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ECS K7S5A Win98SE boot hangs if 133/133

P

Penley

Member
I got my son a new K7S5A from newegg for Christmas. Everything works fine until I set the CPU speed to 133/133. Then Windows hangs during the first cloud screen.

Rev 3 motherboard
1600XP processor
One DDR piece: Crucial 256Mb CL2.5 (new from newegg)
VooDoo 3x video card
WD 13Gb drive
Creative CD-ROM
Onboard LAN
Onboard sound
Onboard USB (though I don't use it)
Enlight case
New PCP&C 275 watt power supply. (Low, judging by comments here, but there's almost nothing in this case.)

I reinstalled Win98 after setting ACPI off in the BIOS. No fix.
I flashed the BIOS today with 011121 (12/04/01). It changed nothing.
Other BIOS settings:
Timing setting Mode=Normal
SDR/DDR CAS settings=2.5T, 6T, 4T
Auto Detect CIMM/PCI clk = Enabled
Clk GEN Spread Spectrum=Disabled

ACPI Aware OS=No

Plug & Play OS=Yes
AGP Select=4X
Primary Graphics Adapter=AGP
Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA=Yes <==I don't understand this one

CPU Speed=133/133. (At 100/133 the system works fine.)

a) Is it time to send the motherboard back?
b) Any other ideas?

Help!
 
I've got a system right here:

ECS K7S5A board(11/21/01 bios)
Tbird 1000@1333 (133/133)
One DDR piece: Samsung 256Mb CL2.5
Gainward GeForce2MX-200
IBM 60Gb drive - 7200rpm
LiteOn 24x10x40 CDR
LiteOn 12x DVD
Onboard LAN
Creative SBLive! 5.1 (Onboard sound is disabled)
Onboard Modem is disabled
Onboard USB is being used for both Logitech optical mouse and Kodak DC280 camera
Nifty looking case 😉
AGI 300watt p/s - K7/P4 approved

Other BIOS settings:
Timing setting Mode=Normal
SDR/DDR CAS settings=2.5T, 6T, 4T
Auto Detect DIMM/PCI clk = Enabled
Clk GEN Spread Spectrum=Disabled

ACPI Aware OS=Yes
Plug & Play OS=Yes
AGP Select=4X
Primary Graphics Adapter=AGP
Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA=Yes
CPU Speed=133/133.

My system is currently running Win98SE also. I was having problems with my SETI@Home program locking up approximately 2 minutes after starting it, and that was at 100/100. 🙁 The only things I changed were the PC133 SDRam to DDR as above, and the power supply to the one listed above. Now the client runs great AND at the 133/133 setting. The cpu has been thoroughly tested to a 140 fsb(locked at 10x multiplier).

Before the hardware upgrade, I also went to Microsoft's site and made sure the OS and apps were patched current. Replacing the power supply and ram seems to have fixed my problems, and based on what other people have said, I think the power supply was the problem. 😉

Good luck.




 
yeah this is the general theme of people with problems with the k7s5a, seems its very fickle with the type of power supply you put in.
 
Even if there's nothing in the case, if your powersupply can't provide the nominal 1.75V to your processor, you'll run into problems. Was your CPU correctly recognized as an 1600+ XP before you flashed it? If not, you may want to try reinstalling Win98 one more time (with ACPI on). Assuming you've got normal temps when running 100/133, the PSU is the only thing that stands out as a potential problem.
 
Thanks all 🙂! I appreciate your taking the time.

It still doesn't work, though. I put in a 400-watt, $100 power supply tonight. It works fine at 100/133 as before. But at 133/133, it now doesn't even start to boot. It checks memory and peripherals, then goes black with beep codes: BEEP...beep, beep, beep.

I conclude that the power supply may be part of the solution, but it's not enough.

Anybody know where to find beep codes? The AMI site says see your motherboard mfr for BIOS support. The ECS site has nothing. :disgust:

 
I'm assuming you reformatted your HDD before installing Windoze? You should try setting the ACPI aware OS=yes. Also try setting the Allocate IRQ to VGA=no. If that doesn't work, try leaving the ACPI aware OS=yes and do another clean install.


