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#11
Computer will not post
I had previously cleared CMOS both by using the jumpers and also by removing the battery for at least 15 minutes.
The one curious suggestion by two members was the error codes. The board shows "FF" which in the manual is to power up the board and energize the CPU. Apparently the CPU is not being energized, as the board stays at "FF". Subsequent processes during the post are chipset, memory, Hard Drives, Grpahic Card, etc. I had looked up this code previously but didn't pay much attention to it. This really looks like the CPU is defective as the tests on all the other components do not happen until after the CPU is energized. I do have another CPU in my MSI Home Theater Computer, but I'm reluctant to mess with that machine as my wife would kill me if her TV stops working. I believe I'm going to RMA the CPU and go from there.
As a side note, I have done several previous builds and have used ASUS motherboards, Intel CPU's and other memory. I also have an ASUS laptop which has run fine for about 6 years. The MSI subject machine was built using Maximum PC magazine's recommended components at the time of build for a 3D gaming machine. I'm really appreciative of the help from members here. I'm now pretty sure that the CPU is the problem.