Problem with 880GM-UD2H Rev v 1.4

[ameya88]

When I try to boot from CD, I just get stuck on the "Loading Operating System..." screen. I have the correct Windows XP SP3 disc in the optical drive.

The Hard Disk and the The CD-activity lights do not flicker. The drive is SATA and yes I have connected the power cable to it, along with the SATA cable and it's in the right slot. The drive has power - it can open the CD-holder.

I don't think the optical drive is faulty because I replaced it with a spare I had to see if I could load the OS with that, but I cannot.
Here is what the Standard CMOS looks like on the boot:
IDE Channel 0 Master [None]
IDE Channel 0 Slave [None]
IDE Channel 1 Master [None]
IDE Channel 1 Master [None]

The HDD and the Optical Drive are both SATA and share the same power supply wire.

When I change to IDE mode it boots properly from the CD or Hard Disk but i have noticed that the performance slows down a lot!! After I change it from AHCI mode to IDE mode my Hard Disk and DVD Writer is shown in the Bios. But when i try changing it back to AHCI mode it does not show my Hard Disk and DVD Writer in Bios and it gets stuck at the "Loading Operating System". When I tried installing Windows XP using the IDE mode it stared giving me long continuous beeps when it was showing the Windows XP Logo during First boot and continued (The XP setup was still running) till i shut the PC

How do I change it from IDE to AHCI without getting stuck at the " Loading Operating System" message
Here are the components:
Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H AMD 880G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core @3.00GHz
4GB Corsair XMS DDR3 1333Mhz
550W Circle SMPS
LG Sata DVD Writer
160GB SATA2 Western Digital

Please help me!!

[ameya88]

By the way my Bios version is F8 if that is needed in any way

[absic]

Hi there,

Sometimes DVD/CD drives do not like running in AHCI Mode and this could be part of the problem. Also Windows XP can be a bit troublesome running in AHCI mode too.

If you want to run your HDD in AHCI mode then I would suggest that you attach that device to the SATA2_0 port on the motherboard and your DVD drive to the SATA2_4 port.

In BIOS you will need to set the OnChip SATA Type to AHCI and then set the OnChip SATA Port4/5 Type to IDE.

You will need to use F6 to install the AHCI Driver which you can download from here: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3635&dl=1#driver if you don't already have it. (it's the AMD SATA RAID/AHCI one)

[absic]

To use AHCI mode with Windows XP you need to pre-load the driver during the Windows install.
When you start to install Windows it will say something along the lines of "Press F6 to install 3rd party drivers" (sorry but I can't remember the exact wording) You will need to hit the F6 key and load the drivers from a Floppy drive (not sure if you can use a USB pendrive with XP) for Windows to be able to install correctly in AHCI Mode.

[ameya88]

Thanks a lot buddy. Will give it a try. I am trying through USB hope it works!!

[ameya88]

I have slipstreamed the AHCI drivers into the XP installation. Hopefully it should install the drivers when it installs XP. Do I change the settings from IDE to SATA after the 1st boot or after Windows is completely installed??

[absic]

You should set the SATA controllers in BIOS as I mentioned previously, before you install Windows. And you should also reconfigure your system as I advised.

attach your HDD to the SATA2_0 port on the motherboard and your DVD drive to the SATA2_4 port

In BIOS you will need to set the OnChip SATA Type to AHCI and then set the OnChip SATA Port4/5 Type to IDE.

[ameya88]

When I attach My HDD to SATA2_0 and drive to SATA2_4 I get the same problem. it gets stuck at Loading Operating system and my HDD and Drive are not detected in bios. What do I do??

[absic]

When I attach My HDD to SATA2_0 and drive to SATA2_4 I get the same problem. it gets stuck at Loading Operating system and my HDD and Drive are not detected in bios. What do I do??

PANIC!

Only kidding! 

In BIOS did you set the controllers as I advised?
Have you tried disabling Floppy drives?

[ameya88]

Yes I set the SATA Controllers and have disabled Floppy drive

[ameya88]

Now what do I do??

[absic]

OK,

I seemed to remember a situation with another user running an Intel build who was facing a similar problem and after some research I advised as follows:

my understanding of the problem is that it is actually better to enable AHCI after you have installed Windows XP. This item might prove helpful: http://expertester.wordpress.com/2008/07/27/how-to-enable-ahci-windows-xp/

This older thread at Tom's Hardware might also prove useful: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/244556-12-warning-installing-windows-ahci-enabled-controllers

the full thread can be found here: http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,4331.msg33772.html#msg33772

So, it might be better if you go back to having your SATA controllers set to IDE (leave the drives attached as they are) install in IDE Mode then try enabling AHCI after the install.

Sorry that I didn't remember this sooner but I'm getting old!  

[ameya88]

Thanks a lot man. Will give it a try

[ameya88]

Will try installing Windows XP through IDE mode. The only doubt i have now is why does my system give long continuous beeps when windows boots for the first time. As in the long continuous beeps occur when the windows logo starts for the first time and keeps on going ( The installation still continues). The XP Installation goes very slow. Is it something to do with the IDE mode??

[absic]

Have you enabled any of the Warning Alarms in BIOS? Check to make sure that these are disabled as it is probably one of these.

Is your RAM a single 4 Gig stick or 2X2Gig sticks?

Until recently I used to only use IDE Mode and always found it to be fine and, in some instances, more reliable than AHCI.

What other devices have you got installed? Sometimes these can cause a problem during Windows install and I tend to load the OS with the bare minimum of hardware attached then add them after I have installed the OS and done all of the necessary OS Updates.