GA-H61N-USB3 won't POST with PCIe wireless network card installed.

[Citizen Crazed]

So have just built an HTPC based on this board and a Core i3 2125. All works good until I plug an Edimax 7612 (Realtek 8192CE chipset) wireless N card into the PCI Express port. System won't POST - it powers up for a couple of seconds, shuts down, pauses for five seconds then loops like this ad infinitum until I kill the mains or hold the power button in.

I've tried the NIC in a 16x port on my main (Z68X-UD7-B3-based) system and it works fine. I've also tried a PCIe 1x SATA card in the H61 box and again everything works, so sounds like some sort of incompatibility with the Realtek-based LAN card and the H61N-USB3. Maybe it's trying to configure the system on the basis that the card in the PCIe port is a VGA adapter (and then erroring out) or something equally dumb?

I've tried the F2, F3 and F4b BIOSes, have checked it's set to start from the onboard VGA (and have run through all the different options there without altering the system's behaviour). Have tried disabling the onboard wired NIC, as well as powering the system from a Corsair AX850 rather than the SFX PSU that came with the case, just in case it was a power supply issue. No change.

Opened a support ticket with Gigabyte Global TS last Tuesday and sent a tech support request to the manufacturers of the NIC at the same time. Edimax emailed back within four hours saying that they were unaware of any compatibility probs. Can't think what else to try. I've already posted about this on the TweakTown Gigabyte forum, and Lsdmeasap has pointed me in the direction of a thread here, and another one on XS (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?278892-Gigabyte-GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3-is-faulty-and-accepted-by-Gigabyte) in which there seems to be an issue with some Gigabyte 6-series boards doing the same thing when certain RAID controllers are installed in the PCIe slot - and that there's hopefully a BIOS fix on the way.

At time of writing, GGTS still haven't even read my support ticket and we're nearly a week on. Meanwhile I need to get this system finished and out to its owner. If anyone here (Runn3R?) has an idea whether this is caused by the same issue the XS guys are reporting on the Z68MA-D2H, and what the ETA on the fix is, and whether this board will also get it,  I'd really appreciate it - as at least then I can decide whether to stick with what I have or try some different hardware.

[Lsdmeasap]

Hope they sort this out for you guys soon!!

[Dark Mantis]

If you haven't had an answer from GGTS within a few days I would suggest emailing them again in case the original has gone astray which does happen on occasion.

[Citizen Crazed]

Thanks for bringing the thread back up top guys. Well, as things stand, we're over eight days from submitting the support ticket and it still hasn't even been read.  

Not sure how it could go astray - when I can still see it on the GGTS ticket centre DM, but I'll start another one anyway, hopefully that'll prompt some action.

Thing that really annoys me is that on this particular build I was considering buying an Asus or Intel branded mainboard precisely because of the issues we've seen getting the Z68X issues sorted, but went Gigabyte in the end because I figured a simpler system would work fine out of the box, and, BIOS/support issues aside, I like the way GBT designs and builds their stuff.

Hardware vendor has suggested I swap the WNIC for another brand, but I'm concerned that this will lead to more delays - if one network card causes this kind of issue, how do I know another won't suffer/cause the same problem? I could use a USB adapter but for reasons of neatness as well as performance I'd prefer a PCIe solution. It'd be bad enough if it was my own system, but this one is being built for someone else, and therefore I simply don't have the option of waiting while this problem gets sorted out.

Aside from anything else, the network card's TS responded to my support query within a handful of  hours. Puts GGTS' "response" into perspective.  

[Citizen Crazed]

Welll, have received a reply, of sorts, but it doesn't exactly move things forward.

Due to a vast amount of emails received in Non-Working hours the UK backlog of GTS support mail enquiries has meant we are approx 7 days behind. In order to help reduce the backlog and re-assess call status, can we please kindly ask you to re-submit your question by replying to this email with subject "STILL VALID" if technical help is still required.

Fair enough, I guess, apart from the fact that the GGTS message system doesn't actually include a subject line in message replies. I hope it's still going to get an eventual response if I write the two magic words in the message body?

[Rolo42]

[vent]I've had a ticket opened with Bethesda since Nov 6th for one of their games (The Hunted).  After 6 weeks of asking questions I already answered in the original request, they said they don't know when they'll get back to me since Skyrim was released.  (Note: Skyrim was released after I opened this ticket.)[/vent]

[Lsdmeasap]

Those magic words need to be in the Subject Line, not body

[ex58]

Try this new F4 BIOS,maybe help.
Be sure to update Backup BIOS also.

