Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

[wagerrard]

Getting "loading operating system" and then no boot. Nothing. Both off the boot drive and bootable CD's via F12. Pulled the battery for an hour. Then, loaded optmized settings, saved and rebooted. No change.

The board has aways displayed sporadic "waiting for me" messages. Today, when this problem began, the bios displayed a message that boot failures were due to overclocking. The machine is not overclocked.

I've used up my ideas and need new ones.

[Acebmxer]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

What ports are your drives and dvd drive connected on the board?

If your using the SataIII ports make sure you are using the white ones. If your using the sataII ports make sure you are using the blue ports.

Make sure your hdd that you want the OS installed onto in the sataII_2 or sataIII_0 and your dvd drive sataII_5

Set in bios sataII and sataIII if you using sataIII to ahci.

Are the drives being seeing in bios?

edit - What OS are you trying to install?

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

Please update to the latest BIOS for the motherboard before you do anything else, this will update the ME firmware as well, use Qflash or DOS

[wagerrard]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

Left the battery out overnight. Put it back in. Machine rebooted three times before letting me into the BIOS. I loaded the optimized defaults. Rebooted. Set the CDROM to boot before the Hard Disk. Rebooted. The same "Loading Operating System" message appeared. But, I let it sit there for several minutes. Eventually, the CD/DVD drive engaged and a message appeared on screen to "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD". I did that and the Windows 7 installer DVD booted up. The installer, however, says it cannot install on the SSD because the BIOS doesn't see it. That's not accurate. The BIOS does list the SSD.

The only newer bios is the F9 beta. I downloaded that and will ponder installing it while I figure out how to do that from a Mac.

[Acebmxer]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

What ports are your drives and dvd drive connected on the board?

If your using the SataIII ports make sure you are using the white ones. If your using the sataII ports make sure you are using the blue ports.

Make sure your hdd that you want the OS installed onto in the sataII_2 or sataIII_0 and your dvd drive sataII_5

Set in bios sataII and sataIII if you using sataIII to ahci.

Are the drives being seeing in bios?

edit - What OS are you trying to install?

Left the battery out overnight. Put it back in. Machine rebooted three times before letting me into the BIOS. I loaded the optimized defaults. Rebooted. Set the CDROM to boot before the Hard Disk. Rebooted. The same "Loading Operating System" message appeared. But, I let it sit there for several minutes. Eventually, the CD/DVD drive engaged and a message appeared on screen to "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD". I did that and the Windows 7 installer DVD booted up. The installer, however, says it cannot install on the SSD because the BIOS doesn't see it. That's not accurate. The BIOS does list the SSD.

The only newer bios is the F9 beta. I downloaded that and will ponder installing it while I figure out how to do that from a Mac.

Again What ports are your drives connected too? I ask this becuase the black ports labled Gsata maybe disabled by default along with the white sataIII ports.

To update the bios you can download the bios file onto your mac put the bios file on a usb stick (must be formatted in FAT or FAT32) then put the usb stick in this system and update the bios via q-flash.

You may need to try setting sata ports to AHCI as the SSD may not work in IDE mode.

[wagerrard]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

Again What ports are your drives connected too? I ask this becuase the black ports labled Gsata maybe disabled by default along with the white sataIII ports.

To update the bios you can download the bios file onto your mac put the bios file on a usb stick (must be formatted in FAT or FAT32) then put the usb stick in this system and update the bios via q-flash.

You may need to try setting sata ports to AHCI as the SSD may not work in IDE mode.

The drives are connected to the Intel ports. They've always been in AHCI mode.

Presumably, I need to extract the BIOS file from the exe file Gigabyte packages it in. That awaits me finding a Mac tool that can do that. I'm also very reluctant to install a beta BIOS. This machine has been running fine on the F8 BIOS.

[Acebmxer]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

The drives are connected to the Intel ports. They've always been in AHCI mode.

Presumably, I need to extract the BIOS file from the exe file Gigabyte packages it in. That awaits me finding a Mac tool that can do that. I'm also very reluctant to install a beta BIOS. This machine has been running fine on the F8 BIOS.

Ok so after removing the battery from overnight you renenabled AHCI mode as this is set to IDE after a clear or load optimized defaults?

here is the bios file uncompressed. Just add it to usb stick. Beta bios are just fine to use if it does not fix your problem or you do not like it you can always flash back.

z68xpud3.f9h

[wagerrard]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

Ok so after removing the battery from overnight you renenabled AHCI mode as this is set to IDE after a clear or load optimized defaults?

