering and the text garbled. This happens at POST and in the BIOS, before Windows loads (I've removed the HDD now as I believe it is dead - this may be what caused the initial shutdown).
    By garbled, I mean that many characters are incorrectly displayed. For example, the word "BIOS" displays as "BIOC"; the letter S always displays as C.
    I have tried resetting the CMOS by removing the battery and flashing the BIOS in the hope of recovering it (not fun when the display is garbled). I still have the same problem.
    Help. Please.

    I had to "borrow" some replacement PC2700 memory from my machine at work. This solves the problem 
    It seems that BOTH of the Corsair memory sticks are faulty - I've tried each of them individually, one gives the "garbled" problem and the other is dead (mobo just beeps away at me). 
    BTW the HDD is not completely broken - I've managed to install it as a slave in another machine to recover some files. Seems there's just something wrong in the Windows startup (MBR appears to be OK as the Mega starts to boot Windows (XP)).
    I'll be paying close attention to the "Things to Know Before Building Your Mega 180" thread when purchasing new memory and putting everything back together. I plan to get a bigger HDD & TV Card and get my Mega hooked up to my TV. Something I was looking into when it died. Now I can look into it again with a big smile on my face 
    Thanks Stu! 

  • MEGA 180 and Radeon 9800 Pro/XT

    Haven't posted in a while, just wanted to spread a little good. Having a MEGA 180 is a little limiting with power supply and space issues etc but i've got a cracking setup working here :-)
    I bought the MSI RX9800PRO TD128, despite a 300watt power supply warning for the card it works perfectly in the MEGA, but the good news doesn't stop there, the graphics chip is not a standard 9800PRO R350 core, for some reason it has the R360 core from the 9800XT, overclocking is a breeze with the ATI Tool. It comes default with a 378 core - 338 mem setting, I have saved a profile in ATI Tool with the XT settings of 412 core - 365 mem and they work a treat in UT, Q3, Tomb AOD and i've even stressed the card in 3DMark05 for quite some time and it just works, I dare say I could push it even higher but I'm happy getting XT performance for PRO money :-)
    Overclocker New Zealand have even managed to get it up to an insane 479 core - 391.5 mem see http://www.overclockers.co.nz/ocnz/review.php?id=04vga00r9800promsi00000r9800pro0105
    There is also another great thread all about this card at http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showindex.php?t=118366&highlight=rx9800
    The ATI Tool is quite good, i've even created a profile for 2D that is underclocked for when I'm in windows so it keeps my system a little cooler with the XT settings set to kick in when I start up 3D, coupled with a Barton 2800+, 1Gb of PC2700 and the 120Gb Maxtor with 8Mb of cache and it is all just working well together, Win XP Pro with SP2 is rock solid, well it is for me anyway, :-)
    Couple of things to know.
    Win XP finds the RX as an XT, so no need to try and flash the bios, it isn't an XT PCB anyway, just an XT core.
    As there is no heat sensor for the core ATIs Overdrive isn't available but you can get the ATI Tool from loads of places on the net, here is a link anyway http://www.techpowerup.com/atitool/
    happy at last :-)
    J.

    Dont know if this will help but I had the same problem awhile back with an Asus A7N8X deluxe that I built for a friend.   Sometimes it would initiate the monitor and others it would not.   This drove me nuts for about a week, I tried everything that I could think of.   This is what I did to remedy the situation somewhat.  
    Go to the ATI website and download the catalyst removal software and also download the Catalyst 3.7 driver from there "older" drivers page.
    Now boot into windows and remove the ATI drivers and control panel from add remove programs, DO NOT REBOOT!  
    Run the ATI driver removal tool.
    Shut down the machine, REMOVE THE POWER CORD,clear cmos, set the jumper for CPU fsb to 100mhz (safemode)  and REMOVE your ram.   Boot the machine, you will get a series of beeps indicating that the memory is not installed. Shut the machine down, REMOVE THE POWER CORD, Put the memory back in, reset the CPU fsb jumper to its normal position,  and clear Cmos again.  (this series of actions  also solved my no display issue on my Mega 180 using the onboard graphics).
    Now boot into bios and set it up the way you want then boot into windows and when windows tells you that it has found new hardware do not let it automatically install anything (cancel it).  Now run the 3.7 catalyst setup and follow the instructions.
    I am not sure why this worked to solve the issue but it did for me on both my Mega and the above mentioned system.   I think there may be some odd conflict with the Nforce chipset and the ATI drivers and or Card bios.
    Why it worked on my Mega is a mystery, I am using the onboard graphics and would have the system turn on with fans working and all but would have no display out.

