Got my new build up and running, exept a few problems.

[Chaosblade02]

I have a 64GB SSD, which I installed my OS on, and also a 1 TB 7200 RPM SATA.

I know the HDD is hooked up correctly, because it asked me if I wanted to install windows on it when I booted the OS up.

Also if I go to hardware, the HDD is listed.

The problem is if I go to computer, my normal HDD isn't on the list of hard drives, which means I cannot use it.

I don't understand what is going on here, and no clue how to solve this, I need some help here.

My board is an ASrock Z68 extreme 4, has SATA cashing, which I have no idea how to setup.

I was planning on running just my OS on the SSD and putting all my other files on the 1TB HDD, also I have no idea how to do that either. I figured it would be a no brainer, and its not.

 

[Slugbait]

Your system doesn't see the HDD. Assuming you're using Win7 click Start and enter compmgmt.msc. Go to Disk Management. You can set up and format your HDD there.

I was planning on running just my OS on the SSD and putting all my other files on the 1TB HDD, also I have no idea how to do that either

If you mean putting your applications on the HDD, just be sure to always select Custom or Advanced during the install wizard, and then change the drive letter for the destination.

Note: some apps will not allow being installed to drives other then Drive C (think Windows Live). Nearly all apps will install certain files to Drive C, regardless of the fact that you specified a different drive.

 

[Chaosblade02]

So no matter what, any program/game I install on this computer is going to load files up on my SSD? So its basically pointless even trying to run the OS off the SSD then? Its only 64 GB, and already over halfway full and I haven't even installed all my stuff over on this PC yet....

Ok I opened up comp manager, and it has my HDD listed as Disk 0 "system reserved" 100MB with 931MB unallocated. I don't see any options here to change anything to add it to the list of disk drives I can read/write on.

It says my SSD is (Boot, Page file. Crash dump, Primary partition)

HDD is (System, Active, Primary Partition)

So it appears my HDD is already activated??? But I cannot see or access it from Computer=>Hard disk drives????

It says my file system is NTFS, does that need to be changed?

 

[LuluTheMonk]

I think several things are going on here.
1. It is best if you leave your 1 TB SATA drive unplugged during your windows install. Windows tends to put OS files on it even though you want it only on your SSD (which is where the 100MB system reserved is coming rom)

2. Your HDD that is listed as Disk 0 with 931 MB (I assume you mean 931 GB?) unallocated, what you need to do is right click on it, and select format. NTFS is fine. Once you do this, you will see a new drive that you can install all your programs and data on.

Hope that helps.

 

[Chaosblade02]

I think several things are going on here.
1. It is best if you leave your 1 TB SATA drive unplugged during your windows install. Windows tends to put OS files on it even though you want it only on your SSD (which is where the 100MB system reserved is coming rom)

2. Your HDD that is listed as Disk 0 with 931 MB (I assume you mean 931 GB?) unallocated, what you need to do is right click on it, and select format. NTFS is fine. Once you do this, you will see a new drive that you can install all your programs and data on.

Hope that helps.

I realized I did everything completely wrong. My board has intel smart response technology, and I was supposed to install the OS on the HDD and not the SSD, and the SSD would be used as caching only. The programs used the most would be put on the SSD automatically, example OS.

But I ran into another problem, I don't know how to format my SSD and just start all over. I can't do it from windows, because it wont let you format a drive that is running the OS on it and there is no option in the bios to just format a drive. Am I basically screwed here?

I tried installing the drivers, but its too late and I already screwed up, and I don't know how to just scrap everything and start over.

Here are the instruction listed for what I need to do:

http://www.asrock.com/microsite/IntelZ68/index.asp?c=SRT

I have to start all over from scratch.

 

[mfenn]

I realized I did everything completely wrong. My board has intel smart response technology, and I was supposed to install the OS on the HDD and not the SSD, and the SSD would be used as caching only. The programs used the most would be put on the SSD automatically, example OS.

But I ran into another problem, I don't know how to format my SSD and just start all over. I can't do it from windows, because it wont let you format a drive that is running the OS on it and there is no option in the bios to just format a drive. Am I basically screwed here?

I tried installing the drivers, but its too late and I already screwed up, and I don't know how to just scrap everything and start over.

Here are the instruction listed for what I need to do:

http://www.asrock.com/microsite/IntelZ68/index.asp?c=SRT

I have to start all over from scratch.

