GA-8KNXP rev 2.0 and SATA new system build problem

If I remember, the rev 2 board wants you to use the Q-flash utilty to update the bios. Q-flash works under the OS level, so if you have access to another PC where you can grab the image from Giga-byte's website and put it on a floppy, you should be all set (not that it will solve your problem for sure, but at least you can flash the board).

By the way, could you tell me where you got your rev. 2 board? I'm planning on grabbing a 8KNXP ultra board in the next couple weeks, but all the places I normally head to for components are still selling the revision 1 (or at least they don't specify, so I'm assuming rev 1).

I just purchased a GA-8KNXP (Rev 2.0) board as well, but have run into Windows XP installation problems. Here's my system:

- GA-8KNXP (Rev 2.0) motherboard
- Intel Pentium 4 2.6GHz CPU with 800MHz FSB
- Kingston KHX3200K2/1G HyperX DDR 400MHz 2-2-2-6-1 Dual Channel memory pair (1GB total)
- Antec 1080AMG case with 430W TruePower supply
- Two Maxtor 6Y120M0 120GB 8MB buffer SATA hard drives (intended for SATA RAID 1)
- ATI Radeon 9600 128MB AGP 8x video board
- Memorex 52MAXX CD-RW
- Memorex 16x DVD
- Diamond PCI 56K Modem (the only old component in my new system)

- Windows XP Home Edition (SP1A)
- IUCD 2.4 Gigabyte CD-ROM

My 8KNXP came from ZipZoomFly.com just a couple weeks ago. The board contains the "FB" version of BIOS, and already includes the 3.5 version of the IAA-RAID controller BIOS, so I can setup RAID 1 on both the ICH5R or the SiI 3112A chips.

Initially I had everything plugged in, one CD drive as master on each of IDE1 and IDE2, and the SATA HDD's plugged into the 3112A ports. The various BIOS displays showed that everything was present. I created a SiI 3112A driver floppy from the software on the IUCD2.4 CD-ROM from Gigabyte (that came with the motherboard), set up a RAID 1 set via <F4> during the SiI BIOS screen, inserted the Windows XP CD-ROM, installed the SiI drivers via <F6> and <S> during the XP setup, and off I went ... until I encountered a WinXP STOP: screen for IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.

After some messing around trying to resolve this, I removed the SiI 3112A RAID 1 set, disabled the SiI3112 and GigaRAID controllers within the CMOS Setup, removed all but one CD reader and the video card, connected the two SATA drives to the ICH5R chip, and started again by creating a RAID 1 set via <CTRL><I> during the IAA-RAID BIOS screen.

Skipping the gory details to shorten my post... I eventually got XP to load onto the IAA-RAID 1 set, but ran into much trouble during driver installation. Just last night I wiped the disks clean and started the XP installation over again. I went through many variations, mostly ending in IRQL_... or other Windows XP STOP: screen messages. I finally got XP to load cleanly to the point where I could create a user and actually log into the system. So tonight I get to face the task of loading the drivers once again. I've submitted a lenghthy report to support@giga-byte.com (for U.S. Gigabyte support), but have no idea when or if they'll reply.

I hope my installation saga helps you get your SATA drives accessible. I'd appreciate any advice that anyone can offer regarding installation of drivers. As my Username indicates, I'm just in search of a stable system. Having followed a friend's advice and encouragement, I decided to build my own system this time around, and to go with SATA drives instead of EIDE's. But at this point I'm trying to remember why I just didn't go out and buy another Dell.....

I got my board from eebuy.com I have ordered several things form the and am very happy wiht the service...

which I cannot say for that damn MB.. I have almost the same set up.. I cannot get the sata to work at all.. and wiht the ide the MB is very flaky.. resets every so often.. for no reason seemingly at random.. I am at a loss.. flased bios to the only one listedin GB home page.. no uses.. even my 2 CD's act funny.. not reading CD's from time to time.. then work.. I am about to tear the build apart and start again.. to make sure I have not crossed any wires somewhere on the MB.. wish me luck..

oh yeah... XP is out.. blue screened everytime I tried to install.. right after it finishes formatting drive and the reset then stats to get set up and going to copy files..then bam.. blue screen...

