kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another ..

"Doug" <doreck.RemoveThis@hohotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5inSb.17880$056.16517@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com...
 > My sob story (small violins):
 > Maybe my kt7a is just begging me to drop it in the trash. I've been trying
 > for six moths to get a stable system. First it seemed that the problem was
 > that Abit had placed the wrong version of the highpoint raid driver at
their
 > update site (which they had). Then it seemed that the problem was that
Abit
 > had posted an update for their ide busmaster driver that IS NOT NORMALLY
 > SUPPOSED TO BE USED, which destroyed all data on my c drive (They told me
 > that this was explained somewhere in the fine print. I said thanks so much
 > for hiding that information so well...)
 >
 > And now, after a format and fresh install of win 2000, I find that the
 > computer is freezing at random moments, usually while trying to copy a
file
 > from one drive to another (once it happened simply by pointing the mouse
at
 > a drive letter, though). Seems to involve the highpoint raid drives, but
I'm
 > not sure, since it is not consistant. I tried the george breeze patch, and
 > the latest 4 in 1 update, but no help.
 >
 > Unless someone can offer a glimps of insight, I guess this is the last
straw
 > for me. After spending dozens (hundreds?) of hours trying to make this
 > system work, perhaps it's time for a new MB... and it will be ANYTHING
other
 > than an Abit. Nothing personal -- you guys on this newsgroup have been
 > absolutely wonderful (!!!). It's a shame all your helpful advice can't
seem
 > to overcome the downright sloppyness of Abit's support (and I'm talking
 > particularly about whoever is supposed to be taking care of their web
site).
 >
 > Thanks in advance for any ideas...
 > Doug
 >
 >

Doug

Have you seen the other thread in this group about A9 bios with HPT 2.35.
I believe this is the recommended combination.
What are you using ?

eric

--
Remove the dross to contact me directly<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another .. 

I'd check the 2 suggestions that have been posted already and don't
forget the VIA latency patch! This is very important. My system was
*extremely* unstable without that patch. After putting that on it's
been rock solid.

do a google search you'll find it.

-GV
 >> Stay informed about: kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another .. 

Thanks Eric,

I was told by an Abit tech support person and by their web site to use
matching version numbers of highpoint bios and driver. Abit A9 bios comes
bundled with Highpoint bios ver.1, and so I am using Highpoint
driver1.094.21616 . I think one of my earlier nightmares came from using the
2.35 bios with the v.1 driver. The computer would not boot.

I checked the Abit site, and they still have not corrected their error -
they still offer the 2.34 driver, and erroneously state that the 2.34 bios
is included in the A9 bios update. And they still have that "Via IDE driver"
file, which can irretrievably corrupt your entire c drive.

I would normally trust the company tech support and web site over what I
hear in a user's forum, but I guess in the case of Abit this is not the way
it works. They evidently just don't care about such an "old" board.

So, I gather that it's safe and recommended to use the 2.34 driver and bios?
I'm a little nervous, because my last experience in that area left me
reinstalling windows...

Doug



"Eric Parker" <eric.parkerthedross DeleteThis @virgin.net> wrote in message
news:CqpSb.13656$JL4.111444@newsfep4-glfd.server.ntli.net...
 >
 >
 > Have you seen the other thread in this group about A9 bios with HPT 2.35.
 > I believe this is the recommended combination.
 > What are you using ?
 >
 > eric
 >
 > --
 > Remove the dross to contact me directly
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another .. 

Hi Enkidu,

Highpoint info is listed in the post above (ver 1). I currently have four
drives, one on each cable, with no raid functions enabled.

Thanks,
Doug


"Enkidu" <Enkidu DeleteThis @spamblock.com> wrote in message
news:bvdkff$qv07k$1@ID-161961.news.uni-berlin.de...
 > Doug,
 >
 > Does your highpoint bios and highpoint drivers match? What versions
 > are you using? What kind of drives are you using and how are they
 > configured?
 >
 > Enkidu
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another .. 

Hi GlassVial,

The latency patch doesn't seem to have any effect, one way or the other.

