Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

[Alfred E. Neumen]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

Hey All,

Call me crazy, but if the issue around the loop problem is based on the "test memory post" why not just utilize the "smart quick boot" feature.
Either via Smart 6 or if their the bios?
Enabling this it is designed to do only one quick hardware check
Would this be a viable workaround for the loop issues.

Comments and thoughts appreciated,,,

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

Sorry to anyone subscribed on this thread, I thought I updated it last week but now see I didn't!!

Here's an update on the issues

http://forums.tweaktown.com/gigabyte/28441-gigabyte-latest-beta-bios-559.html#post416965

Please pass this info along to your fellow Gigabyte users, thanks!

Test 3 models of Z68 boards with the following BIOS:

1.) Z68X-UD7 with BIOS F10

2.) Z68XP-UD3 with BIOS F9g

3.) Z68AP-DS3 with BIOS FB

Our test results:

1.) Press CTRL + ALT + DEL keys when during boot up or in DOS mode >> Cannot see “continuous reboot loop”, nor “Waiting for ME ready”, nor “system overclocking failure” message. The system just reboot fine.


2.) Press the Reset button

A.) Press the button quickly and release immediately >> Cannot see any issue.

B.) Press the reset button for one second or so (This is not normal behavior.) >> System will shut down, and then power on by itself. Then the “Waiting for ME ready” message appears and then system will shut down and power on by itself again. Sometimes, it will show “System overclock failure” message.

Moreover…

According our testing before,
the issue of “continuous reboot loop” can be fixed by flashing the Backup BIOS with the same version as the main BIOS (latest one).
We Flash the Backup BIOS with the same BIOS version for the main BIOS version before test.

So be careful with that reset button and it should also work properly now too! But I still say avoid if/when possible :D

And always keep backup BIOS up to date matching with the main BIOS. And of course keep up to date with beta BIOS releases as they are always improving!

[jaggerwild]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

This board is currently sold at a local Microcenter and is a currently selling product - to this very day. Also, and more importantly, it was the requested board from the customer, specifically chosen for this build, based upon positive industry reviews of said board.

I was not aware this board is no longer in its current product life cycle or supported by Gigabyte. In fact, the Gigabyte website is also unaware of this change.

Truth be told, the GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 rev 1.3 is a currently marketed product and holds a 3 year warranty according to the website and product documentation. If this product is somehow outdated, unsupported, or a mistake, brick and mortar stores should cease sales of said product.

However, I think we both know that is NOT the case, and that this product is still in the product support life cycle.

Were you someone who also builds and sells custom systems for clients, you'd know better than to build systems with freshly released boards due to the new and unknown nature of "new" boards. So I disagree with your statement - I FULLY expected support on some "official" level from the Gigabyte UK forums - thinking those were the official forums (despite the .uk), only to be told the "official" Gigabyte US Forum is here. I guess I hope that "official" support comes at these boards, should these truly be the Gigabyte US support forums. I haven't had very much luck getting support via email.

I appreciate the user support, as we all try and work through this issue, but my expectation is that the MANUFACTURER solves this problem, not the customer. If we solve it, great as it will be great to have the issue resolved. But in that case, shame on Gigabyte for allowing that to happen before they can support their own product line.

jaggerwild, I'm sorry that was so harsh, but your original reply was fairly insulting - implying that I chose an old product so I deserve no support. The 1.3 revision board isn't that old, from my understanding.

What is INSULTING is the fact you claim to be a system builder LOL and want Gigabyte(witch is located in Asia) they are also ASUS to as I assume you know to drop what there doing and rush rush right over here, for a person that claims to be a system builder. Mr. smart ass, take a look at the stickie's in this section(gigabyte) NOTICE THE WARRANTY DISCUSSION IS BANNED if you search for the thread that caused it, you'll notice I was the one who got that put up there(http://forums.tweaktown.com/gigabyte...on-banned.html) . I've used EVERY Gigabyte mother board(except AMD version) since the 680/X48/P45 EVERY ONE OF THEM HAS this, it is a built in power phase thing. As stated but I guess you can't read your own threat one guy said " only way to NOT have this happen is to clear CMOS" Every mod in this thread and all the posters HAVE gigabyte Mother boards, THEY ALL HAVE this on there system. BUT YOU MR SYSTEM BUILDER WITH A PEACE OF PAPER ON THE WALL are gonna edumacate Gigabyte on how they SHOULD CONDUCT business, mean while you haven't even verified the TURN OF PLL OVERVOLTAGE in the BIOS.
YOUR A REAL PROFESSIONAL MR SYSTEM BUILDER you may have a peace of paper stating you know something, but as we all know A ROCKET SCIENTIST can't socialize with common folk, your reply alone states something like of a MICKEY MOUSE operation. I have no paper on my wall, but I taught myself everything I needed to know. My work consists of baby sitting 6000 slot machines at a time, witch as you know are nothing more than a over priced computer with fancy casing and bling lighting. I have to fix these on the spur of the moment down to the component level ALL THE WHILE THE GUEST IS COMPLAINING THEY WERE RIPPED OFF for a JACK POT they most assuredly were gonna win.
Here's a suggestion MR SYSTEM BUILD try to STFU and use one of the new bios, or infact as there IS NO REAL ISSUE WITH YOUR COMPUTER (OTHER THAN YOU) simply STFU..................