You are indeed correct that you would need to start over from scratch if you want to use SRT. However, IMHO 64GB is just about enough for the OS and apps (not games) if you move the page file to the HDD and disable hibernation.

To start over from scratch, boot from the Window DVD again, choose Advanced (Custom) install. After that, you'll get to a menu where you can delete the existing partitions on your SSD and choose to install to the HDD.

 

[Chaosblade02]

You are indeed correct that you would need to start over from scratch if you want to use SRT. However, IMHO 64GB is just about enough for the OS and apps (not games) if you move the page file to the HDD and disable hibernation.

To start over from scratch, boot from the Window DVD again, choose Advanced (Custom) install. After that, you'll get to a menu where you can delete the existing partitions on your SSD and choose to install to the HDD.

That worked pretty well, thanks. I was able to boot my system up. I think I really picked a non-noob friendly board, and bios to work with, because this is my first build.

And I got no idea what you mean by moving the page file and disable hibernation. If you are referring to the sleep mode bug I heard about with Z68 boards, I hear that was solved with the latest ASrock bios update, which I haven't figured out how to install because the pics on the instructions show a completely different bios than the one I have, and don't see any options to click on to flash it.

If anyone here has an ASrock Z68 extreme 4 board, please tell me where to go to flash the bios.

 

[parks853]

That worked pretty well, thanks. I was able to boot my system up. I think I really picked a non-noob friendly board, and bios to work with, because this is my first build.

And I got no idea what you mean by moving the page file and disable hibernation. If you are referring to the sleep mode bug I heard about with Z68 boards, I hear that was solved with the latest ASrock bios update, which I haven't figured out how to install because the pics on the instructions show a completely different bios than the one I have, and don't see any options to click on to flash it.

If anyone here has an ASrock Z68 extreme 4 board, please tell me where to go to flash the bios.

The page file is virtual memory, there is tons of information about it on the web. Hopefully mfenn can better describe how to move it and what size to make it.

Hibernation is a windows 'sleep' mode. It has a xGB file that can be removed if hibernation mode is disabled. You can find instructions for it all over the web or again mfenn might be able to give you more specifics.

I remember disabling restore as well. It is common for people to make windows size smaller on the disk by using some of these methods.

edit - Here is a how to link to enable/disable hibernate mode.

 

[Slugbait]

Do NOT move the page file to the slow, slow, slow HDD. You want it on the fastest drive you've got, otherwise you will suffer a significant performance hit.

Also, Hibernation is NOT "sleep mode". Hibernation was designed specifically for laptops, and for some reason MS saw it fit to always enable it on install on NT6.x. But by all means...disable it, and save the RAM= amount of drive space.

Please don't disable System Restore. As someone with fewer than 20 posts, you'll thank me later. Just reduce the amount of space it reserves. As you rebuild your machine and verify that everything works, you can delete all but the most recent restore point to free up space.

BTW, the primary drive on my HTPC is 80G...I only have a few apps, plus STALKER, Prey, Crysis, Crysis Wars and Warhead, CoD : WaW, some Need for Speed version and HL2...plus all patches...and still have over 14G free. IMHO, you might find you have enough space for what you wanna do, and have it all load lightning-quick.

 

[mfenn]

Do NOT move the page file to the slow, slow, slow HDD. You want it on the fastest drive you've got, otherwise you will suffer a significant performance hit.

IMHO, if you're paging, you're dead anyway in terms of performance. So it doesn't really matter what drive it's on. I think that somebody with 8GB of RAM is best served by setting it to some nominal size (1GB or so) and shuffling it off to another drive because they're not likely to touch it at all.

 

[Chaosblade02]

The cluster f*** continues.......

My first ASrock Z68 extreme 4 motherboard was obviously dead. Started out defaulting back to IDE then shutting off, then suddenly it stops posting. I check the PSU, it checks out good, and I even swap video cards out with one I know is good, switch monitors, take the ram out. So finally I get to the CPU, I take it out, and shine a flash light in the CPU port, and I see one pin bent in the board, its not even visible with a naked eye, but is if you shine a light on it and look through a magnifying glass....

The second board they sent me as replacement, I was getting ready to set it up, and the first thing I do is the CPU, so I pop the cover out and to my surprise there are 3 bent pins, and one is so badly bent that even a blind man could see it from 10 feet away. Also had another pin that was elongated and you could feel if you ran your finger across it. Keep in mind that I never seated the CPU in the second board, so there is no way I could have bent those pins.

