Asrock Dual SATA2 freezes/hangs when loading Windows

[boake]

Originally posted by: designit

Originally posted by: boake
Is there any official confirmation that mixing up cause problem? or is it just your guess?

Whatever method that can install XP is ok.

Yes there is an official method, and there is yours.
I suggest reading Microsoft guide for installing winxp on sata HDD, and don?t ask me if Microsoft's guide is official or not.
As said before, all you are doing is occupying memory blocks used for HDD driver(s). and if you mix match you create conflict in registry and end up w/ unstable OS.
you may not notice it but at some point you will.
tell me, when you shut down window, does it take unusually long?


http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314859/

Read the manual. There isn't any official comment that mixing sata mode may cause the problem.
What we are doing is unofficial method, anyway it works for many guys and they have no problem. It is literally "walkaround".
But you insist that only you are absolutely right and we are wrong.
Nobody knows the truth. Maybe ASSrock?

ps.
It takes about 20 sec for booting, and 5 sec for shut down
I think this board has some hardware-specific problem, something like board+sata hdd combination.
It will be lucky for the guys who have no problem.
It is just Lottery.

 

[designit]

Originally posted by: carstea
@designit we have a saying here, "when two say wou're drunk you go to sleep", dont know what's the equivalent in english but you get my point. do you think this is just a faultry windows intallation? you think this is the first time i install windows on a sata had disk? what's so hard admitting this damn board has a few drowbacks. it has a big failure rate and it was a dissapointment for me and im sure of one thing, this will be the last asrock produck i'll buy.

I asure you, your next board will be just as bad evev if it's a $300 mobo.
You do it your way you burn. Do it the way works you wont need another mobo.
Be stubern about the facts of life you will always stay one step behind the others.

 

[designit]

Originally posted by: boake

Originally posted by: designit

Originally posted by: boake
Is there any official confirmation that mixing up cause problem? or is it just your guess?

Whatever method that can install XP is ok.

Yes there is an official method, and there is yours.
I suggest reading Microsoft guide for installing winxp on sata HDD, and don?t ask me if Microsoft's guide is official or not.
As said before, all you are doing is occupying memory blocks used for HDD driver(s). and if you mix match you create conflict in registry and end up w/ unstable OS.
you may not notice it but at some point you will.
tell me, when you shut down window, does it take unusually long?


http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314859/

Read the manual. There isn't any official comment that mixing sata mode may cause the problem.
What we are doing is unofficial method, anyway it works for many guys and they have no problem. It is literally "walkaround".
But you insist that only you are absolutely right and we are wrong.
Nobody knows the truth. Maybe ASSrock?

ps.
It takes about 20 sec for booting, and 5 sec for shut down
I think this board has some hardware-specific problem, something like board+sata hdd combination.
It will be lucky for the guys who have no problem.
It is just Lottery.

apparently you have not read the manual yourself.
the steps I posted the link is exactly what the manual says-read the manual in CD and you will find it. Tthat is if you know how to look for sub-folders in theCD. Besides, who?s having problem w/ sata and HDD here? you do. not me
I followed the guide (per manual) and am trying help you who did not follow the manual and ran into problems and started writing here.
get it straight.
As said to the other poster: be stubborn about the facts of life and you will stay behind. just as you have so here w/ this HDD problem. I followed the rule and I am having a ball w/ this mobo.
A lot of you are noobs, even if you have built 100 mobo. you learned things the wrong way (your way because your stubborn and think you know it all) and have been doing it wrong from start. But when you put yourself in a dead end, you come here cry " how bad this mobo is" hoping someone else pitty you or agree w/ your non sense.
why is it everyone who follow the guide lines never end up here?
In this case: a fresh winxp install in a newely formatted HDD and following the manual-how to install sataII divers in winxp. I posted two saparate guide for you that both say the same thing. one by asrock CD and another by Microsoft. And you still dont get it. do you?

 

[boake]

[/quote]

apparently you have not read the manual yourself.
the steps I posted the link is exactly what the manual says-read the manual in CD and you will find it. Tthat is if you know how to look for sub-folders in theCD. Besides, who?s having problem w/ sata and HDD here? you do. not me
I followed the guide (per manual) and am trying help you who did not follow the manual and ran into problems and started writing here.
get it straight.
As said to the other poster: be stubborn about the facts of life and you will stay behind. just as you have so here w/ this HDD problem. I followed the rule and I am having a ball w/ this mobo.
A lot of you are noobs, even if you have built 100 mobo. you learned things the wrong way (your way because your stubborn and think you know it all) and have been doing it wrong from start. But when you put yourself in a dead end, you come here cry " how bad this mobo is" hoping someone else pitty you or agree w/ your non sense.
why is it everyone who follow the guide lines never end up here?
In this case: a fresh winxp install in a newely formatted HDD and following the manual-how to install sataII divers in winxp. I posted two saparate guide for you that both say the same thing. one by asrock CD and another by Microsoft. And you still dont get it. do you?
[/quote]


I absoultely followed official method at first, but failded.
Fresh FDD(jmicron 207)+Fresh HDD => but it gave me blue screen when I selected the driver(207).

