AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

[Octopuss]

I just remembered on thing that used to bug me some time ago when I tried AHCI to check whether there is a difference to IDE or not.
When AHCI mode is enabled, I get AHCI BIOS screen instead of the regular one. Devices are being identified, blabla, and then the OS starts booting. See the problem? I cannot enter the BIOS at all!! There seems to be about 0.25s just after connected devices are identified and it still is black screen anyway!
Is there any way to help this? Someone suggested to enable the screen with logo, but that makes no difference at all as the AHCI BIOS seems to override everything. Yuck.

[mv2devnull]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

Trivial questions that pop into mind:
What board?
Which BIOS version?
"Tried" implies that you reverted to IDE, "cannot enter" implies that you cannot revert.

[Octopuss]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

Ah I didn't create any signature yet :)
EP35-DS4
Version - any!!! but I had F5, F6a and F6c flashed so far.
Is the AHCI BIOS part of the normal BIOS?

Well, yeah, I reverted back recently after using AHCI for about a month when I suspected something went wrong (well it appears it did not, but that's a different story).

Cannot enter, well, once per like ten tries I manage, it's because of the eyeblink period of time when I actually can press delete to enter the BIOS (without seeing anything on the screen until the regular POST screen with list of devices appears).

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

Press Delete many times as soon as the board starts, you would not need to wait for a spot between the post screen and the AHCI BIOS screen

Yes, it is part of the actual BIOS

[Octopuss]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

Press Delete many times as soon as the board starts, you would not need to wait for a spot between the post screen and the AHCI BIOS screen

Sadly that does not work :/

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

Clear your CMOS or update your BIOS, that is not normal for sure >>>

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

[Octopuss]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

I flashed/cleared the BIOS like million times since I got the board. Everything works, but I'm telling you, when I enable AHCI mode, the only moment I can enter the main BIOS is the 1/10s before the OS starts booting.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

May just be a faulty board then, does it do that with no devices (Drives) connected to the board?

[Octopuss]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

I will try, but I THINK I played around with it some weeks ago and it was the same. I would really like to try that on brand new board or just another one.


Btw I really wonder when will GA release final version of F6 BIOS.

[svcglobal]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

Which kind of keyboard are you using; Plain PS-2 or USB? Seems like a problem of DEL key press to be properly recognized.
In the first BIOS screen, if the BIOS effectively senses the DEL key pressed, a highlighted white message "Prepare To Enter Setup..." is shown in the lower left corner. Are you getting that?

[Octopuss]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

I don't have that kind of screen AT ALL.
I press the power button and the first thing I see on the screen is the dreaded AHCI BIOS.

Using USB keyboard with no problems at all.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

Hmm, thanks svcglobal, very good question! I bet it is USB and that is the issue at hand

Try it with a PS/2 keyboard and I bet you can enter the BIOS normally.

Some USB keyboards do not function fully/properly until windows loads as they require their own drivers

[Octopuss]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

I don't think so, because when the AHCI stuff isn't enabled I have no problems at all. I would start the PC, immediately (still nothing on the screen) hit Del a few times, and the first thing to see would be the BIOS screen!

[svcglobal]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

I don't have that kind of screen AT ALL.

Wow! Weird, very weird. No initial BIOS screen with EPA sign at upper right corner?
Tell us now which monitor are you using, that BIOS starting screen normally run with 640x480, then change to 720x400 to show the Intel AHCI BIOS, under Vista move back again to 640x480 pixels to show that green bar and finally run the selected Windows resolution.

Could be your monitor not capable to display 640x480? Can't see any other thing that could not display the initial BIOS screen besides bad/corrupted firmware.
So, are you sure that BIOS firmware is the correct one for your board? Please double check all the suffix since someone here in this forum used the BIOS for another board and got many issues (not like you but, who knows?).

[Octopuss]

Re: AHCI BIOS screen making it impossible to enter BIOS

I am not sure if we understand each other.
If AHCI is disabled, I do see the POST screen with all the stuff and everything is perfectly normal.

If I enable it, the first thing to show on the screen is the AHCI BIOS screen and after that OS starts booting straight away (with about .001s of black screen when I can press Del to get to the BIOS).