A7N8X-E Del. + Adaptec SCSI 39160 = NO BOOT!

[josedawg]

Summary:

A7N8X-E wont play nice with my Adaptec 39160 SCSI card and any IDE drive connected. Works fine if no IDE drives are plugged in.

Specs:
Antec SLK2650-BQE case w/SmartPower 300w psu
A7N8X-E Deluxe BIOS 1012
XP3000+
ATI AIW Radeon 9700Pro
1.5gb memory
Adaptec 39160 SCSI Card
Seagate Baracuda 9gb (SCSI)
WD Caviar 160gb (IDE)
Maxtor DiamondMax 9 160gb (IDE)
Maxtor DiamondMax 9 200gb (IDE)
Ricoh MP5240A DVD+/- RW (IDE)
Samsung CD-ROM (IDE)


Well, finally decided to upgrade my file server from its cheesy Compaq mobo/case to an Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe motherboard and Antec SLK2650-BQE case. Build my new comp, and notice I have some old SCSI equipment lying around not getting any use. I decide to put in my Adaptec 39160 SCSI card and Seagate Baracuda 9gb drive in there to handle the OS, and the rest of the IDE drives to handle file storage.

First thing I do is update BIOS to latest before installing anything. Plug all drives in...no boot. I thought it may have been a memory problem, but POST gets past the memory check just fine, but locks up on IDE detection. I decide to remove all IDE drives connected as a precaution, boots just fine (had an old Win2K install on the SCSI drive). Decide to plug in just the Ricoh DVD+/-RW into the drive to install Windows. Same error at detecting IDE drive. Plug in just a regular CD-ROM drive, and it boots! I install Windows now where the fun ensues. Remove Windows cd from drive and get NTDLR error. Reboot, put cd back in, boots just fine and I finish the Windows installation. After Windows installed, reboot, take out cd, NTDLR error.... WTF? Thinking my Windows cd was damaged, try with an older Win2k, same error after installing window and removing the cd. After about the 8th or 9th Windows install (tried with about 4 or 5 different Windows 2k, WinXP, and Win2k3 cd), I get no NTDLR error. Once Windows set up, decide to connect IDE drives, IDE detect error. Thinking maybe psu not powerful enough (Antec 300w SmartPower with case), I take out an old 350w Enermax, same problem. Try connecting one IDE drive at a time, but whenever any IDE drive is connected, even just one, I get error. Try replacing IDE cables with new ones, old ones, and ones that was previously installed on the file server. No luck.

Is this a problem with the A7N8X-E itself, having SCSI + IDE, or was I unlucky and bought a busted mobo with faulty IDE controller?

 

[josedawg]

Called Asus Tech Support yesterday, was on hold for 10min, finally someone picks up, takes my name and number and promises to call back when a tech support guy is available. No call in 26hrs now. Sigh...

Anyone got any bright ideas or shall I just scrap the SCSI stuff and stick with IDE? This is the first time I've had so much trouble with an Asus board.

 

[RanDum72]

You need to specify in the BIOS which harddrive is the primary booth drive. IDE drives are the default drives when it is present so you need to specify that the mobo boot off the SCSI drive.

 

[Sideswipe001]

I've had the opposite problem, in several different "home" motherboards when I put a SCSI controller in. Usually it goes something like this:

Start windows setup from (IDE) CD, installing to SCSI drive. When it reboots, if the bootable cd is still in, it quits out with a no NTLDR error. If I eject the bootable CD, it will find the installation on the SCSI drive and boot normally. But if it tries to boot off of that CD - even if I let it go and don't "press any key to boot from CD" it will fail to find Windows on the SCSI drive.

From what I gathered from yours, it only finds the install if you have the CD in the drive, which is REALLY odd. Did you flash your 39160 to the newest BIOS as well (3.1.10, I think)? And have you tried manually specifing your IDE drives in the BIOS, rather than letting them auto-detect when you boot?

 

[mikeWaz]

experienced this when i didnt manually specify HD's BIOS settings. cylinders, etc. Had to find the right combi. HD size detect was 1st set to auto but no good. I had already started winXP instal but after bootup it didnt find the HD. So had to set it manually.
Or there's conflict in boot device.

 

[josedawg]

I have it to auto detect hdd, in the BIOS. I can't change it to manual (where you select size, cylinders and whatnot) because if IDE drives plugged in, along with SCSI, I cannot get into BIOS either. This is a very odd problem and I'm still waiting for reply from Asus.

RanDum: one of the first thing I tried. Had SCSI first; had HDD0 first; had SCSI first then HDD0 second; had CDROM first SCSI second HDD0 third; had HDD0 first SCSI second.