  • MEGA 180 just died with a PEEP PEEP PEEEP!

    hi. i have the following components:
    MEGA 180
    point of view geforce4 ti4200 128mb
    512mb 133mhz ddr
    amd athlon xp 2800+ barton
    maxtor diamondplus 9 120gb
    40 minutes ago i tried to overclock my memory more than i had before. before my system was overclocked to 177mhz fsb, 12,5 multipler (~2200mhz CPU) and with a FSB:DRAM ratio 5:4 i had a 141mhz memory. i tried to put the DRAM ratio at 6:5 (147mhz memory) but i got no picture. so i reset the bios and booted the computer in the OC values that worked before. 20 minutes later i want to reboot my computer and when i rebooted it it did not give any picture and did just say PEEP PEEP PEEP all the time. i have tried to reset the bios, change the memory slot on the memory and removed the power cord. nothing has worked.

    Quote
    Originally posted by Normunds
    Quote
    Originally posted by Stu Online
    PEEP PEEP PEEP = memory failure
    is there any secret place in MSI web where these beeps are defined? Or perhaps it's common for all Award®-based BIOS-es?
    I believe Stu has a special relation with memory, he can sniff bad memory from miles away
    http://bioscentral.com/beepcodes/awardbeep.htm
    Beeps
     Error Message
     Description
    1long, 2 short Video adapter error Either video adapter is bad or is not seated properly.  Also, check to ensure the monitor cable is connected properly.
    Repeating (endless loop) Memory error Check for improperly seated or missing memory.
    1long, 3short No video card or bad video RAM Reseat or replace the video card.
    High frequency beeeps while running Overheated CPU Check the CPU fan for proper operation. Check the case for proper air flow.
    Repeating High/Low CPU Either the CPU is not seated properly or the CPU is damaged. May also be due to excess heat. Check the CPU fan or BIOS settings for proper fan speed.
    Ray  

  • Mega 180 - Ram Eater????

    Let me begin by saying *$*$%#@)!!!!!!!   OK, now that I got that out of my system, here's my problem.  My MEGA 180 eats RAM.
    You see, I built a Mega 180 with a single stick of RAM, 512 MB.  After a few days, the thing wouldn't boot.  It wouldn't even POST.  It just sounded a beep code that indicated bad RAM.  I took out the RAM, put it in a different machine and yeseereee, the RAM was indeed dead.  The stick is being RMA'd right now.
    So the machine would still be functional, I put in two sticks (256 MB each) of RAM, used the machine for a few more days and, you guessed it, I got the same POST beeps.  Well, one of my sticks went bad.  I took theses sticks from another machine and there was nothing wrong with them (there is now!).
    So, my first stick wasn't defective after all.  My Mega 180 is frying RAM.  I'm not overclocking the system or over volting the RAM.
    Has this happened to anyone else????  I'm guessing the motherboard is bad.  That means this will be the second time I've had to RMA this thing back to MSI  

    Hey jamierooney!
    I've had very few problems with the NEC drive, and the ones I do have might as well be related to the Mega - it's hard to know without trying another drive.
    In Windows everything works ok, though I've had the occasional famous "freeze", where the drive tray won't close after being opened. Seems to be bad drivers causing that one, and I've learnt to get around it in most cases.
    Burning DVD-R works as a charm, with quality 4x discs there are no problems burning in 8x.  
    The real annoyance right now occurs in hifi-mode; sometimes when playing an ordinary audio-cd the playback ends abruptly, and either "SEARCHING" or "NODISC" is shown in the LCD. This is the case with both original CD's as well as with CD-R copies, so it's not a matter of bad discs.
    But as I stated above, I don't really know if it's the drive or the Megas fault, but I will have to find a cure before my girlfriend gets really upset about it  
    -M

