WinXP, KT600, 9700 PRO craps out during install

MediaManMediaMan Powered by loose parts.
edited August 2003 in Hardware
One of you may have come across this before but I am stymied as to what the cause is.

Gigabyte KT600 motherboard
2 x 256 Corsair XMS memory
9700 PRO video card
HDD on IDE 1
AMD 3200+

I know all the components work. I just pulled them from a working system from the last review. I have reflashed the BIOS, tried at safe default BIOS settings. Turned off LAN, 1394 and audio. Tried at optimized settings. Tried single DIMM in 1, 2 and 3. Tried two sticks in 1 and 2 and 2 and 3 and 1 and 3.

Basically what happens is WindowsXP will crap out mere minutes before the installation is complete. The most common error is that the monitor will suddenly flip over to being OUT OF SYNC and displaying 183 to 190 khz reading. (In that little message window that appears as if the monitor were unplugged) The installation process promptly stops too and rebooting will restart the installation process.

This will occur at about the 3-5 minutes to go in the installation process of WinXP. I've seen the 9700 PRO and the same memory used on another review sample over at ANAND and they had no problems.

Has anybody experienced this type of error.

Of course Gigabyte says "it should be working."

Comments

  • ShortyShorty Manchester, UK Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    Check APIC isn't enabled and have you got another hard drive you can try?? :)
  • MediaManMediaMan Powered by loose parts.
    edited August 2003
    I'll try with APIC disabled. Oddly enough the BIOS setting has a choice between APIC and PIC. The PIC is a new one...usually it is APIC and ACPI isn't it?
  • t1rhinot1rhino Toronto
    edited August 2003
    Try installing WinXP with a different video card. Then change it once the install is complete.
  • MediaManMediaMan Powered by loose parts.
    edited August 2003
    Tried that already. :)
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    MM,

    Usually it´s Apic 1.4 enabled or disabled. On newer boards, it comes as enabled by default. After a million tests, i would say disabled is the safest install but enabled MAY give you benchmark improvements but that wasn´t the issue here.

    Your issues here sounds like a classical Apic thing to me.

    Apart from that, set agp voltage to 1 step more. 1.7 works much better on my 9700. Try also 4X agp instead of 8.
  • MediaManMediaMan Powered by loose parts.
    edited August 2003
    reinstalling now. :) Again. :rolleyes:


    UPDATE: well PIC setting don't work worth beans. 2 minutes to go and the monitor kicks out again. Crapweasel.


    UPDATE:

    on both P750 and ATI 9700 PRO

    PIC no work.
    APIC no work.
    AGP 4x no work.
    bumping AGP voltage no work.

    crapweasel.
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    Double bugger!

    Well, i have seen some 600 boards been able to run pretty well so this problem must be on Gigabyte´s side. Have you asked for another bios? Have they sent you any beta bios to test?
    You should demand that IMO.

    Any chance to try 2K just to see if there is any difference? Maybe even 2K3 server?
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited August 2003
    And you can't finish the install with another video card? Do you know what HAL xp is choosing? Have you tried to choose one manually instead? Turn off any advanced agp timing related crap? If all the componets worked in another xp setup you have to keep staring at the MB or its settings.

    Are you able to disable APIC or ACPI completely? If not you may need to mod the bios to enable that possibility. Have had much better luck generally running one or the other but not the combined HAL that gives ya just 24 irq's with APIC. Its a weird combo that just hasnt panned out well for me. I stick to pure apic or pure acpi. So choosing your HAL manually may be required.

    Tex
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    Whats your thoughts on which HAL that works best Tex? I tried the ACPI uniprocessor HAL (F5 on install) with Apic 1.4 enabled and it was pretty stable even if i feel that pure ACPI (normal install without the F5) with Apic 1.4 disabled seems more stable.
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited August 2003
    I don't like acpi/apic mix. If I run APIC I run the one with 120+ IRQ's and I can always get them to not share IRQ's. The only reason to run ACPi and APIC at the same time is if you want all the hibernation and staby crap and mine run weeks at a time without reboots or anything by skipping acpi. ACPI for me has always led you down the path of weird lockups/crashs. I'm really not looking for energy saving or fast bootups but rather rock solid setups in my rigs. I know thats differant then a lot of folks. With my raid and scsi and scsi raid in big servers the boots take forever but they run weeks to months without rebooting 24/7 also. The only systems I have had probs with apic is Abits and they have all been semi-stable at best. Don't know why but.. When my 40 dollar ECS motherboards can manage to figure it out and run apic perfect I just can't understand what Abits prob is either?

    I have asus, and msi servers both runing pure apic now without a burp and all my benchs test better with APIC also? Only my old kr7 showed instability with apic. It was semi stable but still barfed every couple days. Its my kids box so I gave up and went back to acpi for her sake as benchmarks just really don't crank her tractor much, but crashs while she is playing white stripe MP3's baffle her.

    Tex
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    I am in the same boat and doesn´t reboot that often. Once a week maybe. Which HAL do you recommend on which OS with Apic enabled?
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited August 2003
    If you don't need the hibernation and crap try disabling acpi in the bios. Run the 1.4 Apic and hit f5 and run the MPS uni or multiprocessor HAL (as required by your setup) to get full apic with 120+ IRQ's. I run it on both my dual cpu servers and the single non Abit boards. I have yet to get a stable Abit with it but hopefully they will get their sh*t together and get it fixed. I mean WTF ? They now have several dual cpu Intel boards and they have to run it right? maybe I just have not got a new enough Abit board but to be truthfull the dualy's have stole my heart Mackanz. I need to get you to come over to the dark side...... (grin) A dualy with hot scsi with steal your heart and you will never be able to see things the same again. 64/66 slot are badass and with pci-x nowat 100mhz+... Lordy Lordy. Kiss that sorry 32bit pci bus goodbye and get in the fast lane. I am shopping for a dual xeon server now with pci-x slots..... (grin) Its a disease Mackanz.. Robin wants me to get therapy...

