MSI 745 Ultra misboot

[Quetzacoatl]

So I finally recieved my MSI board, a MS-6561 (Sis 745 chipset). Doesn't work. The thing boots up past the memory check, then halts at the screen with the MSI logo. Starts a steady set of beeps in 1/2 second intervals roughly. On the back diagnostic panel, the four lights are split, half red and half green. Damn thing keeps beeping, doesn't go past that. I'm stuck with a dead Soyo motherboard and a non working MSI. I knew I should've just gotten an Asus or Abit in the first place...

Soon enough, Intel will make the i845s...imagine dual channel Sdram...*shudder*

 

[CMRvet]

On the back diagnostic panel, the four lights are split, half red and half green.

Did you see in the manual the description of that code?
For my MSI KT3 Ultra, half green half red can be: (depending on the position)

BIOS Decompressing
VGA BIOS test
CPU Initialization
RAM Test
Hard Drive Initialization


<b>(<font color=yellow>as good as it looks</font color=yellow>)</b>

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Left two are red, right two are green, in my manual, it corresponds to something about the memory on the motherboard being tested and written (only the 1 mb onboard bios mem)

Soon enough, Intel will make the i845s...imagine dual channel Sdram...*shudder*

 

[CMRvet]

I had this problem once because a bad seated RAM but I’m sure you know how to do that, so the other 2 possibilities for me are:

Faulty RAM
Faulty PSU or not enough power.

About you bad luck with Motherboards, at least for me MSI has been zero problem with me and my customers (about 14 with different MSI boards).


<b>(<font color=yellow>as good as it looks</font color=yellow>)</b>

 

[Quetzacoatl]

No, I don't doubt MSI is a great company, I just got a lemon this time.

Ok, I made some progress, was able to boot past the screen after some reseating and crap. New problem. Stupid windows error, I can't boot a hard drive under Windows 2000. Just 2000, I tried it on Windows 98se, the damn board worked. Not 2000 though, which I have all my crap on...Stupid MSI board. So the board works, but only in a Windows 98se environment, otherwise it complains about some virus thing, or a hard drive corruption. Bullshit, I tried my hard drives on an FIC Ad-11 motherboard, and they worked fine. The stupid MSI board does work though...I'm thinking it might be a damaged IDE controller. But then again, the entire [-peep-] northbridge would be broken as well, and that could be...the Sis 745 is a single chip design...God things are [-peep-] up.

Soon enough, Intel will make the i845s...imagine dual channel Sdram...*shudder*

 

[CMRvet]

I just got a lemon this time

LOL

So, you didn’t make a clean installation of WIN 2000?

Just wondering….. are you able to return that motherboard, pay a difference and receive the MSI KT3 Ultra 2 wich is AMD certified for the coming XP 2800+?

……. Could be a nice move…..


<b>(<font color=yellow>as good as it looks</font color=yellow>)</b>

 

[Quetzacoatl]

You're telling me I have to reinstall windows 2000 and reformat my Hard Drive, JUST to get the stupid motherboard to work? Even if I did that, it has a € failure rate, with that beeping noise problem. I could get a Kt3 Ultra, but I costs more $$$, which I was trying to save. I think I might just say "screw Sis" this time, and go Via, as much as Crashman would hate me for saying this, The Sis 745 chipset is just a load of garbage...*in my case*...i'll choose the Via kt333ce anyday over it. Hell, might as well just get an ECS K7VTA3, that's about the same price.

Soon enough, Intel will make the i845s...imagine dual channel Sdram...*shudder*

 

[CMRvet]

ECS ??????? why in hell an overclocker is thinking on ECS?

I think you have one option: KT3 Ultra 2. Even my KT3 Ultra (no “2”) supports the XP 2800 and now I’m actually at 166 MHz FSB with a Morgan.

The $ difference is too small (US$25) and the performance gain is very noticeable.


