New SATA DVD-RW burner -- Hangs at Verifying DMI pool data

[Ketchup]

A bad bootloader does not fit the symptoms that the OP is seeing.

• If the system was unable to find a bootloader, it would say so.
• If the bootloader had parts missing, you would get an error like "NTLDR is missing".
• If the bootloader was corrupt, then the OP would not be able to boot at all, even with the SATA drive unplugged.

Maybe not, but I am trying to help. What is your conclusion to the cause of this issue?

 

[Ketchup]

See if this thread is any help.

http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/50419/

I know you are probably going to go IDE anyway, but I wish we could figure this one out. I am wondering if you have the SATA drivers on your hard drive. Are the SATA controller drivers installed and showing correctly in device manager? Since first install?

 

[Muse]

Wait a sec, I have a question: What did you do the latest install with? The point of this re-install was to perform it with and IDE hard drive AND the new SATA burner installed, in order to write the correct MBR.

OK, I'll try that. I had some trouble booting with the drive installed IIRC. I'll try it again.

 

[Muse]

See if this thread is any help.

http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/50419/

I know you are probably going to go IDE anyway, but I wish we could figure this one out. I am wondering if you have the SATA drivers on your hard drive. Are the SATA controller drivers installed and showing correctly in device manager? Since first install?

Yeah, the SATA controller driver is installed. I've changed it several times over the last week or so, switching between the 1.3.68.2 version and the 1.3.64.0 version.

I think that the 1.3.64.0 version was installed the first time I tried to boot with the burner in there.

 

[Ketchup]

Yeah, the SATA controller driver is installed. I've changed it several times over the last week or so, from the .68. version to the .64. version and back again. I'm not on the machine right now, so I can't see the exact version, but those are strings within the driver versions.

OK, wanted to see if the SATA controller was being detected on the first install. For your benefit, I hope this is resolved for you soon, one way or the other.

 

[Muse]

OK, wanted to see if the SATA controller was being detected on the first install. For your benefit, I hope this is resolved for you soon, one way or the other.

What do yo mean by "on the first install?

The SATA controller always shows up on the POST, as does the 500GB SATA drive and the burner, when the burner's data cable is attached. It just doesn't get past the DMI pool data check, except for one time, don't know why it passed that one time. I'm right now tryint to install XP from the burner, will see what happens. I installed it from a different optical drive last time.

 

[Ketchup]

What do yo mean by "on the first install?

The SATA controller always shows up on the POST, as does the 500GB SATA drive and the burner, when the burner's data cable is attached. It just doesn't get past the DMI pool data check, except for one time, don't know why it passed that one time. I'm right now tryint to install XP from the burner, will see what happens. I installed it from a different optical drive last time.

Yes, sorry I wasn't clear the first time. This install will be an interesting test.

As for first install, I was referring to the Windows install that works only without the sata burner (from the first post.) Were the sata ports enabled during that initial Windows installation?

 

[Muse]

Yes, sorry I wasn't clear the first time. This install will be an interesting test.

As for first install, I was referring to the Windows install that works only without the sata burner (from the first post.) Were the sata ports enabled during that initial Windows installation?

Yes, I'm sure the ports were enabled, well, almost sure. The controller's always seen in the POST, if that's what you mean, also the 500GB SATA HD.

Things have taken a decided turn for the worse:

I reformatted the partition on the 2nd IDE drive where I'd installed WinXP a few days ago, changing the file system to NTFS from FAT32 (turns out Windows had left it FAT32).

I then reinstalled WinXP from the SATA burner on the freshly reformatted partition. Now, my impression is that you have to take out the Windows install CD when Windows goes to reboot after installing it. Otherwise it will try to install all over again. However, when I did so I didn't get past the DMI data verification. I unattached the SATA burner, rebooted, went into the new WinXP install and when Windows tried to open it asked for the location of various files, all in ..\i386. I tried to change the path to the burner (hot plugged) but the dialogs didn't respond. I knew that there was an i386 folder on one of my hard drives and booted to a different WinXP installation and found it, rebooted and went into the new installation and guided the dialogs to that folder and it kept asking for the folder again, and I again entered it in (did a copy/paste because this happened around a dozen times). When all this was done (and at this point I'm not sure I can remember the exact sequence of events), I was amazed to discover that even with the burner unplugged I got a hang at the Verifying DMI Pool data........

I had tried hot plugging the SATA burner while the Windows installation was going on and saying it was searching for devices, mouse, keyboard, etc.

If the IDE DVD-ROM is attached when I POST the machine it stops at:

Verifying DMI pool data..............
Boot from CD/DVD...

