System failed CPU Test on P4PE

Just documenting this for people with similar problems...

I have been using a P4-2400 (Northwood) in an Asus P4PE 1.03 for
nearly 2 years. It's been trouble-free all this time, and has put in
a lot of hours. I got the m/b from dabs.com.

On Saturday night, I shut down the PC as normal. On Sunday morning, I
switched it on and was greeted by a repeating "System failed CPU
Test" audible message and a blank screen.

I opened up the PC and reseated a few components. I was relieved to
see the computer work again and read my morning email. When I
returned from the shower the screen was blank, so I moved the mouse
to wake up the screen and found that the computer had actually
crashed. I restarted it and was greeted with the "system failed cpu
test" voice again and another blank screen.

I rebuilt the computer in stages, but could not persuade it to boot.
I contacted Asustek on Sunday evening: this consisted of filling out
an online form and hoping they got back to you.

On Wednesday morning they returned my contact, asking if I could
clear the CMOS and update the BIOS.

I had already cleared the CMOS (but neglected to mention this) and I
had stated the BIOS version in my initial contact; this is already
the current version according to the Asus download page for the P4PE.

I replied to the message, and I've heard nothing since.

I thought the reply was a bit weak; considering I'd waited two-and-a-
half days for it, I was a bit disappointed. I got the impression the
fault description hadn't been studied properly. I also half-expected
a quick follow-up, since my case had been "escallated" after a 2 day
wait, but no more has been forthcoming.

So, yesterday afternoon, I took a gamble and decided that the
motherboard was at fault and replaced it. I'm typing this post using
my new motherboard - which doesn't seem to think there's anything
wrong with my CPU.

So, two black marks for Asustek: poor board diagnostics and poor
support. Let's see how the three year warranty and returns procedure
fares next.

--
Keith Nuttall
www.yammer.co.uk
Re-type the e-mail address how it sounds, remove .invalid