Boot Problem with Tyan Tiger MP

[Strych9]

I'm having some boot problems with my Tiger MP (S2460) system. When I have the system up and running it is rock solid. I leave the system up and running 24/7, since I use it as a server, and have no problems with it at all. The problem arises when I occasionally have to reboot. Everything powers up (fans, etc.) but it will never get to POST....can't even get into the BIOS. I end up having to shut off at the power supply and let it sit for 5-10 minutes then restart and it will boot properly. It's driving me nuts.

I thought it was probably a power supply issue since I was only using an Antec 300W so I switched it today with a new Antec TruePower 430W. Same problem.

Any suggestions as to what the problem might be? Is it a motherboard problem?

System Specs:

Tyan Tiger MP (S2460) BIOS 1.04
2-AMD Athlon XP 1600+
4-256mb Crucial PC2100 Reg ECC
Voodoo 3 2000 PCI Video
1-60gig Maxtor ATA100
2-120gig Maxtor ATA100
Highpoint RAID Controller Card
Linksys NIC
Netgear NIC
No Sound
Win2K Server

 

[KingofFah]

Just wondering. Have you tried using just one CPU and getting it to post?

 

[KingofFah]

A little searching turned up these threads. Not sure how much help they may be.

Hardware Analysis Forums: The continueing Tyan MP S2460 M/Board Saga Part(s) 1 & 2
Hardware Analysis Forums: Tyan MP S2460 Motherboard Problems PART 2

Hope it helps.

 

[Strych9]

Originally posted by: KingofFah
Just wondering. Have you tried using just one CPU and getting it to post?

No I haven't tried removing one of the cpu's. The thing runs flawlessly once booted up....I don't believe there is a problem with one of the cpu's. The problem is when It's been running for a while and then I try and reboot. I'm keep thinking it might be heat related but my temps don't really support that. CPU's don't get over 50C and case temp is usually around 30C. The system is in an Antec SX1030 case which has good ventilation. Once I power the thing down and let it sit for 5-10 minutes it boots fine (which is why I keep thinking heat related).

 

[benjamin]

I don't see how it can be heat related, since it runs fine when it's on. It will be sitting at a certain temperature when it's on, or in a range of temperatures, bnut once you turn it off it will only cool down from there. So when you reboot it will, if anything, be cooler. There's no reason why temps should suddenly skyrocket to the point of it not working.

I would think it's something to do with a buildup of charge somewhere, or something hanging around in RAM. Or something like that that decays with time.

I know I have used an Epox 8K3A+ - great board but if I suspended to RAM, the next time I rebooted after coming out of the susend it would do the same thing as you describe - it wouldn't POST until I unplugged the power (or switched off the PSU) and let it sit for a minute or so. That is, it would work fine after resuming from STR for the rest of that session, but then it would mess up when I rebooted. I tested this a couple of times cause it seemed weird the first time, but it was totally repeatable.

Hope that helps

 

[Strych9]

Well, I was being told in another forum that it sounded like a heat problem. But like I said in my previous post my temps don't really support this. Once the machine is up and running it is rock solid....I don't think it's ever crashed. Its just at reboot. I'm open to suggestions???

 

[SimonPearse]

I have a similar setup:
Tyan Tiger, twin XP1800, Highpoint Raid, 2*Deskstar 20G, 1*deskstar40G (backup), 512M crucial DDR, Matrox G550, 3COM NIC, Win XP Pro.
I am using unsigned drivers for raid, ADSL, ISDN, and camera. (signed ones not available)

The system is utterly stable even with uP temps of around 58c (on a coolish day with the case lid on), However If I run edonkey 2000 file transfer the system blue screens at random intervals. In order to reboot I have to hold reset for at least 7 seconds, a short reset pulse will initiate a reboot, but the system hangs during POST.
On a few occasions (maybe 5%) , in spite of a long reset the system will not re-boot without a complete cold start.

I have a generic 400W psu, I changed from a 300W but it mad no difference.

If I cold start the system takes approx 45 seconds before there is any screen output. When I originaly built the machine I convinced myself that the matrox card was faulty, and nearly sent the second one back before discovering how long the blank screen lasts!

 

[bozo1]

If I cold start the system takes approx 45 seconds before there is any screen output.

Do you have ECC enabled? If so, it writes 0's to every memory location when you turn it on before you see the post screen. The amount of time that takes depends on the amount of RAM in the system. If you disable ECC, the black screen usually is only about 10 seconds or so.

 

[SimonPearse]

yes, ECC is disabled.
I tried replacing the G550 with a PCI S3 card and it POSTS at a more normal speed. The long blank screen only seems to happen with the G550.

 

[Peter]

Well if there are ECC DIMMs in, then the BIOS needs to scrub all memory before letting anyone use it. Since this part is running from ROM and completely uncached in the early stages, doing this to hundreds of megabytes of RAM will take a while. This is normal.

 

[bozo1]

Originally posted by: Peter
Well if there are ECC DIMMs in, then the BIOS needs to scrub all memory before letting anyone use it. Since this part is running from ROM and completely uncached in the early stages, doing this to hundreds of megabytes of RAM will take a while. This is normal.

Me thinkie someone did not read the thread.