GA-Z170X-Gaming 3-EU (rev 1.0) - boot problem

[ceekay]

Hi, guys! I have a problem with my setup. My PC specs are:

MB: GA-Z170X-Gaming 3-EU (1.0)
BIOS: F5b
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K
RAM: 2 sticks of 8 GB, Kingston HX426C15FB/8, 2666MHz, DDR4
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
SSD: 240 GB (can't remember manufacturer)
OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro x64
PSU: CHIEFTEC APS-850CB, 850W

I've assembled all this stuff a week ago and ran into a bit of a problem. This was the problem while the MB had the stable bios versions F2 and F4 on it:
When I press the button to power up the PC, everything goes as normally would. There's the BIOS/POST screen, there's the short beep, there's the Windows 10 logo in the middle of the screen and then the PC turns off. After that, I press the power button again, and the PC boots normally: BIOS, short beep, Windows 10 logo, loading animation, windows 10.
Everything works brilliantly after that! Really. No problems to report. The games run smoothly, the system works properly. I can do all my normal work on it without having problems or troubles with the PC.

The story repeats with each boot after a normal shut down and a few minutes of wait.
The PC boots until the window logo, then shuts itself down. Then boots normally on the second attempt.

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After I wrote to support about this, they advised to flash the beta BIOS F5b and see what happens. Also they asked to test whether there is a short circuit between the MB and the case [assemble the whole setup outside of the box]. There aren't any short circuits. I can't test with other RAM modules because none of my friends have DDR4 on their PCs.

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So, I have flashed the F5b BIOS and went to test it again. Optimized Defaults loaded, there's the BIOS/POST screen, there's the short beep, there's the Windows 10 logo. And the system hangs. It just stays still with the logo in the middle of the screen. That's all. There's no other activity. No loading animation, nothing. After I press the RESET button on the case, the system goes back to the normal boot sequence, leading to the normal OS.

So, basically, what the F5b changed was that it removed the shutdown after the BIOS/POST screen and the beep.

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My idea on this issue is that either the memory modules aren't fully supported by the motherboard, or the BIOS has some issues with loading the OS on the first try.

The Memory Modules idea is due to the fact that the memory model number isn't found in their supported list [here: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5617#memory%20support%20list ]. So is it possible that because the memory model isn't in the supported list, it would give faulty behavior?

Any other good ideas to solve this?

Thank you!

[dmdilks]

I'm not saying this will work but after you installed windows. Did you go back in and make sure you are booting up on the boot manager in boot option one. I have read here more things wrong with these series of boards. Then you can shake at stick at.

[ceekay]

Where exactly should I go to find this? the boot option looks first for the CD drive, then for the SSD. Should I switch them over? Or am I missing something here?

[dmdilks]

In the 1st boot option you should find a windows boot manager or the SSD. They should be the first boot. If the boot manager is there make that one first boot.

[ceekay]

Thank you! I'll take a look at it when I'll be at home and give an answer about how it went.

[dmdilks]

One other thing when you installed the windows 10. Did you just installed it without setting up the bios for windows 10.

Boot Option Priorities
Specifies the overall boot order from the available devices. Removable storage devices that support GPT format will be prefixed with "UEFI:" string on the boot device list.
To boot from an operating system that supports GPT partitioning, select the device prefixed with "UEFI:" string.
Or if you want to install an operating system that supports GPT partitioning such as Windows 7 64-bit, select the optical drive that contains the Windows 7 64-bit installation disk and is prefixed with "UEFI:" string

You want to boot up on the UEFI DVD or USB

Windows 8/10 Features
Allows you to select the operating system to be installed. (Default: Other OS)

You want this set to wondows 8/10

CSM Support
Enables or disables UEFI CSM (Compatibility Support Module) to support a legacy PC boot process.
Enabled Enables UEFI CSM. (Default)
Disabled Disables UEFI CSM and supports UEFI BIOS boot process only.
This item is configurable only when Windows 8/10 Features is set to Windows 8/10 or Windows 8/10 WHQL.

This one I would keep it the way it is you really don't need to change this.

[ceekay]

Well, I wanted to try the given options. But couldn't. Simply put, there are no UEFI markings on the boot device order list.

The solid-state drive I'm using for the system has an MBR partition style. So has the DVD Drive.




By the way, the Toshiba drive is a 3TB drive, and has a GPT partition style, but still isn't shown as UEFI [probably because there's no bootloader on it, or something].

So I'm back to the same problem.

[ceekay]

Hi again, guys!

I believe I sorted it out. Thanks to the hints from dmdilks, I have just:
1. changed the partition system to GPT on my SSD.
2. did a clean install of Windows 10 [the previous was an upgrade from Windows 7]

And I believe this did the trick.

The problem was, as it turned out, the fact that the system was an upgrade from windows 7, and not an actual install from scratch, because Win7 creates only one additional hidden partition to restore the system, but Win10 needs three of these partitions, reserved for System Restore and other things. Don't remember them well.

So, this way, the Motherboard didn't recognize the installed OS properly.

Now everything runs well. And the boot option in BIOS is as dmdilks said: Windows Boot Manager [which wasn't enabled before, due to the missing three hidden partitions].

Thanks for helping me and giving me hints!

Cheers!

[dmdilks]

You never said it was upgrade. But no big deal as long as you got it working. I hate windows 10 but the really good thing is when you do a clean install it auto activates it. You should now have really good boot times too.

 

[ceekay]

Frankly, I didn't know it was that important. But I'm definitely gonna know from now on

As for the boot times. The system loaded pretty fast, if not taking into account the double boot.