Now, the only way I can get past that is to put a bootable disk in the burner. Well, maybe if I go into the BIOS and change the first boot device to the HD, it will get to the screen where I can choose between my now 3 different WinXP installs, I haven't tried that. But without doing that I absolutely can't boot Windows. I took out the burner and put in an IDE DVD-ROM drive and deleted the recent WinXP install and reinstalled over it, however when the machine reboots I get this if the drive is attached:

Verifying DMI pool data..............
Boot from CD/DVD...

It hangs there! It should NOT hang there. If there's no disk in the burner it should go to the next device to try to boot, be it floppy or HD, but it does not! If the drive has a bootable disk in there, it boots, well kind of. I put my bootable (Win98) Ghost 2003 disk in there and Ghost came up but I got an interminable hour glass! If I put the WinXP insallation disk in there, it tried to install Windows. Sigh.

If the DVD-ROM drive is not attached it now hangs at:
Verifying DMI pool data..............

That's with no optical drive attached. This is nuts. Maybe the MBR is messed up, I don't know. I can try changing the boot order, maybe I'll wait until tomorrow. I suppose I can try other stuff, such as reinstalling Windows XP on the primary master drive's first partition, C:. Dang, now I wish I'd just waited for bbaagh's IDE drive.

The XP install disk I'm using is not standard, it's one I torrented. It does not have a Recovery Console! It does offer Automated Recovery, but if I choose that I'm asked to insert the Automated Recovery floppy, which I don't have. Maybe I can download one with one of my laptops. I have a COA for XP but the XP install disk I have isn't bootable for some reason.

 

[Ketchup]

Haven't read the full thread yet, but removing the install disc (after the first reboot) would not be correct. Leave it in after the reboot, and do not press any keys while it waits. The Windows installation should continue, and will still need to load files from that disc.

 

[Ketchup]

Read the whole thing, and one thing I will add is to discontinue the 'hot plugging.' I don't believe that is helping things any, as your board was not designed for that feature, and I don't want you to physically damage something.

 

[Muse]

Oh boy, I'm at a loss. I went into the BIOS and the boot order was:

CDRom
Hard Disk
Floppy

I changed it to:

Hard Disk
CDRom
Floppy

Saved, and (with no optical drive attached) it hung at
Verifying DMI pool data..............

I'm at a loss, I'm going to bed!

 

[Muse]

Things take a turn for the better!

Decided to try changing the boot order in the BIOS before turning in, glad I did! Before doing that I noticed an item I ordinarily ignore, but it caught my attention. Under Advanced Settings in the BIOS, the first item is HD priority, the second is BOOT order. I went into HD priority and was surprised to see my SATA HD at the top! I did NOT do that! I moved my primary master IDE drive to the top, saved and rebooted and my machine again boots into Windows! I'm on the machine now. Well, this machine is acting a little nutty, maybe I can sort it out.

 

[Ketchup]

So is it now running with the SATA DVD drive plugged in?

 

[Muse]

So is it now running with the SATA DVD drive plugged in?

No, I have the SATA DVD drive out of the machine right now. After successfully installing WinXP on my primary slave IDE HD's first partition (3rd WinXP install on the machine), using an IDE DVD-ROM drive, I plugged in the SATA DVD drive and started the machine and it hung in the usual way.

Thing is, when I tried to install Windows XP using the SATA burner, it wouldn't properly install because it would hang at the usual place before the installation completed when Windows tried to reboot for the first time. At least that's what I recall happening this evening. The easy solution is to use an IDE burner until I get another motherboard. Maybe a different SATA DVD burner would work, but I don't figure I'll bother to find out. It's a maybe thing, and not important, I figure. I think I'll keep one of the SATA burners for when I get that next motherboard, return the other one this week. I'll keep the one I flashed to the latest BIOS. The odd thing is one of the burners wouldn't flash to its latest BIOS. In spite of what it says on the sticker, the flash utility reported it wasn't that version! I have two different versions, version C and version D. Version "D" would not flash to the updated version D BIOS.

 

[tcsenter]

Forget the MBR thing. Its either a BIOS, option ROM, or firmware issue, which you've thoroughly explored and can't do anything about.

 

[Muse]

Forget the MBR thing. Its either a BIOS, option ROM, or firmware issue, which you've thoroughly explored and can't do anything about.

Yes, I suppose it's a bug, more than likely in the SATA controller firmware, maybe something that only shows up by virtue of some kink in the burner firmware, a kind of "bad coincidence." And the mainboard BIOS may play a role, I dunno. Well, it's not horrible, I have my workarounds.

 

[Ketchup]

No, I have the SATA DVD drive out of the machine right now. After successfully installing WinXP on my primary slave IDE HD's first partition (3rd WinXP install on the machine), using an IDE DVD-ROM drive, I plugged in the SATA DVD drive and started the machine and it hung in the usual way.

