A7V333 Replacement Board Wierdness

[Guest]

Ran my A7v333 rev 1.02 with an athlon 1600+ processor and 512MB ram
under XP....rock solid. Screwed something up and board failed. Sent to
ASUS who sent me a replacement Rev 1.04 with Bios version 1017.

Now for the wierdness.

New system doesn't autodetect CPU speed but I have it set for
jumperfree operation. High pitch screem comes out of the pC
speaker....all the time...unless I disable speaker. System seems to
operate OK, I am only booting with video card installed. Disabled
on-board sound. System finds the CDrom, floppy, and two HDs ok during
boot but...and this is new to me....a strange operation comes up
during boot: MBFastrack 133 Lite bios or some such thing. This process
islooking for something to build a "matrix", doesn't find it, won't
build whatever it is when I tell it OK, and then me chose to continue
booting from one device or another despite the bios setting to boot
from CDrom.

This MBFastrack Lite messes up a windows reinstall I need to do using
a boot from CD...during the process when windows install routine wants
to reboot, the MBFastrack seach and destroy process kills the cycle
and I cannot get windows installed. Can't find anything in the bios to
untoggle. Can't find out what this MBFastrack is or what to do about
it.

What is MBFastrack lite bios, how do I get rid of it or fix it, and
what the hell is the high pitch screem coming from? The only thing on
the sound was comment in POST description in the manual that a high
pitch continuous sound would occur if the CPU were running slow...but
I should have fixed that by setting the speed at 1400.....which is
about what the 1600+ runs at.

Help!!! And thanks in advanced!

Henry LaMuth

 

[Dismantler]

Ran my A7v333 rev 1.02 with an athlon 1600+ processor and 512MB ram
under XP....rock solid. Screwed something up and board failed. Sent to
ASUS who sent me a replacement Rev 1.04 with Bios version 1017.

<SNIP PAINFUL EXCERPT OF FELLOW A7V333 OWNER UNFORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE
RECEIVED INITIAL DEFECTIVE BOARD>

Now for the wierdness.
Help!!! And thanks in advanced!

Henry LaMuth

The initial A7V333 (Deluxe model) board that I bought worked flawlessly for
about 6 months, then began flaking out intermittently at first, then
frequently, and finally it gave up the ghost...

I won't go through the whole sordid story, but for about the past year, I've
been getting replacement boards - usually takes about 1 or 2 months to get
the replacement unit, and each time I've received a unit with a different
serial number, and a new and entertaining defect. Keep in mind that the
EXACT same components that worked flawlessly for 6 months in the original
board have been functioning in another vendors board with zero problems. The
last replacement I received has defective onboard audio, which Asus tried to
hide by putting a BIOS version for the wrong motherboard. Utterly ridiculous
is the closest verbal expression of disgust I can register regarding the
situation with that board. Right now, it's sitting in the garage in a box,
and that's where it will stay until a day when I'm feeling as calm as Gandhi
again.

Honestly, I don't know when they started hiring such knuckleheads. I have an
Asus P2B that must be at least 8 years old, it is STILL working flawlessly
every day. Not sure what to make of it. If you are doing a warranty exchange
through Asus, all I can tell you is good luck.

 

[Guest]

<SNIP PAINFUL EXCERPT OF FELLOW A7V333 OWNER UNFORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE
RECEIVED INITIAL DEFECTIVE BOARD>

The initial A7V333 (Deluxe model) board that I bought worked flawlessly for
about 6 months, then began flaking out intermittently at first, then
frequently, and finally it gave up the ghost...

I won't go through the whole sordid story, but for about the past year, I've
been getting replacement boards - usually takes about 1 or 2 months to get
the replacement unit, and each time I've received a unit with a different
serial number, and a new and entertaining defect. Keep in mind that the
EXACT same components that worked flawlessly for 6 months in the original
board have been functioning in another vendors board with zero problems. The
last replacement I received has defective onboard audio, which Asus tried to
hide by putting a BIOS version for the wrong motherboard. Utterly ridiculous
is the closest verbal expression of disgust I can register regarding the
situation with that board. Right now, it's sitting in the garage in a box,
and that's where it will stay until a day when I'm feeling as calm as Gandhi
again.

Honestly, I don't know when they started hiring such knuckleheads. I have an
Asus P2B that must be at least 8 years old, it is STILL working flawlessly
every day. Not sure what to make of it. If you are doing a warranty exchange
through Asus, all I can tell you is good luck.

Been hearing a lot of such tales of woe. Luckily I have another setup
that seems to be rock solid...ASUS a7N8x ...somethingorother. Nice
board.

I am trying to cobble together a system with misc parts and the board
and its original processor were a nice spare for my daughter.

What really bothers me is the MBFastrack lite crap. What is it? How do
you get rid of it. when it is gone, the rest should follow. I can live
without the pc speakers...but something must be shorted in the audio
chain. I don't know what else to do. So far I have a pretty small
investment in the new system but it seems a shame to abandon it
entirely. After all, I had two good years with the original a7v333
board.

Oh, yeah, I too have a P2B system cranking away in the corner.

Henry

 

[ray hartman]

Ran my A7v333 rev 1.02 with an athlon 1600+ processor and 512MB ram
under XP....rock solid. Screwed something up and board failed. Sent to
ASUS who sent me a replacement Rev 1.04 with Bios version 1017.

Now for the wierdness.

