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.

Similar Messages

Shows battery dead wont charge then works with a full charge then goes back dead again?

my phone shows the battery is dead. It wont charge. Then ever once in a while it will turn on full charge. Does anyone know what is wrong or how to fix this?

In several threads here and other forums, I read some peculiar "solution": put it in a freezer for two hours when switched off, and let it come back on room temperature and switch it on. I know it sounds ridiculous but the poster tried it and insisted he got it working. (I suppose that after taking it out of the freezer, put it in a plastic bag and close this firmly, to avoid condensation).
But I should have it replaced, before the freezing experiment (if you want to try that, there is a humidity sensor in it so Apple can see if there is condensation, I would not do it). It is probably a partly "skinned" connection in the battery electronics part.
Lex

Tv-out stoped working (mega 180)

I have searched the forum for tv-out problem but did not find the same problem I have.
9600 pro fb
Mega 180
2600 barton
winxp xp2
The tv-out was working fine, but sudenly it was dead.
This happend at the same time the msi radio started after I turned on my pc, I managed to make it stop, but then the radio came on when I turned the tv mode on. But i fixed that problem to.
But the tv out wont work. But the tv does flimmer a bit when i try to connect, so there is contact. Acording to windows, a cable is not conected, but I have tried with to different cables and it worked before.
Also, the startup screen wont work on tv, not even with the monitor cable unpluged.
I use composite, no s-video on my tv.
I tried to change the gfx card in bios from agp to pci, as it was original.
This happend after I tried to make my other computer work, so I have changed the cpu and memory a bit, to see what is wrong.
But I gues there is no cable needed for tv-out that I could have taken out?
When I get home I wil try new drivers.
I gues I also could try to "turn back time" Dont know the english word for it.
In norwegian, "systemgjennomretting"
Does anyone have other sugestions?

The TV out has to be connected on startup. What to do in case you have disconnected is explained in the MEGA pdf manual you have on your CD-ROM. It comes down to setting NVidia Dualview settings again for your TV out, because it is set back to single monitor again after disconnecting it.

MEGA 180 WONT START UP, HELP PLEASE.

I have a mega pc 180 and the first problem is the LCD wont work, Tried flashing it with no luck.
The main problem is after its been switched on for about 30 - 60 mins if i shut it down and leave it for about 5 mins it wont switch back on again, then if i leave it and try it the next day it will switch straight on.
The cpu temp is on 35 which is good so dont think it overheating. All i can think of is its a dodgy power supply or maybe the power supply is overheating.
When it wont switch on theres must be some power there as the HIFI led comes on green and i can hear the power go to the cdrom.
Any help would be appreciated, dont really want to package it all back up and send it back.
Cheers

When it won't start up does anything appear on the boot screen ? For instance does it detect video ? Does it detect CPU ? Does it detect memory ? Does it detect disks ? These all output info to the screen while the system is booting and can give a clue as to where the problem is.
Something to try the next time it won't start..... Remove the power plug from the walll...wait 10 seconds... plug it back in and see if that helps. Much easier than waiting 24 hours if it works. I have to do this a couple times a week. Although I have never found a repeatable sequence that causes it to fail. It never the less fails often enough to be a pain. And when it does fail the HIFI works just fine.
Good luck

Which combodrive works best with the mega 180?

hi..
i think i will buy a new optical drive for my mega 180. now i wonder which combo drive that works best with it?

have a look in this post Mega 865 Optical Drive Compatibility List. Will apply to all Megas

Mega 180 Radio working under XP Media Center 2005

Hello,
i'm quite fond about Windows XP Media Center 2K5 and would like it to control the Mega 180's radio unit. I would like to know if there are people that have already looked for ways to control the radio. It could be a start to implement some kind of Media Center plugin...
Greetings,
Peter Vrenken

the problem is the fact that the radio tuner isn't a "physical" device that Windows recognises
damn MSI and their proprietory hardware!! surely some sort of USB tuner "hardwired" to the USB controller would have been a better solution? grr, but then how would that have worked in Hi-Fi mode...

Mega 180-----Media Center III and a Vid Card----Working???

