Help!!! Long Boot up time with Asus A7V motherboard

[MAMAFUFU]

I just installed an A7V system but it has extremely long boot up time. I hope someone can help me solve the problem.

My config:
Asus A7V (without onboard sound)
Duron 650 (non-overclocked)
Voodoo3-2000AGP
IBM 15GB 75GXP series
64MB PC133
Aztech PCI modem
Generic Yamaha 724 soundcard
Buffalo Lan Card

The harddisk is connected to PromiseATA100 primary master. The CD-ROM (ASus 45X) is installed to VIA secondary master channel.


All drivers(includeing VIA 4in1, except V3-2k use latest) was installed from the original CD-ROM.

The boot up time for the above config is 3min 15seconds. If I take out the lan card, it's reduced to 1min 30seconds, barely acceptable.

I only installed win98se in the system, no other software.

I notice that installing the VIA 4in1 drive immediately increase the boot up time quite a bit, though I did not time the boot up time before installing the VIA 4in1.

BTW, my 3dMark2000 score for the comp is 2900, is it too low?

 

[Daniel]

Did you try assigning a static ip to the lan card to see if you get the 1.5 mins with it still in? Either way that still seems quite a while to boot up.

 

[MAMAFUFU]

I did not set anything about the nic's IP address, how do I set it to "non-routable IP address"?

 

[MAMAFUFU]

From the moment I press the Power button to the first win98 splash screen it takes 20 seconds. The PromiseATA100 controller takes 10+ seconds to find out what devices are connected to it each time.

 

[medic]

Try running this bootlog analyzer:

http://www.vision4.dial.pipex.com/

 

[MAMAFUFU]

How to assign static IP to the lan card?

 

[nickdakick]

As to your 3Dmarks, this is crap for new system, just yesterday I had my K6 III 500, Asus V6600, Epox MVP 3G5, 256 MB get 3100 something.

 

[THELAIR]

its trying to find a DHCP server to connect to, thats the problem...

 

[MAMAFUFU]

Please , somebody tell me how to "assign static IP to the lan card", so that it doesn't "try to find an DHCP server".

 

[Gstanfor]

Check to see that your L2 cache is enabled (BIOS setting).

Greg

 

[DaddyG]

When using Win98(SE) its probably best NOT to install all of the VIA 4-in-1 drivers. The only drivers you need are the AGP and the IRQ router. The MS drivers in 98 are more reliable than the VIA drivers.

 

[arthurb1]

Start-->Settings-->Control Panel-->Network Find your something thtat will say TCP/IP-->Buffalo LAN Card or seomthing along those lines. Double click that. You will see a window with two button settings, click the lower one, it will say something like "Assign IP Address" and the two boxes will "ungray" Then in the first box (IP Address) you want to give it 192.168.0.1 and for the second box (Subnet Mask), give it 255.255.255.0

Also, for the 10 second wait on the promise ATA-100...that is just how it is, that is actually low for a card that has its own BIOS, you should try waiting for and Adaptec SCSI card, or even better yet for a DPT 3 channel RAID card with 128 MB of RAM on it...that takes a REALLY long time...about 2 mins. just to the win2k splash screen (at work)

 

[MAMAFUFU]

Thanks for all your reply. Still awaiting answer about the "static IP" thingy.

nickakick:
the V6600 is a GeForce card, right? I believe the 3dmark2000 produced much higher score for GeForce/Pentium III.

Greg:
I'll check it. But I didn't change anything in the BIOS at all.

DaddyG:
Isn't VIA improved and updated the 4in1 drivers frequently that it should be better than the more than 1 year old win98se? But I'll try to install only the AGP and IRQ router to compare the boot up time.

 

[Daniel]

Arthur just gave you the info, by putting in a ip address like 192.168.0.1 then you are making it static, if you select assign automatically then it makes it dynamic, there isn't a actual switch for dynamic vs. static.

 

[arthurb1]

Look up there my friend....I told you how to do it.

 

[MAMAFUFU]

Thanks Arthurb1, I didn't see your post when I was typing my post of 12:27pm.

 

[arthurb1]

hope it helps

 

[MAMAFUFU]

Anybody second DaddyG's suggestion that I should only install AGP and IRQ routing driver from VIA 4in1?

Did you install ALL 4in1 drivers in VIA chipsets?

 

[arthurb1]

I second it. BTW, where did you get the A7V and does it have the switches/jumpers for clock manipulation?

 

[MAMAFUFU]

I'm from Hong Kong so of course I bought it in Hong Kong. The A7V has been in the market for over 1 week. All of them without onboard sound, and have multiplier dipswitch. I'll try to adjust the multiplier to see if it works after all my boot up problems are solved.

 

[RSI]

<< The boot up time for the above config is 3min 15seconds. If I take out the lan card, it's reduced to 1min 30seconds, barely acceptable. >>

Ouch. Those times are about the same (or worse) than my 3800rpm Seagates with P83 and 24MB EDO

Of course, my Win98 boot time with Quantum and P83/24MB (with network) is 54s

 

[MAMAFUFU]

The machine is currently not networked, but will/may connect to broadband interet in future. Do I need to change the IP address/subnet mask when connecting to broadband? Or can I leave it alone.

 

[arthurb1]

You ISP will tell you what you need to do then, usually you will set it back to dynamic, and it will work, since you will then ahve a DHCP server. RSI...are you talking switch on to windows or first splash to windows? Mine takes about 45 or so seconds from splash to desktop, thanks to 1 15k and 2 10k SCSI drives in RAID 0. But the Swith to splash takes forever, about 1:20 or so...has to get through my CLA 2, Adaptec 2940UW, then my DPT Decade.

 

[MAMAFUFU]

OK. I analysed it with Bootlog analyser, The culprit is the same as my other super 7 sytstem- the &quot;ultra.mpd&quot; file, supposed to be a Promise miniport driver for the onboard Promise ATA100 controller. In the A7V system it takes 30seconds(!) to initialise the driver.

Now somebody tell me what to do !!!

 

[MAMAFUFU]

just update the bios to 1003, no help.