  • TV-Out on Mega 180 (Composite)

    Hi there,
    I just received my Mega 180 some days ago. So far I'm really satisfied. I just have one problem an perhaps you could help me.
    I at first used the S-Video out from Mega to my S-Video-Scart-In of my TV. That worked without problems.
    Now I wanted to use the Composite out instead of S-Video out from the Mega 180. So I connected a composite-adapter to the S-Video port and connected a composite cable to it. Now my TV only shows the picture black/white.
    I know that this is an issue connected with S-Video. So I changed in nvidia-driver the automatic detection to manual (composite). But whenever I change this, I just get a complete black screen. I tried this with many nvidia driver versions. All the same.
    And now the really misteryous thing: when I de-install the nvidia driver (graphic) and start windows with standard vga-mode, I have a colored picture with the mentioned composite out without having changed anything.
    Anyone has an idea? Thanks in advance.
    My Hardware:
    - MSI Mega 180
    - Athlon Sempron 2800
    - WinTV 350 PVR
    - 512 MB
    - onBoard graphicscard

    Quote
    I at first used the S-Video out from Mega to my S-Video-Scart-In of my TV. That worked without problems.
    Quote
    I want to use composite instead of s-video because my tv doesn't support s-video. It only supports composite.
    just re-reading this post has got me a little confused. are you now connecting to a different TV now?