Good news is that the problem *seems* to be getting worse. Perhaps it will
finally reveal itself as a hardware failure and I can get on with my life
I'm experimenting with swapping out memory sticks, since I'm now getting
some random reboots also, which I hear can be caused by bad memory. Starting
a memory intensive program seems to trigger the reboot...

Thanks,
Doug



"GlassVial" <glassvial.DeleteThis@NOSPAM.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1h4l105mgp3arfnf40irvbvqk9dq4p4gv9@4ax.com...
 > I'd check the 2 suggestions that have been posted already and don't
 > forget the VIA latency patch! This is very important. My system was
 > *extremely* unstable without that patch. After putting that on it's
 > been rock solid.
 >
 > do a google search you'll find it.
 >
 > -GV
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another .. 

Swapping memory didn't help, but I noticed something odd. The manual says to
install memory starting with slot 1, but the computer won't start when I do
that. Never has. It will work with one memory stick in the #3 slot, and I
normally run it with memory in the #3 and #2 slots. Strange - did Abit get
the numbering backwards?

Doug



"Doug" <doreck.DeleteThis@hohotmail.com> wrote in message
news:TJISb.8267$NH3.49@newssvr29.news.prodigy.com...
 > Hi GlassVial,
 >
 > The latency patch doesn't seem to have any effect, one way or the other.
 >
 > Good news is that the problem *seems* to be getting worse. Perhaps it will
 > finally reveal itself as a hardware failure and I can get on with my life
 > I'm experimenting with swapping out memory sticks, since I'm now
getting
 > some random reboots also, which I hear can be caused by bad memory.
Starting
 > a memory intensive program seems to trigger the reboot...
 >
 > Thanks,
 > Doug
 >
 >
 >
 > "GlassVial" <glassvial.DeleteThis@NOSPAM.hotmail.com> wrote in message
 > news:1h4l105mgp3arfnf40irvbvqk9dq4p4gv9@4ax.com...
  > > I'd check the 2 suggestions that have been posted already and don't
  > > forget the VIA latency patch! This is very important. My system was
  > > *extremely* unstable without that patch. After putting that on it's
  > > been rock solid.
  > >
  > > do a google search you'll find it.
  > >
  > > -GV
  > >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another .. 

 >The latency patch doesn't seem to have any effect, one way or the other.
 >
 >Good news is that the problem *seems* to be getting worse. Perhaps it will
 >finally reveal itself as a hardware failure and I can get on with my life
 > I'm experimenting with swapping out memory sticks, since I'm now getting
 >some random reboots also, which I hear can be caused by bad memory. Starting
 >a memory intensive program seems to trigger the reboot...

It's possible. I'd grab memtest86 and run that to see if it's faulty
memory. Also run some tests on your hdd's to see if that's it. Could
also be failing PSU. Also be sure to run the latest 4-in-1 drivers,
and flash your bios to A9 with the 2.35 HPT, that's what I did. And
then run the 2.35 driver from HPT's website. Just throwing out
generic suggestions here as this is what I do and my system is stable


-GV<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another .. 

Doug wrote:
 > Maybe my kt7a is just begging me to drop it in the trash. I've been trying
 > for six moths to get a stable system.
 > And now, after a format and fresh install of win 2000, I find that the
 > computer is freezing at random moments, usually while trying to copy a file
 > from one drive to another (once it happened simply by pointing the mouse at
 > a drive letter, though).

Have you checked for bad caps? If they seem to "bulge" at the top and
stand at strange angles like this;

<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.motherboardrepair.com/images/BadCaps3.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.motherboardrepair.com/images/BadCaps3.jpg</a>

then it is very likely that your caps have gone bad.
This is a well-known issue with boards made in (late)1999-2001.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another .. 

Thanks all for the thoughts I just ordered a new MB (kind of like Abit,
except with "sus" as the last three lettters...). I'll keep fiddleing with
this board a bit more "in my spare time". I'd already replaced the PSU, CPU,
hard drives, OS, and swapped out memory. Didn't see any swelling caps, but
I'll look closer when I remove the board. Time to move on, I guess...

