Hardware Diagnostic card codes?

[HighTech]

Hi I am trying to find what error code 05 means on an ASRock motherboard and I can't find anywhere on the site that tells me what any of the codes given out by the PC-Doctor hardware diagnostic card means.

Help please?

[BleuOisou]

Am user Service 9 , ever had the error from Service 8 , where do you got this error ?

[Kris_PCD]

Hi HighTech,

I apologize, but without knowing the BIOS Manufacturer it is difficult to determine the meaning of the POST code you are seeing. After searching around a bit, it seems that ASRock favors AMI (Amercian Megatrends Inc.) for their BIOS provider. If the system you are testing is also using an AMI BIOS, then this page should help you to determine where in the POST process the system is stopping.

However, the AMI codes indicate that the 05 POST message that you are seeing is either a CMOS check or a status message depending on the version. If that is where the system stops, then I'm afraid the POST code doesn't tell us much.

I would also like to confirm that the 05 result is appearing on the right display when looking at the POST card. If the message is appearing on the left, then that is displaying either the base clock speed of the processor or the current voltage being detected by the PCI card.

I hope that this helps, but please let me know if you have any other questions or issues.

Thanks,
Kris

[HighTech]

Hi thanks for your reply.
I tried to send a picture but the system says that the upload folder is full.

The card shows a clock speed of 33Mhz & an error code of 05.
http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m502/weewards/IMG_0340%20Mobile_zps2wg4zxdo.jpg
It begs the question that if the codes are hard to fathom out what they mean how useful is the PC Doctor's diagnostic card?

There must be a better way...

[Kris_PCD]

Unfortunately the PCI POST card is limited by the information provided by the BIOS, which is output as a two digit hexadecimal code. Since each BIOS manufacturer has different codes and error conditions, there is no simple way to provide a more detailed account of the error. Once you know what BIOS manufacturer is being used by the motherboard being tested, it is much easier to look into the possible causes.

We recommend http://www.bioscentral.com/ to determine the meaning of the POST codes.

When it comes to diagnostics, the PCI POST card is really best suited to testing systems that aren't able to boot properly. It will help you to identify possible errors with the motherboard or power. If the system is able to boot, then it is best to run tests in one of the test environments (Windows, Bootable Diagnostics, or DOS).

According to your picture, it looks like you may not be getting the correct voltage on the 3.3 volt rail. I would suggest pressing the button on the PCI card to cycle to the 3.3 indicator, and see what the power output is. If it is too high or too low it could cause problems with the system.

I'm sorry that I can't give you a better indicator of what the problem is, but I have found that the more you will find that the more you utilize the PCI POST card, the better you are able to understand the information it provides.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,
Kris

[HighTech]

Many thanks the 3.3V LED shows 3.9 Volts when I cycle along, do you think this is outwith normal parameters?

I have sent an email to ASRock support to see what they can make of it all.

Thanks again for your support.

[HighTech]

Sorted!
It was the clearCMOS jumper.
The jumper cap has to be placed on pins 1 & 2 & voila it boots.

http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m502/weewards/ASRock%20Error%2005%20cause%20Mobile_zpspsixf6ep.jpg

[Kris_PCD]

I'm glad to hear that you were able to figure it out, and sorry again that I couldn't provide a more immediate solution.

As for the 3.3V registering 3.9V instead; it is higher than expected, and it is difficult to say what issues it could create (but nothing good). I would recommend checking the power supply first, and see if the output on the 3.3V rail is reporting correctly. If the power supply tests as good, then you could have an issue with the motherboard not routing the power as expected.

My understanding is that the 3.3V rail has a margin of error of 5% (3.465 - 3.135) for normal operation. In my experience, anything above or below that can cause problems with the computer ranging from crashes to fried components.

Good luck fixing the system, and please let me know if you have any other questions or issues.

Thanks,
Kris