System halts during boot

[daveiosys]

When I boot up I have system set to boot from SATA drive.
System OS - XP Professional SP2.
I have two hard drives connected via PCI controller (Silicon Image
ATA-133 Medley Raid Controller card)
I have four USB hard drives hooked up to a Belkin hub.
Maxtor 3200 USB Device [Hard drive] (500.11 GB) - drive 3
ST340063 3A USB Device [Hard drive] (400.09 GB) - drive 4
Seagate FreeAgentDesktop USB Device [Hard drive] (500.11 GB) - drive 5
Seagate FreeAgent Pro USB Device [Hard drive] (750.15 GB) - drive 6
When booting USB auto configuration passes ok.
Memory check is ok.
Computer hangs after identifying the four USB hard drives.
Windows does not launch.
If I disconnect USB hub system starts without a problem but then
I do not have the hard drives.
I can plug in USB hub after Windows has booted.
Windows then detects them.
Disk Management sees hard drives.
All hard drives are NTFS.
Any ideas how to resolve this issue?
I await your reply.
Thanx.

 

[Andrew E.]

Why would one have 6 hds running at one time,unless youre a server & at
IDE speed,youre not one...Check youre power supply,each drive needs about
30-40 watts just to spin,let alone with added PCI SATA card & board
requirments
you'd need about,700watt supply.If youre chipset/processor/memory,etc is
even up to the task....

 

[daveiosys]

Why would one have 6 hds running at one time,unless youre a server & at
IDE speed,youre not one...Check youre power supply,each drive needs
about
30-40 watts just to spin,let alone with added PCI SATA card & board
requirments
you'd need about,700watt supply.If youre chipset/processor/memory,etc
is
even up to the task....

:
-



When I boot up I have system set to boot from SATA drive.
System OS - XP Professional SP2.
I have two hard drives connected via PCI controller (Silicon Image
ATA-133 Medley Raid Controller card)
I have four USB hard drives hooked up to a Belkin hub.
Maxtor 3200 USB Device [Hard drive] (500.11 GB) - drive 3
ST340063 3A USB Device [Hard drive] (400.09 GB) - drive 4
Seagate FreeAgentDesktop USB Device [Hard drive] (500.11 GB) - drive
5
Seagate FreeAgent Pro USB Device [Hard drive] (750.15 GB) - drive 6
When booting USB auto configuration passes ok.
Memory check is ok.
Computer hangs after identifying the four USB hard drives.
Windows does not launch.
If I disconnect USB hub system starts without a problem but then
I do not have the hard drives.
I can plug in USB hub after Windows has booted.
Windows then detects them.
Disk Management sees hard drives.
All hard drives are NTFS.
Any ideas how to resolve this issue?
I await your reply.
Thanx.

System is 2 weeks old:
Board: ASUSTeK Computer INC. P5GC-MX/1333 Rev x.xx
Bus Clock: 333 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. 0207 08/01/2007
2.40 gigahertz Intel Core2 Duo
64 kilobyte primary memory cache
4096 kilobyte secondary memory cache
3 Gig RAM...

Would it help do split the external USB drives up & use a second USB
hub?
I await your reply.
Thanx.

 

[Paul]

System is 2 weeks old:
Board: ASUSTeK Computer INC. P5GC-MX/1333 Rev x.xx
Bus Clock: 333 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. 0207 08/01/2007
2.40 gigahertz Intel Core2 Duo
64 kilobyte primary memory cache
4096 kilobyte secondary memory cache
3 Gig RAM...

Would it help do split the external USB drives up & use a second USB
hub?
I await your reply.
Thanx.

Similar symptoms here. Maybe this is your report ? It missed
mentioning the Medley SIL0680.

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx...d=1&model=P5GC-MX/1333&page=1&SLanguage=en-us

I'd report it to Asus Tech Support, and then wait three months, while
they consider how to fix it. It could be a BIOS bug. Mention
all disks, the hardware setup (plugged in cards) etc.

In the board BIOS, I see an option "Interrupt 19 Capture", and
if you wanted the board to boot from the SIL0680 (Medley) RAID,
then that would have to be enabled. That allows INT 0x13
(hexidecimal) routine support in the BIOS. INT 0x13 is what
is used to do reads on storage devices, during the booting
process. Eventually, the OS driver takes over.

I assume you've already disabled the "Full Screen Logo", and
that is how you're able to see the screen.

Other things to try. Try removing 2GB of memory, and run with
just 2GB present. Maybe, while the USB is enumerating, there is
actually a resource allocation problem, and the BIOS didn't set up
the address map properly. On some older motherboards, a BIOS
problem manifested as a declaration on the BIOS screen of
"USB overcurrent", when no overcurrent existed. My guess in
that case, is the address map for the hardware wasn't set up
quite right. And it is most obvious, when 4GB of memory is
installed. People find that the overcurrent error disappears
when they drop the amount of memory (or eventually get a
newer BIOS file flashed in).

Chances are, in the end, it will be fixed with a newer
BIOS, as long as Asus knows about it. BIOS work is
prioritized, and the more popular a board is, from
a sales perspective, the faster a fix comes out.