Yes. It's always been set to AHCI. Every time I've removed the battery, including twice yesterday, I reloaded the optimized settings and reset to AHCI.

I've just disconnected all the drives except the CD/DVD and one HDD. The HDD is on SATA3_0, the first Intel port, and the CD/DVD is on SATA3_1. With the boot order at CDROM, then HDD, and a Linux install CD in the drive, it boots immediately and I was able to install the OS, and boot from it, on the HDD.

However, when I disconnect that HDD and put the SSD on SATA3_0, the machine will not boot on the CD, either via boot order or F12.

It also boots from the CD/DVD with all other drives disconnected.

[wazza300]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

check all your sata cables,make sure they are fully clicked in as it will hang if not,

disconnect all your drives plug dvd drive into sata2 port 4 or 5,plug ssd into sata3 port 0 then install windows onto your ssd,once completed add in your hdd on first intel sata2 port,not sata3

[wagerrard]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

check all your sata cables,make sure they are fully clicked in as it will hang if not,

disconnect all your drives plug dvd drive into sata2 port 4 or 5,plug ssd into sata3 port 0 then install windows onto your ssd,once completed add in your hdd on first intel sata2 port,not sata3

All drives are disconnected except the DVD and one other. The DVD was on SATA2_4. Now it's on SATA2_5. With no other drives connected, I can boot off a Linux install CD. With the SSD on SATA3_0, I can boot off the CD after 3-5 minute pause with "Loading Operating System" displayed. (THe SDD is recognized.) When I disconnect the SSD and put an HDD on SATA3_0, there is no delay in booting off the CD.

[profJim]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

What is the brand/model number for your ssd?
We can best help you when you add a detailed hardware list to your forum signature.
Try connecting your ssd to the lowest numbered Intel sata2 port.

You might need to RMA your ssd.

[wagerrard]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

What is the brand/model number for your ssd?
We can best help you when you add a detailed hardware list to your forum signature.
Try connecting your ssd to the lowest numbered Intel sata2 port.

You might need to RMA your ssd.

It's not looking good for the SSD. Another machine failed to recognize it. An RMA seems likely.

Sorry about the lack of detail about hardware in the first post. The board is a z68xp-ud3 with an i7-2600k and 16 gigs of Corsair DDR3 1600 memory (although the board insists it is 1300). The video is a Gigabyte GV-R6870C-1GD. There are a mix of HDD drives in it, but I've been testing with an Hitachi 2tb.

Thanks to all for the help, too.

[profJim]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

Let us know how you make out with a new SSD.
Good luck.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

Does Diskpart from the windows installer DVD allow you to create and align a partition on the SSD? If you are not sure, try it out before sending the drive off for RMA, as this may be all you need to do.

Also, try this or any other installs with a single memory module, sometimes for no reason Vista/Win7 wont install properly with more than one memory module? And if you have any 2GB sticks, use that instead of the 4GB ones you have now!


Anyway, once you do this, reboot and install from the DVD, on the disk select screen do NOTHING except click/highlight the created partition and then click next to start the install. Do not create or delete any partitions with the disk selection screen.


Boot to CD, choose repair, then advanced, then command prompt:

Diskpart commands to align and create a partition

Diskpart >List Disk

(Here note the Disk # you want to align and create on based on size of drive, if only one drive then you are fine disk 0 will be the one you need)

Diskpart > Select Disk 0
(Or other disk number if need be)

Diskpart > List Partition
(Just to ensure you have the correct disk listed and no partitions are found)

Diskpart > Clean
(Removes any previous partition table information, and or MBR's)

Diskpart > Create Partition Primary Align=1024
(To create and align your partition)

Diskpart> Format Quick FS=NTFS
(To Quick format-NTFS)

Diskpart > List Partition
(To check partition was created properly and aligned)

Diskpart > Active
(To set partition Active for OS Install)

Diskpart > Exit

Done!

Clean and simple for those who have only one disk connected and need no explanations

Diskpart > Select Disk 0
Diskpart > Clean
Diskpart > Create Partition Primary Align=1024
Diskpart > Format Quick FS=NTFS
Diskpart > List Partition
Diskpart > Active
Diskpart > Exit

[boondocks]

Re: Z68XP-UD3 Stuck at "Loading Operating System"

FWIW I'm using the latest beta BIOS F9g with no problems. Seemed to clear up some quirky boot problems I was having.