That's why I selected second method.

And there isn't any official comment from Arock that the walkaround we are using can cause a problem.

And I dont have any single problem up to now.
(no rebooting, no blue screen, no lock up, no weird glitches, blah blah blah)

Conclusion: Nobody knows what is real problem, even Assrock.
My guess: This MB is very choosy about sata2 HDD.

 

[imported_Imp]

Yep, I'm going to cave. Everything I know is wrong. All of you having trouble or had trouble like me, you're all screw ups. I mean, can't you even install windows properly? Put the disk in, format and install, so hard! Oh, you people with cold boot issues, but otherwise properly working systems, you're screw ups too. You guys who can't run at 1T, go reseat your Ram. It works in another system, well screw that. Still not working, reseat it again. It CAN NOT be the board, it's you. Even if you've done it before a lot of times the same way in other systems doesn't mean anything.

I mean, the fact that I've been running stable for two weeks now without even one crash AFTER I disconnected my SATA HDD doesn't mean anything. The fact that said SATA works now in another system no problem for almost 2 weeks means nothing...right? I guess we're just stubborn... off to reinstall windows. Hey, why don't I go plug in those LED Christmas lights that were RECALLED for a design defect sited by a professional electrician. I mean, they burnt down a few homes, but they work for me and a lot of other people. They screwed up and plugged them in wrong right? It's not the product, it's YOU!

 

[designit]

maybe your sata hdd is not compatible. maybe you are using 12v and 5 rails, but requires all 3 rails. some sata hdd need all 3 rails. maybe when you tried to install winxp in sata hdd, you did not set bios to sata mode. maybe your ram requires more voltage and did not install win properly. maybe your psu is weak. maybe you have fried some transistors and dont know it. This is very common. too many usere did not know which 4 prung atx should use and used the one that detatched from 20 pins atx.
maybe you should take a deep breath and start all over again- reassemble the components and follow the instruction (not buy me but by your hardware manuals).
I can go on and on.
If the board works for me or those without problem, then it could not be the mobo.
At the end, if you really believe you have done all above and nothing worked, then just RMA the board and get a new one.
what else can I say.

 

[boake]

Originally posted by: designit
If the board works for me or those without problem, then it could not be the mobo.
At the end, if you really believe you have done all above and nothing worked, then just RMA the board and get a new one.
what else can I say.

That is stupid generalization. There are always hardware compatibility issue.
It is true to all other mainboards(Asus, Abit, Gigabite, etc), they have compatibility issue, as well.
The fact is that this board has more compatibility issue compared to other main boards, as far as it is concerned with SATA2 HDD.

Period.

 

[designit]

Originally posted by: boake

The fact is that this board has more compatibility issue compared to other main boards, as far as it is concerned with SATA2 HDD.

Period.

you f ked the board, probably fried it, and now blame it on others?
tell me what color is your 4 prung atx? dont tell me you plugged in the one that looked right. arnt all the same?

 

[boake]

Originally posted by: designit

Originally posted by: boake

Originally posted by: designit
If the board works for me or those without problem, then it could not be the mobo.
At the end, if you really believe you have done all above and nothing worked, then just RMA the board and get a new one.
what else can I say.

That is stupid generalization. There are always hardware compatibility issue.
It is true to all other mainboards(Asus, Abit, Gigabite, etc), they have compatibility issue, as well.
The fact is that this board has more compatibility issue compared to other main boards, as far as it is concerned with SATA2 HDD.

Period.
what generalization? you f ked the board, probably fried it, and now blame it on others?
tell me what color is your 4 prung atx? dont tell me you plugged in the one that looked right. arnt all the same?

Mine is running like silk without any single problem.
It proves the walkaround works 100% perfectly.

 

[qsrk]

Originally posted by: designit
...At the end, if you really believe you have done all above and nothing worked, then just RMA the board and get a new one...

I actually started an RMA last night after my latest attempt. Tech support earlier confirmed that my board is defective after following their exact instructions and suggestions over the past month, but I thought I'd try everyone's suggestions from this forum before disassembling my computer.

BTW, installation on SATA-I was straightforward and seems stable so far (can't really say for another week ). The cold-boot problem has of course returned. I've now set the HDD as third boot device in case that slows down the POST process enough. It's a temporary fix anyway, until I get the new board.