Thing is, when I tried to install Windows XP using the SATA burner, it wouldn't properly install because it would hang at the usual place before the installation completed when Windows tried to reboot for the first time. At least that's what I recall happening this evening. The easy solution is to use an IDE burner until I get another motherboard. Maybe a different SATA DVD burner would work, but I don't figure I'll bother to find out. It's a maybe thing, and not important, I figure. I think I'll keep one of the SATA burners for when I get that next motherboard, return the other one this week. I'll keep the one I flashed to the latest BIOS. The odd thing is one of the burners wouldn't flash to its latest BIOS. In spite of what it says on the sticker, the flash utility reported it wasn't that version! I have two different versions, version C and version D. Version "D" would not flash to the updated version D BIOS.

So have you been checking the boot order when you plug in the sata burner?

 

[Muse]

So have you been checking the boot order when you plug in the sata burner?

Yes it doesn't seem to matter whether the CD is first, second or third or even out of the sequence. It still hangs. I checked that last night.

 

[Ketchup]

Yes it doesn't seem to matter whether the CD is first, second or third or even out of the sequence. It still hangs. I checked that last night.

No, I am referring to hard disk boot priority. Get everything hooked up (including dvd burner) go into the BIOS, and make sure you boot hard drive is sitting at the top on THAT list, save changes, and reboot.

 

[Muse]

No, I am referring to hard disk boot priority. Get everything hooked up (including dvd burner) go into the BIOS, and make sure you boot hard drive is sitting at the top on THAT list, save changes, and reboot.

I'm pretty sure I did that but I'll do it again to make sure.

 

[Ketchup]

I'm pretty sure I did that but I'll do it again to make sure.

Oh, ok. Just wasn't sure after reading your last post, and the fact that the order had changed on you in the past.

 

[Muse]

Oh, ok. Just wasn't sure after reading your last post, and the fact that the order had changed on you in the past.

I believe that what changed was the HD priority sequence. Not sure what that even means because Windows gives you a boot menu and that's determined by boot.ini in the C: root, AFAIK. I think maybe the HD priority sequence was changed because I flashed the MB BIOS. Dunno, but when I made the primary master IDE drive (where I normally boot from) the top priority again, I stopped getting hung even when the burner was not installed. I was pretty freaked out last night when even without the burner installed I was getting:

Verifying DMI pool data..........

It looked like I might not be able to use the machine again without heroic measures. But chancing on the HD priority setting (not the boot priority) under Advanced Options in the Award BIOS fixed that. It was a whew moment!

 

[Ketchup]

I believe that what changed was the HD priority sequence. Not sure what that even means because Windows gives you a boot menu and that's determined by boot.ini in the C: root, AFAIK. I think maybe the HD priority sequence was changed because I flashed the MB BIOS. Dunno, but when I made the primary master IDE drive (where I normally boot from) the top priority again, I stopped getting hung even when the burner was not installed. I was pretty freaked out last night when even without the burner installed I was getting:

Verifying DMI pool data..........

It looked like I might not be able to use the machine again without heroic measures. But chancing on the HD priority setting (not the boot priority) under Advanced Options in the Award BIOS fixed that. It was a whew moment!

So where do you stand at this point?

 

[Muse]

So where do you stand at this point?

Things appear to be pretty much where they were before. Machine boots OK, it just hangs if the Lite-on IHAS124-04 DVD burner is "installed." So, I will not install it until I get a MB that it works with, which is probably just about any that supports SATA, I figure. However, I'm going to stay away from the siI3512 SATA controller! D:

I've tried just about everything. However I'm going to try installing XP on yet another partition today, this time with a disk I torrented just today. Not sure it will install and activate, will see. If it does, of course, I'll try the burner one more time. I am NOT going to use the burner to install XP. I figure it should not matter when I attach the burner as long as I shut down the machine. It should work. Should, but probably won't.

 

[Ketchup]

Things appear to be pretty much where they were before. Machine boots OK, it just hangs if the Lite-on IHAS124-04 DVD burner is "installed." So, I will not install it until I get a MB that it works with, which is probably just about any that supports SATA, I figure. However, I'm going to stay away from the siI3512 SATA controller! D:

I've tried just about everything. However I'm going to try installing XP on yet another partition today, this time with a disk I torrented just today. Not sure it will install and activate, will see. If it does, of course, I'll try the burner one more time. I am NOT going to use the burner to install XP. I figure it should not matter when I attach the burner as long as I shut down the machine. It should work. Should, but probably won't.

OK, having a little trouble with the post before this one, sorry. With your burer connected in the drive, you can go set your hard drive with Windows to be the first in boot order (hard disk priority), save the settings, then what happens?