HAVE A GREAT DAY MR SYSTEM BUILDER!

[allenwr1505]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

This issue is pretty wide-spread, and I've had little luck trying to get support on it at the Gigabyte UK forums, and they told me tweaktown has the "official" US support forum.

For some background and other users:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1034724/gigabyte-p67-z68-boot-cycling-problem/590

That thread is going on 62 pages long now. I have this problem, as do numerous other users. Support is aware of the issue as other users have gotten through, but we're not getting updates, or solid fixes. Can we at last know what the internal status on resolution for said problem is?

The thread at Gigabyte UK:
Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding Z68 cold boot?
I've linked to all three threads in case we solve the issue.

The Problem/Symptoms:

If you have this problem, please post your system specs, so maybe we can try and figure out some type of resolution.

My specs:
Z68X-UD3H-B3
i5 2500k
Cooler Master Hyper 212
2x 4gb Corsair XMS DDR3 (also tried crucial ballistix)
SATA RAID 0 2x WD raptor 36g
SATA RAID 0 2x Seagate 7200.12 500g
Galaxy GTX 460 SLI 768
Lite-ON DVDRW
Sony Blu Ray
PCP&C 760Watt PSU

What I have personally tried -

• Every other BIOS listed for this board - nothing fixes it.
• 2 other known working 700+ Watt power supplies
• i3 2100
• different PCI-E video card
• Known working RAM (verified via memtest)
• Different brands / different # sticks of known working RAM
• No RAID / different HD
• Different DVD-Rom

I've found that manually setting my memory voltage to 1.65v and QPI/VTT to 1.2v seems to cut down on the boot loop. Doesn't entirely fix it, but does cut down the occurrence.

Hey Spurst, have you had any success or found anything else out? I've been through 3 of these exact motherboards, all Revision 1.3 and I've had this problem no matter what I've attempted. I too have tried two power supplies, an OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W and a Corsair 850W T2. I have 16GB Corsair XMS DDR 1600 that I've tried as one stick, two sticks, or all four sticks in different slots. I've moved the QPI/VTT voltage from 1.05v up to 1.25v and a variety of voltages inbetween. I've changed the VDIMM from the default 1.5v to 1.65v and the variations inbetween. I've disabled PLL Overvoltage. Of course, I flashed my backup BIOS to match my main BIOS. I've even disconnected my graphics cards and all of my hard drives. I've also read almost all of the Gigabyte UK forum posts on this subject and most other threads on this. As you mention when I bump the QPI/PTT voltage the problem still occurs but it happens less often. Of course, I've tried BIOS F6, F7c,d,e and the current F7. In spite of what other people say, the F7 has not fixed this cold boot issue for two of the boards. The 3rd board I've tried had a BIOS problem that prevented me from flashing the BIOS so I wouldn't know.

I too am past the return period and sadly when I first bought this board I didn't notice the problem because I never turned my computer off. This problem happens at cold boot. You turn it on, it says that there are overclocking/voltage problems even when everything is at stock speeds, and then you get the "Waiting for ME Ready 9...8...7... etc problem then it shuts down and reloops. For me I fix it by continually pressing reset and then eventually it gets through.

If anyone has any further suggestions, or if anyone has actually had this problem fixed with the new F7 BIOS, I would love to hear what you did. I've spent a lot of time on this issue and I'm thinking very seriously about getting an Asus P8Z68-Pro Gen 3 or buying a Z77.