I notice in the Asus VIP forum, a mention of an 0504 BIOS,
but I don't see that on the download page. Maybe it is
an error or figment of someone's imagination. That
would also be something to ask the Tech Support, whether
there is another BIOS in the pipe.

HTH,
Paul

 

[JohnO]

Other things to try. Try removing 2GB of memory, and run with

just 2GB present.

For complex systems like this, that's always a good strategy...remove all
the extra hard drives, leave only the boot drive. Disconnect all the other
stuff, thin out the memory too. Find the minimum configuration that DOES
work. Then start adding the other drives/memory, ONE PART AT A TIME. (not
shouting, just emphasizing my point.)

When you hit a failure point, then you can do some real troubleshooting.

Otherwise, the problem could be nearly anything and you'll just have to get
lucky to find it.

-John O

 

[daveiosys]

daveiosys wrote:
-
System is 2 weeks old:
Board: ASUSTeK Computer INC. P5GC-MX/1333 Rev x.xx
Bus Clock: 333 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. 0207 08/01/2007
2.40 gigahertz Intel Core2 Duo
64 kilobyte primary memory cache
4096 kilobyte secondary memory cache
3 Gig RAM...

Would it help do split the external USB drives up & use a second USB
hub?
I await your reply.
Thanx.
-

Similar symptoms here. Maybe this is your report ? It missed
mentioning the Medley SIL0680.

http://tinyurl.com/236rnu

I'd report it to Asus Tech Support, and then wait three months, while
they consider how to fix it. It could be a BIOS bug. Mention
all disks, the hardware setup (plugged in cards) etc.

In the board BIOS, I see an option "Interrupt 19 Capture", and
if you wanted the board to boot from the SIL0680 (Medley) RAID,
then that would have to be enabled. That allows INT 0x13
(hexidecimal) routine support in the BIOS. INT 0x13 is what
is used to do reads on storage devices, during the booting
process. Eventually, the OS driver takes over.

I assume you've already disabled the "Full Screen Logo", and
that is how you're able to see the screen.

Other things to try. Try removing 2GB of memory, and run with
just 2GB present. Maybe, while the USB is enumerating, there is
actually a resource allocation problem, and the BIOS didn't set up
the address map properly. On some older motherboards, a BIOS
problem manifested as a declaration on the BIOS screen of
"USB overcurrent", when no overcurrent existed. My guess in
that case, is the address map for the hardware wasn't set up
quite right. And it is most obvious, when 4GB of memory is
installed. People find that the overcurrent error disappears
when they drop the amount of memory (or eventually get a
newer BIOS file flashed in).

Chances are, in the end, it will be fixed with a newer
BIOS, as long as Asus knows about it. BIOS work is
prioritized, and the more popular a board is, from
a sales perspective, the faster a fix comes out.

I notice in the Asus VIP forum, a mention of an 0504 BIOS,
but I don't see that on the download page. Maybe it is
an error or figment of someone's imagination. That
would also be something to ask the Tech Support, whether
there is another BIOS in the pipe.

HTH,
Paul

Yes that is my post @ ASUS forum. I returned & updated it this
morning.
Added some additional specifics there & will repost he

System is 2 weeks old:
Board: ASUSTeK Computer INC. P5GC-MX/1333 Rev x.xx
Bus Clock: 1333 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. 0207 08/01/2007
2.40 gigahertz Intel Core2 Duo
64 kilobyte primary memory cache
4096 kilobyte secondary memory cache
3064 Megabytes Installed Memory
Slot 'DIMM0' has 2048 MB
Slot 'DIMM1' has 1024 MB
2878.35 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
2618.79 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

System OS - XP Professional SP2.


Boot order:
1. Floppy
2. PLEXTOR DVDR PX-712A [CD-ROM drive]
3. SATA Drive - WCARW2614819, rev 12.01B02
When I boot up I have system set to boot from SATA drive.

I have two hard drives connected via PCI controller (Silicon Image
ATA-133 Medley Raid Controller card).
Both drives a
Maxtor 6L200P0 [Hard drive] (203.93 GB) rev BAH41G10

I have four USB hard drives hooked up to a Belkin hub.
Maxtor 3200 USB Device [Hard drive] (500.11 GB) - drive 3
ST340063 3A USB Device [Hard drive] (400.09 GB) - drive 4
Seagate FreeAgentDesktop USB Device [Hard drive] (500.11 GB) - drive 5
Seagate FreeAgent Pro USB Device [Hard drive] (750.15 GB) - drive 6

When booting USB auto configuration passes ok.
Memory check is ok.

Computer hangs after identifying the four USB hard drives.

Windows does not launch.
If I disconnect USB hub system starts without a problem but then
I do not have the hard drives running.

I can plug in USB hub after Windows has booted.
Windows then detects them.
Disk Management sees hard drives.
All hard drives are NTFS.
Any ideas how to resolve this issue?

Would it help do split the external USB drives up & use a second USB
hub?
I await your reply.
Thanx.