It just wont boot up with SCSI installed.

Sideswipe: SCSI card should have latest BIOS on it, I dont think there's been an update on it for a year or 2, but I'll double check.

Yep, last BIOS update was in May 2001, and my SCSI card was probably updated back in May/June 2001.

 

[RanDum72]

Is the 39160 a 32-bit SCSI card or does it use a different flavor PCI?

 

[josedawg]

Its a 64bit PCI SCSI card. However, I have never had a motherboard with a 64bit PCI slot, I have always used it in a 32bit PCI slot with no problems. It works in both a 32bit and 64bit PCI slot, the advantage of the 64bit is that you get max performance from the card, 160MB/s vs the 32bit PCI slot's performance of 80MB/s max.

Here's link to the card Adaptec SCSI 39160

Just received a reply from the Asus tech support, here's what they said:

Thank you for contacting ASUS Customer Service.
My name is ZYC, and I would be assisting you today.
Please enter BIOS-advanced-advanced chipset features-system performance,
set it to USER DEFINED,
then set CPU external frequency to 200MHZ,
set memory frequency to 83%,save and exit .
also,please remove the disk in the floppy disk drive .
Thank you for using ASUS products and services!
If you have any problem about our products, you can visit our support site below to search the solution at the first time!
http://www.asus.com.tw/support/support.aspx
ZYC
ASUS Customer Service Center (Beijing, China)

I'm a little hesitant to do this, because I dont believe this will solve the problem, and I dont want to overclock my cpu if not necessary. I am running an XP3000+ with 166mhz(333) FSB + 13x multiplier, and pushing it to 200mhz would put me at a pretty high overclock (2.6ghz on stock cooling), and my temps are already high as it is. This is a horrible advice if you ask me, and I dont know what this guy was thinking.

 

[josedawg]

Any ideas?

 

[ricoesco]

following is a post from http://www.techspot.com/vb/showthread/t-14342.html
I have the same problem as the guy at that site: My Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe never cold boots successfully on the first try because it has problems detecting the boot drive. After several powering the machine off and on several times it will eventually boot, but it's annoying especially because I bought this mobo 'cus it's so highly praised online. Does anyone have a solution?

"stevegazza
07-22-2004, 08:31 AM
I've got a cold start problem with a new Asus A7n8X-E board and Corsair Twin X512 3200LL (running dual).

I've been having to clear CMOS or BIOS to get the thing to post and boot from cold since day one, (or pull a stick of memory and put it back! or not as the case may be) - Switching off, or unplugging power and back on doesn't help. I have flashed Bios from supplied ver. 1008 to ver. 1011 to see if it would help. It didn't.

If computer's 'warm' it posts and boots, from fully off or re-starts ok, but if stupid voice post is enabled, it tells me system 'failed due to overclocking' and then continues to boot (even though I'm not overclocking! but I will when I get this sorted).

Turn it off overnight or for two or three hours and it won't post and boot. At all. Fans turn, Led's work, HDD turns but no post and boot. Clear CMOS, if clearing BIOS with jumper doesn't work, and away we go again.

So I've disabled Voice Post Ha Ha!. Looking at other threads, last night on other forum, I've adjusted frequency to match at 100%, set DDR voltage to 2.7v and set mem timings to 2.5T,3,3,6, and increased AGP voltage to 1.6v (Ram Guy). two days ago the sytem started at the third push of the on button. Although I didn't expect it start at all I must admit. Today it was back to normal, not posting or booting.

Is there anything else I can do to give me confidence and stop clearing the CMOS or BIOS or pulling memory.

I might add the sytem is stable, fine, temps good, in fact all absolutely great when it is working. It's purely this post and boot problem. Ran M emtest 86 -faultless, ran SiSoft Sandra tests all fine! It's a new case, but only mid range with PSU included, 400watt, but I'm not sure of it's quality. So I think that's my next change. Anybody think the mobo might be at fault. I'm suspicious of Corsair compatability too.

Regards

AMD XP2500+ Barton
Thermaltake Extreme Volcano 12 (very noisy fan!!)
Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe (bios 1011)
Asus Radeon 9600XT
Corsair TwinX 512 3200LL
Seagate 80gb
Liteon CDRW
Liteon DVD Rom"

 

[gplracer]

Have you tried putting the scsi card in another slot? It is not in the top pci slot is it? That slot usually shares with the agp slot.

 

[Gamingphreek]

What BIOS for the M/B. THe 1012 provides options about which to use SCSI or RAID or IDE.

-Kevin