2 bad boards in a row from ASrock, both are ASrock Z68 Extreme 4. Don't buy one of these. Let my nightmare of an experience be your lesson in not buying ASrock. There is seriously no excuse for me getting 2 boards in a row with bent pins in the CPU socket, unless their quality just outright sucks.

Can anyone recommend me a Z68 motherboard that has the least amount of known troubles with it? I know the Z68 boards are new technology, and there are going to be some quirks to them at first, but bent pins? And default to IDE?

I was looking at this Gigabyte board here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128494

But some of the comments have me scared and I just want to get a higher end system up and running ASAP with no more lengthy troubleshooting and issues with hardware. I would be willing to pay a lot of money extra to just get something I know is going to work.

My uncle who is a computer engineer says he has been building PCs since 1996 and done over 15 builds and never ran into the kind of issues that I am having with this. He told me I should have waited on Z68, for at least a year or 2 so they can get all the quirks worked out of the new chipset so they are more stable with less issues. Maybe I should wait on the second generation of Z68 boards?

If I plugged some components into 2 bad boards, its possible some others went bad as a result, so even if I get a new board, it could just continue to be one thing after another until I end up having to RMA everything back. Doesn't sound very optimistic, I know, but if you went through the same headache I did, you probably wouldn't be optimistic either.

So far my confidence in being able to get a working PC is next to nothing, all due to factors that I have absolutely no control over....

This is the kind of nightmarish issues you only hear other people having, and never you, but this time it IS me.

Oh and I forgot to mention that ASrock has almost no customer support. Both Gigabyte and ASUS have great customer support.

 

[mnewsham]

What do you need? Single GPU multi GPU? IDE? USB 3?

 

[mfenn]

My uncle who is a computer engineer says he has been building PCs since 1996 and done over 15 builds and never ran into the kind of issues that I am having with this. He told me I should have waited on Z68, for at least a year or 2 so they can get all the quirks worked out of the new chipset so they are more stable with less issues. Maybe I should wait on the second generation of Z68 boards?

That would be like buying a P55 board today. Things move way to fast in this market to wait "a year or 2".

You had bad luck, that sucks but it doesn't mean anything beyond the fact that you had bad luck. I would definitely not go spending a bunch of money on a new board when you have the right to a perfectly working one right now. Call Newegg and ask for an RMA.

 

[Chaosblade02]

What do you need? Single GPU multi GPU? IDE? USB 3?

Going to be running x2 Radeon 6970s in Xfire. And I don't even need IDE mode, I am going to use RAID for Intel Smart response.

And I decided to go with a gigabyte board instead of ASjunk.

Its possible I got 2 bad boards that were made in the same batch of boards which could have had many bad ones in the mix. But still some Chinaman needs to get his eyes checked if he missed those horribly obvious bent pins.

Does any company actually make motherboards in America, or Japan? Would gladly pay a premium.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Sir, there isnt a reason for you to be using racism in this.
Im Japanese and even if youre talking about a chinese man, that still isnt right

 

[mnewsham]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128495

 

[mfenn]

Sir, there isnt a reason for you to be using racism in this.
Im Japanese and even if youre talking about a chinese man, that still isnt right

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

And no, nobody makes PC mobos in the US or Japan.

 

[Chaosblade02]

Sir, there isnt a reason for you to be using racism in this.
Im Japanese and even if youre talking about a chinese man, that still isnt right

Some people are just too quick to jump the gun and throw that label around like it means absolutely nothing. Has nothing to do with race, and everything to do with poor quality products.

China and Japan, both Asian countries, one makes junk, the other makes quality, nothing racial about it.

I have a right to be frustrated about the poor quality after buying 2 boards that need to be RMA'd. And China isn't known for its good quality and manufacturing processes.

In fact I wouldn't buy anything made in China if I had a choice in the matter. And in this case, it appears I don't have much of a choice.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

And no, nobody makes PC mobos in the US or China.

You mean US and Japan right? Because that ASrock board had a "Made in China" sticker right on it.

 

[mfenn]

You mean US and Japan right? Because that ASrock board had a "Made in China" sticker right on it.

Yep, that's what I meant.

 

[Chaosblade02]

Got the new motherboard in today, a Gigabyte. I hooked everything up and went to boot it up and it still wont post. It powers on, doesn't post then quickly powers down and then kicks back on and just repeats until I cut the power.

