Can we get an official response from Gigabyte regarding Z68 cold boot?

[arky33]

Sleep issue is not the same as the issues discussed here really.  However, I can try to help you diagnose this.

Do you have the backup BIOS flashed to match the main already?  If not, please do that now following this guide, you may need to use PS/2 keyboard or USB to PS/2 adapter
http://gigabytedaily.blogspot.com/2011/02/video-guide-how-to-update-your-backup.html

Do you have other memory to test with?   For your memory now, have you ran Memtest86+ and or HCI memtest lately?  If not please test now, for at least 5-10 full passes or overnight while you sleep with Memtest86+ latest version.
http://www.memtest.org/#downiso

To test with HCI memtest, you run multiple instances based on the number of CPU cores you have (4), then divide all spare memory in windows (minus a few hundred MB) into those 4 instances
http://hcidesign.com/memtest/

So for example, you have 6GB in windows at idle once windows is done loading, verify unused memory amount in task manager.  So let's say you have 6GB left, subtract 200-300 MB from 6GB, you get 5844.   Divide that amongst 4 instances of HCI memtest and let it run to around 500% or more, if they all pass without error then your memory settings or voltage are not the cause of your sleep issue.

I recommend extended testing with both programs mentioned above always, but especially now since you are having sleep issues as these are often memory related.  Is your 8GB 2x4GB or 4x2GB?

Thank you for your time, but I doubt the problem is memory related. I havent had any errors in 4 hours + of HCI, I shut down the testing at +- 600%,  and the speed or voltages it runs dont seem to matter either. Those are 2x4gb.

I'll update the backup bios when I get home to see if it changes anything.

As for my issues not being the ones discussed here, would you care pointing me in the right direction then? After all, I first encountered the boot loop problem on a cold boot too. From my perspective, the symptoms are the same, except for the fact that from what I am reading, most people do get to the POST screen before the computer shuts down and tries again. In my case it doesnt even get there, i.e. no text on screen.

[Lsdmeasap]

The problem is often 100% memory related, but not always, if you have done all of the other suggested things to correct this (IE Don't use reset button, backup BIOS matches main, CPU PLL Overvoltage disabled, ect)   

The issue is caused when memory errors at bootup cause the ME firmware to mess up, thus a reboot cycle is invoked until it's corrected (IE hard reboot or warm reboot from the BIOS)

How many instances of HCI memtest did you run, with how much memory in each when it reached 600%?

Ahh yes, please do update the backup BIOS, you should have done that first and long ago!

What I meant by not being the same issue as discussed here was your mentioned issue was with sleep, so I just meant you should create a thread and ask for help with sleep issues as these issues mainly deal with cold starts not sleep as that is it's own beast

To resume from sleep you have to be 100% tested stable, with several stability testing tools, and still may sometimes need a little bit more memory voltage than you need for stability, in order for S3 sleep to work.   Of course it also must be actually working in the BIOS version you are using too, sometimes older BIOSes it is broken until they fix it.   I am not sure if it's broke on your model's latest BIOS or not still, I haven't ran into enough users of that board to know for sure.

I see you mention you have the same issue on cold boots, sleep aside, that is relevant to this thread as you mentioned!   So for now, do all the things I suggested and don't use sleep for a while, that way you can rule out sleep as part of the issue

[Neil79]

I had 3 cold boots this morning  , system starts shuts off... I pull the psu put it back in, it starts and shuts off. Finally on the third time I pull the psu cable out, put it back in and it starts perfectly.

Backing up the bios is such a placebo but it seems to be the cure all advice on this forum

Why the hell did I get NO cold boots for over a month yet it's happening every so often again, I was on the computer for 8 hrs yesterday thats watching movies-youtube and playing a good three hours of BF3!

[arky33]

The problem is often 100% memory related, but not always, if you have done all of the other suggested things to correct this (IE Don't use reset button, backup BIOS matches main, CPU PLL Overvoltage disabled, ect)   

The issue is caused when memory errors at bootup cause the ME firmware to mess up, thus a reboot cycle is invoked until it's corrected (IE hard reboot or warm reboot from the BIOS)

How many instances of HCI memtest did you run, with how much memory in each when it reached 600%?