  • Things to Know Before Building Your Mega 180

    Some people have asked me for a list of tips so here is my attempt---I'll ask Wonk to sticky it if it turns out OK....
    Feel free to PM me with more tips---I'll add as necessary....
    TIP SHEET FOR THE MEGA 180:
    So you bought that new Mega 180 and the docs leave a lot to be desired......Don't panic!!  Take a look at this tip sheet.  Should save you a lot of hours!
    RAM AND PROCESSOR:
    Several things here.....If you are going to use onboard video----you should NOT use higher RAM than PC 2700----waste of money to buy higher as the Nforce2 18G "Crush" was only designed to run no higher than with DDR333 RAM (PC2700).  Nvidia warns against it on their site.  I have personally experienced a LOT of problems when you try to run the onboard at DDR 400 (PC3200)----trashed Bios in most cases.  Also---the 18G and to some extent---"Dual Channel" is picky about memory----try to get a matched pair of DIMMS----and if you REALLY want to be on the safe side----go to Nvidias site and look up the page that lists known, compatable memory with the NForce2 chipsetNforce2 compatable memory.  I use A-Data 512 sticks---but they are hard to find.
    If you are going to use a Vidcard---then higher memory is just fine----but if you are NOT planning on overclocking-----there is really NO need for higher than PC2700 as the default bus for Barton 2800+ and below is FSB 166 (DDR333---PC 2700).
    Alyways run your RAM (Synch) 100%---do not play with dividers if you are using the onboard video.  If you have no clue what I just said----you are fine as the defaults will take care of this----this last was for overclockers.
    Processor----I like the cost of the Barton 2800+ right now----fast, cheap and even using the onboard and no overclocking----you have a fast machine that can do anything.  The 2800+ also leaves the door open for a slight overclock (I have not tried this yet) without too much stress on anything.
    LCD PANEL:
    Do Not----I say again----Do Not use the "welcome.exe" program----or ANY other program on ANY disk or the MSI website to do ANYTHING to your front panel.  That program is for the Mega 651 model and WILL TRASH YOUR LCD.  The LCD panel works just fine----it doesn't need any updating.
    If this advice is to late, the firmware fix is in here:
    https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?threadid=46355&sid=
    Do download and install the latest version of PC Alert MSI Mega 180 Downloads----works great with the front LCD panel and displays PC info nicely.
    Use the EQ mode buttons while playing in the HiFi mode----changes the sound a lot and also the display changes------COOL!
    OPTICAL DRIVE:
    Use an MSI optical drive----basically anything from MSI will work fine---some other drives are reported to work fine like a NEC 2500A----but if you use an MSI drive----you can't go wrong.  You might want to put the drive in another machine with a floppy first----and download and update that drive to the latest firmware (most will require a floppy to do that and the Mega 180 has none.)
    CABLE MANAGEMENT:
    Buy a dollar pack of cable ties and go to work-----make sure ALL cables are away from the front of the intake fan for the CPU----you want a very clear path to the cooler.  Less clutter---better airflow.  Better airflow----lower temps.
    CPU INSTALL:
    Get rid of the MSI thermal grease with some Goof Off or acetone-----and get some good Arctic Silver 3, AS5 or AS Ceramique.  Clean both the chip top and the bottom of the HS with denatured alcohol before applying the thermal grease.  You might also want to lapp the bottom of the HS which is not very well done----but I found it not necessary.  The HS/Fan unit is very easy to install----just rotate your screw down points as perscribed by the sticker on the cooler----don't tighten one screw all the way down----then go to the next.
    DRIVERS:
    I found the drivers on the install disk to be non-functional---- get the latest drivers from the MSI website (you can use Live Update for this) or go to http://www.nforcershq.com and get the latest Nforce2 Driver Remix from Morpheus1 or Mwarhead.
    DO NOT use the Nvidia SW IDE driver (say "No" when it asks you in the driver install)  Only use the ITB (In The Box) IDE driver----it's the default driver.  Your Optical device will probably not function correctly (eject, etc) with the Nvidia SW IDE driver.
    Nforce2 SoundStorm Drivers are a tricky topic----there are TONS of versions out there.... I've had the best luck so far with Drivers 4.31 (Off Microsoft Windows Updates---it was a Driver Update) and Audio Control Panel 4.31.  Nvidia has a driver update package now JUST for audio-----posted Here
    If you are having problems with Media Center III crashing----it seems to be a conflict between the SoundStorm Drivers and Media Center III,  Uninstall your Nvidia audio devices in the device manager (Three of them----there is one hidden---so go to view and "show hidden devices")  then reboot and let Windows rerecognize your devices and reload drivers.  This will solve most problems until Media Center II has another bad crash----in which case---you may have to do this procedure over again.  You can tell if it's really hosed up because the radio sound will come on automatically at boot----or you will have lost the SoundStorm Control Panel Icon in the SysTray.  I'm working on different versions of SoundStorm to see which works best---will update if I find anything new.  (Update)----4.31 seems to be the best but I still can'ttotally eliminate the crashing in Media Center III.
    Once you get your Lan device up and running (or your modem) Go to Windows Update and make sure you are completly updated with all latest window updates---If using WinXP-----you need to be at WinXP ServPack 1a when you are done.
    Use Windows Cleanup and Defrag when you are done----ESPECIALLY cleanup---to get rid of any left over temp files in the Mega----To get the BEST and most optimised defrag----run windows defrag at least three times in a row----maybe more----it will REALLY optimise the drive.
    TV CARD:
    The main TV Card designed for the Mega 180 is the MSI 8606-40 Mega TV Card----be careful to get it vice the other version of the MSI 8606 which is the MSI 8606-10 TV@anywhere Master.
    The Mega TV Card does not include a Radio while the 8606-10 DOES include a radio.  Since your Mega 180 already has a radio----you absolutely don't need or want the 8606-10 TV@anywhere Master.
    Do NOT use any drivers or software you receive with the Mega TV Card MSI 8606-40----just set the disks aside.  You will ONLY uses the drivers off the Mega 180 Install Disk.
    The Mega TV Card MUST be installed before the menu item for "Install TV Tuner Drivers" becomes visible on the Mega 180 install disk.
    Make sure your TV Card is hooked into the line called "Remote Control" within the Mega 180 itself----there is a small 3 inch connecting wire in the TV card box.
    The TV and Radio function well with the remote----but you must have MSI Media Center III installed.  I could not get the TV or the Radio to work without Media Center III.
    Upon initial setup of the TV within Media Center III---you may have to switch the source between cable and antenna to get the initial channels to auto scan.  Once done auto scanning---switch back to cable as source (assuming you have cable).
    Using the remote to force the TV screen to full screen:  When you use the up/down arrows on the remote----watch the menu items on the screen----the various menu item buttons will highlight as you hit the arrows.
    Once you have highlighted the little arrow button on the lower right of the screen----just below the TV display (it will turn green)----hit the ENTER key
    It goes to widescreen----hit the ENTER key again------it goes to fullscreen
    BTW, the remote works fine-----the trick is you HAVE to have Media Center III installed and available to be called for it to control the TV Card----Radio Etc.  It will start up normally when you push the TV button on the remote.
    BIOS SETTINGS:
    The defaults will mostly work.  One thing----to get BEST performance out of the NForce 2 Onboard video----set AGP to 128 and Set Frame Buffer to 128----I had crashes with almost any other video setting.  I'm still playing with PCI clock, voltages, and some other settings to get better stability-----will let you know.....
    6 CHANNEL SOUND
    Use all three ports in the back of the Mega 180 and then configure it using the SoundStorm Control Panel----Use the "Speaker Setup Wizard".  Check and adjust using the "Test Tone" button.  I'm using an inexpensive set of Analog Altec Lansing 5.1s----the sound is excellent.
    That's all for now----tell me what else you've found and I'll post.
    John

