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ECS Z77H2-H4 changeout from Asrock Z68 Exreme3 Gen 3

Tags:
  • BIOS
  • ECS
  • ASrock
  • Motherboards
Last response: in Motherboards
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December 29, 2013 10:47:46 AM

Here is my system:
Intel i3 2105
Corsair HX650
Western Digital 500GB
GSkill sniper 1600 memory
Windows 8.1

I'm switching the motherboard from an Asrock Z68 Extreme 3 Gen3 to a ECS Z77H2-A4. The board is in and The first startup went to the Windows repair utility. It said it could not fix it. Restarted it and got in to the Bios. I could only see part of the UEFI BIOS (like maybe a quarter of the screen) so i used the ESC button to get out of the bios like the ECS book said to do. Now the computer goes to the ECS screen that says "DEL for BIOS setup or F7 for boot menu" but goes no further. Before I call ECS technical support I wanted an outside opinion on whats going on. Thanks in advance for any help!

More about : ecs z77h2 changeout asrock z68 exreme3 gen

a c 516 V Motherboard
December 29, 2013 3:25:19 PM

The reason you can't get Win8 to start is because when Win8 was originally installed it set itself up based on the first MB. It is expecting to see the on-board devices that aren't there anymore. You need to do a clean install of Win8.
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December 29, 2013 7:54:59 PM

I was afraid of that. I have seen conflicting things concerning changing out a motherboard and having to reinstall Win 8 so I wasn't for sure.
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a c 516 V Motherboard
December 29, 2013 8:06:56 PM

If the new MB has enough similar components, you can sometimes get it to boot to Windows. Then Windows will try to install drivers to get the devices working that it can't run. After a re-boot, you would run something like CCleaner to get rid of junk files and registry errors and load any drivers from your new MB. But if the MBs are too different, you run into what you are experiencing.
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December 30, 2013 5:33:30 AM

Shouldn't it still be able to get into the BIOS?
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a c 516 V Motherboard
December 30, 2013 10:28:13 AM

goodfish7 said:
Shouldn't it still be able to get into the BIOS?

Oh. Yes. There should be no problem booting to BIOS. Is that the problem you are experiencing? If so, try bread boarding the system outside the case. Set the MB on an insulated surface with just the CPU/cooler, 1 stk RAM in 1st slot, monitor connected to on-board video, and both PSU cables powering the MB. Start the system by momentarily shorting the two pins that the pwr sw would connect to*. You should get a display. By repeatedly tapping DEL during the POST, you should be able to get into BIOS. If not, I would suspect a defective MB.

* If that makes you uncomfortable, maybe you can drag the case close enough to plug in the pwr sw wires.
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January 6, 2014 2:35:13 PM

To update:I stripped the computer down like suggested and then it would go into the win8 recovery repair stuff. Started it up in safe mode, installed the chipset drivers and then it booted up normally. Windows was not activated though. So I did the phone activation and it worked and all is well. Now I'm updating drivers, which would be much easier if ECS's installation disk actually worked. Digging through the disk looking for the install and setup files is annoying. Easier to use Slimdrivers to find the latest and greatest. Thank you for the help!

The ECS board is very nice and seems much sturdier than the Asrock board. The Asrock board had annoying USB issues(just cut out and you would have to unplug and plug back in) that updated drivers and several other proposed solutions would not fix. It seemed to be a hardware issue that was experienced by many people. Hopefully the ECS board will prove to be problem free.
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a c 516 V Motherboard
January 6, 2014 2:43:49 PM

Glad to hear you have it in working order. Nice job. Enjoy.
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