New system doesn't autodetect CPU speed but I have it set for
jumperfree operation. High pitch screem comes out of the pC
speaker....all the time...unless I disable speaker. System seems to
operate OK, I am only booting with video card installed. Disabled
on-board sound. System finds the CDrom, floppy, and two HDs ok during
boot but...and this is new to me....a strange operation comes up
during boot: MBFastrack 133 Lite bios or some such thing. This process
islooking for something to build a "matrix", doesn't find it, won't
build whatever it is when I tell it OK, and then me chose to continue
booting from one device or another despite the bios setting to boot
from CDrom.

This MBFastrack Lite messes up a windows reinstall I need to do using
a boot from CD...during the process when windows install routine wants
to reboot, the MBFastrack seach and destroy process kills the cycle
and I cannot get windows installed. Can't find anything in the bios to
untoggle. Can't find out what this MBFastrack is or what to do about
it.

What is MBFastrack lite bios, how do I get rid of it or fix it, and
what the hell is the high pitch screem coming from? The only thing on
the sound was comment in POST description in the manual that a high
pitch continuous sound would occur if the CPU were running slow...but
I should have fixed that by setting the speed at 1400.....which is
about what the 1600+ runs at.

Help!!! And thanks in advanced!

Henry LaMuth

hla:

You & me & everyone else, pal. The A7V333 has always been the
board-from-hell.
I suggest you treat it the
way it deserves ... namely, mod-out an oven, set temps to SELFCLEAN, and
wire in the A7V333. Then install SuSE_the-*itch_7.3 as OS. Run *nix
backwards at 78rpm ... till the smoke gets too thick to breath.

rh
*******

 

[Guest]

hla:

You & me & everyone else, pal. The A7V333 has always been the
board-from-hell.
I suggest you treat it the
way it deserves ... namely, mod-out an oven, set temps to SELFCLEAN, and
wire in the A7V333. Then install SuSE_the-*itch_7.3 as OS. Run *nix
backwards at 78rpm ... till the smoke gets too thick to breath.

rh
*******

The earlier rev 1.02 was solid. I think the problems with this board
are that it is overly sensitive to static. I just fried this new board
by just shutting it down, switching hard drives for the master, and it
never powered back up. Just the same as the original.

The promise controller is defaulted to on so the promise bios gets in
the way of clean boots. And it did do other things that were just
plain wrong and non-functional.

But, appologies for the old rev aside, I also bought an interim a7n8x
that was simple and easy to set up and it screams and is solid. So,
for whatever reason the 333 is touchy, ASUS still puts out good
products...mostly.

Henry

 

[Big Easy]

The first thing is to pull your manual
and check ALL jumpers on the board and
set to default.
Some times (a lot) the board jumpers are
set wrong.
Don't assume they are set right from
ASUS.
The MBFastrack 133 Lite bios is for the
RAID.
Disable RAID with the jumper.
Also check the ROMSIP jumper and reverse
it to see if it clears the CPU speed
problem.
You also try and set the CPU with the
jumpers and see what happens.

Big Easy



message

Ran my A7v333 rev 1.02 with an athlon 1600+ processor and 512MB ram
under XP....rock solid. Screwed

something up and board failed. Sent to

ASUS who sent me a replacement Rev 1.04 with Bios version 1017.

Now for the wierdness.

New system doesn't autodetect CPU speed but I have it set for
jumperfree operation. High pitch screem comes out of the pC
speaker....all the time...unless I

disable speaker. System seems to

operate OK, I am only booting with video card installed. Disabled
on-board sound. System finds the

CDrom, floppy, and two HDs ok during

boot but...and this is new to me....a strange operation comes up
during boot: MBFastrack 133 Lite bios

or some such thing. This process

islooking for something to build a

"matrix", doesn't find it, won't

build whatever it is when I tell it

OK, and then me chose to continue

booting from one device or another

despite the bios setting to boot

from CDrom.

This MBFastrack Lite messes up a

windows reinstall I need to do using

a boot from CD...during the process

when windows install routine wants

to reboot, the MBFastrack seach and

destroy process kills the cycle

and I cannot get windows installed.

Can't find anything in the bios to

untoggle. Can't find out what this

MBFastrack is or what to do about

it.

What is MBFastrack lite bios, how do I get rid of it or fix it, and
what the hell is the high pitch screem coming from? The only thing on
the sound was comment in POST

description in the manual that a high

pitch continuous sound would occur if

the CPU were running slow...but

 

[Hippy Paul]

Page 86 of the manual (edition 1.01 E1010) states that MBFastrack Lite is
the inbuilt raid controller - I think it is asking you if you want to set up
a raid array as you have two hard disks. Maybe remove one for installation
or set the "RAID_EN" jumper to off

 

[Hippy Paul]

Page 86 of the manual (edition 1.01 E1010) states that MBFastrack Lite is
the inbuilt raid controller

- I think it is asking you if you want to set up a raid array as you have
two hard disks. Maybe remove one for installation or set the "RAID_EN"
jumper to off (page 21)
- that's if you have on board raid

 

[Hippy Paul]

oh well 2 replies - OE was having a funny few minutes and said did not send
anything

 

[Guest]

I discovered the Raid controller jumper issue but the reversing the
jumper is a new trick...probably did it accidentally in the past and
seemed to fix things then on something!!! Anyway, fried the board
again and am going to throw it out and get a different one. The hell
with this finagling or futzing or whatever.

Thanks for the suggestions. I always learn something from "listening"
to this group.

HL