Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

[nlwelle]

Just got new components for a new PC build, including this Gigabyte motherboard (EP45-DS3).

Turn it on, it comes up with the brief video card BIOS message, and then the motherboard logo screen. 99% of the time, it will wait here for 5 seconds and then completely reboot.

The keyboard doesn't work during these 5 seconds, apart from 1% of the time - when I have, for example, managed to press "TAB" to get to the "real" POST screen, or "DEL" to get into SETUP. I've got into SETUP only two or three times in the last 3 hours.

Once, after being in setup, I even got to the Windows installation screen, booting from the CD. This hung after about 10 seconds, though. I've managed to get to the Windows installation screen twice.

The last time I went into setup I set it to "Fail-Safe Defaults". This didn't work.

More recently I've removed power, removed the CMOS battery, waited 30 minutes, replaced the battery, restored power. Still the same result.

I've got down to detaching everything but the video card, RAM and CPU (+cooler). I've even unplugged the front panel USB and audio connections from the motherboard. You know, straws and clutching. Still no joy though.

The motherboard says on it "Rev 1.0". It's got dual BIOS on it, and I think I heard it said that sometimes the dual BIOS Rev 1.0 boards are corrupt, or some such?

The rest of the system is:

- 2 * 2048 MB Corsair TwinXMS DDR2 RAM (matched pair, each marked CM2X2048-6400C5, 5-5-5-18 timings, 800MHz)

- Intel Core2 Duo E8400 (3.0Ghz, 1333MHz FSB, 6MB cache) with stock cooler

- XpertVision GeForce 9800GT

- 2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 500GB hard disc (7200.11 series)

- Pioneer BDC-202 Blu-Ray drive

Apparently my BIOS is version F5 (when I managed to get to the POST screen, I worked out which bit mentioned the BIOS version).


Any ideas, anyone? If it is the corrupt BIOS thing, and given I can't boot or get as far as flashing, is it a "Send It Back" job, or is there anything else I can try?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[svcglobal]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

Try again this time with a single memory card inserted, enter BIOS and set the memory with correct voltages and timings and shutdown the computer. Mount the second memory card - this time the MB should boot normally. Proceed with the correct full setup.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

Please install one stick of ram in slot one only then see if you can get to the BIOS. If so make your changes needed to install and go ahead with your install. If you need help with settings for both sticks Let me know and I can post them for you.

In the mean time please if you can test each stick with Memtest86+ by itself on your system if you can, or another to be sure you do not have any DOA sitcks... It happens

You want to load optimized defaults, then save and apply and reboot back to the BIOS to make other changes.

I would for sure set your ram voltage manually to 2.0-2.1 (What you see on your ram sticker), and set MCH voltage to 1.2-1.3 if you are using both sticks. Then be sure stack tRead value is set to 9-10 until you get all installed, trfc to 62 for now as well.

Once you get going you can change the rest and lower somethings

Corrupt BIOS happens from Bad flashes, and other various issues. Your BIOS is fine, none of what you have mentioned is due to a corrupt BIOS.

What PSU do you have, and what OS are you installing? Just random questions I suppose, the main problem you have is incorrect Auto Settings for Voltages and ram timings I suspect.

Why the cross out of the message?

Well, Let me know if you need more help

[nlwelle]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

I don't know why it crossed out my message - it just happened like that when I posted it! Was fine in preview! Humph.

Will try what you suggest, thanks.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

Ill check it out, sometimes on Vbulletin codes entered mess up posts. So I would assume you had a incorrect code, or a < symbol to close to some words.

Ill check, fix, and post/quote here what part of your code messed it up so you will know next time

Yeap, it was a < Too close when you typed del and tab. < and > Symbols cannot touch letters on Vbulletin boards

Here is why >>>

< TAB > to get to the "real" POST screen, or < DEL >

[nlwelle]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

Thanks again - I'll remember that in future!


I can't get any joy out of the board, so it's been RMA'd.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

Sorry to hear that, it was likely the ram/ram settings and not the board. Did you get a new one or plan to get the same I mean?

[nlwelle]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

I exchanged for an ASUS P5Q (had been put off Gigabyte by the episode, and have had reliable ASUS boards in the past). ASUS board arrived this morning, was installed, and not a sniff of a problem was had. Easy, clean installation. Bah humbug to that particular Gigabyte board.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

Well at least you are back in business. Sorry your Gigabyte experience went south

[lbh]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

Hi there,

I am going through the same experience unfortunately. The board won't post no matter where the memory is installed. It power-cycles every 5 seconds. Tried with two different PSUs with the same result. If I take the cpu out (c2 duo e8400) the board remains on, but as soon as the cpu is on board, the problem appears. Hope I can have it replaced since I only got it two days ago. Not sure however if I want another of those or get an Asus instead.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

Gigabyte boards have a 3 year warranty. Have you tried only one stick of ram in slot one? Have you tested each stick in another system to be sure the ram is not faulty?

