IF YOU ARE A NEW GIGABYTE MOTHERBOARD OWNER, CHECK HERE FIRST!!

[Vihsadas]

FAQ ON BASIC GIGABYTE MOTHERBOARD PROBLEMS
If you see anything that you think needs to be added, PM or post.

Page 2 of the FAQ is here. It deals with board specific problems

Basic guidelines of overclocking your Barton CPU and an Nforce2Ultra400.

Info From Gigabyte's Website

http://tw.giga-byte.com/Motherboard/...AQ/FAQ_333.htm
http://tw.giga-byte.com/Motherboard/...AQ/FAQ_335.htm
http://tw.giga-byte.com/Motherboard/...AQ/FAQ_347.htm
http://tw.giga-byte.com/MotherBoard/...2+Ultra400.htm
http://tw.giga-byte.com/MotherBoard/...2+Ultra400.htm
Thanks to DaFanMan

How to build a socket A PC
http://www.driverheaven.net/guides/amdsystem/
Thanks to Wildchild

How to install a heatsink
Look here if you are getting "high-low" repetetive beeps. http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/...8^6678,00.html
http://support.tcwo.com/video.cfm?lo...HSFinstall.wmv
Thanks to DaFanMan

Bioses for 7nnxp and N400Pro1 motherboard. Thanks PR3ACH3R http://pr3ach3r.overkillsystems.net

Bioses for 7VRX and 7VRXP, Thanks Dinozauru
http://www.amdforums.com/showthread....hreadid=132144

Bioses for 7VA and Pro2 motherboard. Thanks tictac http://underclock.proboards20.com/in...918957&start=0

Modded Nforce2 Drivers. Thanks Morpheus1
http://www.amdforums.com/showthread....hreadid=275017


Permanent problems on gigabyte boards

1) The ITE/IDE RAID is slow.
There is no fix for this save buying SATA adapters and using SATA raid. The ITE controller is not a good RAID solution. It may work decently in RAID 0 mode.

2)Optical Drives don't work on the RAID IDE slots.
Keep your optical drives on your Primary and Secondary IDE slots. The RAID IDE slots can't see CD/CD-RW/DVD-RW Drives.

3) My temps are really high.
The gigabyte boards use an ON-DIE temp sensor which is more accurate than the SOCKET sensor you are probably used to. The ON-DIE sensor reads temps about 5-10C higher. It is not uncommon to see Load temps into the 50s on this board. Running at 55C idle will not hurt your machine. In the end, all that matters is your system stability.

4) I can't use all of my multipliers.
This is a problem that happens on Nforce2 boards. As of yet, nobody I know has found a common denonminator. The multipliers that may not be available, seem to be different for everybody, and some people have no problems at all.
For some, changing the CPU interface to OPTIMAL instead of AGGRESSIVE let the 10 and 10.5 multis to POST. This comes with a reduction in performance.
Thanks to Flasx, Pooldoc101

5) How can I find out my AGP/PCI speed on an Nforce2.
Curently, no one has made a program that can properly query the Nforce2 Chipset. Some programs will give you some information, and others will give you other information.
A good utility is Wcpuid: http://www.h-oda.com/

6)When I cold boot my computer I see the CD-ROM lights flash for an abnormal amount of time before POST.
The newer gigabyte boards must go through both BIOSES before booting. PR3ACH3R has said that this symptomn is indicative of a more serious problem that can be corrected by LOCKING your PC to boot from the Backup BIOS.

7) I can only install 3 sticks of RAM in my PC.
All Nforce2 boards only support 3 sticks of double-sided RAM. Pretty much all new RAMs are double sided, so you will only be able to install 3, even though you have 4 DIMMs.

8)What is the recovery option that I see during startup?
The recovery option creates a hidden partition on your HDD for recovery. There have serious been problems reproted related to this feature, such as WinXP being unable to boot, and inability to access either BIOS, unless the BIOS is reflashed.


Problems that apply to MOST gigabyte boards


Problem: My CPU is running at a lower clock speed than it should.
Answer:
Set the blue switch near the northbridge to AUTO/ON. Page 16 in the manual. If the problem persists, enter bios and change the default FSB to 166Mhz.


Problem: This bios sucks! There aren't any advanced settings!
Answer:
On the main bios screen, hit CTRL+F1. Now, when you enter the sub-menus, there will be more options available. (see above link to PR3ACH3R's bioses if you have a 7nnxp or n400pro.)


