Z68X-UD3H-B3 w/ i5 2500k random lockups in Windows 7 x64

[spurst]

Hi,



OK Spurst, thanks for that.......it might be worthwhile starting at the begining again, have you read this article?

http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,5704.0.html

I know you may find it a bit long winded starting all over again, but just try assembling the basic components as absic has done and it  may help to eliminate any problems before any software has been installed.......so just read up to the part where the main components are assembled and where you can see the splash screen. This is my take on the situation......make sure every everything is seating correctly before powering on....safety first.

Hope this helps


Teknology9

After going through that other post - much of my testing and debugging has been identical. I cannot reproduce this issue with the video cards, drives, etc. The problem only happens when I use this board and processor - that is the only differentiating factor - the board and processor. It has to be a bad driver, bios setting, or some type of conflict in Windows 7 with this specific board.

All other components are working correctly. I also do not experience this issue in Windows Vista x64, only in Windows 7 x64. I'm not willing to downgrade back to Vista x64 - I'd return the motherboard prior to that.

So, the hardware seems to be installed correctly. I've done quite a few builds, so I'm semi-confident in that statement. However, this is my first venture into Z68 land.  My background/field is IT, so this isn't foreign territory. With that being said, if you have some pretty tech-heavy explanations, please lay them on me, so I can try and figure out what the issues are (I can't imagine I'm the only one plagued with the issue).

[Aussie Allan]

   Frustrating Huh!.....Here's a few more......when you use these, try to do them just one at a time.......otherwise we won't know which way is up!

  Swap to a different Keyboard....ideally with a PS2 lead, just for testing mind you

  In BIOS.....Turn Off All wake features if you have them....."Wake on Keyboard"....."Wake on Mouse"

   Some of the system files might be corrupt.

To fix this you need to do a automated system scan, ...or a SFC scan


Steps to perform sfc scan:

   1.      Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as Administrator.

   2.      Click Continue or supply Administrator credentials if prompted.

   3.      In the Command Prompt window type the following, and press Enter:

   sfc /scannow

   4.      You should see the following on-screen messages:

   Beginning the system scan. This process will take some time.

   Beginning verification phase of system scan.

   Verification % complete.

     And here is some reference material to go through......I'm starting to believe that it's a configurable setting as you generally believe as well.....there's a lot of people out there with simular bugs in the last two years with no really common answer......

  http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/computer-occassionaly-freezes-after-being-idle-for/4df56e5e-607d-4349-833a-cd22e873b4c0

 This second one describes rather well how to return your computer to a clean boot.....this is something very worth trying if the above two fail

  http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/windows-7-freezes-after-inactivity/2c4b806b-999c-467f-aad7-de5537db9bb8

  This should keep you busy.....let me know how you get on please.

  Aussie Allan

[spurst]

good info. thanks. i'll take a look at it tonight. I have a Phenom X4 830 I need to set up tonight, so I might not get back to this one until tomorrow. I'll update the thread with my findings. Thanks again.

[Aussie Allan]

  Not a problem.....this has come up before ....frustratingly we haven't had anyone that's come back and left a definitive answer.......people generally, eventually find/get there fix and you never hear of them again ....including how it was fixed.

  If you find the Holy grail for this issue.....would you mind!

  Aussie Allan

[teknology9]

Hi,

Not aware that you have an IT background.....I'm sure you'll fix it then.

Might be a  idea to contact Gigabyte Technical Support in the US and explain the situation to them if you think it is the MB.


Teknology9

[Dark Mantis]

If you want to contact GGTS you can get hold of them here:

Just enter your email address and click on the language of choice.
GGTS   http://ggts.gigabyte.com/

Please expect several days for a reply.

[spurst]

i have noticed that the only time i get a lockup is when the browser window is open (firefox). I cannot pinpoint the issue with the browser, only to say that 100% of lockups are while I was idle with a browser window open.

The idle times are varied - 3 minutes to 20 minutes.

