GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

[natty]

hi there,

hoping someone can help.
just purchased this mainboard and the following to make a HTPC

amd 64 2850e 2.5GHz
Corsair 4GB Kit (2x2GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 XMS2 Memory Non-ECC Unbuffered CL5(5-5-5-18) Heat Spreader Lifetime Warranty
WD green power 750GB SATA drive
antec fusion case
seasonic 380 80+ PSU
vista ulitmate 64 bit OEM
LG blu-ray HD-DVD

so, plugged it all in, turned it on, with vista in the CD bay

it booted, said your sata is running in IDE mode, so changed that

then booted again, got the vista is installing bar across (windows is loading files) the botom of the screen. that completed ok, then got the little green vista loading bar even managed to get a mouse icon (with egg timer) on a vista style background, but then.... it locks up, and that is that

any thoughts/ideas ?

btw the board is rev 1.1

many thanks (in advance hopefully :) )

nat

ps. changed the SATA mode back to IDE, still same problem... :(

[icoz]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

How long does it lock up for, vista takes a while to load, anywhere up to 5min for that bar to progress to the next stage.

[BongWizard]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

you'll need to increase the MCH (Northbridge) voltage to 1.2-1.3V and loosen your advanced timings (especially tRFC... try 54-58) if you want that memory to run properly. also, make sure your DRAM voltage is at (or slightly under) what your DIMMs are rated at (its on the sticker).

After that, run MemTest86+ for an hour or so and get back to us...

you can get it here -> Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

Ya, the first time you run vista it take several minutes to get to your desktop as it does some system scans and such

IDE just means not RAID or AHCI is all. If you installed as IDE you will likely need to leave it that way, Not sure about if you installed as AHCI and then set to IDE.

Here is some info I already posted about how you should set your Disk up, and BIOS settings for each method >>>

http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/gigabyte-ga-ma78gm-s2h-bios-does-not-see-sata-hdd-27956/

http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/ga-ma78gm-s2h-sata-hdd-issues-27533/

[ihatelolcats]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

i ahve the exact same problem with a similar setup to the OP. using amd 64 x2 5600 2.9GHz processor though. i ran memtest and it passed. i am about to try increasing the northbridge voltage, but it (northbridge) already runs extremely hot so i am not excited about that. also, i have HDD set to native IDE. i have tried and tested everything i can think of, no problem hardware found. will get back to you after following BongWizard's instructions. EDIT: how long do I wait before deciding that the system is hung when installing vista? it loads the files for a minute or so, then brings up the progress bar, and when it gets to the gui it appears to freeze. i have left it for a full 5 minutes like that with no change (still shows unresponsive mouse cursor plus timer). possibly related to this problem: sometimes BIOS will not POST, keyboard and monitor do not light, etc. have been removing the battery for a few minutes to clear this problem. thanks in advance for help

[ihatelolcats]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

looked into BIOS to change the northbridge and DRAM settings as per Bongwizard. this is what i see. haha, sorry about the flash glare, not sure how to turn it off. not my camera.
ImageShack - Hosting :: img0830hk9.jpg
the cpu frequency is glared out, it is at 200 MHz.
ImageShack - Hosting :: img0831ql5.jpg
showing the northbridge voltage settings.
I don't know what to do here.
thanks in advance

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

No flash next time, it will be fine

I would say add 1-2 and see if it helps, but it sounds to me like you do not have your disk settings correct. Did you read the manual about SATA modes and settings?

[ihatelolcats]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

i am pretty sure the drive is in right, it is recognized in BIOS. if it helps, the RAM is set at DDR800 and 1.8V by default, running at 1.936V. The CPU Vcore is set at 1.35V and running at between 1.392 and 1.408V at 200MHz. I will try setting it one or two higher, but from what I have seen, setting it lower is supposed to be better for stability problems.

[ihatelolcats]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

ok, tried it at 2V (+.2V from default). bluescreened first time with "page_fault__in_nonpaged_area 0x10000050" etc. appeared to freeze again right before gui on second attempt, letting it sit for a few minutes now to make sure it isnt just being slow.

[ihatelolcats]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

same problem, left for 20 minutes and no change.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

Drive recognized in the BIOS means nothing when it comes to you installing a system

Yes, lower is better for stability, but that is after you find a point where it is for sure stable then you try to lower.

Since you are trying to install your system you should just put in one stick in slot one, and reboot and load optimized defaults and save and apply and reboot and then go back in and set your disk settings, reboot and set First boot device to floppy, second to your OS drive then go ahead with the install. Settings for your system should be as follows, in Integrated Peripherals page >>>

OnChip IDE Controller ............... Enabled if you have any IDE Drive, disabled if not
OnChip SATA Controller ............ Enabled
OnChip SATA Type(SATAII0~SATAII3 connectors) .................. Native IDE Or AHCI If you wish to install the AHCI Driver

OnChip SATA Port4/5 Mode (SATAII4/ESATA connectors) ...... As SATA Type, if you are using AHCI and you also have a DVD/CD SATA Drive connected, put it on port 4/5 and set this to IDE

[ihatelolcats]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

did not work. Returning the motherboard. Thanks for the help.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

Sorry you could not get it, did you ever test this disk in another system?

Could be a dead disk not board, I will not buy WD for this reason. I have received many DOA disks from them in the past

[ihatelolcats]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

i got another of the same kind of motherboard and it has the same problem. it also refuses to boot with 2 sticks of ram working together, they have to be on separate buses. additionally, the HDMI onboard does not work. it will boot another hard drive with windows xp on safe mode, intriguingly. the new board has no problems POSTing. any ideas? i'll test whatever you want. thanks in advance

I think the hard drive is fine. it seems like a driver or bus issue with the motherboard...

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-MA78GM-S2H vista ultimate 64 wont install at all

Is this clean installs? What ram is it, is it on the QVL, and how much of it are you trying to use?