[Citizen Crazed]

I've tried that BIOS ex58. I deliberately didn't update the backup BIOS because, simply, I wanted to know that the backup was stable rather than risk both the main and backup with new/unknown code. That's the point of a backup.  May as well post GGTS's response today, plus my reply:

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Dear GGTS, thank you for your response. Unfortunately it does not solve this problem.

Sorry, we don’t have EDIMAX EWT612P IN – PCIE x1 wireless lan card to check.

The card utilises a Realtek RTL8192CE chipset. If you cannot obtain an Edimax card, maybe you have another one there with the same chipset? If not I'm sure you can obtain one. After all Realtek are one of your principal component suppliers, I'm sure they would provide you will a suitable test card if it helped solve a compatibility problem.

1. Please try the latest bios F4 as attached.

I have tried this BIOS. It has not solved the problem. In fact, it has made the situation worse. The system is, at time of writing, completely unusable. The exact sequence of events is as follows:

I flashed this new BIOS you have sent me, reset the CMOS, disabled the onboard wired NIC, set the onboard VGA to always enabled, and set the BIOS to initialise from onboard VGA first. I saved settings and exited. Before Windows loaded, I saw the Fix ME data dialog - as the management engine firmware updated.

I loaded Windows and checked everything was working correctly. I then shut down, removed system power and re-installed the Edimax wireless card.

When I powered the system back up it behaved exactly as I originally described to you - a constant power up/power down loop, no POST. So I removed the power again and removed the network card.

When I powered the system back up, it immediately shut down again. After pausing for a couple of seconds it restarted and continued to run. Looking at the hard disk activity light and the sounds from the speaker, it had posted and loaded the operating system correctly.  The trouble is that I now have no video output at all - I have tried the D-Sub 15 connection as well as HDMI. There is no video on either of them.

I powered the system down, and again judging by the speaker and disk activity light, it shut down properly. I removed mains power and utilised the CMOS reset jumper.

When I started the system back up, it powered up for a couple of seconds, and then immediately shut down. After pausing for five seconds it powered up again. I saw the Gigabyte on-screen logo for a couple of seconds, and hit Del to enter the BIOS - but before this loaded, the system immediately powered down again.

Five seconds later it powered back up. ck up again, again it appeared to POST and loaded Windows, but again I have no onboard video.

At time of writing the system is powered down with the CMOS battery removed. I will leave it like this for a period of time and then try to power back up. This will hopefully allow me to restore it to functionality. If not I imagine I will have to connect a PCI Express graphics card in order to restore video output and re-flash to an earlier BIOS.

2. Please try the latest Edimax latest driver to check.

As I have already said, I cannot get the system to POST, let alone load an operating system, when the network card is installed. It should be abundantly clear from the nature of this problem that I cannot install *any* Edimax driver right now. This is *not* a driver-level issue, it is low level hardware/BIOS compatibility.

3. Please try to disable onboard lan under bios to check.

As I had previously taken the time to explain, I had already tried this. It didn't make any difference.

4. Please try to change a higher 350W PSU to check.

Again, as I have already explained, I have tried a Corsair AX850 - an 850 watt full ATX PSU, without altering the system's behaviour.

It seem that you are not only experiencing this problem, please try to check the work around on this link:

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php/t-2117.html
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itpronetworking/thread/d61e6893-430f-4827-94f3-de85f615166c/
http://www.edimax.co.uk/images/Image/FAQ/Wireless/General-Wireless/Cannot%20see%20any%20wireless.pdf

No, again, with respect, please pay attention to the nature of the problem I have described, the issue I am dealing with is not the same as the one dealt with in the links above. These refer to users who are able to install the cards but cannot then find wireless networks. The problem I am experiencing is that THE SYSTEM WILL NOT EVEN POST when the wireless card is installed.

For the avoidance of doubt, and again as already mentioned, I have already installed the network card in another system -  a GA-Z68X-UD7-B3 with a Core i7 2600K. The card installs perfectly and is able to find and communicate over local wireless networks.

From the behaviour this H61 system is now experiencing, it seems that the problem is related to the BIOS' failing to properly initialise the network card alongside the onboard video. The fact that, with this F4 BIOS, the video will still not initialise even though I have removed the network card - will hopefully give your BIOS engineers some insight into the mode of failure here.

After I have sent this message I will restore the CMOS battery and try again to get the system to power up with the onboard video initialised. I will edit this message when I have done so if I have anything further to report.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch when you have another BIOS I could try, or further advice to offer. With best regards.

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