Socket 775 Posts, but won't boot from SATA drive

[Kinesis]

Hi folks,

I wonder if someone has a suggestion to resolve an issue I am having with my "server" PC?

PC Built and used for 12 months or more.
Specs:
* Intel D975XBX2 Motherboard (aka Battleaxe 2) socket 775 motherboard
* Xeon X3220 CPU
* 4 GB of DDR2 800 RAM
* xfx 7300GT 256 MB video card
* Crucial 128GB SSD
* Seagate 160 GB HD
* CD-ROM, and Corsair CX430M Power Supply

PC was running Ubuntu Linux with Plex Media Server and Owncloud until recently. I wanted to try pfsense (based on recent Level1Tech Videos) and went to install pfsense, but despite the installation to the SSD going well, the computer would state "No Boot Device Found". I have since tried installing Windows 10, Windows 7, Ubuntu Linux, Manjaro Linux, etc - all installations go well, no errors, reboot and "No Boot Device Found".

I have reset the CMOS, I have confirmed the boot priority in the BIOS, I have tried every SATA port on the motherboard with mo change. The PC boots fine from USB, CD-ROM, but not from the SATA ports. I even used my other Q6600 Socket 775 PC to install an OS on another SSD and plug that into this batlleaxe PC with no change in results.

Any thoughts?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Hmm, that's kind of puzzling.

If it will boot off of USB, try booting Linux Mint 18 (Mate, or just choose one), and then plug in a SATA drive into each SATA port, and see if Linux will recognize it. (Open the "Disks" tool.)

Edit: I kind of described that the wrong way round. Make a Linux bootable USB, using another PC. THEN connect up a SATA HDD or SSD, to each SATA port in turn, and THEN boot the USB, and see if the "Disks" tool recognizes the drive on that SATA port.

I would go down your SATA ports, and test each one that way, and see if they are recognizing drives.

If they all test OK, then something's funky about your BIOS settings. Are the SATA ports set to AHCI or RAID or Legacy/IDE?

 

[Ketchup]

Newer drivers with the installers are no longer supporting the SATA controller used on the D975XBX2? The ICH7R is 10 years old. Have you tried installing the same build of Ubuntu Linux you originally had?

If that works, then you know you will need to install ICH7 drivers with the newer OS (if they can be found).

 

[Kinesis]

No CD or USB left in the machine.

So I have tried every SATA port in combination with the SATA Bios settings (IDE and ACHI) with no success or change in results.

All devices connected to the SATA controls, even the MARVEL RAID controller onboard are seen in the bio and by installation media (USB or CD-ROM) I have tried.

The latest test I am doing is a RAID 0 Setup on the Marvel Control with 2 SATA 1 80GB HDs. I will let you know the results.

P.S. I have tried to install the original Ubuntu I had running on the machine with no success either.

 

[VirtualLarry]

No CD or USB left in the machine.

What do you mean by that? Surely, the mobo has rear USB ports.

Or has this mobo been damaged by power surges or a lightning storm? Junk it, if so.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I have reset the CMOS

At this point, since you already tried that, what about trying to flash the BIOS over again to the current version, using a bootable USB or CD-R?

 

[Kinesis]

Sorry I just wanted to clarify that I wasn't leaving the installation media in the CD or USB formats and trying to boot the installed operating system on the HD.

So no success. I also tried reinstalling manjaro (just because I already had it on a USB) and Manjaro saw the disks, installed without error, but on reboot "No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key" once again.

I am at a loss! @VirtualLarry I think you are correct, something must have damaged them. I hadn't considered flashing the bios, but since I have nothing to lose I think I will try that.

 

[VirtualLarry]

You say that this was a server. Did you leave a USB flash drive plugged into any of the ports? Rear ports? Internal headers? Maybe some other device is trying to boot, failing, and causing the overall boot sequence to fail (and not trying the SATA boot).

 

[Ketchup]

So, what are you installing to? Your posts suggest a RAID array, even tough the first post didn't mention it. Are you using the Intel RAID or the Marvell RAID?

You also mentioned clearing the BIOS. Don't forget to ensure that:

Advanced, Drive Configuration, Configure SATA as; ensure that RAID is selected

Remember that if the boot order is set to boot from CD/USB first, but your RAID array isn't next in the list, one could expect the problems you are seeing, since it is probably looking the wrong place for a boot source.