GA-F2A85X-D3H and Windows XP install: "irql_not_less_or_equal" error

[DMatthews]

Hi all,

I'm just rebuilding a PC after it suffered a motherboard failure (I got nearly ten years out of it, so I'm not complaining!). I'm now using a GA-F2A85X-D3H which apparently supports Windows XP. (Never really liked Win 7!). I initially had a problem during installation which I cured by setting the BIOS' "OnChip SATA Type" option to "IDE" and installation now proceeds successfully until it gets to the "Installing Devices" stage, whereupon I get the BSOD with the above error. It doesn't, however, list any particular file(s) that it's having trouble with.

The system currently comprises the following brand new components:

The GA-F2A85X-D3H
AMD A6 A6 5400K FM2 CPU
2x2GB Corsair CMX4GX3M2B1600C9 DDR3 DIMMs
1TB Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX SATA3 HDD
Corsair CX500M PSU


I initially suspected the memory, so removed each DIMM in turn but that made no difference (unless *both* of them are faulty!)

So my next thought was do I need to be running a particular Service Pack for XP? My installation CD is XP Home Edition with SP1. Somewhat frustratingly I do have an SP3 CD but it's merely an "upgrade" one for an existing XP installation - ie I can't boot from it.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated!

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Many thanks!

Dave Matthews


"New Avengers" and "Professionals" sites at:
http://www.mark-1.co.uk/

[Vezina]

It s ram related ,but software could be involved.
Test RAM with Memtest 4.xx for some hours.

1.Disable CnQ and turbo core or whatever power management is for CPU in BIOS

2.Use a SP3 image.If you don t have one slipstream a SP3 in it .
Use XP ISO Builder from some trusted source like softpedia or similar.
SP3 is available on Microsoft website.

3.Use IDE Mode for the SATA controller.

4.Install ,configure install security software firewall and such and imediately update XP to the latest updates.

5.Go back into BIOS re-enable Turbo core and such.

For CNQ to work in XP you will need to find somewhere a specific CnQ version ,it may be available on Softpedia can t remember exactly.One version of this CnQ will be able to dynamically use the CPU clocks properly ,but the Desktop will not be as smooth and snappy as in Windows 7.

That is all.Use Catalyst 13.4 chipset and video drivers from AMD website don t bother with others.
Catalyst 13.4 is the last to support XP.

Chipset drivers are here ,scroll down ->  http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/Pages/raid_windows.aspx

[Tiger]

I would recommend you slip stream SP2 with nLite onto your SP1 Windows installation software. I don't think your key will be valid if you skip SP2 and try to use SP3 slipstreamed.
http://www.nliteos.com/download.html

[DMatthews]

Thanks for the responses, folks!

In the end I just had to slipstream SP3 (using nLite) and the installation was then successful! 

But I remain a tad confused about the SATA situation. Once XP was installed I ran the motherboard's installation CD in the expectation that it would install the SATA drivers. But switching the BIOS' "OnChip SATA Type" back to "AHCI" prevents the system from booting up - I have to switch back to IDE mode...

The user guide is rather unclear on the SATA issue - it seems to imply that in order to use SATA in its native mode, I somehow needed to install drivers from the mobo's installation CD by copying them to a floppy disk    *before* installing XP. 

--

Cheers

Dave

[absic]

Hi Dave,

it's been a long time since I used XP and if I remember correctly I couldn't switch from IDE to AHCI after install which always meant I had to do a clean install if I wanted to run in AHCI Mode.

There is some info about switching from IDE to AHCI Mode after install here: http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,6721.0.html with a link in this thread to a method for switching to AHCI Mode after install for XP but, once again, I have to say that I couldn't get it to work, although you may have better luck.

As a matter of interest have you tried doing a clean install in AHCI Mode now that you have slipstreamed SP3 into your install disk? If it asks for drivers for AHCI Mode you can copy the ones from the Gigabyte install DVD onto a USB Pendrive (make sure it is formatted to FAT32) and load them from that rather than worry about a floppy drive.

[DMatthews]

Thanks, absic!

No joy with that method linked to from the forum post - I don't have an entry for SATA Controllers in Device Manager.

> have you tried doing a clean install in AHCI Mode now that you have slipstreamed SP3 into your install disk? If it asks for drivers for AHCI Mode you can copy
> the ones from the Gigabyte install DVD onto a USB Pendrive (make sure it is formatted to FAT32) and load them from that rather than worry about a floppy
> drive.

I tried it but the XP installation only seems to accept a floppy drive  which, of course, I don't have. Is there a way to fool the installation into thinking the pen drive is drive A: ? Possibly related to this is...

... The other weird thing is that on starting the XP installation you are supposed to be able to press F6 to interrupt it in order to install a third party driver but pressing F6 is just ignored (and I have checked that my F6 key does work!). Perhaps it's ignored if XP doesn't think a floppy drive is attached...?

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Cheers

Dave

[DMatthews]

I think I've found a way around this and it hinges around the fantastic discovery that you can run SATA ports 0, 1, 2 and 3 in AHCI mode but run ports 4-7 in IDE mode...

1 - Plug the HDD and any optical drives into SATA ports 4, 5, 6, or 7

2 - Boot up the machine and go into BIOS set-up. Set the SATA mode for ports 0 to 3 to AHCI but ensure that the mode for ports 4 to 7 is set to IDE.

3 - Save & Exit the BIOS as normal and Win XP should load successfully (because, of the course, the HDD is plugged into a SATA port that is running in old-fashioned IDE mode)

4 - On loading, XP should detect "new hardware" : this is in relation to ports 0-3 now being in AHCI mode. (You may receive a warning about an "Unknown PCI device"). Allow XP to go through the normal driver installation routine. In my case it seemed to already have the drivers available within Windows on the HDD. I would guess that for any systems that do not, you simply need XP to grab the drivers off the Gigabyte mobo installation CD.

5 - Check in Device Manager that you have an AHCI Controller entry under the "SCSI and Raid Controllers" and that it indicates that it has been installed successfully.

6 - To verify that all is well, shut down the machine and plug the HDD and optical drives into ports 0, 1 or 2 or 3...

7 - ... Restart the machine and hopefully XP will load successfully (and a lot faster!). If so then you've successfully retro-fitted AHCI for XP!!

9 - Optionally, at some stage go into BIOS set-up and switch SATA ports 4-7 to AHCI mode.


MODS: Feel free to change the title  of this thread.

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Cheers

Dave

[absic]

Hi David,

pleased you have found a solution and that things are now working as you would like. 

[kinzoo]

maybe i should go with this one
http://www.deskdecode.com/how-to-fix-stop-0x0000000a-irql_-not_-less_-than_-equal/