Gigabyte GA-6VX7-4X and Windows NT Server

[Dmain]

Hi,

Does anyone know of a problem with Windows NT Server 4.0 and Gigabyte's GA-6VX7-4X motherboard ?

I have tried contacting Gigabyte's technical support but have had no response from them at all regarding the problem which I have detailed below :

(CPU in the system is a Pentium III 700MHz (100MHz bus) with 384Mb RAM)

The problem I am experiencing is that during the initial Windows NT setup, after it has formatted the disk using either FAT or NTFS file system (on which I have created a 2Gb system partition), when the setup program reaches 98 percent of the initial file copy from the CD-ROM drive, it fails to copy certain files, the first of which is usually ADVAPI32.DLL. Selecting Retry fails to copy the files and pressing ESC to skip results in another file copy failure. After pressing ESC several times I get a blue screen with the error PFN_LIST_CORRUPT.

I have tried several hard drives (Maxtor 60Gb and Seagate 15Gb), several CD-ROM drives and also several Windows NT Server installation CD's and all result in the same error, at exactly the same point in the installation procedure. I have also installed the Microsoft ATAPI IDE Service Pack 4 driver, as I suspected the large hard disk sizes might have been a problem, but this failed to cure the problem. The hard disk is connected to the first IDE motherboard channel as a primary master, and the CD-ROM drive is connected to the second IDE channel. There are no slave devices on either IDE channel.

I have installed Windows 98 on the same system with no problems at all.

I have subsequently installed a Tyan motherboard instead of the Gigabyte motherboard - all other components were identical. After proceeding with the NT Server installation again, I encountered no problems at all during the Windows NT setup procedure.

Regards,

Douglas Main

 

[Starhawk]

Try it with less RAM (1 stick only) and add the rest after NT is up and running. I've seen this before...

 

[Guest]

I also saw this kinda problem recently. My friend had this problem and I told him to change his RAM and it worked fine. I don't know what RAM was that, but it should some crappy Generic Ram. I hope it will help

 

[Guest]

Both NT and Windows2000 are EXTREMELY sensitive to memory dimm single bit failures. You are lucky: Your mother board supports ECC Memory so I suggest you install ECC Memory simms. If you already have ECC Memory, then be sure to turn this feature on in your BIOS advanced chip settings. The default is always to turn ECC mode "OFF."

Your memory simms are not likely to be "BAD." In other words, the bit dropping is intermittent and sporadic, as we have discovered is usual for new memory NO-PARITY memory simms. Memory diagnostics will NOT catch this kind of failure, even when running for days on end. Yet install them in NT or Win2000 and they result in system failures within hours or even minutes. We have done extensive testing with this problem, and have concluded that Win2000 (NT) is the very BEST memory diagnostic ever invented. ECC Memory simms are a MAJOR help to prevent crashes and installation failures.

We have also tested the SAME hardware with Win98. By sliding in a Win2000 hard drive, then sliding in a Win98 hard drive, and running the SAME tests, Win98 ran reliably, and Win2000 would crash within minutes or hours depending on which memory dimm was being tested. Our testing consisted of a simply ZIP-UNZIP and Xcopy of 1,000 files from one folder to another.

One memory simm we tested crashed Win2000 during boot-up EVERY TIME, yet worked flawlessly under Win98 and ran memory diagnostics day and night without failure. Bill Gates has some serious work to do before Win2000 ever makes it to prime time.

Hope this helps .

 

[Dmain]

OK - thanks ! But how come it installs OK on the Tyan motherboard. I've had the server running with the Tyan motherboard for several days now with no problems at all.
Are Gigabyte motherboards more fussy about the RAM they use ? The memory I'm using is Cube Memory.