    My MSI MEGA 180 has a strange display on the monitor.
    I opened the boxed removed all items.
    Installed the CPU (supported on the CPU compatability list for the MSI MEGA 180), installed the heatsink & fan.
    Installed the HD drive.
    Installed the MSI DVD+/-RW
    Installed 1 DIMM module of DDR RAM PC2700 333MHZ 1GB
    Pushed the Power button for the PC and the desplay is corrupted.
    I tried the 4 possible configurations for Jumpers 7 and 8 to alter the FSB speed with no luck.
    I also tried the 4 different J7 and J8 configurations without having the HDD and DVD-RW drives connected - same result.
    I also tried the 4 different J7 and J8 configurations with the Secondary VGA output connected to my monitor.
    I also tried the 4 different J7 and J8 configurations with the S-Video output connected to my TV and no signal at all.
    Both my monitor and HDD work fine with my other PC.
    I noticed the jumper pins are not numbered - made the configuration job a bit more tedious.
    Please note the LCD screen works correctly, however the redio tuner in HiFi mode doesn't pick up any local stations.
    As I am a Software Test Engineer, I am 100% confident I have checked all possible configurations including clearing the CMOS, but the system simply will not display to the VDU. The POST should at least be visible when Power is turned on for the PC mode.
    NOTE: I will update the RAM Brand as soon as I find out the title from the supplier, but I believe it is OEM.
    NOTE II: this is the URL to the CPU used: http://www.excaliberpc.com/product_info.php?products_id=1798
    PLeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssss ssssssssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eee  help ease my pain!!

  • Mega 180 and Media Center III----looks perfect----is it??

    I DON'T want to shell out $1000 for cheap HP/Compaq or whatever which includes Media Center Edition
    But I DO like the look and features of Microsoft's Media Center Edition.
    In the Manual for the MEGA 180-----Media Center III looks perfect for what I want.
    Am thinking of a Mega 180 using onboard video, the MSI TV/Tuner Card, onboard SoundStorm---and a cheap Barton.  I already have 2 x 512 of NVidia recommended PC2700 RAM for use with the onboard and almost all other parts----but by the time I'm done----I'd be shelling out around $400
    The manual makes everything look good "on paper"----but I see from this forum their are "issues".
    Did/does MSI support the 651 model well??  Bios updates----utility and driver updates??
    This thing looks like a tremendous alternative to a Microsoft Media Center Edition overpriced machine.  And I'm willing to do driver updates and Bios updates----heck, I love a challenge----I just don't like a product that lies about what it can really do.
    Worth it----or should I pass.....
    Thanks-----John

    Quote
    Originally posted by johnrr6
    Did you try the settings button in MC III that says "Enable Fullscreen"
    That may not be it----it may just be a TV setting----but it's the only thing I can think if.
    Good Luck,
    John
    I believe that function is only for viewing the videos from the preview window to fullscreen. I don't think it enables/disables "stretch mode" but i'll try that tonight.
    if it works i'll post it here. if not ... well .... same thing i guess

  • Mega 180 TV Card---the straight scoop...

