GA-880GMA-UD2H Fails to boot

[al_undy]

I am putting together a new HTPC system with the following components:
GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H
AMD Athlon II X2 240
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ
OCZ Vertex Turbo OCZSSD2-1VTXT30G (SSD)
TRENDnet TEW-623PI 32-Bit PCI Wireless N-Draft Adapter
Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1250 Hybrid TV Tune

Bios loads correctly but when trying to boot Ubuntu from USB stick (image created by Unetbootin) for install, I get
"loading operating system...
Boot error"

I have tried various combinations of boot priority and used f12 to select boot device to no avail.  The usb boots on my other computer.

My concern is with the ram.  The post screen goes by long before my Dell monitor wakes up so i don't have confirmation on it but assume that it is working.  I put sticks in banks 1 and 2 as that is how I interpret the manual.  Also, the cpu can only handle ddr3 1066 ram but I was told the ddr3 1600 would work.  Any of this sound fishy?

Thanks in advance.
Al

[absic]

Hi,

I think that someone got their wires crossed a little. The Mobo will support memory at 1600 but the CPU doesn't. I lifted this from the AMD site:

Type of Memory Supported:

X2 - Support for unregistered DIMMs up to PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066MHz) -AND- PC3-8500 (DDR3-1066MHz)
X3 and X4 - Support for unregistered DIMMs up to PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066MHz) -AND- PC3 10600 (DDR3-1333MHz)

here's the link: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/processors/athlon-ii-x2/Pages/AMD-athlon-ii-x2-processor-model-numbers-feature-comparison.aspx

I believe you will need to change your memory to get the system working properly.

ATB

[al_undy]

Fixed.  Here is a brief summary.  I used some help from bilbat over at Tom's Hardware.  http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274723-30-880gma-ud2h-fails-boot#t1897003
Since my ubuntu live usb sticks (2gb kingston and 8gb sandisk sd/usb reader - fat32, created in ubuntu 10.04) would not boot this board even though they would boot my ga-ep45-ud3p, I decided to try bilbat's suggestion with the HP usb boot program.  I created the win98 boot disk on the kingston 2gb stick without reformatting.  It booted right up.  Next, I used windows version of unetbootin to write the ubuntu live cd to the kingston disk.  This fired right up and completed the install.  Everything seems to be in good order now.  I checked the memory settings and load optimized settings set it to 1066.  So, you can use 1600 ram but you have run it at 1066, which was specifically stated to me previously.

[DawnTreader]

Hello All

here is my specs:
Mainboard :   Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H
Chipset :   AMD 880G
Processor :   AMD Phenom II X2 550 @ 3100 MHz
Physical Memory :   4096 MB of GSkill DDR3
Video Card :   ATI Radeon HD 4250     
Hard Disk :   ST3250410AS (250 GB)
DVD-Rom Drive :   BENQ DVD DD DW1650 ATA Device
Monitor Type :   Samsung SME2320 - 23 inches
Network Card :    RTL8168/8111 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
Operating System :   Windows 7 Professional Professional 6.01.7600  (x64)
DirectX :   Version 11.00

i am having a problem where the system wont boot without beeping three long ones continuously. if i turn off the power supply and then start up it boots normally. but if i have to restart the computer for any reason it does the 3 beeps thing again.

in reading this thread i noticed one poster says that DDR3 might not be compatible with the processor the OP had. where do i find out if my RAM is compatible with the processor? i know it is compatible with my motherboard, that is why i picked the RAM and the Motherboard. i looked it up in the sites compatibility list.

please help, this is a work computer...

[Jakeman97]

Hello All

here is my specs:
Mainboard :   Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H
Chipset :   AMD 880G
Processor :   AMD Phenom II X2 550 @ 3100 MHz
Physical Memory :   4096 MB of GSkill DDR3
Video Card :   ATI Radeon HD 4250     
Hard Disk :   ST3250410AS (250 GB)
DVD-Rom Drive :   BENQ DVD DD DW1650 ATA Device
Monitor Type :   Samsung SME2320 - 23 inches
Network Card :    RTL8168/8111 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
Operating System :   Windows 7 Professional Professional 6.01.7600  (x64)
DirectX :   Version 11.00

i am having a problem where the system wont boot without beeping three long ones continuously. if i turn off the power supply and then start up it boots normally. but if i have to restart the computer for any reason it does the 3 beeps thing again.

in reading this thread i noticed one poster says that DDR3 might not be compatible with the processor the OP had. where do i find out if my RAM is compatible with the processor? i know it is compatible with my motherboard, that is why i picked the RAM and the Motherboard. i looked it up in the sites compatibility list.

please help, this is a work computer...

Hi Dawn Treader
See if this helps [clicky]http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/processors/phenom-ii/Pages/phenom-ii-model-number-comparison.aspx
scroll down near the bottom.
As far as the Beep Codes it depends on the BIOS
AMI
3 Beeps
Three beeps means there has been a base memory read/write test error. Replacing the RAM usually solves this AMI beep code.

FYI
You jumped someone elses post with your question. I think you should have started your own thread. Maybe the mods will move it.
Best of luck,
Jakeman97

[DawnTreader]

how come processors dont list what RAM they are compatible with. this creates a huge problem for me now. i have the computer all together and installed. i guess now i have to buy another processor and then flip it with the one currently installed, then return the other.

what a pain. 

[DawnTreader]

ok, hold on. that link does show what RAM is supposed to work with it. however, could my problem be because the RAM is over the PC3 10600 Spec?

the RAM i have is compatible with the Motherboard but it is PC3 12800 DDR3. the chip specs say upto PC3 10600 DDR3

if this is the case would it be possible to set the RAM to a lower speed and make it stop beeping?