Soyo K7V Dragon MAJOR stability issues

[TNC10284]

I ordered a Soyo K7V Dragon motherboard about two months ago, I have recently had to have the board replaced due to the same exact error I list below. I am now having the same problem on the newly replaced board. My specs, Athlon 1.2GHz 200MHz FSB, 384MB of Crucial PC2100 DDR(one 256MB Crucial chip and one 128MB Crucial Chip), Geforce 3 Ti 200 64MB AGP, two Maxtor 20.4GB HD's in RAID 0 format, Creative 52X CD-Rom, Lite on 24x10x40x CD-RW drive, Artec 16x DVD drive, onboard CMEDIA 8738, onboard VIA LAN, and a floppy drive. Now to the long damn problem. Sometimes when I boot up the computer, I get a red box with a smaller blinking yellow box inside the red box where the white blinking DOS line should be, it actually changes from a white blinking DOS line to the red box. When I do get a red box, I have no choice but to hit reset cause the computer will not go anywhere after the red box. This is the SAME EXACT problem I had BEFORE I had my motherboard replaced with a new one. I've changed everything in the BIOS to find out that it makes no difference in Windows stability or stopping the boot up error. The funny thing is, everything worked just fine for two weeks, then when I decided to setup the two Maxtor's on the RAID controller that's when things went downhill. I have tried disabling the onboard garbage but it makes no difference. I can't disable the onboard RAID cause that's where I have my boot drives installed. I've also noticed that sometimes I go into the BIOS and see settings that I've changed that are back to it's default value. For example, my motherboard will support up to 6 individual USB ports via two connectors on the motherboard and two USB ports are built on the motherboard. I have a total of four USB ports installed on my computer, two are the built in USB ports and two are on a connector that connects to the motherboard. When I go into the BIOS to tell it that I have 1&2 USB ports, I'll find that they have all been disabled, including the built in USB ports when it should be set to either, All Enabled, 1 USB port, or 1&2 USB port. I'll come back sometimes and find that they have been All Disabled or sitting on 1 USB port when it should be 1&2 USB. That's not the only setting that changes either. I've noticed that abunch of my settings get set back to default somehow, and I *think* it happens after the red box error. But then sometimes I can go back into the BIOS and they'll all be back to where I set them. I've NEVER had this much trouble out of a NEW motherboard, not even out of all the 486 motherboards I've worked on! I have the latest drivers for everything, including VIA 4in1 version 4.35, and I just now installed the latest VIA CPU to AGP controller driver to see if that helps. It's not the OS because I had 98SE on the old motherboard and it gave the same Red box. You don't even want to know what is does to Win XP at bootup if it decides to mess up. Now if you can help me, I would REALLY appreciate it as this is really annoying me. Thanks!
Tavis

 

[jlanka]

When exactly does the red box appear? Do you get it right away, or does the video card spit out it's POST and then you get it? Or does the MB POST a little, then you get it?

Have you tried swapping RAM? Have you tried removing all unnecessary components (AKA minimum config)?

I have the latest drivers for everything, including VIA 4in1 version 4.35, and I just now installed the latest VIA CPU to AGP controller driver to see if that helps. It's not the OS because I had 98SE on the old motherboard and it gave the same Red box.

None of this stuff matters, as it is never being accessed. Your problem is independant of any software on your hard drive (which includes drivers).

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

 

[TNC10284]

It gives me the red box when the computer is booting to Windows ME. I'll see the Windows ME logo and then it will change to a black DOS screen with a white blinking line at the top of the screen, then if the computer decides to be hateful, the white line will change into a red box. I have tried "minimum config" and that didn't make a bit of difference. I did notice one thing when I took the computer apart yesterday to inspect it for setup errors. I saw that the part where the DDR RAM is supposed to go, the whole board is bent down like I have been pushing on the board with great force. I'll will try to add some kind of support under the DIMM slots and then test and see if that's what it was. I'll let you know.


Tavis

P.S. Right now, I have the computer completely apart if you would like me to look at something.

 

[jlanka]

I'll see the Windows ME logo and then it will change to a black DOS screen with a white blinking line at the top of the screen

Very interesting (to quote Artie Johnson). I forget (don't have it here) - can you do a conversational boot with Me? Hit F8, then choose the option (if it's there) step-by-step confirmation (or something to that effect) and see if it always stops at the same spot (some driver load or something).

What I said previously may not be correct after all. Since you are getting into Me (albeit just a tad) it may have something to do with your software.

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

 

[TNC10284]

I will try after while and let you know.


Tavis

 

[TNC10284]

I think I have fixed the red box error and I don't know what i did. *BUT* the problem I have now is freezing in Windows ME. Like, I'll be in Outlook Express and trying to open up Free Agent, then I'll go back to OE, go to the account properties and the whole computer will just freeze. THe mouse will sometimes still move and then sometimes it will lock up too. But when the mouse doesn't lock up, I can't click on ANYTHING. It doesn't just freeze in OE either, it does whenever it wants to. Now,can someone please help me fixe this? Thanks,


Tavis