Z390 Taichi Ultimate stuck on Error 55

[shbek]

Hi! I just did a new build that is giving me some trouble. Yesterday I got it all set up, and it ran beautifully.

Specs are:

i9 9900K
64GB G.Skill Ripjaws (on the approved list: F4-3200C16Q-64GVK)
ASRock Z390 Taichi Ultimate
512GB Samsung 970 Pro (via an M.2 to PCIE adapter)
Around 40TB in various surveillance and NAS HDDS
EVGA 650 P2

This build is a 'server' that primarily runs Blue Iris and Plex, two programs heavily reliant on Intel's QuickSync, so no dedicated GPU.

When I woke up this morning, it was off. Weird. I started it, and was immediately greeted with a BSOD boot loop.
First thing I tried was booting from my install USB, it would also immediately give me a BSOD.

Errors include:
IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL
UNEXPECTED KERNEL MODE TRAP
SYSTEM THREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED
SYSTEM SERVICE EXCEPTION

Sounds like a RAM issue, right?

In preparation I:
- Removed all SATAS.
- Removed the 970 Pro
- Removed all wires except the two powering the motherboard
- Double checked the aforementioned motherboard cables
- Updated to the latest BIOS
- Removed power and the CMOS battery for about an hour

Then I went about checking the RAM:
- Tried all sticks individually in all slots
- Tried dual channel combinations
- Tried RAM in another system (tested fine with memtest)
- Tried known working RAM from two other systems
- Reset the BIOS with each change

Testing RAM just borked it up even more. At this point, I can't even get to BIOS. It's just giving me an Error 55, which apparently means "RAM not installed". I even pulled the CPU, no bent pins or anything like that. Reinstalled the heatsink, no dice. The PSU is relatively new, and was working well in the previous system.

Any additional ideas?

 

[The Original Ralph]

i had a similiar issue with my first Z390 MB, the Z390 Taichi
i downloaded and flashed (via USB stick) bios p1.50, immediately on reboot it started a screwy sequence - 1st time it made it to post, then started the circling white dots for maybe 2 seconds, then it froze, with code 65 showing (CPU IDX initialization) - rebooted and this time never got to the circling dots, it froze at the POST screen. Rebooted again and it was even worse, never made it to POST or rather it didn't give me any display

Finally i installed a GPU from another computer, as i could hear the computer doing something in the background like it was loading windows. With the GPU it gave me a display, but wouldn't go past POST or let me into the BIOS.

I spoke to John at Asrock Tech support, and he had me RMA the motherboard back to newegg indicating he felt the BIOS chip had failed, but unfortunately that bad BIOS had also fried my CPU - luckily the vendor RMA"d it as well.

Afterwards Asrock pulled that BIOS from their web altogether, then someone popped into my thread warning about the P1.50 release, and he'd had the same issue with P1.60. And apparently folks have been having some strange issues with BIOS release P1.80

i forget now, but iirc there is a backup BIOS chip, but it's only accessible thru BIOS, ie not a mechanical switch like some boards.

You might try that if you can get back into BIOS

hope that helps some

and you've got to be running a ton of cameras to be using 40 TB of storage - i use BI, but only have five cameras w/2 TB storage

 

[shbek]

Thanks for the reply! Huh. Well, something to check if I can manage to get back into bios, which I'm at a loss on. First ASRock board, and I was really enjoying it yesterday too....

I do have a ton of cameras - 32 1080p Dahua Starlight cameras @ 15fps on 24/7 recording. I have full home camera coverage inside and out, the only exceptions being bathrooms and closets. I have a serious camera problem. I 'only' have 16TB for video surveillance, which works out to around one month of storage. The rest is redundant storage, a safe place for files, movies, photos, etc and the SSD hosts some game servers.

 

[The Original Ralph]

good luck with the issue - if you decide to change boards like i did, i can't recommend this MSI MEG Z390 Ace more than to say, "you'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands". Only real complaint, there is no display port (or HDMI) - you have to supply a dedicated GPU even though the cpu has iGPU

it was recommended by somebody that i call, conservatively, a Reasonably Knowledgeable Individual and he recommended it after i went thru two other boards (both Gigabyte Z390) and both with BIOS issues, they just seemed to corrupt, and i didn't have confidence in the values those boards were reporting in HWiNFO.

and I went with Hikvision - 4k cameras and i can just read a license plate at about 100 yds - i love it

 

[shbek]

I mostly went with the Taichi for the 8 onboard SATAs (10Gb RJ45 was a perk too), but I could accomplish the same thing with an additional PCIe card.

MSI makes great board - I've done three or four builds with them now. The lack of dedicated iGPU could be annoying, I'd have to pop it open and put a GPU in if I ever needed to go visit the machine in person. Not a concern for a gaming PC, of course. Newegg is only offering me a replacement Taichi Ultimate, so I guess that's out, unless the second one gives me issues....

I'm a huge fan of EVGA boards, my first build was on a X58 Classified, and I'm currently using their Z170 FTW on my desktop. But alas, their current Z390 offering sucks.

Anyhow, RMA'd the board. Hopefully the next one last more than 24 hours....

 

[The Original Ralph]

did you just catch someone at Newegg's customer svc line just now?

i just got an email from them that the gig board their supposed to be refunding me , that the replacement is shipping out tomorrow

you might try telling them what i did with the gig board, and it wasn't a lie - there are a number of posters on the forum complaining about the asrock taichi boards self destructing and burning up the CPUs

that's what got them to agree to refund me and sell me the MSI board

if it helps

 

[shbek]

I did not, I just did the generic RMA under orders. Maybe I'll give them a call in the morning and see if I can convince them to refund me instead of replacing.

 

[The Original Ralph]

well, i just got thru on their "Chat" svc and got it all straightened out (knock on wood)

btw, here's the thread where i posted about my Taichi board frapping itself
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3825393/heads-asrock-z390-taichi-motherboard-owners.html

- at the end 3 or 4 other posters popped in, one or two indicating they fried their board as well. I suspect you could use that to convince Newegg to let you substitute another board

and if you go over to the Asrock forum, it's kind of desolate, but when i posted a couple of posters popped in that they were having BIOS problems, but no one frying their board - but it's been a month since i've been there - that status could have changed