    Tex
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    ROFL!

    No wonder why i always have problems with Apic then. I dont have anything else than Abit. That makes me wonder why they put Apic 1.4 enabled by default in the bios of the NF-7.

    IF a good dual Nforce2 board is being released soon, i´m sure i will join. I am sitting next to the puter and i can´t stand the noise of a dual rig with 4X10K scsi disks. Off course i would watercool the cpu´s but those disks would get me mad. Hell, my 2 80 gig se´s are too loud. Thanks for the advice.

    Sorry MM for the off topic here.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    I'm running the HAL (I forget the name) with 120 IRQs on my NF7-S with APIC 1.4 and it works dandy! :D
  • MediaManMediaMan Powered by loose parts.
    edited August 2003
    Mackanz said
    Double bugger!

    Well, i have seen some 600 boards been able to run pretty well so this problem must be on Gigabyte´s side. Have you asked for another bios? Have they sent you any beta bios to test?

    We think the board was damaged in shipping. The new beta bios they sent me did not help at all.

    Tex said
    And you can't finish the install with another video card? Do you know what HAL xp is choosing? Have you tried to choose one manually instead? Turn off any advanced agp timing related crap? If all the componets worked in another xp setup you have to keep staring at the MB or its settings.

    Are you able to disable APIC or ACPI completely? If not you may need to mod the bios to enable that possibility. Have had much better luck generally running one or the other but not the combined HAL that gives ya just 24 irq's with APIC. Its a weird combo that just hasnt panned out well for me. I stick to pure apic or pure acpi. So choosing your HAL manually may be required.

    Tex


    2 completely different systems were tried. (a totally different case, PSU, video card, ram, processor, drives etc.) No go.

    Disabled APIC, turned off all settings way down to safe safe safe default. Must have tried 15 different BIOS configurations. No go.

    If it gets to the point of choosing a new HAL then it's too difficult for the average PC user. Good suggestion though but these boards should mostly be "plug and play" otherwise it really isn't a good product is it.

    :)
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited August 2003
    choosing a new HAL is just hitting f5 on setup. If its too hard then they shouldn't use raid either right as they have to hit f6 once to get the drivers usually AND HAVE A FRIGGIN FLOPPY AVAIABLE WITH DRIVERS right? Hitting one function key and picking a item from a popup menu isnt that hard really.

    What have you NOT replaced. Think hard. I have had installs not work when they came off a fancy brand new DVD/cd drive for example that worked fine when I switched to a plain cd drive and I was soooooooo pissed that I never suspected the damn cd installation drive and it screwed me for 15+ installs till I went bonkers and stripped the SOB down to a bare MB and pulled all new parts in ONE AT A TIME till I found it.

    Its something specific to your parts somewhere. I can't believe they released a board that doesnt run XP. In fact I'm so sure I'll bet ya 100 bucks american right now I can make XP install on that MB if you get fed up.

    Tex
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited August 2003
    Thrax said
    I'm running the HAL (I forget the name) with 120 IRQs on my NF7-S with APIC 1.4 and it works dandy! :D

    That would be the MPS uniprocessor and I agree its the cats meow if you don't need the acpi B.S. The acpi/apic combo one gives 24 IRQ's but they still share IRQ's at times soooooooo.

    Tex
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited August 2003
    Mackanz said
    ROFL!
    I am sitting next to the puter and i can´t stand the noise of a dual rig with 4X10K scsi disks.
    Sorry MM for the off topic here.

    All depends on the drives my friend. My atlas 10k III's and Hitachi scsi's are dead quiet running. same with my older IBM's although the newer 15k IBM's dick with me bad. I have a huge stack of old Microplis 10k drives and they have a high pitched whine that grates big time. Thats why they stick in a tall pile in my closet too. The newer seagate drives and Fuji drives are supposed to be even more quiet. I sit beside my case with the doors off and can't hear the drives run. You can hear a little chatter when the disk is being tested or something but no worse then my maxtor IDE's really with the sound dampening crap turned off. Sound is specific to make/model of drive is basicaly what I am saying. A buddy I build boxs for has a ordered a sh*tload of older 50gb scsi's and I would have to have those suckers in another room even though they are 7200 rpm as opposed to my 10k drives.

    My huge scsi racks make more noise from their internal fans to cool the drives then from any drive noise. They were meant to be run in computer rooms though were cooling versus noise was really the concern. Drives seem to be doing fine with the cover off and the fans pulled and they run 24/7 for me. (grin)

    Ask MM if his scsi's are noisy? he has a couple of the Atlas 10k III's also and I set his up in the open sitting on a cardboard box top I think it was.

    My asus dualie is using some unreal 80mm temp controlled fans I got from MM and they are super super quiet and cool running on some sk7's. Much quieter even then the manualy speed controller Enermax 80mm fans on teeh MSI dualie on top of sk7's.

    The asus only has 1700 XP's in it but with a scsi subsystem thats hits 200,000 on atto and has a 2ms AVG access time in sandra I have no complaints with the speed really even though teh MSI has 2100+ XP's the disk subsystem is slower and feels slower to use. You gotta experiance a 2ms avg access disk subsystem to undersatnd the feel.

    It feels so much faster I keep wanting to put on goggles and tape my ears back to reduce wind resistance.. (grin)

    Tex
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