Doug


"GlassVial" <glassvial.TakeThisOut@NOSPAM.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:n1mn10hg0m8b9rd6uk2dc73etvi8nrl9en@4ax.com...
  > >The latency patch doesn't seem to have any effect, one way or the other.
  > >
  > >Good news is that the problem *seems* to be getting worse. Perhaps it
will
  > >finally reveal itself as a hardware failure and I can get on with my life
  > > I'm experimenting with swapping out memory sticks, since I'm now
getting
  > >some random reboots also, which I hear can be caused by bad memory.
Starting
  > >a memory intensive program seems to trigger the reboot...
 >
 > It's possible. I'd grab memtest86 and run that to see if it's faulty
 > memory. Also run some tests on your hdd's to see if that's it. Could
 > also be failing PSU. Also be sure to run the latest 4-in-1 drivers,
 > and flash your bios to A9 with the 2.35 HPT, that's what I did. And
 > then run the 2.35 driver from HPT's website. Just throwing out
 > generic suggestions here as this is what I do and my system is stable
 >
 >
 > -GV
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another .. 

In article <XcJSb.19944$L71.9508@newssvr25.news.prodigy.com>, Doug
<doreck.RemoveThis@hohotmail.com> writes
 >Swapping memory didn't help, but I noticed something odd. The manual says to
 >install memory starting with slot 1, but the computer won't start when I do
 >that. Never has. It will work with one memory stick in the #3 slot, and I
 >normally run it with memory in the #3 and #2 slots. Strange - did Abit get
 >the numbering backwards?
 >
 >Doug
 >
 >
Hmmm. This thread is becoming very interesting to me as I have a very
similar system (but KT7-RAID not KT7A-RAID) and it describes almost
exactly the same problems I have been having with my PC ever since
flashing the BIOS to A9 a couple of months ago! Here's my tale of woe:

My present system:
MB: KT7-RAID with A9 BIOS
HD: 40 Gig Seagate Barracuda connected to Highpoint controller, running
Windows98SE/IE5.5 sp2 + updates
CPU: AMD Athlon 2400XP
RAM: 2x256 MB Crucial RAM in sockets 2 + 3 (1x256 MB stick in socket 1
didn't work)
ASUS GeForce FX5600 128MB with Detonator 44.03, DX9.0
Also got separate CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM drives

I originally fitted a 1GHz Thunderbird (and a Gainward 32MB Twinview
Graphics Card) when I built this PC a couple of years ago and never had
any particular problems with it other than a few Windows-type problems
(difficulty in booting, mostly), but it certainly hardly ever froze.

Then I read more and more messages saying if you updated the BIOS to A9
(mine too was UL), you could fit the newer, faster AMD cpu's, so
eventually I plucked up the courage and flashed it - big mistake!

When I booted up again I found I got a scrambled display if I tried to
boot up normally but the display was readable in Safe Mode! Anyway,
after posting here and to Alt.windows98 (see threads BIOS flash problems
on KT7 RAID and Display only works in safemode - heeeelp) eventually
ended up reformatting the C: partition (thank God I'd formatted it into
3 partitions so I still I had D and E to transfer things to!) and
reinstalling windows. That solved the display problem, but then noticed
that the damn thing seemed to freeze even if you looked at it strangely!
(But mostly when there's 3 or 4 windows open and I'm trying to cut and
paste between them, or when I want to do something a little demanding).
Also noticed that it usually freezes if I try to leave it on all night
running a SETI work unit whereas before, it never did that..

After trying loads of suggestions, including reinstalling windows a few
more times, and generally tearing my hair out for the last 2 months, I'd
more or less come to the conclusion that it's due to a mismatch between
the A9 BIOS (comes with HPT 370 version 1.11.402) whereas I've got ver
2.34 of the HPT drivers, so I'd actually downloaded an unofficial
version of BIOS A9 containing ver 2.34 drivers from <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.sudhian.com," target="_blank">www.sudhian.com,</a> but
haven't had the b***s to try it! Now I find there's a version 2.35 out -
sheesh! I was toying with the idea of either buying a BIOS Saviour and
trying to re-flash it or just binning this motherboard (and ABIT as well
as I'm not too impressed with their support for "old" products at all
now!) and buying a different make (ASUS still any good?) but that opens
up a whole other can of worms, like which chipset, will my SDRAM still
work etc etc etc.

