M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 BOOTUP ISSUES

[makure]

Hello,

I have been having some weird behavior when using my newly built system. I bought the M4A89GTD PRO/UBS3 mobo and I have been having weird issues ever since I installed and used it. This is what I have been experiencing:

*Unexpected reboots
*Long boot-up times
*Overall performance

Here are my current PC specs:
*4GB DDR3 1333MHz Corsair *CMX4GX3M1A1333C9 1.50v vER8.11
*750Watts Corsair Modular 80Plus PSU
*Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
*1.5TB SATA HDD 7200rpm
*Radeon XFX 5700 1GB DDR5
*AMD Phenom II X6 3.2GHz
*AverTV DH DVR (PCIe)
*LG 24x SATA DVD+/-RW internal drive
*CM Sniper Mid tower

When I turned on my PC it takes about 12sec before I get something on my screen and when it finally does the POST says: "Current CPU cannot use the ASUS core unlocker". This is corrected though by entering the BIOS making changes, saving and rebooting but I have to do this every time the PC suddenly reboots on its own.

This occurs because I have experienced frequent reboots all of a sudden when working with Windows 7 Pro. One time I was using an external USB hard drive and when I safety removed and unplug it, the screen went blank and it rebooted. This has happened three times already, so this is obviously not a normal behavior. I tried connecting the drive to the front panel USB on the PC case and is the same issue. Other times I just lose the video signal from my LCD but the PC remains on. I have to unplug the DVI/VGA adapter connector from the video card and wait a few seconds before connecting it back to the DVI port on my Radeon video card and sometimes this works and I get a display again but some others it just doesn't work at all.

First question, Why does it take so long before I get the boot screen during POST? Is this the way all ASUS mobos' BIOS suppose to work? Does this model really support my AMD X6 3.2GHz CPU just like it says on the sticker?

Now, I already flashed the BIOS just to make sure but there are no changes. I checked the cables that connect the front panel USB ports and they are not damaged or plugged in the wrong place. I checked all the hardware before buying and made sure it was compatible with one another before buying this mobo so what gives?

My old HP bootup screen appears in 2 seconds after hitting the power button and boots 8 seconds later into Windows 7 Home Ed.

This is a brand new system I put together a few days ago so there is not a lot of software on my HDD other than the OS, Firefox and PCIe AverMedia card.

Another question, why do I need to install that VGA card in on of the PCIe slots when using only one video card? Can I just leave it out or would it cause problems if removed?

Thanks and I hope someone has any ideas. I'm thinking trying a different mobo manufacturer.

 

[axipher]

I was having a similar issue with the same motherboard, 4 GB of G.Skill RAM, and a Phenom II X4 955. I would say 1 in 5 times it would take a longer time to get to the BIOS splash screen and the 4th core would be disabled. I plugged in a second 4 pin CPU power since the mother board can use two 4 pin CPU power connectors and haven't had an issue since then. Maybe the X6 is power hungry enough you need to try the same thing.

In regards to the VGA card, when I was doing research, every article recommended keeping the VGA card in the top slot and I never had problems at all. From my understanding, without that VGA card in, the bottom PCIe slot will only run at 8x. For an ATI 5700 series or lower, you won't noice any difference at 8x or 16x. I'm running two Sapphire 5750's and I get an 80% increase over 1 card so I don't think the &x bus speed hampers it at all. Hopefully thus helps a bit.

 

[COLGeek]

You are describing a system that has a resource conflict or a failing mobo. I am concerned about you having to reset the BIOS at boot. You shouldn't have to do that at all unless the mobo battery is dead (easy to replace to see if it helps).

Try this. Shutdown the system and then remove all devices but the GPU and primary HDD (remove the DVR and disconnect the optical drive(s)). Try to boot the system.

BTW, if you are trying to overclock anything, stop until you isolate/solve your problem.

Report results back and I am sure the mighty Tom's forums members can help.

