"overclocking has failed error" on MSI g31 tm-p21 motherboard

[quicky008]

I have a system comprising an intel core 2 quad q9400 cpu,msi g31 tm p21 motherboard (bios version 4.2) and 2+2=4gb 800 mhz ddr2 memory,the psu is a Corsair VS450.I bought this motherboard from a reseller recently to replace my previous motherboard that was on the verge of dying.Sometimes while starting up it displays an error that says "previous overclocking has failed and the system will now restore its default setting" and then prompts me to enter the bios.This is really odd as i have never attempted to overclock this pc and the cpu has always been run at stock speed.

Initially i thought that the problem was possibly being caused by some incorrect bios setting and so i tried to remedy the situation by entering the bios and selecting "Load optimized defaults"-however that was of no use and i continued to get the dreaded "overclocking has failed" error even after this.Then i tried selecting "load fail-safe defaults" option in the bios but the problem still persisted.

The only way i could get rid of that error was to clear the cmos by removing the battery and putting it back on after some time(attempting to clear the cmos by using the onboard jumper didn't work).However this error still crops up randomly from time to time while booting and to resolve it i have to remove the battery and put it back on all over again,which is really a frustrating and cumbersome process.

What strikes me as odd is that why does the bios display an overclocking failed error when the CPU has never been OC'd! What could be the possible cause for this?Is the motherboard defective?Can anyone shed some light on this rather peculiar problem?Any assistance in resolving this issue will be greatly appreciated,thanks.

 

[topgear]

You can try these :

1. Make sure you are running rams from same brand and frequency.
2. Ram speed is set correctly under bios setting.

If it does not solve it :
1. Flash / Reflash bios
2. Remount the cpu and make sure none of pins are bent on cpu socket.

If the problem still persists then it's a sign of motherboard bios chip is corrupting.

 

[quicky008]

Thanks for the reply,topgear-the bios is set to automatically detect the ram speed and the DIMMs seem to be running at 800 mhz in dual channel mode.There are 2 800 mhz modules in total-one of transcend,another of hynix-is it possible that mixing rams of 2 different brands might be causing the problem?

I'm not very keen on flashing this mobo as its rather old and most older boards don't play very well with bios flashing-if something goes wrong then i might end up bricking it.One strange thing is that whenever this error shows up,if i simply ignore it and continue to boot into windows the system works just fine as long as its powered on-but as soon as i turn it off and then back on again(ie do a cold boot) it appears once more and this cycle continues as long as the CMOS isn't reset by removing the battery.

Do you think if any of the pins were bent on the cpu socket then it would have still worked?

 

[patkim]

Try the following
1. Run the system with a single RAM Stick for a few days and check if the error goes away. If yes, may be the two different RAM sticks (Some incompatibility) are causing this.
2. If possible, under-clock the RAM
3. Single RAM + Fail Safe Defaults in BIOS
4. Alternate between RAM Sticks + Fail Safe Defaults
5. Re-seat the CPU & Heatsink (as a later option if others do not work)