<b>(<font color=yellow>as good as it looks</font color=yellow>)</b>

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Uh...well, I hate to tell you, I went out and bought the Kt3 Ultra 2, bluetooth and raid version...it doesn't work. I booted the thing up, the IDE and RAID controller broken, only the first Ata channel works, the thing is laggy and has stuttering performance, and the USB 2.0 bracket doesn't work. Good board eh?

So I decided to go and join the *duhn duhn duhn...* dark side and try Gigabyte for a whirl...Even considered the Ga-7vrxp (I have no idea which revision)...Was about $123, and the Ga-7vaxp was only $130 with all the features, so I just went there. Ordered it rush shipping (was free anyway) and it should be in tomorrow...I hope this one works.

Soon enough, Intel will make the i845s...imagine dual channel Sdram...*shudder*

 

[CMRvet]

Shame. I have to say that you really have bad luck with MSI motherboards.

So I wish you very good luck with the Gigabyte and PM me if you want, to tell me how it gets.

BTW, today received my XP 1600 AGOIA Z code and it’s now working at 1754 MHz (BIOS shows XP 2200) at 166 MHz with NO overvolting.


<b>(<font color=yellow>as good as it looks</font color=yellow>)</b>

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Yeah, I still have no doubts MSI is a killer company, I just had the worst of experience with them. I'm considering (for fun) geting one of those $52 Athlon XP 1600+ AGOIA's from Newegg and trying to oc it. Btw, what type of cooling are you using? All I have now (and can afford) is my Thermalright Ax7 and a 40cfm coolermaster fan, not bad, but hardly suited for overclocking.

Soon enough, Intel will make the i845s...imagine dual channel Sdram...*shudder*

 

[CMRvet]

You are going to laugh about the cooling:

Volcano 6CU+ with Delta 7400 rpm fan @ only 5200 rpm.

Temps: 42 idle 48 at load.
Vcore: 1.76 (BIOS set in Auto)

So all the info about how cool were those cores was truth!

BTW, I have the XP1600 www.overclockers.com OC info in a excel datasheet so you can filter it by code, Vcore, OC results…. Are about 500 results. Just let me know if you want it.


<b>(<font color=yellow>as good as it looks</font color=yellow>)</b>

 

[Crashman]

LOL, it's a combination of a operating system known to be shitty for what you're trying to do (all NT based OS's have problems reconfiguring for a new chipset) and the fact that you previously had VIA drivers installed (bad bad bad). So all your problems are related to your previous configuration. Had your previous board had a BX chipset, I doubt there would be a driver conflict. But even then, NT based OS's are really spotty when it comes to such major hardware reconfiguration.

As to your previous problem, since you now have it running under 98SE, I suggest doing a full memory test.

<font color=blue>You're posting in a forum with class. It may be third class, but it's still class!</font color=blue>

 

[Crashman]

Oh, and your other IDE channel not working is a problem you caused by not installing the chipset driver properly.

<font color=blue>You're posting in a forum with class. It may be third class, but it's still class!</font color=blue>

 

[Crashman]

Oh, and the USB 2.0 bracket not working is probably due to either the cable being backwards or the USB 2.0 chip driver not being installed properly. Sounds like an excellent board to me, if every singly problem is the fault of the assembler.

<font color=blue>You're posting in a forum with class. It may be third class, but it's still class!</font color=blue>

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Heh, actually you're wrong this time. I popped off the northbridge because I was curious if the Kt3 Ultra2 used the kt333ce chipset...no thermal paste, no thermal tape, nothing, just a big glaring stratch from the heatsink.

Soon enough, Intel will make the i845s...imagine dual channel Sdram...*shudder*

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Just got my Gigasuck board today...Oh wait, this time it's Gigabyte, heh, yeah, it works fine. A little touchy in the bios, and the memory timings kinda suck, but hey, it was only $130, and had lots of cool brackets like USB 2.0 and firewire...Oooo, firewire *drool*



Soon enough, Intel will make the i845s...imagine dual channel Sdram...*shudder*

 

[Crashman]

Wrong about what?

<font color=blue>You're posting in a forum with class. It may be third class, but it's still class!</font color=blue>