Although I do have a few bulging caps (and have had for quite a while),
it seems like too much of a coincidence that all my troubles seem to
have started since I flashed to BIOS A9.

I hope you get your problem sorted as it will most probably solve mine
too...

--
Phil
If it ain't broke, for God's sake don't mess with it!<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another .. 

 >Thanks all for the thoughts I just ordered a new MB (kind of like Abit,
 >except with "sus" as the last three lettters...). I'll keep fiddleing with
 >this board a bit more "in my spare time". I'd already replaced the PSU, CPU,
 >hard drives, OS, and swapped out memory. Didn't see any swelling caps, but
 >I'll look closer when I remove the board. Time to move on, I guess...

Well it didn't hurt to throw out some suggestions. I currently have 2
*sus boards, and I can safely say I'll never buy another one. They
seem to have a bad habit of dropping support shortly after they
release them, and that really pisses me off. My biggest beef is with
one of the boards I have that *should* be able to support 137GB+ hdd's
and it can't because they never bothered to make a bios update. Blah.
I will say that they are very stable boards but after their history of
non-support (and other annoyances I'm sure I'm forgetting) have made
up my mind.

-GV<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another .. 

Hi Phil,

Our symptoms do indeed sound very similar. I also have a few Barracudas, and
2X256 ram, and a Barton 2400 CPU. Perhaps we have the magic combination of
wrong parts

No one seems to be commenting on the strange numbering/behavior of the
memory slots. Are we the only ones?!? Hmmmmm...




<Phil.DeleteThis@nospampsycho2.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:BwA7vbA0ZSHAFwBY@psycho2.demon.co.uk...
 > In article <XcJSb.19944$L71.9508@newssvr25.news.prodigy.com>, Doug
 > <doreck.DeleteThis@hohotmail.com> writes
  > >Swapping memory didn't help, but I noticed something odd. The manual says
to
  > >install memory starting with slot 1, but the computer won't start when I
do
  > >that. Never has. It will work with one memory stick in the #3 slot, and I
  > >normally run it with memory in the #3 and #2 slots. Strange - did Abit
get
  > >the numbering backwards?
  > >
  > >Doug
  > >
  > >
 > Hmmm. This thread is becoming very interesting to me as I have a very
 > similar system (but KT7-RAID not KT7A-RAID) and it describes almost
 > exactly the same problems I have been having with my PC ever since
 > flashing the BIOS to A9 a couple of months ago! Here's my tale of woe:
 >
 > My present system:
 > MB: KT7-RAID with A9 BIOS
 > HD: 40 Gig Seagate Barracuda connected to Highpoint controller, running
 > Windows98SE/IE5.5 sp2 + updates
 > CPU: AMD Athlon 2400XP
 > RAM: 2x256 MB Crucial RAM in sockets 2 + 3 (1x256 MB stick in socket 1
 > didn't work)
 > ASUS GeForce FX5600 128MB with Detonator 44.03, DX9.0
 > Also got separate CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM drives
 >
 > I originally fitted a 1GHz Thunderbird (and a Gainward 32MB Twinview
 > Graphics Card) when I built this PC a couple of years ago and never had
 > any particular problems with it other than a few Windows-type problems
 > (difficulty in booting, mostly), but it certainly hardly ever froze.
 >
 > Then I read more and more messages saying if you updated the BIOS to A9
 > (mine too was UL), you could fit the newer, faster AMD cpu's, so
 > eventually I plucked up the courage and flashed it - big mistake!
 >
 > When I booted up again I found I got a scrambled display if I tried to
 > boot up normally but the display was readable in Safe Mode! Anyway,
 > after posting here and to Alt.windows98 (see threads BIOS flash problems
 > on KT7 RAID and Display only works in safemode - heeeelp) eventually
 > ended up reformatting the C: partition (thank God I'd formatted it into
 > 3 partitions so I still I had D and E to transfer things to!) and
 > reinstalling windows. That solved the display problem, but then noticed
 > that the damn thing seemed to freeze even if you looked at it strangely!
 > (But mostly when there's 3 or 4 windows open and I'm trying to cut and
 > paste between them, or when I want to do something a little demanding).
 > Also noticed that it usually freezes if I try to leave it on all night
 > running a SETI work unit whereas before, it never did that..
 >
 > After trying loads of suggestions, including reinstalling windows a few
 > more times, and generally tearing my hair out for the last 2 months, I'd
 > more or less come to the conclusion that it's due to a mismatch between
 > the A9 BIOS (comes with HPT 370 version 1.11.402) whereas I've got ver
 > 2.34 of the HPT drivers, so I'd actually downloaded an unofficial
 > version of BIOS A9 containing ver 2.34 drivers from <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.sudhian.com," target="_blank">www.sudhian.com,</a> but
 > haven't had the b***s to try it! Now I find there's a version 2.35 out -
 > sheesh! I was toying with the idea of either buying a BIOS Saviour and
 > trying to re-flash it or just binning this motherboard (and ABIT as well
 > as I'm not too impressed with their support for "old" products at all
 > now!) and buying a different make (ASUS still any good?) but that opens
 > up a whole other can of worms, like which chipset, will my SDRAM still
 > work etc etc etc.
 >
 > Although I do have a few bulging caps (and have had for quite a while),
 > it seems like too much of a coincidence that all my troubles seem to
 > have started since I flashed to BIOS A9.
 >
 > I hope you get your problem sorted as it will most probably solve mine
 > too...
 >
 > --
 > Phil
 > If it ain't broke, for God's sake don't mess with it!
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another .. 