 

[makure]

Ok here is an update on the issue I'm having:


Thanks axipher and COLgeek for your input, those were good ideas to try. I was busy the last few days trying all sorts of things. First, originally I had the 8-pin power cable connected to the mobo, so I was remembering (you too axipher if you have the same mobo) that when it comes from the factory it has a plastic tap coveringthe 4-pin connector so I wondered if I should only connected 4 instead of using all 8-pin to power the CPU? Should it matter because my PC seem to operate fine and no noticeable things appear. Do you think axipher or COLgeek I should use the 8-pin power connector for the CPU or just the 4-pin?

Now, it seems to me that whenever the PC reboots or freezes completely (new development lately) is when I'm using the front panel connectors, USB, headphones, firewire, fan control/lights, power, etc. If I don't get near that place or touch it the PC works fine aside from the long splash screen when booting.

Could it be that the PC case cables are faulty and causing problems with the mobo therefore it reboots?

I unplugged the AverTV (DVR from the PCIe slot and tried again but same thing. Powered down and unplugged optical drive, all cables from the front panel ports and tried again but same thing even when I was turning the knob to adjust fan speed.

I got myself another PC case to try because I'm thinking maybe the cables that connect to the mobo for the front panel use are the cause. Today (Oct 8, 2010) I got it from Bestbuy and connected everything again into in the new case, it took me nearly an hour.

It booted up fine after 12 seconds and looked ok as it normally is. I start playing with the from panel connectors and it seemed fine for a few minutes. I was playing a video to test the speakers connected to one of the front panel USB (to power only) and the other cable connected to the headphones and it seemed it worked fine. The LCD did not go blank and the PC did not reboot. I plugged a portable HDD and a flash drive, used them they worked fine and the unplugged them (safely removed them) and had no issues. I continued plugging and unplugging the USB powered speakers on the front panel and it seemed fine until I unplug and plug it back into one of the front connectors and this time the LCD did not go blank but rather I saw has Windows 7 was closing the video I was playing and stated it was shutting down. This time I was at least able to see the PC shut down not like in the other case CM Sniper Mid tower the LCD would go blank and then the PC shuts down.

I turned the PC on gain and did exactly the same thing that I was doing before this happen and this time the PC completely froze on me. The behavior that exhibits is quite odd and I can’t really tell if it is the front panel cables, the mobo, or the PSU.

Aside from unplugging any more devices I think I will try a different mobo manufacturer and see what happens. If this does happen again then what do you guys think can be? PSU, CPU, something else?

A question for you axipher, when you turn on your PC how long does it take to see the splash screen? Are all ASUS models like this or just this particular model or could it even be that something is not right with this one.

Thanks for your help.

 

[makure]

I was having a similar issue with the same motherboard, 4 GB of G.Skill RAM, and a Phenom II X4 955. I would say 1 in 5 times it would take a longer time to get to the BIOS splash screen and the 4th core would be disabled. I plugged in a second 4 pin CPU power since the mother board can use two 4 pin CPU power connectors and haven't had an issue since then. Maybe the X6 is power hungry enough you need to try the same thing.

In regards to the VGA card, when I was doing research, every article recommended keeping the VGA card in the top slot and I never had problems at all. From my understanding, without that VGA card in, the bottom PCIe slot will only run at 8x. For an ATI 5700 series or lower, you won't noice any difference at 8x or 16x. I'm running two Sapphire 5750's and I get an 80% increase over 1 card so I don't think the &x bus speed hampers it at all. Hopefully thus helps a bit.

I will go back to using the 8-pin power cable for the CPU and see what happens though.

 

[makure]

You are describing a system that has a resource conflict or a failing mobo. I am concerned about you having to reset the BIOS at boot. You shouldn't have to do that at all unless the mobo battery is dead (easy to replace to see if it helps).

Try this. Shutdown the system and then remove all devices but the GPU and primary HDD (remove the DVR and disconnect the optical drive(s)). Try to boot the system.

BTW, if you are trying to overclock anything, stop until you isolate/solve your problem.

