MSI proA cold boot problems

[freefalle6]

got a problem when i turn my computer on in the morning it starts, fans spin but no video... then i hit the reset switch and waalaa!!! it works fine wtf??? other than that it runs great just wondering what causes this problem??? and if anyone else has had this problem i would appreciate anyones help.
Thanks

system: 1100mhztbird
Msi kt7 proa
asus v7700 gf2 32mb
128mb hyndia ram
maxor 13.6gb hd 7200rpm
d link Nic
us robotics 56k ext modem
40xcdrom
hp 8100 cdrw
generic yamaha sound card ..dont ask wife makes me use headphones cant hear the tv otherwise.
300 watt sparkle p/s atlon approved

 

[davidwiz]

I have the same problem with a MSI Pro2-A, Thunderbird 1100, and an antec 1030B case. 75% of the time it will not cold boot on the first try after pressing the power button: HD fires up but all leds remain red. Hitting the reset button always initiates a normal boot process;runs stable and no indications of any problems. Changing values with the power management settings in bios had no effect. Been running this way for 2 weeks now. I figure the power supply and motherboard are not totally in sync on initial powerup.

 

[rmblam]

Try a different bios. If you have problems flashing then see http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=29&threadid=317590

If that doesn't solve it then I would contact MSI and see if they have a known solution or if they suggest an RMA. Sounds like RMA to me.

 

[RayH]

I have a theory that the large capacitors which make the board run so stable once booted are also causing a power starvation problem during bootup.

For me the problem only occurs when I try to overclock my Duron too far (600MHz overclocked to 927MHz and higher). Interesting thing is that it will occasionally get past the video bios screen all the way up to 950 and as long as it posts am able to run docmem memory tests off a floppy all day without any problems (haven't hooked up a hard drive yet).

I did notice that manually setting the agp driving force to FA, I was able to get reliable starts at 927MHz. This is with an Elsa Geforce2 GTS bios 1.02. I upgraded the Elsa bios to 1.03 and it no longer consistently boots at 927MHz. I plan on moving the stock video fan power source off the video card so it's not draining power from the motherboard to see if that helps and will play with the agp driving force some more.

duron 600@918 1.65v
super orb
msi kt7 pro2-a
elsa geforce2 gts
2x128MB Kingston value ram
antec sx1030

 

[bluesky]

I have a little different bootup problem.
When I boot the computer up, it goes through the routine to starting Win98 and SB Sound card initialization, then hangs at the point.
One funny thing is it happens when I bootup after I shutdown it for more than few hours, say, 8hours.
I'm using pro2a wiht 1gig tbird.
I upgraded bios v1.6(anything coming with the board) - v1.8 - v1.9 - now v2.0, but same problem.
The beta version of via drive will help?
By the way, is there any good read for tweaking windows to boot faster.
Man, mine takes about 5 times slower than 3 years old computer.

 

[davidwiz]

These last two responses relate problems that seem in no way related to the initial post of a cold boot startup. The original poster explains he has no instability of the system only an initialization problem between the power supply and motherboard. Hitting the reset button causes the system to boot normally with no problems. I do not overclock, the bios is up to 2.0, and everything works fine except the small problem of not always booting the first time when pushing the power button. The system is not unstable and the cpu temp is constantly 37c. Again, I really dont think you can compare this situation to a computer that doesnt boot after overclocking or a computer that hangs during windows 98.

 

[TonDef]

Same problem, different motherboard. See my thread here. In 8 years of building my own systems I had _never_ run into this problem until about a month ago, and now I see others are not only experiencing the same thing but are also experiencing it with different hardware. Kinda weird... It's not that it really impacts stability because one punch of the reset button (or in my case, the power button <g> ) makes everything boot normally. What's frustrating is that for once my mad troubleshooting skillz aren't helping me one bit! Of course the real test would be to swap the suspect motherboard into my server case, which is also running the same Intel board, to see if it boots. Too much work, though

 

[Macro2]

I had the same problem with an earlier MSI Athlon board.
Turn your computer on first, then the Monitor. That will do it...