My system:
i2500k (Corsair H60 cooler with push/pull)
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850 V2 850W
Corsair XMS 3 16GB 1.5v
240GB Mushkin Chronos Deluxe
2x Radeon 6950 2GB (unlocked)
random hard drives
blu ray burner
3x Dell Ultrasharp 24" monitors (2x 2408WFP, 1x U2410)

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

Did you flash the backup BIOS to match the main? If not, you need to do this, here's how (you may need to use PS/2 keyboard or USB to PS/2 adapter)
GIGABYTE Tech Daily: Video guide how to update your backup bios on GIGABYTE P67 boards

Avoid using the reset button as well, and be sure you start by loading optimized defaults in the BIOS, then save/apply/reboot BACK to the BIOS to set your SATA settings for windows and any other changes you need.

Then do the backup BIOS flash as mentioned above

[allenwr1505]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

Did you flash the backup BIOS to match the main? If not, you need to do this, here's how (you may need to use PS/2 keyboard or USB to PS/2 adapter)
GIGABYTE Tech Daily: Video guide how to update your backup bios on GIGABYTE P67 boards

Avoid using the reset button as well, and be sure you start by loading optimized defaults in the BIOS, then save/apply/reboot BACK to the BIOS to set your SATA settings for windows and any other changes you need.

Then do the backup BIOS flash as mentioned above

My apologies, I forgot to mention this in my post, but flashing my backup BIOS was one of the first things I've done with each board. Every time I've hoped it's worked but inevitably, I have the same issue. As for the reset button, it's a nonissue because this problem occurs when I cold boot and press the power button. When I simply reset or restart this problem does not occur.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

Ahh ok, well that's good you've been doing that already!

So this happens on three boards right? Are all three used at once, or just at different times? Just wondering if they all have their own memory? If so, have you tested each stick one by one on a cold boot?

If not, test each stick one by one each morning, as in put in the single stick at night and set it up and make sure it's all working, then cold boot test in the morning. Do that once each day until you have tested each module one by one, often times this can be a perfectly working stable module otherwise, but you'll find one or two may fail cold boots in the morning or after 6-8 hours downtime. So that would be what I'd test next for sure, on each machines set of memory if they all have their own.

[allenwr1505]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

Ahh ok, well that's good you've been doing that already!

So this happens on three boards right? Are all three used at once, or just at different times? Just wondering if they all have their own memory? If so, have you tested each stick one by one on a cold boot?

If not, test each stick one by one each morning, as in put in the single stick at night and set it up and make sure it's all working, then cold boot test in the morning. Do that once each day until you have tested each module one by one, often times this can be a perfectly working stable module otherwise, but you'll find one or two may fail cold boots in the morning or after 6-8 hours downtime. So that would be what I'd test next for sure, on each machines set of memory if they all have their own.

I've had three separate boards but sequentially. I had my original that I bought then the 2 replacement Gigabyte sent me.

As for the memory I suppose I could do that, although I fail to see the difference between trying 4 individual sticks 10 minutes apart or leaving one in there overnight. Oftentimes whenever I change the RAM configuration that's an automatic recipe for a boot loop sequence as soon as the machine turns on. I fix it by pressing Reset for about 5 minutes and power cycling or I can reset CMOS but when I reset CMOS I often still have boot loops and have the same process except that I've lost all my settings.

I was really hoping that this problem was due to memory timings or running at DDR 1600 or using too many sticks. At least then I'd have a stable board. However, I've been able to replicate this problem using any combination of sticks at DDR 1333 or 1600 with XMP profile or just the default profile at any voltage. I guess I'll begin the process of leaving one stick in overnight and cold-booting.

At this point I've sunk so much time into this board that I'm really leaning towards just buying an ASUS P8Z68-Pro/Gen 3. Yeah I lose $150, but time is money and I've spent so many mornings holding a screwdriver on the CMOS jumper trying to make my board boot.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

Please trust me on this, otherwise if you don't how can you expect people to try and help you out? Cold boot means cold boot, it can be a few hours if really actually cold temp wise, or 8+ hours downtime at room temp.

And hey, you're the one that mentioned cold boot first anyway! I'm just trying to help you figure out the cause of the issues!!

But honestly, I've seen this a few times, and once myself personally on a set I almost beat to death because I couldn't figure out what the problem was! A single stick can rear it's ugly head on a cold boot, yet be perfectly stable any other time, that's why I suggested testing like I did.