Report results back and I am sure the mighty Tom's forums members can help.

I'm not OC anything at this time but it just seems to do weird things on its on. If I don't mess around connecting cables to the front panel ports or sometimes even on the mobo everything is fine, but this is just ridiculous since it should work fine.

 

[Wisecracker]

Did you install the AHCI drivers prior to the installation of the OS? Are you using the most current chipset drivers?

IIRC, Asus has a list of approved devices for your motherboard --- including TV tuners and external drives.

Also --- in the BIOS there is a menu (I believe it's second from the right up top) where you may disable the core-unlocker function - that should help speed up your boot times.

I've got the 7xx series chipset of that mobo with an x6 and it's been a dream for the most part. I've got an external 5-bay enclosure from which I'm always hot-swapping --- and I go weeks at a time without even powering off. It sleeps at 2-3w and wakes nearly instantaneously.

 

[syk0sis6]

Was there ever any resolution to this problem? Makure I had the EXACT same issues that you are seeing with my system as well. Curious as to how it was resolved.

 

[makure]

Was there ever any resolution to this problem? Makure I had the EXACT same issues that you are seeing with my system as well. Curious as to how it was resolved.

Nope not yet. I continue to have the same issues but now seems to be happening more and more often. One example is if I get close to my tower and touch the from panel to either connect a cable, flash drive or similar the system goes into reboot mode without warning, no BSOD or anything it just shuts down and the screen goes blank, fans shut down for about 4-5 seconds and then it reboots. I'm suspecting the mobo is at fault or the RAM install in the modules is not of its like.

I feel pretty bad because I spent $1300 on this machine because I needed a robust system for video editing and it is good but has some major instability issues that make it a pain to work with and remain productive. I wish I knew someone that knows more about PCs that I do and take a look at it personally because as far has troubleshooting goes I tried several things to no avail. I was thinking about installing a different mobo manufacturer and see if there is any changes but that will cost me some dough.

Do you also have the same issues skyk0sis6? You have the same machine/specs? If so there could be a pattern to follow that something does not like a certain component/compatibility issues.

Any thoughts out there let me know guys and thanks for everybody's input in this issue.

 

[COLGeek]

You may actually have a short in your system. The issue of touching the case and causing a failure points to a physical problem. Remove all power sources. Then remove the mobo and verify you don't have any pinched cables anywhere in the system.

When you re-install the mobo, use the 8-pin aux power connector if your PSU supports it, otherwise 4-pin is fine. It really doesn't matter unless you plan to OC your CPU heavily. Either will work.

Please report back with your results/findings. Good luck!

 

[Kahbrohn]

You may actually have a short in your system. The issue of touching the case and causing a failure points to a physical problem. Remove all power sources. Then remove the mobo and verify you don't have any pinched cables anywhere in the system.

When you re-install the mobo, use the 8-pin aux power connector if your PSU supports it, otherwise 4-pin is fine. It really doesn't matter unless you plan to OC your CPU heavily. Either will work.

Please report back with your results/findings. Good luck!

I agree... I would try using a different PSU (from a friend so we know it's a good PSU) just to see what the effect is. If you can run normally with a different PSU, then that would most likely be your problem. Inspect all of the wiring coming out of the PSU. Sometimes upon installation, we can inadvertently strip the insulation off of a wire and it then rubs against the steel frame of our case.

I know that the Corsair TX750W PSU does not have shielding going all the way into the PSU box itself.

 

[axipher]

I would definitely try another power supply first to be sure that your power suply is the problem, then you can focus on just that.

 

[makure]

I agree... I would try using a different PSU (from a friend so we know it's a good PSU) just to see what the effect is. If you can run normally with a different PSU, then that would most likely be your problem. Inspect all of the wiring coming out of the PSU. Sometimes upon installation, we can inadvertently strip the insulation off of a wire and it then rubs against the steel frame of our case.

I know that the Corsair TX750W PSU does not have shielding going all the way into the PSU box itself.