Jim

 

[NoSpeed]

freefalle6, the problem you describe is just like mine. However, I have an ASUS P3V4X v. 1.02 mobo with a Hercules 3D Prophet II GTS 64 Mb card. The cold boot issue is widely known at this point by many mobo and video card manufacturers. For those, like you and I, that have a GeForce II video card, this issue cannot be resolved by BIOS or driver updates. It is a design flaw of the motherboard and for many mobo vendors, the problem was not even recognized until, like ASUS, they started production of GeForce II cards themselves. Unfortunately, most companies will not officially acknowledge the problem and revise their boards. Because if they do, there will be a massive number of consumers eager to RMA their mobos back for replacement, costing the companies a ton of money. The techs know they cannot reveal corporate secrets because it will affect profitability. This issue is not major enough in their view for a system wide product recall IMHO. It is clear newer production boards have different circuitry. I have seen this. There is enough evidence that the techs clearly know how to solve the problem, but the companies are preventing them from doing the right thing for consumers. The really sad part is that since they cannot acknowledge this problem, the defective mobos are still being sold today. They are digging a really deep hole. Chances are you will see your mobo and mine discontinued by summer. For my mobo, there are plenty of frustrated users. I have seen a modification posted to solve the issue for my mobo, but modifications void the warranty, of which I have several more months to see if the company will come through for me. I am also reluctant to take the risk of trashing my mobo at this point since I do not have high confidence in my soldering skills. In summary, if MSi will not resolve your problem with a new board revision, you are stuck with the reset button solution! Good Luck.

 

[davidwiz]

NoSpeed,
You seem to be attributing this to the combination of motherboard to a specific type of video card. I do not have a GeForce video in mine, I have an ATI Rage Pro Fury and it exhibits the same problem. Any links to other discussion forums describing this behaivor?

 

[TonDef]

Not trying to steal this thread or anything, but I can't buy the video card as a potential cause, at least in my situation. Even when I remove my Riva TNT AGP card and use the onboard video of the D815EEAL, this thing just will not boot without punching the reset button.

 

[davidwiz]

When reading the newsgroup,alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.msi-microstar, today I noticed two seperate threads relating to the same problem. The interesting thing is it does not seem like there is a common component causing this problem. If it is a flaw in the motherboards; why doesnt it occur with everyone?

 

[Regalk]

This is not a problem with the MSI alone. My A7V has the same problem only with my duron 600 overclocked to 900. AT 850 it boots normally but at 900 must hit the reset button once. The problem gets weirder. I changed my Heatsink to the FOP38 and Arctic silver and carefully do a neat install plus I changed the pencil to loctite defoger and the problem went away. It now boots normally at 900. I did update my video card drivers numerous times det 5.33 ---> 6.67) and via 4 in 1 (4,25 to 4.28) plus the A7V Bioses as well so I am unable to say whether it is the Heat sink that is responsible. AND get this if I go to 950 then its back to booting with the good old reset button again.
So I have to conclude it has something to do with the boot sequence - if the cpu can detect the higher user set voltage first it may be OK but apparently it does not which is known as the now infamous cold boot problem.

 

[freefalle6]

Heres the fix for my kt7 pro a i went into bios and under power management setup then go to state after power failure and set it to &quot;off&quot; reboot and its fixed!!!!!!works great now.

 

[bugsysiegel]

I have a problem which is similar, when cold booting, my slave drive and secondary ide are not initialized. I have the same m/b, Athlon 600 (no o/c at this time), 256MB Ram, 2 Maxtor drives (20GB Master/80GB Slave). Burner/CD-Rom on secondary ide. Happened with a Rage 128 and a Voodoo5 5500 card (not in at the same time, swapped from ATI to 3dfx and then back again). This would effectively eliminate the video card being the culprit. I also have my bios set to shutdown after power failure, but the problem has persisted since I purchased the board. Any thoughts are appreciated!

TIA

 

[davidwiz]

I tried changing the power management settings in bios about 2weeks ago and it never resolved my cold boot problem.

 

[NoSpeed]

davidwiz, sorry not to give you a timely reply, but I have not been home for a few days since my last post. I see freefalle6 has found a solution, consequently this thread may be dead. Anyway, I was eluding to the GF2 variety of video cards being an issue with not only my mobo, but with many others. I cannot explain why your ATI video card exhibits the same behavior, nor can I explain why freefalle6 has found a software solution. Everything I have read points more likely to a mobo hardware design flaw/incompatibility. This article is dated, but here is some technical explaination for the cold boot issue as it relates to GF2 cards: Text. You will note many mobo models/brands are affected. It could be the maker of your mobo and/or video card have created the same effect that is taking place with the GF2 cards and the mobos listed in this article. In my case, I have tried just about everything possible short of a modification that would void my warranty. I am even going to give freefalle6's BIOS solution a try, just for the heck of it. I see it did no good in your case and I can sympathize with you. Sadly, in the end I think we will be stuck with the reset button solution, but I hope at least some mobo makers will come through with better designs or revisions to existing designs before our warranties expire. Again, Good Luck.