    There seems to be a lot of confusion as to what TV card and what TV card drivers work well in the Mega 180.  
    After a whole bunch of trial and error----here's what seems to be the scoop. the dope, the real deal----to the best of my knowledge.....
    ---there is a mixup with TV Tuner Cards----two versions of the 8606 card
    8606-10---Regular card----with an FM tuner---not really made for the MEGA----and....
    8606-40 MEGA TV card----without the tuner (cuz your Mega already has one) and made especially for the MEGA
    Further confusion:
    If you have a Mega 180------ONLY use the TV Tuner drivers on the Mega 180 Install disk----NOT the regular drivers that are included with the MEGA TV card as this card will also work on the older Mega 651's and those drivers are basically for it.
    In other words---DON'T use the Win Cinema Install disk that comes with the Mega TV Card if you have the Mega 180...
    AND---guess what----those TV card drivers on the Mega 180 install disk only become visible in the main install menu when you have the card installed----they don't automatically appear so you know you need to use THOSE drivers vice the ones included with the card.
    AND---the drivers only seem to work in conjunction with Media Center III!
    It would be nice if MSI put out a little help sheet with some of this info....
    Help----and a good manual-----what a concept......
    John

    Quote
    Originally posted by Blmcg
    Make sure nothing else is running in the background while you do this, and ensure you have ALL the updates for your mega machine eg: Chipset etc. and try again.
    I terminated everything I could via task manager and Media Center III still crashed.  I'm pretty sure I have all available updates.
    Quote
    Originally posted by Stu Online
    what drive is your system installed to?
    if windows has been installed to the F: drive (with card readers taking C: and D:) then intervideo software will not work correctly
    It's installed to C: with the card readers on E: and F:   Also, not only is the intervideo software not working but also Media Center III.  If I can get Media Center III stable I'd be satisfied.
    I've also tried removing the Radeon 9200SE but that didn't resolve the problem.  Next I suppose I'll try some other capture/viewing software to see if it runs stable.  Thanks for the help so far.

  • Mega 180/Media Player/Graphic Card/TV-Out

    Hi,
    after very long research I decided to use Mega 180 as a dedicated PC for media center purpose and to connect it directly to my TV (Siemens 100 Hz real flat 16:9) and to upgrade my second PC and to connect the two PCs wirelesly and to use Media Portal software.
    And then I have started to read related posts and forums. But this time I learned that there are new issues I have to deal with.
    1. TV-out: The TV-Out of Mega 180 is not good enough on a TV. My question is do I have to buy another powerful graphic card? I need recommendation. My TV has composite and scart inputs.
    2. Media Portal: This software has lack of some features. If I use MCE 2005, will it be better?
    3. If I use a video converter, will it help me to find better picture on my TV?
    Yes bodies, unfortunately there is no way to find the best solution. And I am at the final stage. If this solution does not run, I will give up.   I need your recommendations.

    This is copied from another reply I made today. The Mega 180 can drive a TV just fine. But you need to spend alot of time making it work.
    How you hook up to your TV depends on your available TV connections and your quality standard. The Mega 180 does have an SVideo output. I don't use this however. I have a VGA input port on my 42 inch plasma monitor. It accepts VGA 640 X 480, 800 x 600, or 1024 X 768 standard computer resolutions. It also accepts 480P or 1080i TV inputs using the VGA port. Many quality TV monitors have a DVI port or component video. These would require some sort of physical adapter to attach to a Mega PC.
    So I actually run in 1080i mode most of the time. This makes DVD's and HDTV look really nice. When using the XP computer screen I keep it in 1080i mode but map this to 960 X 540 resolution using PowerStrip. This way I can read the text on the display without it being distorted. However this is pretty low resolution for most web browsers and email programs. So it is kind of cramped... When playing computer games I switch to 1024 X 768 computer mode. The good thing is the on board Nvidia MX440 graphics work just fine to generate all these modes. So I do not have a card in the AGP slot.

Maybe you are looking for