Hi Kahbrohn, I would definitely try this as it makes sounds about having those sudden reboots whenever I plug a USB device on the front panel of my PC (mic, headphones in, etc) an occasionally on the back connectors. I will get another PSU from estbuy and try for a few days to see if there are any changes. You can't post pictures here can you? I'd like to post some and see if you or anyone can see anything wrong that I may be overlooking.

I looked around and power cables are not pinched or damaged in any apparent way, I mean part of the power cord is a little tight between the back panel for cable management purposes, but seems ok. I do not think it could be causing issues but I could be wrong so I will try a new PSU and get back to you in about 7 days.

 

[makure]

You may actually have a short in your system. The issue of touching the case and causing a failure points to a physical problem. Remove all power sources. Then remove the mobo and verify you don't have any pinched cables anywhere in the system.

When you re-install the mobo, use the 8-pin aux power connector if your PSU supports it, otherwise 4-pin is fine. It really doesn't matter unless you plan to OC your CPU heavily. Either will work.

Please report back with your results/findings. Good luck!

Hey COLGeek, I removed the mobo and checked for pinched cables but did not observe anything. I even tried to install the board without the standoffs and attempted to run it like that for a few days, but I was only able to put 4 screws in out of 9 so that idea did not work.

Anyway, I will get a new PSU and try it for a few days and test it constantly inserting and removing USB devices and see what happens, if this solves this annoying issue I will sure tell you all guys about it. The other thing I'm thinking is maybe this mobo model is picky when it comes to RAM, maybe it does not like this memory type but I know it did not seem to change when I replaced it with two 2GB Kingston modules.

 

[COLGeek]

Good luck!

 

[makure]

Please do the following.

Download this app

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html

On that page they have a guide how to activate your crash dumps.

Then go to msconfig. Choose the original boot.ini
Then click on hide microsoft services.
Then click on disable all.
Untick all your startup entries
Apply and reboot.
When it crashes again go Bluescreen view you downloaded.
Click on scan. Then you'll see files in red. Those are the culprits causing the error

Ok, Daddigle I will also give this a try and see what happens, thanks for the input in this matter.

 

[SewerFox]

I have the same Mobo and when I plug and unplug a usb anyhting it sometimes hangs then reboots.
I fingured out that it is actually me touching the usb slot just before the thumbdrive plugs in - that actually causes the malfunction.
I know that a lot of you are crying PSU!!!! No. Its not that at all. I switched the psu - same problem. I actually think that its a system ground issue. I think there is some leakage current that enters the USB area of the Mobo and it creates havoc. I have a Phenom II x6 processor.
I will try another mobo. ASUS has a problem with this one.
Everyone check your system grounding (case to ground pin of electrical recepticle). The mobo might actually be leaking current through one of its ground points.

 

[COLGeek]

I have the same Mobo and when I plug and unplug a usb anyhting it sometimes hangs then reboots.
I fingured out that it is actually me touching the usb slot just before the thumbdrive plugs in - that actually causes the malfunction.
I know that a lot of you are crying PSU!!!! No. Its not that at all. I switched the psu - same problem. I actually think that its a system ground issue. I think there is some leakage current that enters the USB area of the Mobo and it creates havoc. I have a Phenom II x6 processor.
I will try another mobo. ASUS has a problem with this one.
Everyone check your system grounding (case to ground pin of electrical recepticle). The mobo might actually be leaking current through one of its ground points.

This is definitely a grounding issue (SewerFox's post) and is consistent with my earlier assessment. It is possible that there is a design defect in some of these boards. May not be the case here, but is possible. Breadboarding (disassemble) the system and running outside the case (lay on a towel) could prove/disprove the issue.

 

[makure]

I have the same Mobo and when I plug and unplug a usb anyhting it sometimes hangs then reboots.
I fingured out that it is actually me touching the usb slot just before the thumbdrive plugs in - that actually causes the malfunction.
I know that a lot of you are crying PSU!!!! No. Its not that at all. I switched the psu - same problem. I actually think that its a system ground issue. I think there is some leakage current that enters the USB area of the Mobo and it creates havoc. I have a Phenom II x6 processor.
I will try another mobo. ASUS has a problem with this one.
Everyone check your system grounding (case to ground pin of electrical recepticle). The mobo might actually be leaking current through one of its ground points.