What ram is this exactly anyway? Got a link to it please.

Have you cleared the CMOS fully? If you have or not, try again using the method in post # 2 here >>>

http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/bios-flashing-how-qflash-guide-27576/

ATX 12V 8pin connected?

Try it Out of the case, OFF the motherboard tray on a box or wooden table, with ONLY the CPU/Heatsink, one stick of ram, And your GFX card... NOTHING ELSE and see if it will start. A bad drive can cause a system to be unbootable

What GFX card do you have and what PSU and are you SURE your PSU can power your card and everything else?

[lbh]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

Hi,
I got a replacement board today and it does the same. These are the serial numbers
sn083200043116
sn083000064010

The two PSUs (which are both fine) I've tested with are Fortron Epsilon 700, Enermax Galaxy 850
The RAM 1GB DDR2 800 A-Data
The CPU is C2 Duo E8400

The CPU and the two rams were tested on another system and worked.

What I noticed with the first board is that initially the problem showed whenever there was ram installed in slot1. It started fine with one ram installed in any of the other three slots or two rams in slots two and four. There was a message which I don't remember - something bios-related which it was looking for in the hard disk (the hard disk is new with nothing installed on it). Then after a few starts like this, each time showing the message it stopped starting at all no matter where the ram was installed. With only the cpu installed and no ram the board beeps for ram and turns on and off. The boards were tested on its package box not in the case (so I'm sure nothing was shorting it underneath) . I tried clearing the cmos several times - shorting the jumper, removing the battery and shorting the terminals, keeping it without battery for half an hour.

I suppose I can start the second board with the rams in different slots and try to flash the bios but this is my backup plan since it may void the warranty.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

You will not void your warranty by flashing the BIOS.

That "BIOS Releated" message sounds to me like the Corrupt BIOS Boot Block message you would receive if you messed up the BIOS and it would search the HPA Section of your drive for a backup BIOS, and then if none found it would pull the backup BIOS off the second chip on the board

If your new board came to you stating this message at startup then it was likely not new, and had a corrupt boot block when it left the store or Gigabyte as you would have to actually use the system before you could do that to it yourself. And you have not, so it is likely a Already RMA's board that was corrupted by someone else and they just gave it to you

What I would do is like you said try to get one stick of ram to work so you can flash the BIOS with Qflash. If no luck, this would be my personal thought, I would try to borrow another brand of ram just to be sure that maybe those sticks are not causing some incompatibility issue.

If you have no luck getting a stick to work so you can flash try to clear the CMOS fully and then try again (My Clear CMOS Method here, a few things more then you mention) >>>

http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/bios-flashing-how-qflash-guide-27576/

If no luck, you are going to have to RMA the board again..... And I would be very short with whomever I spoke to on the Phone about it (Meaning if you can for sure CALL them about this issue, like if you are still RMA's to a online retailer)

[lbh]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

Hi again and thanks for the reply.
This is what happened with the second board so far. Like the first one it started fine when there was no memory in slot one. I loaded optimized defaults, moved the ram to slot one - no success. Changed the ddr voltage to 2.0 (it was 1.8), again no success when I moved the stick to slot one. Installed XP, downloaded bios F7 for ep45-ds3 rev 1.0 from the Gigabyte site and put it in a separate 1gb partition on the hd. (The original bios on the board was f6). Flashed it with Qflash. On the next reboot (it showed F7) I loaded the optimized defaults, checked that it recognizes the hd. The next reboot tried with memory in slot one - again no success. Next reboot with the ram in another slot tried to load windows it was looking for bios image on the hd. So finaly I ended up with a dead board like the first one. Clearing the cmos didn't help (I'll check to see what additional steps you mention in your method). From what I've read you can only flash the BIOS on the main chip, not on the backup chip. If this is so, why does it fail to load it from the backup?
At this point I'm seriously considering giving up on this board model, will probably go back to p35 chipset.

PS. Forgot to mention the current state of the board - when there is ram in any slot it plays one long beep and then reboots.

[lbh]

Re: Gigabyte motherboard - GA-EP45-DS3 reboot loop

Hi, I thought I'd drop by and say how it all ended. It might be of use to somebody.
I switched to ga-ep35-ds4 and it all went fine (same memory sticks and cpu).