In article <cHlTb.18902$2x5.11586@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com>, Doug
<doreck.DeleteThis@hohotmail.com> writes
 >Hi Phil,
 >
 >Our symptoms do indeed sound very similar. I also have a few Barracudas, and
 >2X256 ram, and a Barton 2400 CPU. Perhaps we have the magic combination of
 >wrong parts
 >
 >No one seems to be commenting on the strange numbering/behavior of the
 >memory slots. Are we the only ones?!? Hmmmmm...
 >
 >

Hi Doug
Yes, it's very odd. Can't believe we're the only ones - but maybe
everyone else has just binned their ABIT mobos at the first sign of
trouble or then again maybe we're just too stubborn (or mean! ) to
give up...

When I originally built it I only had one stick of RAM so I stuck it in
the No 1 slot as it said in the manual, and when it wouldn't boot, I did
a bit of a search on possible reasons, and someone suggested trying it
in another slot but they didn't elaborate further. I just moved it along
a slot, it booted, and I thought no more of it. After a while I bought
another stick and put it in the no 3 slot. Makes me wonder what would
happen if I bought a third stick and put it in the no 1 slot. Would it
boot?

Anyway, it seems to me that I might have another option which could (if
we're right with the mismatched driver theory) solve my freezing
problems at least. As I've only got one hard drive, I should be able to
just bypass the Highpoint Controller altogether and just plug it into
one of the IDE slots? I'd lose the RAID, but as I've only got one drive,
I'm not too bothered about that. Dunno what other consequences it might
have though so I'll have to read up on it before trying it...

Just had a look in Device Manager, and can only find two mentions of an
HPT device:

Highpoint HPT 3xx ATA RAID Controller, which says "Hardware version 3"
and is using Highpoint driver v 2.34 10-18-2002 and

HPT RCM Device, which says "Driver Highpoint 10-18-2002" but also says
"No driver files are required or have been loaded for this device"!!??

Guess I could also try telling it to use driver v2.34 for that one as
well, and see what happens....


--
Phil
If it ain't broke, for God's sake don't mess with it!<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: kt7a freezes when copying files from one drive to another ..