I am using windows 2000 work station now to have acess at all.. I should have kept my asus p4pe set up and sent this one to mom..lol

Well, instead of forging ahead with loading drivers on Monday night I instead spent many hours searching the internet forums. The common factor in resolving various GA-8KNXP stability problems is changing the memory settings. Mine originally came up as 2.5, 6, 2, 2 using the [SPD] setting from the DDR's.

So tonight I started by running MEMTEST-86 on my system. I started with the above [SPD] settings, and found the system failing tests 5 and above (test are numbered from 0-11). I then went into the CMOS, hit <CTRL><F1> to view all advanced settings, went to the Advanced Chipset Features menu, and changed the memory to [MANUAL] with settings of 2.5, 6, 3, 3. I then re-ran MEMTEST-86. What a wonderful difference! It passed all tests, even the advanced tests (8-11)! :-) The only part that I'm bummed about is that my expensive memory has just been slowed down to make the motherboard happy. :-(

I then proceeded to install the drivers from the IUCD2.4 disk, and from the Catalyst CD that came with my ATI card. The only problem that I had was that the sound appeared to be working after installing the AC97 drivers, but then started getting interfered with and making "popping" noises instead of playing music after I rebooted. However, I eventually opened the SoundEffect icon (lower right of taskbar) and turned off the AUJ auto-detection feature which had reconfigured my speaker output as some sort of input. Then the sound started working cleanly again. (I guess this is mentioned in the Gigabyte manual, but I had never made it that far and so had never read that part carefully.)

So it looks like I'm up and running. I still have lots to load, and will leave the MEMTEST-86 running overnight to hammer the memory a bit more. If it's still running in the morning, I'll be very happy!

Buy the way, one person had described some major problems with a 8KNXP board and eventually found that he had not properly inserted his CPU in the 478 socket during his original installation. Once the CPU was re-seated he said his problems went away.

Hopefully Gigabyte will release a new BIOS that will let me lower my memory settings back down to the 2,6,2,2, settings that Kingston claims they are capable of handling.

Good luck with your system. I hope something in here will help you get yours running.

Thanls for the info.. I will do that once I get home from work tonight...


I guess thats what we get for buying a very new product.

also.. it tells me my memory is only running in single channel mode

thanks for your post... just wish i had read it before i rma'd my goods. i've got a similar set up. i'm working with a lowly p4p800 deluxe. but more or less same specs on most everything else. we're using the same memory. my story is same as yours. lots of trouble loading xp. lots of errors and bsod. even when i finally got it on, real unstable. my memtest revealed the same errors as you.

when the new set comes, i'm going to try to get it up and running with the memory's aggresive timings, but i'm betting it will be to no avail. so like you, i'll end up taking 270 dollar memory to the same timings that some value memory would run at. sigh.

thank again for the post. the most helpful i've read on this issue.

on a side note.. how the hell could THG give this board top ranking in those comparisons.. I smell a conspiracy..lol

My pleasure. I had meant to thank everyone else on the 'net for all of the posts on this forum and elsewhere that provided me with the information. I guess I was a bit too tired last night to have remembered to do that.

I went through a painful couple of weeks tracking down information that should have been provided within Gigabyte's documentation of this motherboard. I just sent Gigabyte support (US) an email updating my issues and requesting specific memory timing specifications (which are missing from their so-called "detailed specifications" posted on their website). But I won't hold my breath waiting for a reply.

Has anyone been successful in getting an email reply back from Gigabyte's support center after sending in an email request? They don't even send out a receipt acknowledgement and user-issue number which could easilly be done via an automated response.

Just to put the record straight, I still like this board and am looking forward to getting all my software loaded on it to see what it can really do. Although, I wish I had known what memory it supported before ordering the 2/2/2/6 memory from Kingston...

I have sent 3 seperate emails via that zone thing on the web site.. no even an auto response like you mentioned..

I am always suspect of customer servive that does not or will not provide actual phone numbers.

Do you think future bios' will address the memory timing issue? or is it a hardware thing?