A8n-sli-dlx - HELP !!! blue screen - machine check

[mlc]

Just when i though it was safe to talk nice about this rig.....

Boot up this morning.. goes through post.. and starts to load Windows XP.. then within seconds.. I get the blue screen for machine check.. (couldn't read any details as it cycles through pretty quick)...

once i get that msg.. the machine proceeds to reboot..

1) I tried clearing CMOS, etc.. no luck.....
2) No overclocking settings in use... occassionally did some .. but was running "unclocked" the past week or so
3) machine was working fine last night... voltages within the BIOS screens appear normal and steady....

any suggestions?

 

[mlc]

ok.. making progress .....

I disconnected an IDE drive I added last week, along with the floppy... and i got past the problem.. and booted fine into xp....

Not sure whey the problem.. .brand new IDE cable is being used.. I'll have to doublecheck...

 

[mlc]

.. ok.. it's definitely related to the IDE hard drive I added a few days back.. as the machines boots fine with the floppy cable connected and with the IDE cable disconnected.. (I'm using SATA for my OS)

1) I tried reseating the IDE cable... no go....
2) tried another new IDE cable.. still no go...
3) if I remove the drive altogether ... form the primary IDE channel.. everything works fine...

So .. would a bad drive cause this.. or perhaps a problem with the IDE controller ?

 

[FastEddie]

You have given no info concerning what ide controllers you are using. Are you using nv software ide controllers? If so, which version? What nf4 drivers are you using?

 

[mlc]

fast eddie...

sorry for leaving that out...

I am using the latest IDE drivers that came out back in the Jan/Feb timeframe with the 6.39 ?? nvidia nforce4 drivers...

This HDD drive is the only thing running on the Primary IDE channel... As I said it had been working fine since Sunday... and now it doesn't seem to like it....

I just tried flipping the jumper from the master to Cable Select position.. and now the machine does boot up ok.. but the drive does not show up within the "my computer" icon... (it does show up in the post screen and bios)

 

[JayN1]

You are not the only one with this problem. Try to search this forum.

The best solution to me and others was to remove the NVidia Ide SW driver and go with the standard windows xp driver.

 

[FastEddie]

What JayN1 said. Try rolling back to the standard WinXP ide controllers and see if your problem goes away.

 

[mlc]

thanks guys...

I just tried the microsoft xp ide drivers as well... with no luck...

this is just a backup drive.. so I'll survive without it.. I've written MAXTOR asking if they have any type of firmware update, etc.... that may help....

 

[savan]

I wrote about this the other day...take a look

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=29&threadid=1545191&enterthread=y

 

[JayN1]

The standard windows driver works for me, but unluckely one of my three maxtor drives, my c:\ drive, resets itself to pio mode when i use this driver. Has anyone else experienced this ?

 

[mlc]

The standard windows driver works for me, but unluckely one of my three maxtor drives, my c:\ drive, resets itself to pio mode when i use this driver. Has anyone else experienced this ?

Jay... my understanding is that a reset to PIO mode usually means you've exceeded the number of errors allowed. (I think its 6 times?) .. and after that , the system drops you're mode down to PIO... So it sounds like you may still have some issues

 

[mlc]

Originally posted by: savan
I wrote about this the other day...take a look

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=29&threadid=1545191&enterthread=y

thx for the info.. what date and version will the IDE PATA controller show if using the microsoft version ?

 

[mlc]

update....

Maxtor had me run some diagnostics on the drive... and it spit out a code of 686a6660 .. also stating that the SmartThreshold check failed....

they offered an RMA .... so maybe this is different than what others have experienced with dissappearing drives, etc.. time will tell

 

[Oceanic]

So is this the driver that reads IDE on the menu when running the nf4 set up, or just the SW or whatever driver it asks for after? or both that causes the problem?

 

[Promethply]

Originally posted by: Oceanic
So is this the driver that reads IDE on the menu when running the nf4 set up, or just the SW or whatever driver it asks for after? or both that causes the problem?

He's got a bad HD.

 

[Oceanic]

but alot of other people have the same problem and its the driver, so is it the IDE driver all together or is it the special sw one?

 

[indianduddawg47]

i have the same problem and it only happens while gaming.