Ahh yes, please do update the backup BIOS, you should have done that first and long ago!

What I meant by not being the same issue as discussed here was your mentioned issue was with sleep, so I just meant you should create a thread and ask for help with sleep issues as these issues mainly deal with cold starts not sleep as that is it's own beast

To resume from sleep you have to be 100% tested stable, with several stability testing tools, and still may sometimes need a little bit more memory voltage than you need for stability, in order for S3 sleep to work.   Of course it also must be actually working in the BIOS version you are using too, sometimes older BIOSes it is broken until they fix it.   I am not sure if it's broke on your model's latest BIOS or not still, I haven't ran into enough users of that board to know for sure.

I see you mention you have the same issue on cold boots, sleep aside, that is relevant to this thread as you mentioned!   So for now, do all the things I suggested and don't use sleep for a while, that way you can rule out sleep as part of the issue

I ran 4 instances of HCI as you suggested, separating the unused memory between the four. I let in run the whole day with different settings, varying the amout of memory per instance, setting the affinity of each process to a specific core (or not), etc, and I could never get an error. Prime blend is 20 hours + stable.

I loaded default bios settings, updated the backup bios, shutted down the PSU just like in the video, cleared the CMOS, started the computer and was greeted by a "real" cold boot this time, the system getting to POST but shut down right after. After 6 or 7 loops I decided to do an extended cmos reset. Got it to boot after 15 minutes or so.

I'm just so damn tired of fighting against this board/bios. i'm beginning to think this is just all hardware related and that a few boards are faulty enough to make it a real pita to some overclockers while most will just encounter the problem a few times in its life cycle.

[Lsdmeasap]

It very well could be your board?  Have you tried other memory though, just to be sure it's not an issue with your specific memory?

I've never seen it myself, with 2 x P67 (B2), and one Z68, and I'm not just saying that either, and I know plenty who have not as well.  But you are right, there are some that just have it no matter what, and without that hardware here in front of me it's hard to say what's going on since I can't replicate the issues myself to try and test things out for users.   So there may just be some % of boards that are affected badly for some reason, while others are 100% fine.   Have you considered RMA'n the board to try another, maybe you'd have better luck with just another of the same board.

[Zardok]

I have just joined this forum specifically to find out more about this issue. In my case it struck my GA-Z68XP-UD4, less than a week old. The exact circumstances seem slightly different from the cases already described here. My PC was working normally when it suddenly it blue-screened and tried to restart. At the POST screen, just before the drives should listed, the message "Waiting for ME ready" appeared and after the countdown the system tried to restart. It never broke out of this cycle until I killed the power. When I tried to start up again the same thing happened. I also noted that the BIOS version was indicated as F5, although I had successfully updated to F6 a couple of days earlier.

 I notified the board vendor and he suggested resetting the CMOS after removing the battery. I did all this, put it all together again and tried to start up. At first the system hung on the BIOS logo (please get rid of that stupid thing) for over a minute until I switched off. The next time I tried to start it went into the "short cycle" of fans on, then off, then start again, without even getting to the logo. At that stage I gave up and I am waiting for RMA advice.

The RAM was 2x4GB G.Skill F3-12800CLD9-8GBXL - also brand new. These modules were chosen because the G.Skill website shows they are certified for P67 & Z68 boards. I should also say that at no time were any of the voltage or frequency settings in the BIOS changed. All were left in their default Auto settings.

I was amazed to see how much discussion on this problem could be found in different forums. Does Gigabyte take the issue seriously? I have always used Gigabyte boards up to now, but I am starting to feel they can't be trusted. What is going on?

[Dark Mantis]

Hi and welcome.

I can't help with the actual problem but I can explain why your BIOS has changed from F6 to F5. The Backup BIOS copied it's contents (F5) over the top of the Main BIOS contents (F6) when the system failed to boot properly. This is the Dual BIOS working as it should. In future it is best to upgrade your Main BIOS and then once you are happy with it synchronise the two BIOS chips so that they both hold the same version.