Really you have the same mobo with exact issues? I'm getting ready to order another one just to see if I got a bad one and know whether what you think may be right or not. If you try something can you come back and let me know?

I tried with a different PSU, nothing, different RAM, nothing, different case, nothing so it could be that is something wrong with the board. I think I’m gonna order a replacement and try it out and if the problem persists I will go with a different manufacturer. Any recommendations for a solid mobo?

 

[1hawaii50]

I am having the exact same hot-swap USB issues with my ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890GX motherboard. If I attempt to plug anything into the front panel slots, the system will automatically reboot. No blue screen, just straight to reboot. Then the machine fans spool up immediately, but my monitor will take up to 15-20 seconds to finally detect a video signal. I called Coolermaster and had them send me a new front panel as they thought that might be the culprit...I installed the new front panel, and I still have the same issue. If I attempt to plug anything into the front OR rear panels, then as soon as the plug TOUCHES the panel...reboot. I'm calling ASUS next...this has to be a motherboard issue.

 

[COLGeek]

These are all grounding issues, plain and simple. It is possible there is a design or quality issue. Each of you should pursue with your vendors/ASUS if you have verified all other things are good to go. Sorry for your hassles.

 

[axipher]

+1 to a grounding issue. Have you checked to make sure all motherboard stand-offs are installed correctly and you don't have any extra ones installed that aren't being use. There could also be some piece of dirt/metal stuck somewhere causing a grounding issue. I would disassemble the machine, blow a bunch of compressed air over the entire thing to clear off any loose debris then carefully put it back together. Could also be a power supply issue as well. Can you test your system with another power supply?

 

[1hawaii50]

I contacted Asus Tech support today. He wanted me to remove 3 of my 4 sticks of memory and try again. He said it was possibly a memory issue. I told him that I tested all 4 sticks of memory for 24hrs each when I installed them, and the memory is not the problem. I also told him I would have to remove my CPU cooler as it rests over 3 of the sticks of ram. I was insistent that the memory is not the issue. Then he asked what BIOS revision I had, and I told him 0011, and he said that shouldn't be an issue.

He had me boot the computer and hotswap the USB's off the front panel, and go figure...I couldn't get it to reboot. He said if it happens anymore (which it will) to flash to the latest BIOS. I asked him what did the BIOS have to do with it when it is an apparent grounding issue, and he had no answer other than "call us back if it continues to happen". Asus KNOWS that they have a problem with this mobo, and they don't want to do anything about it.

 

[guilmar69]

I have this problem too... but i'm using a Phenom II 955 BE, with 2x2GB Corsait Dominator.
I got one ram stick from my desktop on my work to test... but i don't think it is the problem, cause when i try to bootup the pc without a ram, it don't beep... o.0

 

[COLGeek]

I contacted Asus Tech support today. He wanted me to remove 3 of my 4 sticks of memory and try again. He said it was possibly a memory issue. I told him that I tested all 4 sticks of memory for 24hrs each when I installed them, and the memory is not the problem. I also told him I would have to remove my CPU cooler as it rests over 3 of the sticks of ram. I was insistent that the memory is not the issue. Then he asked what BIOS revision I had, and I told him 0011, and he said that shouldn't be an issue.

He had me boot the computer and hotswap the USB's off the front panel, and go figure...I couldn't get it to reboot. He said if it happens anymore (which it will) to flash to the latest BIOS. I asked him what did the BIOS have to do with it when it is an apparent grounding issue, and he had no answer other than "call us back if it continues to happen". Asus KNOWS that they have a problem with this mobo, and they don't want to do anything about it.

You should really start a new thread here. This may, or may not, be the same issue. Good luck!