Problems with DFI NFII Infinity Ultra

[Megatomic]

OK, like some of you know, I got my Infinity yesterday. I got it installed but I had some problems with it.

1. When I tried to load optimized defaults the system froze while in the BIOS. I had to hit reset to reboot and then my previous settings were still loaded. Why?

2. I tried to enable NVidia MAC Address. Why did I do this? I couldn't get the onboard ethernet to talk to my router after doing a fresh install of WinXP Pro. What happened when I did that? It locked up in the BIOS again, I had to hit reset one more time. What's going on there?

3. I've never seen half of the memory settings that I saw in the Infinity's BIOS last night. Where can I find what they mean and how to best set them?

I'll post more questions later.

 

[Megatomic]

I know that there are a few of you fellow DFIers out there. Help a brother out.

 

[Mem]

Megatomic where do I start ,you did reset the CMOS?Proper way of doing it is below.

Turn off comp
Remove PSU cord
Remove battery
Reset CMOS
Replace Battery
Replace CMOS Position
Load to bios, set to LOAD OPTIMIZED DEFAULTS, save and exit
once it re-posts, re-enter the bios and make the necessary changes, but NOT ALL AT ONCE.

Also check temps in BIOS,ram is best in slot 2 and 3(blue slots),also run Memtest86 if you can get it stable,what I did with mine was load optimized defaults,install XP (SP1 slipstream).

Onboard LAN is working fine via my brothers Netgear DG 814 modem/ router on mine,I never touched the MAC address in BIOS,just made sure onboard LAN was enabled.

Read the CMOS Reloaded manual(little book),page 8 onwards.






This link might help about your MAC problem.

 

[Megatomic]

I did not reset the CMOS manually. I didn't see where I'd have to. I can go into the BIOS and make all sorts of changes but when I do a "load optimized defaults" the system hangs while still in the BIOS. That's not very encouraging.

I very well may have the corrupted MAC Address problem. This is also not very encouraging. If I can't get it straight tonight it's going back to where it came from. My Abit was not this difficult to get set up.

 

[Megatomic]

Oh and are the two blue DIMM slots on different channels? Even though DCDDR is about as useful as tits on a bull I still like having it enabled.

 

[Mem]

Megatomic,freezing in bios is not a good sign,but clearing the CMOS is worth a shot.

h and are the two blue DIMM slots on different channels? Even though DCDDR is about as useful as tits on a bull I still like having it enabled.

That`s dual channel mode(blue slots) and also what DFI recommends for maximum stability( using blue slots).

Sorry yours is giving you problems,but believe me, mine only took 30-40 minutes with OS install.

Yes it`s possible you have a faulty board but it happens with all brands even Abit,somebody has to get them .

 

[Megatomic]

Well, when I got home I tried once again to sort this out. I changed the memory around per Mem and that went ok. Though I was fine with one in a black slot and one in a blue slot.

Next I tried to fix the LAN problem. Nothing I did made a differnce. Finally I disabled the onboard LAN and installed my 3Com card. Guess what? I connected to the router right away. It's not the cable or the router, it's the mobo. I then pulled the 3Com card and followed the advice in that thread linked above. I couldn't connect again. To Windows the LAN is fine, I just can't send any packets.

So, I pulled the DFI and reinstalled the Abit. No problems with the LAN. I am really frustrated right now.

 

[mechBgon]

If you start a command-prompt box and type ipconfig /all, what does it say for the onboard MAC's physical address? Curious to hear this

Also, what router do you have? I know of one that was causing trouble for two different people with nForce2 boards.

 

[Megatomic]

I can't do that now mech, I put my Abit back in. At this point I just don't think it's worthwhile to rip my system apart for the seventh time in less than 2 weeks to try your suggestion.

Regarding the router, it's a Linksys BEFSR41 with the latest firmware. It's fine with the 8RDA+ I used to have and the NF7-S I currently have.

Thanks for trying to help though.

 

[SniperMerc]

You shouldn't need to enable the lan mac address for the Nic to work, just install latest Nforce drivers. If it's not working after that, try flashing the bios to latest version, even if it already has it.

The lan mac address function is so you can manually set a mac address for the onboard nic card, handy if your ISP has yer Nic cards mac address on file, as some do to make a cable or dsl net connection.

If the onboard Nic truely is fried, I would consider RMA'ing the board.

Edit: you can also reset CMOS using ESC key and hitting the reset button, that CMOS reloaded thing is nice for that.

 

[Richdog]

Originally posted by: Megatomic
I can't do that now mech, I put my Abit back in. At this point I just don't think it's worthwhile to rip my system apart for the seventh time in less than 2 weeks to try your suggestion.

Regarding the router, it's a Linksys BEFSR41 with the latest firmware. It's fine with the 8RDA+ I used to have and the NF7-S I currently have.

Thanks for trying to help though.

I'm going from a DFI Ultra B back to an ABIT NF7-S 2.0 this weekend, i'm fed up with bein a BETA tester, lol, i've had nothing but trouble ever since I bought the damn thing months ago and i've got to know the board very well, intimately even. I'm a regular poster in the AMDMB DFI section, lot of good info there. Best BIOS for me in terms of stability and overclocking is 1/21 and LAN is a hit-and-miss affair. Having a BIOS Saviour has given me the freedom to experiment with all the BIOS and there has been none that have proved to be 100% stable with all features working.

Added to this the Vcore issues when you get to 2.0v or over (kind of defeats the point of having uber-watercooling), and the undervolting of the Vdimm (seriously affects my memory OC and stability) and I just can't reccommend the board to anyone, especially noobs. My CPU is capable of 2.7Ghz+ no problem on a board with stable voltages, and that's where the ABIT will excel, the DFI ain't good for pushing your CPU. Hell, the only positive thing about it was a native 3.3v Vdimm, other than that it's nothing special, especially the SATA controller.

I've managed to get hold of a damn sweet NF7-S 2.0 (one of the earlier ones with the better quality caps etc) and i'm going to Vmod it on saturday and kiss goodbye to DFI. My advice to you is stay with the ABIT. Most likely I won't be buying their A64 board too methinks...

 

[Megatomic]

I've got one of the older R2 boards too. I'm just going to stay with it until I get myself a sweet Socket 939 NF3-250Gb Ultra system.

 

[Mem]

Megatomic,does sound like your onboard LAN is faulty,as I said it happens,my old board was an Epox and that had a faulty CPU FAN header but was not worth the RMA IMHO,however it developed 11 leaky capacitors which was worth changing boards for in my situation .

My mates Abit board exploded lol...you just got to love PCs and there hardware.Btw for what its worth I`m using the latest official BIOS on my DFI board dated end of November last year.

You shouldn't need to enable the lan mac address for the Nic to work, just install latest Nforce drivers.

Yep that`s how I got mine working, I must say my brothers Netgear DG814 is one sweet ADSL modem/router,never had any problems with any of our hardware.