 

[Paul]

daveiosys wrote:
-
System is 2 weeks old:
Board: ASUSTeK Computer INC. P5GC-MX/1333 Rev x.xx
Bus Clock: 333 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. 0207 08/01/2007
2.40 gigahertz Intel Core2 Duo
64 kilobyte primary memory cache
4096 kilobyte secondary memory cache
3 Gig RAM...

Would it help do split the external USB drives up & use a second USB
hub?
I await your reply.
Thanx.
-

Similar symptoms here. Maybe this is your report ? It missed
mentioning the Medley SIL0680.

http://tinyurl.com/236rnu

I'd report it to Asus Tech Support, and then wait three months, while
they consider how to fix it. It could be a BIOS bug. Mention
all disks, the hardware setup (plugged in cards) etc.

In the board BIOS, I see an option "Interrupt 19 Capture", and
if you wanted the board to boot from the SIL0680 (Medley) RAID,
then that would have to be enabled. That allows INT 0x13
(hexidecimal) routine support in the BIOS. INT 0x13 is what
is used to do reads on storage devices, during the booting
process. Eventually, the OS driver takes over.

I assume you've already disabled the "Full Screen Logo", and
that is how you're able to see the screen.

Other things to try. Try removing 2GB of memory, and run with
just 2GB present. Maybe, while the USB is enumerating, there is
actually a resource allocation problem, and the BIOS didn't set up
the address map properly. On some older motherboards, a BIOS
problem manifested as a declaration on the BIOS screen of
"USB overcurrent", when no overcurrent existed. My guess in
that case, is the address map for the hardware wasn't set up
quite right. And it is most obvious, when 4GB of memory is
installed. People find that the overcurrent error disappears
when they drop the amount of memory (or eventually get a
newer BIOS file flashed in).

Chances are, in the end, it will be fixed with a newer
BIOS, as long as Asus knows about it. BIOS work is
prioritized, and the more popular a board is, from
a sales perspective, the faster a fix comes out.

I notice in the Asus VIP forum, a mention of an 0504 BIOS,
but I don't see that on the download page. Maybe it is
an error or figment of someone's imagination. That
would also be something to ask the Tech Support, whether
there is another BIOS in the pipe.

HTH,
Paul

Yes that is my post @ ASUS forum. I returned & updated it this
morning.
Added some additional specifics there & will repost he

System is 2 weeks old:
Board: ASUSTeK Computer INC. P5GC-MX/1333 Rev x.xx
Bus Clock: 1333 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. 0207 08/01/2007
2.40 gigahertz Intel Core2 Duo
64 kilobyte primary memory cache
4096 kilobyte secondary memory cache
3064 Megabytes Installed Memory
Slot 'DIMM0' has 2048 MB
Slot 'DIMM1' has 1024 MB
2878.35 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
2618.79 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

System OS - XP Professional SP2.


Boot order:
1. Floppy
2. PLEXTOR DVDR PX-712A [CD-ROM drive]
3. SATA Drive - WCARW2614819, rev 12.01B02
When I boot up I have system set to boot from SATA drive.

I have two hard drives connected via PCI controller (Silicon Image
ATA-133 Medley Raid Controller card).
Both drives a
Maxtor 6L200P0 [Hard drive] (203.93 GB) rev BAH41G10

I have four USB hard drives hooked up to a Belkin hub.
Maxtor 3200 USB Device [Hard drive] (500.11 GB) - drive 3
ST340063 3A USB Device [Hard drive] (400.09 GB) - drive 4
Seagate FreeAgentDesktop USB Device [Hard drive] (500.11 GB) - drive 5
Seagate FreeAgent Pro USB Device [Hard drive] (750.15 GB) - drive 6

When booting USB auto configuration passes ok.
Memory check is ok.

Computer hangs after identifying the four USB hard drives.

Windows does not launch.
If I disconnect USB hub system starts without a problem but then
I do not have the hard drives running.

I can plug in USB hub after Windows has booted.
Windows then detects them.
Disk Management sees hard drives.
All hard drives are NTFS.
Any ideas how to resolve this issue?

Would it help do split the external USB drives up & use a second USB
hub?
I await your reply.
Thanx.

As JohnO suggested, add stuff back a bit at a time, to the system.

Does it fail with just one USB drive connected ? I wouldn't expect
it would take more than one to do it.

But I'd also look at that "Interrupt 19 Capture" setting.

It might also be a peculiarity of the SIL0680. Maybe some other
controller would behave different.

Paul

 

[JohnO]

I can plug in USB hub after Windows has booted.

Windows then detects them.
Disk Management sees hard drives.
All hard drives are NTFS.
Any ideas how to resolve this issue?

Boot with just the hub, no drives.
Add one drive, reboot.
Add another drive, reboot.
And so on.

If you reach the point that it won't boot, maybe try to see if it's one of
the drives specifically, or the fact that you have x number of drives.

So let's say you make it to two drives, the system boots fine. After adding
the third, it won't boot. Next step is to remove drive #2, and see if the
system boots with drive #1 and this new drive #3. If yes, then the problem
is quantity. If no, then there's something about drive #3.

Would it help do split the external USB drives up & use a second USB
hub?

Probably not, unless you're pulling power for the drives from the USB ports.

-John O