If the system sits untouched after bootup, its been idle for ~2 hrs and never had a lockup. Only after activity and idle does it do this.

I've removed power options from the NIC. Clean boot / SFC did not work.

tonight I'm going to install IE 9 - I read somewhere not having it installed causes issues. sadly, I'm about at wits end with this project.

[spurst]

I think I have this resolved. No lockups yet, anyhow. I should be able to confirm tonight.

I turned off XMP for the memory. My memory is XMP capable (Corsair XMS) and my ram is actually pretty good stuff. I guess it just has an issue with this board and XMP. I can confirm this issue with a few different bios types for this board.

Thanks.

[FoLmEr]

I'd look more into your storage system -  the 36gig raptors are years old, aren't they? Maybe it's a compatibility problem between the board and raid0 disks.

The reason I go this route is that I've seen that same "only browser open crashes" on SSD forums countless times, telling me there is a similar storage problem there as well.

You could try with a different HDD/SSD if you can, non-raid, and see if the problem persists.

[spurst]

but then if i start changing out hardware and the problem goes away then who knows what the cause was.

thus far, no freezes / lockups. I truly think the issue was the XMP setting for the memory - which is odd, because the memory supports XMP. Worse yet... its corsair XMS - this is some of the best ram you can buy.

[Aussie Allan]

  Hay spurst ....thanks for taking the time and effort.

  I'm see this more and more with system freezes, keyboard,mouse freezes.....Possibly attributed to XMP profiles...........I just recommended that he too disable XMP profile and configure Manually......I let you know how he get on as well

  Aussie Allan

[spurst]

I just wanted to update this thread, because I'm still having issues.

Reset button - when I press the reset button, the system resets, runs POST, and then resets again. It does this 60% of the time. Sometimes it resets correctly, sometimes it does that double reset. It also does this when I attempt to shut down the PC - sometimes it shuts down, sometimes it instead resets the PC.

I had my PC overclocked @ 4500 @ 1.35 prime 95 stable. all other voltages were at default. I tried changing them around some, but nothing helped.
Even with XMP disabled, I was still getting lockups / hangs in Firefox. For some reason, only firefox would lock my PC up - I could game for 8 hours straight of heavy gaming without issue. 15 minutes in firefox, and I'd lock up. Its entirely random.  On several occasions after the reboot or hang, the BIOS tells me that overclocking or voltage changes have caused a problem. I also get that same POST error message about 80% of the time on a cold boot.

I'm really torn here. I'm open to ideas, help, or suggestions at this point...  I've tried adjusting most of the settings from LLC to Vcore to Memory timings.

I've also been trying o round up similar cases:
http://forums.tweaktown.com/gigabyte/44923-fault-reset-ud7-ga-z68x-b3.html

[Dark Mantis]

The problem with your reset/reboot could well be that it is corrupting the BIOS each time you press the reset and so then it reboots to load the Backup BIOS and boot from that. It has happened quite a lot on some boards.

[spurst]

I dont really follow that statement - the reset button should work - the system shouldn't be resetting itself 2-3 times each time i push the reset button. Its funky - I can push the reset button and the system resets, goes through post, and then resets again just prior to loading windows. It sometimes does that 2-3x. After that, the system starts up and all is well.

At this point, I'm honestly considering moving to a different board, before my return period is over.

[jackofblades]

Hey,

I'm actually having the same issue as you spurst and we have similar set ups.

My system is

MOBO: Z68X-UD3H-B3

CPU: i5 2500k

GPU: GTX580

Memory: Crosair DDR3 Vengeance two 4G sticks

HDD: Two  36G Raptors  in RAID0 (these contain my operating system)
Two 76G Raptors in RAID0
One 2TB Hitachi

PSU: Corsair TX850M


I'm not getting the reset button problem you're having but my system will freeze pretty randomly and it only happens when I'm internet browsing and or on my desktop (not while gaming).  My memory is also XMP capable and at first when i saw that you said XMP was the issue I turned that off but it still freezes.