It is giving me one short beep from the speaker, and according to the manual one short beep means a successful boot, which is obviously not the case here.

It just went back to doing what my first motherboard did, except I can confirm this board has no bent pins in the CPU socket.

I looked around, and according to what info I could gather the most likely problem would be bad RAM. And I took all of the RAM out and tried each of the 4 sticks of ram individually in each ram slot, and either all 4 of my RAM sticks are bad, or this problem isn't being caused by RAM at all.

I also tried the same thing with my GPUs, tried each one individually in each slot just to make sure that wasn't the culprit.

Also there is one thing I noticed, its my 24 pin power supply cable, one of the copper connectors on the inside of it is missing, and I am not sure if it is supposed to be like that or not. I looked up in the Motherboard manual to see where that particular slot lines up with and it is only for a ground. And there are multiple grounds for the 24 pin slot. Is this a bad cable? Or normal?

I already took this PC apart and put it back together twice since I got the new board in just to make sure I didn't have any loose connections. Everything is tight, and in the correct place.

I am pretty sure its not my RAM (Unless all 4 are bad), PSU (Unless the above cable is bad), or GPUs (Unless both of these are bad).

Is it possible my first bad motherboard fried my CPU? I examined the CPU with a magnifying glass all over, and I saw no burns no dings, no thermal compound on the circuits or anything out of the ordinary that might indicate damage in any way. Is there a definite way to test to see if your CPU is bad?

 

[mfenn]

A missing pin in your ATX connector is definitely not normal, but it should not be a problem if it is connected to a ground. The ground plane is the same over the whole mobo, and the other pins are sufficient.

The symptoms that you are describing sound a lot like what happens when the 4/8-pin ATX12V connector is not plugged in. Are you sure that you have all the power cables connected to the mobo and GPUs?

 

[mnewsham]

Yeah it sounds like you are missing the 4/8 pin for the CPU (it should be within a few inches of the socket)

 

[Chaosblade02]

There are only 2 power chords that go into this motherboard, an 8 pin near the CPU and a 24 pin. Both are plugged in. I really do wish it was something this simple.

I suppose it could be possible one of those connectors is bad? But not the rest of the PSU? 850W Seasonic should be sufficient for the build I am doing right? Its the exact same PSU as one of the Tom's hardware builds that did something similar to this build. If anything I am using less power because I got one less SSD.

For the GPUs I have they require 1x 6 pin and 1x 8 pin. My PSU has a 6+2 pin that I used for the 8 pin to plug into the GPU. These chords have a marking on them that says PCI-E, and I have enough to hook up both of them, and I did. They are snug, they snapped right in place. The GPUs power on, I see the fan turn on both of them.

The only power chords I had left over were those old 4 pin connectors, and a few for HDDs. My GPUs also came with an adapter to use those old 4 pin connectors to split into the 6 and 8 pin connector.

Something else odd I just noticed was the CPU fan kicks on right on boot up, then stops, beeps once and then the PC shuts down and restarts. Why is my CPU fan kicking off? There is a connector on the board marked "CPU fan" that is right next to the heat sink, which is the one it is plugged into. And it snaps in place.

I have another question if you guys were going to RMA any 3-4 parts, which would they be? Only if I can't pinpoint exactly what the problem is here. I am leaning toward a multiple RMA here before my warranty with Newegg runs out on the 16th of this month. I spoke to a Newegg rep earlier and explained my situation of possibly having to RMA multiple parts, not knowing which ones were actually bad, and they said if I can't figure it out that they would email me return shipping labels.

Ive tried booting the system up without various components. I took ALL the ram out, and booted it up and got a different beeping noise, forget the exact pattern, but I looked it up in the manual and it was consistent beeping pattern for a ram error. If I stick just one stick of ram in, it just goes back to the single short beep. Is it possible RAM can still be bad even if it doesn't give you the RAM error beep?

 

[mnewsham]

Okay take EVERYTHING out of the case, put it on a table top or cardboard box but isolate it. Then attach the BARE minimum, PSU, 1 stick of RAM, CPU, 1 GPU (or onboard), and a HDD (or ssd) If this doesnt work THEN look for faulty components.

 

[mnewsham]

Also the reason you take it OUT of the case is because it could be a single standoff is missing and shorting something.