Jeff
 
I had the same problem. Finally, I found that just switching to the overclocking BIOS and running
at 138/138 was stable [as was anything lower except 133/133]. Mine has 512MB of Crucial 2.5 DDR,
had the 250W PS, upgraded to an Enermax 350, no change. Had tried all the combinations of
mem timing, ACPI OS, IRQ, etc. settings, but the OC BIOS was the only fix for me.

HTH,
Don
 
IT WORKS!!🙂🙂 The problem turns out to have been CPU cooling. When I first set it up, it idled at 52 degrees C. As I said when I launched this thread, it ran fine with a BIOS CPU setting of 100/133 but failed at 133/133. I redid the cooling, and it idles at 41C (at 100/133) and 48C (at 133/133), rising to 51C under load. More to the point, it boots and runs!

Conclusions: 1) The rig is very sensitive to heat. Idling at 52C is too hot. 2) As many of you suggested, power is important too, although that alone did not fix the problem. My 275-watt PCP&C power supply could not quite hold the +3.3 and +5 voltages.

Regarding cooling, I had a CPU-Cool AG from PC Power & Cooling. They say it's good enough for a 1600XP and I suppose it is, but not the way I first installed it. 🙁 Taking my cue from some threads on OCworkbench, I stripped off the thermal pad, the little pink cushion that goes between the bottom of the heatsink and the CPU. Looking at it after I removed it, I had probably used too much of the thermal paste, not evenly spread, creating something of a blanket. The bubbles didn't conduct heat too well, either! 😱 I used Goo-Gone to dissolve both the pad and the old paste; they're certainly not water-soluble. Clean up with dish soap and water. (It was sure strange to be washing my CPU chip in the kitchen sink!)😀. With everything clean and dry, I applied a thin layer of thermal paste to both the CPU and the bottom of the heatsink (nothing special, whatever came with the heatsink), spreading it out very thin and smooth with a credit card. A big thread over at OCworkbench suggests that the chipset heatsink that came with the board should get the same treatment. Some folks have fixed this same problem by replacing the double-sided tape that secures that heatsink with thermal paste and superglue. See here. For the practicalities of removing and installing heatsinks - as well as a review of coolers - there's a nice article at Lost Circuits

So how hot is too hot?
a) My experience with my one board says that idling a 1500XP at 51C is too hot, whereas 48C works.
b) The Lost Circuits tester found that his XP1900+ produced weird errors at 63C and above but was OK below.
c) There was a big brouhaha over on OCworkbench (I can't find the thread today) when someone wrote that ECS tech support told them that the AMD XPs were unstable over 51C. Lots of back and forth about whether this was a) true, b) the official ECS opinion, or c) just ECS pointing the finger at reputable AMD to cover their own tail.
d) I searched the AMD site but couldn't find a clear recommendation on CPU temperature.

My take on this whole episode?
a) I love tinkering with computers. If I'm honest, I have to admit that I've had a good time despite the troubles. Because of them, even. I've learned a lot. And I'm absolutely blown away by the willingness of all you guys to come in here and contribute! You're the best! I hope by this long summary to pay back some of what you've given me.
b) I think the K7S5A has uneven quality. Some units are better than others, and you never know.
c) To make up for the loose quality on the board, your other components (power, cooling, and who knows what else) have to be first rate.
d) Next time, I think I'll spend more on the motherboard. This has been fun, but only because it's ended well (so far!) and because I've had the time over the holidays.

My best wishes to all of you!
Penley
 
Penly.. I just got mine up and running.. 1st time build.. same board.. 1600xp 256 ddr pretty much same as yours.. using enlight 340w/psu,, only problem im having is trying to find out if my ram is working right or not.. Your right it has been a great learning exp.. technical aspects of the hardware are indeed critical as well as a quality installation.. I like the board.. plenty room to work an easy to get to stuff.. congrats😀
 
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