P5D2-E PREMIUM BIOS not scanning SATA drives and stalling at BIOS

[Tony]

Hello

Like the subject says, my motherboard seems to be having some trouble
at the BIOS whenever I turn the computer on after it's been off for a
day. I have 3 SATA drives running in IDE mode, a 78 GB Raptor, and 2
Plextor 716SA DVD-RW's (which are SATA DVD-RW's). After the Memory
test, the SATA devices are loaded by the BIOS and twice now, the BIOS
stalled at the 2nd DVD and once at the Hard Drive. It's a hard lockup
too, so I have to shut down via the power button. After a couple time,
the computer boots normally. I did however get an error message today
stating that there was an "overclock" error. To my knowledge I was not
over clocking so I disabled features related to that. Has anyone else
had any problems like this? whats the fix?

Thanks,
Tony

 

[Paul]

Hello

Like the subject says, my motherboard seems to be having some trouble
at the BIOS whenever I turn the computer on after it's been off for a
day. I have 3 SATA drives running in IDE mode, a 78 GB Raptor, and 2
Plextor 716SA DVD-RW's (which are SATA DVD-RW's). After the Memory
test, the SATA devices are loaded by the BIOS and twice now, the BIOS
stalled at the 2nd DVD and once at the Hard Drive. It's a hard lockup
too, so I have to shut down via the power button. After a couple time,
the computer boots normally. I did however get an error message today
stating that there was an "overclock" error. To my knowledge I was not
over clocking so I disabled features related to that. Has anyone else
had any problems like this? whats the fix?

Thanks,
Tony

A power supply problem ? How many amps is your +12V output
rated for ? It is printed on the side of the supply.
What speed processor does the computer have ?

Paul

 

[Tony]

A power supply problem ? How many amps is your +12V output
rated for ? It is printed on the side of the supply.
What speed processor does the computer have ?

Interesting Paul.. I hadn't thought of that. I have the OCZ Modstream.
Supposedly it's 520W and should provide 28amps on the +12v leg but
that doesn't mean it's working properly. I had to mod my case just to
fit it in there. The +12v line is reading 12.1 all the time indicating
to me a minimal load. How can I test this to eliminate it as the
culprit?

 

[Paul]

Interesting Paul.. I hadn't thought of that. I have the OCZ Modstream.
Supposedly it's 520W and should provide 28amps on the +12v leg but
that doesn't mean it's working properly. I had to mod my case just to
fit it in there. The +12v line is reading 12.1 all the time indicating
to me a minimal load. How can I test this to eliminate it as the
culprit?

I wouldn't expect trouble from that If it is reading 12.1
then all is well.

I think the next step might well be an RMA of the motherboard.

You could try testing the motherboard outside the computer
case. (I've set up a whole system and booted it outside the
case - you have to make sure any PCI/AGP/PCI-E cards are
fully seated, each time before applying power. If they
move out of the slot a bit - kaboom. I put a large book under
the motherboard, so there is room for the plug-in card
faceplates to hang down.)

If outside testing solves the problem, then check for an extra
standoff where there isn't a hole to line up with on the
motherboard. Remove any extra standoffs like that.

If the standoffs aren't precisely centered on the plated mounting
holes on the motherboard, sometimes the standoff can touch a
component that is too near the hole. That might lead to an
intermittent problem.

Does the system work better with both SATA DVD's disconnected ?
Having two of them is an unusual combination, and maybe the BIOS
is freaking out because of it. If you have a couple of old
hard drives laying about, connect them up instead, to simulate
the same amount of loading on the power supply.

Also, looking at the PSU web page, I see they have removable
cables. What are the chances one of those cables isn't making
good contact ? Do the pins on those cables fit tight ? While the
supply may read 12.1, it may not be 12.1 at the load.

http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/power_management/ocz_modstream_power_supply

Grasping at straws,
Paul