 

[boake]

How about switching to SATA2 controller and installing sata2 driver?
It might work.

 

[qsrk]

I might try that later, but I have to get some work done. If it does work, I would still have to test it for at least one week to assume stability. But I should have a replacement board before then!

 

[quickk]

It's now been a week since I've set the SATA2 mode to IDE, and have since had a perfectly stable system. No crashes, freezes, hangs, boot problems or anything. Two days ago, I decided that the system was stable enough to overclock. I've since been running my X2 3800 at 2.5Ghz, using stock voltage, and I still don't have problems.

Designit, you are right to assume that most computer problems are due to some sort of user error. However, this isn't always the case. I'm sure that many have had problems with this motherboard because they did not follow the winXP installation instructions correctly. However, I don't think that this explanation can be applied to everyone posting on this message board.

You've said: "maybe your sata hdd is not compatible". This could as well be: "maybe the mb is not compatible with the hdd". Maybe the problem is with the mb, especially considering that people's drives seem to work with other motherboards. I know for a fact that my problem had nothing to do with windows drivers. I'd like to hear an explanation as to how drivers could cause the hdd to randomly dissapear from the _BIOS_. All the crashes, freezes and problems that I've experienced are consistent with the motherboard all of a sudden "losing" the hard drive.

Once again, because in my case the hard drive was sometimes "lost" before any operating system could start loading, by process of elimination, the problem has to lie with the hardware, or with the motherboard's BIOS. All of my hardware is exactly the same as in my previous system, except for the motherboard and the cpu. This suggests that one of these last two is the culprit. Regardless of this fact, I still tested different SATA cables, tried all the SATA connectors (SATAI and SATAII), tried different power supplies, tried different ram, etc. My hdd's S.M.A.R.T. data says that the drive is in excellent condition, and I've never had problems with it before.

My cpu works fine, even overclocked and under huge stress. So it's not the cpu. All that is left is the motherboard itself, or its BIOS.

This is what prompted me to try putting my hdd in the SATA2 connection (even though it is just a SATA1 drive) and set the SATA2 mode to IDE (SATA mode does not work, obviously). Ever since this moment I have not had a single problem.

I don't know why it is so hard to accept that sometimes there might be a problem with the motherboard itself. I've never heard of a motherboard that was completely free of problems. If this were the case, there would never be a need for updating the BIOS.

 

[designit]

@ quickk,
do you see Jmicron 20360/20363 AHCI Controller under SCSI and Raid controller
in Hardware manager?
try stock bios 1.50 or 04xx by german website and see if any better.
I know bios 1.20 and 1.40 do what you said. but 1.50 or 04xx do fine. the german bios goes higher than 274mhz and is a very good bios. try it w/ fresh install as per guide I linked before.

Hardware manager screenshot

 

[qsrk]

designit, I haven't had a chance to look at the german BIOS, but isn't that an unofficial BIOS? I thought you frowned upon not following the rules .

 

[boake]

hahahahaha ROFL

 

[designit]

Originally posted by: qsrk
designit, I haven't had a chance to look at the german BIOS, but isn't that an unofficial BIOS? I thought you frowned upon not following the rules .

Iknow I am wasting my time on you. I see that the whole purpose of all your crying in so many posts is "just to whine" and cry- really, not interested in getting out of your predicament.
As said to you before- you will never get ahead in life. Here I am, someone who?s trying to help you, but what do you do? make fun. What a waste.
what I posted here the intend was for those who really seek solving problems. not for those who "just have a habit to whine" and wish everyone feel sorry for them.
Comeback here whine about the $300 mobo you just replaced w/.

 

[imported_Imp]

@qrsk: That is great news for you. I hope you get one of the newer revisions that will work. Tell you the truth, I never wanted to even consider RMAing my board cause I don't want (know how...) to take off the CPU, and just don't want to rebuild. Good luck:thumbsup:. By the way German BIOS=void warranty? And LOL...

Geez, please read the entire thread before accusing us all of being retards (that is what you're doing). We have tried A LOT, researched A LOT put up with A LOT. Please, if you feel like you're wasting time on us, then don't. Most people probably don't want someone to tell them to do the same thing over and over again (standard troubleshooting fixes), and then say well, it can't be the product, it's you. We(well I) didn't make fun until things got ignorant.

I won't say it directly, but I've read a lot of threads where people shunned a product, and there's always people who think no one can be right but them..I guess you won't go return those tires they recalled for your car then? I mean, other than the people who had them fail, and a few lost lives (no direspect..), they work for you and the other 1000 cars right? Also, screw bug patches. If a game works for even ONE person properly, then I guess everyone else with bugs brought it upon themselves right? This is pretty much what you're saying.