I'm trying to narrow down what is causing Media Center III to crash intermittently on my Mega 180.
I think I have it narrowed down to the SoundStorm drivers conflicting with Media Center III
But I want to eliminate that it is a problem with the 18G "Crush" onboard video chipset. I am using the onboard only.
Anybody have a vid card in their AGP slot of the Mega 180 and use Media Center III??
Are you still getting crashes in Media Center III??
John

Finally I give up using the Media Center. I'm using now Girder with Nathans great plug in (see MSI Mega series girder plugin version 1.0 available ). The only disadvantage is that the fancy leds are not working.
Regards
Patrik

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 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 - Install Video Card or Install Video Driver

I just spent 6 hours at a customer's house trying to fix the Mega 180 I built for her.
As I stated in a previous thread, the machine was working fine and then she experienced the BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH. This is when your machine POSTS, loads Windows and just before Windows starts, the monitor goes dead. Windows still loads and if you remember where icons are on the desktop, you can click them and stuff happens. The monitor just stops getting a signal. However, if you hold down F8 during boot and chose VGA mode, you can use Windows in VGA mode. The monitor being used is a Sony Multiscan200ES.
Once in Windows, if you look under device manager, you'll see a listing of Unknown and under that it lists nVidia GeForce4 MX Integrated CPU.
So, I've tried the following fixes:
1) Uninstalled all chipset & viideo drivers, reboot, reinstall chipset drivers, reboot, reinstall video driver, reboot. BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH.
2) Uninstall video driver, reboot. Windows starts under the generic driver. I install the video driver, reboot, BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH.
3) Figuring there had to be an easier solution to this problem, I installed an ATI Radeon 8500 card that I had laying around (I know this card works) figuring that I'll just sidestep the whole video driver issue by not using the onboard video. Things just aren't that easy because after I installed the card the machine won't even POST. It turns on but nothing happens. ARRRR!!! I try reseating the card, nope - nothing. I take the card out and use the onboard graphics to make sure everything is ok in BIOS. I read that if the BIOS detects an AGP card it will automatically disable the onboard graphics but it doesn't seem like that's happening. So I look around BIOS and there is no way to disable the onboard graphics. I have it set to boot AGP first, etc. and nothing works.
I guess the last thing I can do is reformat the drive, reinstall windows, and reinstall everything else. But I don't want to do this because the machine is all set up, been used for a while, and it takes so long to reinstall everything.
My question is this. How can I either reinstall the video driver so it works or how can I install a video card so it works? Ideas???

Quote
I'm going to hunt over at nVidia's website to see if they have a cleaner utility (ATI does for its Radeon drivers - rids the system of every last trace).
nVidia don't need a cleaner utility cos their software is better written!
stab in the dark - the vga lead is connected to PRIMARY vga port?
go to add/remove programs and Remove "Nvidia Display Driver" in Safe mode
restart your computer and it should boot into VGA mode, and prompt with Found New Hardware. cancel this.
the nvidia software will leave the install stuff on your computer, usually in C:\NVIDIA. browse to here and find and run the setup.exe to reinstall the software.
if its been working before, then its probably not a memory issue - it might also be worth making sure the latest nforce drivers (3.13) are installed too.
oh and customers usually WON'T admit to messing around to stuff they shouldn't - in my experience anyway!!

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.

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?

