Did I make a procedural mistake when flashing BIOS originally?

[forumjoe]

DM,

Many thanks for the link describing the variety of ways to use QFlash to flash a new BIOS, particularly on how to make a USB pendrive bootable in the process. Incidentally, I tried to print out the six or seven pages-worth of it but there appears to be something wrong with the site in that respect, so have been unable to get a printout of it.

One thing I noticed in the procedure described for normal flashing, ie. using the built-in QFlash, is that (apparently) it's important to Load Optimised Defaults when the flashing has completed. I didn't do that, and so am wondering if that might have something to do with the (apparently) corrupted BIOS I've got. Instead, I went straight to manually configuring the BIOS settings.

Could missing out that step really have made any difference? On the assumption that it did, I'll now re-run a BIOS flash using the built-in QFlash and see if the result's any different, this time of course including that step.

[Dark Mantis]

Yes I think that would be a good idea but I don't really think your problem was down to that oversight. It is always best to load Optimised BIOS Defaults as opposed to Failsafe BIOS Defaults as they are about the most basic settings that you cna load onto the board and get it to work.

There is nothing stopping you from not loading any premade settings and then configuring the whole BIOS manually but obviously it takes time.

[forumjoe]

Today, I've re-flashed the BIOS, using a freshly-downloaded FH version. At the end, I selected 'Load Optimised Defaults' but, as you predicted, it didn't make any difference to the outcome. I'm still getting the random FDD accesses and the non-stop HDD accesses.

One thing I've been wary of has been to not remove the pendrive containing the BIOS datafile while still in the BIOS, as it seems to me that because there's no way of properly demounting the pendrive in that situation, there's a risk that either the BIOS data or the file on the pendrive could get corrupted if you simply pulled out the pendrive. So, this time, I left the pendrive in, right up to where I let the system finally boot back into Windows. I then demounted it in Windows in the approved way.

I'm not sure if this is meant to be normal but one rather alarming thing that happens when I boot back into the BIOS each time, having just reflashed the BIOS, is that the PC gets completely turned off, ie. its power supply taken down, and then it powers back up again of its own accord within 4 or 5 secs. So, it's an automatic power-down, rather than a Restart that happens. Is it meant to do that?

Okay, so that's that done again, and no change. I'll now have to see if the different method, of running QFlash off the pendrive itself, rather than relying on the QFlash inside the BIOS chip, will instead work. I'm off now to visit that URL you gave me, where there are descriptions of how to make the USB drive bootable, etc. If, after that, there's still no change in the faults I'm observing, then goodness knows what I'll conclude. Possibly, the Main BIOS chip itself is irrepairably damaged? GGTS have suggested returning the board for testing but that'd involve a massive amount of work on my part and frankly I don't think it'd be worth all the expense; I might just as well try to locate and buy a completely different brand of board.

[Dark Mantis]

The power down after the BIOS change is perfectly normal. So no wukking furries there.

It is starting to look like the board is faulty and as you say whether it is worth sending for RMA is obviously up to you to decide.

[forumjoe]

Just been looking at that website where it describes the flash utilities. The Mediafire utility won't download unless I allow it to set cookies, which I guess if I do I'll get bombarded with spam thereafter. The one from PCWorld doesn't require cookies but is described as an 'installable file'. Well, I don't want to permanently install anything. I'm trying to build a clean PC. I don't want to start adding all sorts of odd programs to it. There's always a catch, isn't there?

Surely, you don't need WinRAR or WinZip, do you, to extract the files from the BIOS folder? It's self-extracting, surely?

[Dark Mantis]

No you shouldn't need a third party compression program to decompress the BIOS file.

As far as the utilities goes I really wouldn't advise installing them as often they can be easier to install than to get rid of afterwards and knowing you want a  clean system this wouldn't be  a good idea.

[forumjoe]

I really don't know that much about making a USB pendrive bootable but is there no other way of doing it?

So near, yet so far.

Looks like I'm otherwise stuffed and will have to dump this motherboard. I've spent several months now, building this new PC. I took such care with it as well, installing and handling the board using an earthed wriststrap and doing it over a sheet of aluminium. And yet, it seems, the BIOS chip is useless. But I can't afford to waste any more time on it, as I'm already way behind in my normal work on the PC and others I deal with keep asking why I've not finished installing my software yet. It's all highly embarrassing. At least I've got my old PC to fall back on, though in the end I'll need to reformat on that and reinstall everything, to start with a clean plate again. It's vastly slower than this new PC, though.

Just re-checked in Device Manager the transfer mode of the second optical drive. It's still saying PIO, and it can't be changed.

Only last-minute tries I can think of are:

1) Restore this new PC to one of the earlier states, to see if the instability was there then.
2) Try moving the soundcard to a different PCI slot.

Somehow doubt that they'll show up anything. Can't see that a problem with transfer mode of a drive could be solved, or even influenced, by a PCI slot change.

[Dark Mantis]

Even though I am not convinced it will help it would be worth removing the soundcard totally as some did cause problems with the X58 boards. Worth a try.

I think anything else that you can think of is worth a try at this stage of the game.

[forumjoe]

Yeh, I can see the logic in that and I'll give it a try.

Trouble is, when it comes to alternative boards and alternative brands, my choice is very limited indeed, as the board will need to support a parallel printer, and also a COM port to connect a UPS. My having one or two legacy devices is the reason why I chose the Gigabyte P55-US3L from the outset, as it's only one of a handful of motherboards still around that cater for devices like that, whilst at the same time being capable of using an i5 processor and DDR3 memory. Plus, of course, a mix of PCIe and PCI slots.

[Dark Mantis]

Well in that case maybe it is worth the trouble of dismantling and sending for RMA then.

You are going to have to dismantle the board anyway even if you find another make that has what you require.

[forumjoe]

Yes, I know. But I really don't have the time now to spend sending off the board, interacting with Gigabyte, and arguing about precisely what's wrong with their board. I've a huge backlog of photographic and article-writing work now to do, on this or my old PC, and I'll simply have to shelve the dismantling and replacement of this new machine until later this year.

Having taken so much care and so much time in building this PC, I'm obviously now totally shattered and dismayed by the outcome. I've never known a board that promised so much and yet, when you get down to the nitty-gritty, so many features have to be turned off to get it to work - and then only with instability and certain things just not being right in Windows. GGTS claim that they've tested their own version of it but, given that they couldn't even understand the symptoms I reported and the description I gave of the things I've done to try to pin it down, I doubt very much whether their testing was valid. Frankly, it could still be down to either the BIOS FH being faulty or the Intel INF driver being faulty.

Under the circumstances, therefore, it'd be better for me to try to get a board of an alternative brand altogether, rather than risk that GGTS eventually send back a board that again won't work properly.

Incidentally, I've just tried removing the soundcard altogether. No change. It's still unstable.