 

[boake]

"When the solution is simple, God is answering" I quote,

I: What's wrong with this board?
God: .......................................................

 

[clipperfixer]

Well, gee let me throw my Asrock board in on this thread as well. First, my set up.
Asrock dual sata II
Opteron 165
2x512 Hyperx memory
20 gig ide drive
ATI 9800xt video card
bios 1.5
windows xp pro
400watt, can't remember whos psu
Mine takes forever to boot up, if it boots. When I turn the power on it goes to the first screen which has the processor type, bios type and it does not do a memory check it just gives the memory amount. No moving, flashing or anything. It sits there for 30 seconds. Then it goes to a screen that says auto detecting drives and then it sits for about 1 minute and then windows starts to load. All of this assumes that it makes it to windows. Sometimes when it powers up it goes to the first screen and then the next screen it says no boot device found. Sometimes it reboots when windows starts to load. Sometimes you can shut down and reboot 3 times in a row, sometimes you get no boot device found 3 times in a row. It seems like once it gets to windows it seems stable. This is a new mobo and a slightly used opteron. the memory and video card came out of my old system and were working fine. the reason for the small drive is so I don't have to mess with my 160 gig drive just yet (would like to get the 20gig drive going with all the drivers and operating system then make a ghost image of it.) My hdd is on ide 1, my DVD burner is on ide 2.
I also could not get my floppy drive to work. So I diabled it in the setup.
I ran out of time today to work on it, I got the 1.6 bios (how did I miss that ??) and will put it on in the morning.
The bios is set up to boot to the hdd first. So its kind of wierd that it says it is auto detecting the drives at boot up.
I am going to update the bios, and then try my other drive to see if that is the problem.
I will report back tomorrow after i do some more troubleshooting. For now I am stumped...
Ray

 

[qsrk]

Relax designit, I was just having fun, not making fun. Just trying to lighten up the argumentative atmosphere in this thread. You should be happy that I followed your instructions, but unfortunately they did not work for me. And I am not spending any more money on a motherboard - just getting a new replacement. Hopefully a replacement will solve my problems. If not, then either I hit the lottery and got another defective one, or more likely, it will prove that either the board has conflict with some of my other hardware, or that I am making a mistake :Q.

In the Microsoft article that you linked to, it mentioned that Windows setup may fail if Windows already has drivers with the same name as the ones that I try to supply on floppy. I purchased my copy of XP Pro one month (in October of last year) before buying the motherboard. Do you think that it is likely that Windows already had drivers with the same name as the Jmicron SATAII drivers? Is there a way to check the Windows CD?

 

[boake]

Originally posted by: qsrk
In the Microsoft article that you linked to, it mentioned that Windows setup may fail if Windows already has drivers with the same name as the ones that I try to supply on floppy. I purchased my copy of XP Pro one month (in October of last year) before buying the motherboard. Do you think that it is likely that Windows already had drivers with the same name as the Jmicron SATAII drivers? Is there a way to check the Windows CD?

Is it availble to install XP in SATA2 mode without sata2 driver Assrock provide?

 

[imported_Seer]

Originally posted by: boake

Originally posted by: qsrk
In the Microsoft article that you linked to, it mentioned that Windows setup may fail if Windows already has drivers with the same name as the ones that I try to supply on floppy. I purchased my copy of XP Pro one month (in October of last year) before buying the motherboard. Do you think that it is likely that Windows already had drivers with the same name as the Jmicron SATAII drivers? Is there a way to check the Windows CD?

Is it availble to install XP in SATA2 mode without sata2 driver Assrock provide?

Yes, if you run it in IDE mode under the bios.

 

[boake]

I know that.
I wonder what happenes if I install XP in sata2 mode without sata2 driver.

 

[designit]

If you had paid attention, I posted a screenshot of winxp Device Manager, to verify if your winxp has installed Jmicron drivers. Its under SCSI and Raid controllers.
If you see the drivers listed, then winxp has installed them. If you dont see them then you need to install wixp (according to the guide I posted the link)
You can try to install them by clicking on the installer that came w/ the downlod.
You download the driver you want(207 or 109, whichever you prefer) then extract it to a new folder (make a folder for it) and then click on the ABC install jmicron icon.
make sure you extract the downloaded zip file to a new folder (call it Jmicro if you want) and make sure all extracted files are in it. This will install SATA2 drivers, if dont want to go thru the long process.
But as said before I dont rely on this method. You can also try to update the drivers "method" and choose to browse to directory that you have extracted the file to.
Good luck

Screenshot