MEGA 180: A story of stupidity mixed up with bad product design

This is more for a word of caution to Mega180 users and future owners.
A bit angry as I managed to burn ( physically ) 2 harddrives because of carefulness about 10 mins.
Spend quite some time looking for a SATA to ATI power converter while looking for a solution to CPU temp problem. Could not find one ( and I don't know if any one does it )
As my old HD did not start the OS on Mega180 for some data transfer I was not able to use my USB external HD. So I decided to connect old HD as slave and do a HD to HD transfer. Here comes the bad design, the HD connection cable specifies a slot for a slave HD however there is only one power connector (ATI) for supported IDE HD. and there is a useless SATA power connector,it is useless as MEGA 180 does not support SATA.
Here comes the stupidity, for a min I came up with the bright idea of using the CD drives power connector ( I now remember that I ruled this option earlier, I wish I remembered it all along) As there is always a current on this cable (when there is a power connection - for the HIFI mode to work ) I guess some static electricity effected my HD. Not having realised the HD is already affected, I swapped the cables as the HD connection cable is not long enough to keep 2 HDs in a steady state.
As a result both my HDs are now not working, when I tried the original master HD I was horrified to see a spark and some fume
I wish I never tried to use my old graphics card - which I wanted only for the DVI support. This led to CPU temperatures of average 70 degree celcius and when I ever I tried to use the PC properly I was had to turn it off due to extreme temperatures over 75 degree celcius.
All I was after is a troublefree smooth working nice looking PC, yet I am stuck now... I am both upset for the data I lost as well as hours I spend in trying to put this thing together. I will decide in the morning to return or keep the product. If I keep it the next challenge will be getting my external HD to run an OS as I need to save up again to buy a new HD, I was hoping my next HD would be a SATA one :(
This is definately a bitter lesson. Such a pity that with just a little more effort MSI could have really improved the profuct most are listed here but I want to summarise:
1. before getting the new product out try fitting a new graphics card and a TV card and operate both for 2 hours... That is if you could fit them both in the first reason why you could not is the cables from power supply is unnecessarily long for supplying power to the board and unsuitably located. the best you could do is place them all infront of the cpu fan.
2. It is really great to have detachable ODD and HD yet Floppy drive ( card reader ) bay is static
3. a better location for CPU or card slots would have contributed to airflow far more.
Better close here... I am still not sure if positives of the product companates all the negatives.

Simply, be aware that the power cable for the CDRom is live most all the time that your backpanel power cord is plugged in. Its for the support of CD/MP3 in HI-Fi mode. If you shut down your system, and not unplug the power, and you try to connect or disconnect anything to the IDE cable, and you are using the power cable for the CD, you can cause static/surging on the component you are hooking up....
If you must hookup an alternate drive [slave] for data dumping/imaging etc. use a Y cable from the HDD power cable. It only activates when the PC power switch is utilized....

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 as Media Center (experiences)

I am trying to use my MEGA 180 as a Media Center, i.e. to listen to radio and CD's, to watch TV and DVD's, and to use the HDD to record programs on temporarily to watch later. Plus the TV pause facility. I am using Windows XP home on it, and have all the latest Windows patches. I don't want to have a PC screen atached to it, so the listening needs to be done without turnig the TV on, and the rest without any tiny writing on the screen etc.
HiFi mode works fine for the listening to radio and CD's.
Once I start PC mode, windows boots to the login screen. I would like to boot straight into a Media Center application, missing out this login screen. Any ideas?
I have tried Media Centre Deluxe III, and ShowShifter. Although I much prefer ShowShifter, it has to be ruled out as it does not use the LCD display at all (as far as I know!). Media Center Deluxe III has a lot of functionality missing, and is a little unstable, but it generally does the job. Has anyone had experiences with other packages?
I have found how to give the radio channels proper names (editing a text file with the details called .freq). I can't do the same with the TV channels. Also I haven't found how to remove all the junk TV channels found during the auto-scan. Anyone with any ideas here.
What about a list of remote key functions. I have found quite a few, but I think we could all gain from a documented list of them. They certainly aren't in the manual that I downloaded.
I have noticed that the whole unit powers on sometines when I use the remote for my old video recorder. I have not yet identified the exact cause of this. I also have an infra-red wireless keyboard that may giving it the wakeup indication, but I'm not sure if it was in sleep or power down. The standby mode seems to lock up the box, i.e. it does not power up again properly.
What about getting EPGs and setting the unit up to record TV programs. Can it be set to a no-noise state whilst waiting for the show to start, and then power to that state again when the recording has finished. I have toyed with the boot-up clock in the BIOS, but have not had it working yet.
This could be such a great box given the right software.

Autologon with windows XP
I Use TweakUI to autologin windows xp
you can download it here
Set native resolution to 768x576
I also use TVtool to set the resolution to 768x576 which is the native PAL resolution. This prevents that stuff gets scaled
However, note that MediaCenter III Deluxe doesnt work nicely with it
Many stuff will b offscreen
Remote control
I use Girder for my remote control. It allows me to control all programs using a remote control (unfortunaly not msi's remote control).
TV Guide
Try to see if there's XMLTV support for your country. Many HTPC support XMLTV to show a TVguide

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 Dead ?? Wont POST, HIFI Works. [SOLVED]

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for