I would suggest trying an extended CMOS clear to see if that helps. Follow these instructions:

Remove the power cable from the mains supply and then press the power switch on the case for a few seconds just to drain any residual energy in the PSU capacitors.

Once done remove the motherboard battery overnight  or for at least six hours before replacing it.
 
Next plug back into the mains supply and boot.
 
You will now need to enter the BIOS by pressing DEL and load Optimised BIOS Defaults.

Make any other changes to the BIOS settings to suit your self like disabling the floppy drive, disabling the full screen logo and making the HDD the primary boot device and then press F10 to save and exit.

[Zardok]

Hi and welcome.

I can't help with the actual problem but I can explain why your BIOS has changed from F6 to F5. The Backup BIOS copied it's contents (F5) over the top of the Main BIOS contents (F6) when the system failed to boot properly. This is the Dual BIOS working as it should. In future it is best to upgrade your Main BIOS and then once you are happy with it synchronise the two BIOS chips so that they both hold the same version.

I would suggest trying an extended CMOS clear to see if that helps. Follow these instructions:

Remove the power cable from the mains supply and then press the power switch on the case for a few seconds just to drain any residual energy in the PSU capacitors.

Once done remove the motherboard battery overnight  or for at least six hours before replacing it.
 
Next plug back into the mains supply and boot.
 
You will now need to enter the BIOS by pressing DEL and load Optimised BIOS Defaults.

Make any other changes to the BIOS settings to suit your self like disabling the floppy drive, disabling the full screen logo and making the HDD the primary boot device and then press F10 to save and exit.

Thanks for that explanation, it means that the change in the BIOS version is irrelevant to the main problem bothering everyone and can be ignored. I actually tried the steps you describe to get things running again, except I didn't wait six hours before replacing the battery. So long? Anyway, it had no effect.

[Dark Mantis]

It can depend on certain criterior but sometimes a wait of roughly six hours/overnight can be called for it to work properly.

[Bayman65]

Has Gigabyte found a fix for this problem yet? My board is a GA-P43-ES3G and I am soooo tired of this foolishness. If I have to chuck this board in the trash it will be the last Gigabyte purchase for me. What a terrible way to tarnish a name...put defective items on the market and not respond properly to consumer concerns.
Here's what I have inside the box:
GA-P43-ES3G
INTEL Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz FSB1333MHz 6MB LGA775 Dual-Core
2 sticks Crucial Rendition 2GB DDR-2 / 800 / PC6400 /
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-6400C5C 4GB DDR2 2X2GB PC2-6400
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4670 512MB 128bit 1DVI/1xVGA Lite
WD Caviar SE-16 / SATA-II 5000AAKS 500GB 7200RPM, 16MB, SATA-
Western Digital WD20EARS Caviar Green 2TB SATA2 3GBPS 64MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive
LG GH22NS30 SATA BLACK DVD±RW (22X+/-) DUAL LAYER w/
APEVIA (BK/BK) X-PLORER W/WIN
Coolmax 600 Watt Power Supply

[touch_and_go]

Off course you can get an official response from gigabyte regarding z68 boot.

[parge]

Did this ever get solved? I'm *still* getting this issue with the P67 UD7. Random cold boot loops.

£276 worth of motherboard - made all but useless by a bug. 

[thiagoms83]

I have the same problem and found a solution. In the BIOS settings, after setting the default standard in Fast Boot menu select Ultra fast. Ready! Cold boot will never happen again.

[zer04]

Load of garbage from them tbh. My first and last Gigabyte product. 

Z68X-UD4-B3 board stuck in boot loop. Sent it back for repair regarding the loop and it comes back with "CPU socket fixed" Well done..
They obviously have issues reading the RMA fault I guess.. Sent it back to me without even testing it & of course same problem..

The funny thing was the guys where I purchased it said some customers are having issues with their Z87 series motherboards (same problem).

[barbenoire22]

?

I have this problem with 2 gigabytes mobo, one is brand new, How can this be possible ?