Problem: Everything is at stock settings but my comp is unstable
Answers:
1) To run an Nforce2 or newer Via chipset, you need AT LEAST 350 watts of power from a decent Power supply. Search the forums for opinions on good power supplies.
http://www.amdforums.com/showthread....The+PSU+thread

2) Plug in the 12 volt ATX connector. This 4-pin power connector is vital to the health of your system. It is usually black and yellow wires.

3) Make sure your RAM is from a reputable company. Nforce2 boards have a lot of problems with generic RAM. They do not work with ECC RAM. Try different DIMM slots. If you are running 2 sticks of RAM, take one out and see if your system boots/is stable.

4) If you have a DPS (power card behind CPU), TAKE IT OUT. These have only been known to cause problems, and have not yielded many people benefits.


Problem: I updated my BIOS and now my computer has gone all funny
Answers:
1) DO NOT use @bios to flash your bios. @bios is known to cause problems. Download the Bios file, put it on floppy, and use Q-flash to flash your bios. Press F8 in the BIOS to access Q-Flash.

2)You have to extract the 512K BIN file from the zip file before putting it on a floppy.

3) Remember to set "disable DMI data" to enabled when finished flashing.

4) After flashing your bios in Q-flash, POWER OFF. Do not let Q-flash restart your machine.


Problem: I use Easytune to overclock, and now my computer is unstable/not reporting correctly.
Answer:
DO NOT USE EASYTUNE . People have reported problems when using easytune. Use the bios to overclock your computer. You will be much happier. Also remember to use the CTRL+F1 trick mentioned earlier.


Problem: SATA raid corruption
Answer:
See PR3ACH3R's bioses. Links at top.


Problem: My northbridge fan stopped turning
Answer:
Update to the latest bios, and if you are using easytune, open up the "smart fan" tab, and set it too Always on.

Problem: I have a slow transfer rate for my HDD using IDE 1 or 2.
Answer: Disable "S.M.A.R.T." in BIOS.
Thanks Ole32


Problem: I installed the Nvidia IDE_SW drivers, and now I have problems with my IDE channels.
Answer: The microsoft versions of these drivers surprisingly work much better. Download them www.microsoft.com/windowsupdate


Problem: I hear a strange noise from my speakers when I use the onboard sound.
Answer: You must update to the realtek ALC650 drivers. Go to gigabyte's website to find these.


Problem: My onboard LAN isn't working correctly. The light is on, but I can't connect to some types of broadband including PPPOE DSL.
Answer: Look inside your PC on top of the RJ-45(LAN) connector, and write down the number on the yellow sticker. Go to device manager -> properties of your onboard LAN. Find the "network address" field, and input the number here.


Motherboard specific Problems and Compatibility issues


Problem: Motherboard Monitor 5 does not work on my 7N400pro
Answer:
MBM5 is does not support the 7n400pro. There have been freak occurences where MBM has worked on the 7n400pro, (like my board). It seems for the vast majority of people, the 7n400pro is not compatible with MBM5


Problem: I don't have a Soundstorm Control Panel
Answer:
Only the 7n400pro and 7nnxp boards have the Nvidia APU, and soundstorm certification. If you have a newer Gigabyte board, or a board that has the "MCP" i.e. Pro2, L1, or the like, you do not have a soundstorm control panel.
Thanks DaFanMan


Problem: I can't change the voltage on my PRO2.
Answer: The PRO2 was actually a step backward in technology from the PRO1. Since the PRO2 is a 4-layer board and the PRO1 has 6, there are more bios options on the PRO1 than the PRO2. As of yet, noone has found a way to manually set the voltage on a PRO2.


Problem: "Verifying DMI Data Pool" hangs during system bootup on my Pro/Pro2/7nnxp.
Answer: Disable DMA in BIOS, and then enable it when the OS has loaded.
Thanks Ole32

Basic guidelines for overclocking your Barton CPU and an Nforce2Ultra400 Chipset

THE FAQ WAS TOO LONG. CLICK HERE FOR PAGE 2. Page 2 deals with board specific problems

PM if you want me to add a Q&A, a link, if you see an error in what is listed, or found a broken link.
9604

[DaFanMan]