I have zero issues here on two P67 boards and a Z68, with any of the tons of memory kits I have, but if I were to put in that one stick I used to have I'd have cold boot issues for sure!

[allenwr1505]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

Please trust me on this, otherwise if you don't how can you expect people to try and help you out? Cold boot means cold boot, it can be a few hours if really actually cold temp wise, or 8+ hours downtime at room temp.

And hey, you're the one that mentioned cold boot first anyway! I'm just trying to help you figure out the cause of the issues!!

But honestly, I've seen this a few times, and once myself personally on a set I almost beat to death because I couldn't figure out what the problem was! A single stick can rear it's ugly head on a cold boot, yet be perfectly stable any other time, that's why I suggested testing like I did.

I have zero issues here on two P67 boards and a Z68, with any of the tons of memory kits I have, but if I were to put in that one stick I used to have I'd have cold boot issues for sure!

So I was going to implement your suggestions this morning, but when I took out all of the memory but one stick I got caught in an endless boot loop as usual. However, this time I couldn't get out of the loop even after resetting CMOS a few times so I pulled my graphics cards since in the past this has made it more stable. However, when I pulled my graphics cards I was able to get the system to run completely stable. I overclocked it, turned on PLL overvoltage, etc. I shut it down and turned it on many times, although perhaps I just need to test it more. I tried adding in just one graphics card and when I did so... I get the boot loop. I tried pulling the graphics card again and I still had the boot loop a few times but it went away. I need to do a lot more testing to verify this, but do you have any ideas why adding a graphics card would cause my system to become unstable? Keep in mind that although I have two graphics cards I've run this system with only one of them before and had the boot loop problems.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

Hmmm, you were supposed to setup the single stick last night, before this morning, that way you could test cold boot from single stick

Ya, you'll need to do a lot more testing now to see what's going on, if one card is causing the issues, or both, or any card period. I'd also somehow still get in the memory testing I suggested. I'm not sure why a graphics card would do that, unless it's possibly partially faulty or something, or semi-incompatible which I doubt is the case. Could be the PSU maybe, since you have to connect the card to the PSU for additional power?

I do know, sometimes PCI cards can cause issues, but generally not PCIE cards.

[allenwr1505]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

Hmmm, you were supposed to setup the single stick last night, before this morning, that way you could test cold boot from single stick

Ya, you'll need to do a lot more testing now to see what's going on, if one card is causing the issues, or both, or any card period. I'd also somehow still get in the memory testing I suggested. I'm not sure why a graphics card would do that, unless it's possibly partially faulty or something, or semi-incompatible which I doubt is the case. Could be the PSU maybe, since you have to connect the card to the PSU for additional power?

I do know, sometimes PCI cards can cause issues, but generally not PCIE cards.

Yeah, it's really weird. It may just be an artifact of how sporadic this thing is. Right now I have both graphics cards in but when I POST I'm booting to the motherboard HDMI outlet and then I switch to the graphics cards once I'm in windows. So far it seems to help a lot but we'll see. More and more testing. Thanks for your suggestions so far.

[wevsspot63]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

Allen, have you tried disabling the onboard vga, and then manually setting your BIOS to boot from the PCIe x16 first? (with your discrete video card(s) installed of course).

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

Well that's an odd way to test, how I mention using it now I mean. But since this is an odd issue, I'd go ahead and test any and all ways you can think of. I'd also test the cards for stability (With only one card installed and connect to the card) using afterburner or Furmark just to see if one of them act different than the other, or one gets much hotter than the other, ect

And don't forget the single stick cold boot memory testing, as one iffy stick can cause any number of random issues on a cold boot, so I'd actually get started on that each morning with all other testing aside or in the afternoon/warm booting.

[allenwr1505]

Re: Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding cold boot loop problem hitting the P67 / Z68 boards??

Allen, have you tried disabling the onboard vga, and then manually setting your BIOS to boot from the PCIe x16 first? (with your discrete video card(s) installed of course).

Yes, I need to test just a single graphics card in the x16 slot. I've used a single graphics card in the x8 slot for months on my first board and I had this issue most mornings. This issue is very sporadic now that I've upped the PTT/QPI voltage and the DRAM voltage and turned off PLL overvoltage. Running both graphics cards was stable for a while but then I got the bootloop chain for a couple of cold boots in a row. At the moment though it seems as if the board BIOS just isn't happy when I have two graphics cards in crossfire, or when I use the x8 PCIe slot.

I'll do the morning memory thing as suggested.