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Alrighty, got my hands on a P4 2.0A and an Epox 4G4A+ mobo, I installed everything correctly from what I can see, but when I start up, I get no picture, and a constant beeping from the PC speaker............... any ideas on this one???? I cant seem to find the problem in the manual or online or anything

I don't have a p4 but that usually is either the video card or ram, sometimes the cpu. Try reseating them, if still no go then try another part or another slot for the ram. Usually just reseating the video card or ram helps. Some mobo's are just picky.

That might help you till one who know more about a p4 comes along.

tried reseating and tried onboard video........... still nothnig...............

You try a different video card and different ram and different slots for the ram? Perhaps try a different cpu if you have one. Otherwise it might be the mobo.

Some questions:

- Do you have a P4 certified power supply? P4s can't use a standard ATX. P4 PSUs have 2 additional power cables that goes to the motherboard (total of 3).

- On the same note, do you have the 3 power cables from the power supply connected to the mobo?

- The number of beeps, and the combination (long, short, etc) usually indicate a specific error code. There SHOULD be a section in the manual that defines what each audible error code means.

- Some mobos come from the factory with the CMOS battery disabled - usually a jumper. Check the manual and make sure the CMOS battery jumper is NOT on the reset position.

- Try resetting the CMOS.

- Make sure your ram is in the first memory slot. Some mobos are fussy about filling the ram slots in order (especially important if you have onboard video).

- If you have more than one memory stick, try using only one.

- Make sure NOTHING metal is on or touching a solder pad on the mobo. If you replaced another mobo with this one make sure you didn't leave any metal stand-offs under the mobo that don't align with a hole. Make sure there aren't any scray screws wedged under the mobo shorting it out. Use canned air to blow off the mobo - could be a stray metalic particle shorting out something.

- Disconnect EVERYTHING from the mobo except the power supply, power button and video card. Pull all other cards, ribbon cables and header cables.

- Worse comes to worse, pull the mobo and powersupply out of the case and set it up on the desktop (put the mobo on a cardboard box to prevent it from touching anything metal. Connect ONLY the power supply and nothing else but the video card. Use a screw driver to short the power on header pins on the mobo. See if it'll fire up this way isolated from the case and connected to only the basics. If it does then you know something is shorting the mobo out in the case.

- This won't help after the fact, but keep in mind that modern mobos ALWAYS have power going through them while they're connected to the powersupply (assuming the PSU is plugged in and the power switch on the back of the PSU - if it has one - is turned on). You CAN damage a mobo just by dropping a screw on it while it's got power going through it (even if the computer is not turned on) - been there, done that. When working on the mobo ALWAYS turn off the PSU with the manual switch on the back or pull the power plug from the back if there is no switch (cheaper PSUs don't a switch on the back).

Hope this helps...

- On the same note, do you have the 3 power cables from the power supply connected to the mobo?

Huh? Did I miss something. I only have two. The standard one and the 4-pin.

That Epox board doesn't have the 4 pin 12v connector on it so the only one that needs hooked up is the standard ATX plug.

There's 3 mobo power connectors on standard P4 supplies - at least mine has 3. Not sure if all P4 mobos use them though.

Guess not, I only use 2 on my GA-8IRXP but I do have the other connector you speak of hanging off of my PS. For some reason I thought it was for an Athlon Dual CPU mobo or something.

There's the standard ATX and a 4 pin with 2 grounds and 2 12v's. The 3rd your thinking of is for SMP boards. Its a rectangular 8 pin i think. I've had P4 supplies that have had them and some haven't. There are very few boards that use that 8pin connector. That isn't part of the P4 specification though. There are some P4 boards that don't use the 4 pin connector that Epox is one of them most of the other boards are SiS.