Vihsadas,
That's sweet

Very good representation and detailing

I Will pm you if I think of any suggestion you may want to add

[THOMAS LYNN]

the only problem i can find that you havent mentioned is that the cpu core temp is reported too high,i realize that core temps are higher than socket temps,but i used infrared thermometer to check the temps and from a cold start it read 42 c while the infrared read 26c,in fact the only spot on the board reading 50c
was the SB chip which at full temp reads 55-60 infrared exactly the same readings as speedfan, easytune,and AIDA32,also sandra.i believe their bios fix for the temp reading is actually
11C higher than actual,or they have the sb and cpu core mixed up .the same chip in 3 other boards reads almost exactly 11C lower.this is with infrared and contact temp sensors both,directly
attached to the die.reinstalling mbm the readings would be 55
temporarily then would skyrocket to 75c in mbm,speedfan,
easytune 4,and AIDA32,reboot would reset to 55c.just running mbm screwed up the readings from the sensor.I checked this after changing cpus and seeing much higher temps than before.
i deliberately underclocked to 100x11 to check cold start as i find it impossible to go from 23C cold start to 42C in 2 seconds max
even underclocked,as it takes 2-3 minutes to hit 55c in bios health

[Vihsadas]

updated! (Thanks DaFanMan and SeRi@lDiE)

[lxbevi]

Nice representation Vihsadas!!
Are you a Giga-byte man?
Bye
Paolo

[ole32]

Some other problems that may occur:
- if you have a low transfer rate for IDE (Primary/Secondary) devices in Win XP (using nVidia IDE drivers or Win XP IDE drivers) you must disable S.M.A.R.T. capability for HDD in BIOS;
- if you have a too long "Verifying DMI Pool Data" at start up you must disable UDMA mode in BIOS for Primary/Secondary IDE channel and enabling after O.S. was loaded (in Win 98 and Win XP);
- if you use onboard chip sound and heard a strange noise in your speakers you must update the Realtek ALC650 driver.

[vlixcool]

This is very very make me want to cry.... T_T to happy to see this thread ^^ good job vihsadas! thnx for the info now i understand!!!

[Vihsadas]

good suggestions ole32, will update it either tonight or today.

[Compman55]

You may want add some info on the old famous VRXP's if ya feel like it.

Like the:
1/5 Divider issue
AGP Fix for the REV 1.0/1.1
No 333 CPU Support
etc....

And definatly request this a sticky!!!!!

[Vihsadas]

Originally posted by Compman55 on 10-24-2003 at 10:39 AM
You may want add some info on the old famous VRXP's if ya feel like it.

Like the:
1/5 Divider issue
AGP Fix for the REV 1.0/1.1
No 333 CPU Support
etc....

And definatly request this a sticky!!!!!

That's just what I was going to ask of all the other members out there.

I would like some info on board specific problems that I have NOT had experience with, such as the 7VRXP and kin, and the K8NNXP, and the old VIA KT600, if you have board specific/ general problems of these boards, please post or PM me so I can add the data.

Originally posted by lxbevi on 10-24-2003 at 02:42 AM
Nice representation Vihsadas!!
Are you a Giga-byte man?
Bye
Paolo

Ha! No, I'm not a gigabyte representative. I'm only a University student who likes building computers.


**EDIT** Updated

[vlixcool]

one more probs vihsadas im using barton 2500+ fsb 333 oc @ fsb 400 and can you explain to me why when i start easy tune it''s appear my "linear" at agp = 80 mhz. pci = 40 mhz and while i cheng type to "async" it's become normal agp = 60 and pci = 33 and change to "divider" is the same result as "linear" could u exp this to me thnx vihsadas! or nyone ^^

[Wild Child]

Originally posted by vlixcool on 10-24-2003 at 11:33 AM
one more probs vihsadas im using barton 2500+ fsb 333 oc @ fsb 400 and can you explain to me why when i start easy tune it''s appear my "linear" at agp = 80 mhz. pci = 40 mhz and while i cheng type to "async" it's become normal agp = 60 and pci = 33 and change to "divider" is the same result as "linear" could u exp this to me thnx vihsadas! or nyone ^^

Easy tune is known not to work correctly with some of these boards

[vlixcool]

anyone can gimme appropriate prog to check the plier divider and etc beside sandra, pcwizard ?

[DaFanMan]

vlixcool
Point blank, there are none.

[Vihsadas]

Originally posted by vlixcool on 10-24-2003 at 12:13 PM
anyone can gimme appropriate prog to check the plier divider and etc beside sandra, pcwizard ?

Perhaps this is another problem that I need to add to the list. There are no current programs that query the Nforce2 Chipset properly to obtain the correct values for a PCI/AGP divider.

Maybe I can convince H.Oda to make one...hmmm....