Supermicro C2SEA problems with Windows 7
in [Hardware]
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From: Bolwerk on 1 Jul 2010 13:48 I have a homemade box with a Supermicro C2SEA mainboard and installed Windows 7 on it. I had a major problems with BSODs, which seemed to partially subside after I installed a few updates. But I continued to have problems. I decided to try to upgrade the BIOS using the relevant link on SuperMicro's site: http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Core2Duo/G45/C2SEA.cfm I did it by taking a boot CD that came with the board, booting to DOS, and then swapping it out with another CD with the BIOS utility and ROM on it. It didn't reboot as the directions* in the readme said it would. Rather it just kicked me back to the DOS prompt, so I just rebooted it manually myself. Lo and behold, I try to boot and things seem normal until I get to the Windows 7 splash screen. Then it just freezes. I can't seem to do anything now. I even tried to reinstall Windows 7 - it even freezes when I get to the splash screen from the CD. The freeze happens right as the words "Starting Windows" appear. Right now I'm attempting to find a copy of the old BIOS somewhere so I can at least get back into Windows (maybe). When I try to boot in safe mode, it seems to choke on classpnp.sys. Any ideas? Thanks! * If it helps, here are the instructions I attempted to follow to install the latest BIOS: ================================================ FOR <filename>.zip ================================================ 1. Save this file to your computer. 2. extract the files to a DOS bootable device (such as a bootable USB stick, or CD). 2. Boot to a DOS prompt and type AMI.BAT filename.rom. 4. Do not interrupt the process until the flashing is complete. 5. If the computer pauses, please wait until it starts to program. 6. The computer will re-boot on completion. ** If the BIOS flash failed, you can contact our RMA dept. to have the bios chip reprogrammed. This will require shipping the board to our RMA dept. for BIOS reprogramming. The RMA dept's email address is rma(a)supermicro.com
From: Gene E. Bloch on 1 Jul 2010 14:51 On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:48:27 -0400, Bolwerk wrote: > I have a homemade box with a Supermicro C2SEA mainboard and installed > Windows 7 on it. I had a major problems with BSODs, which seemed to > partially subside after I installed a few updates. > > But I continued to have problems. I decided to try to upgrade the BIOS > using the relevant link on SuperMicro's site: > > http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Core2Duo/G45/C2SEA.cfm > > I did it by taking a boot CD that came with the board, booting to DOS, > and then swapping it out with another CD with the BIOS utility and ROM > on it. It didn't reboot as the directions* in the readme said it would. > Rather it just kicked me back to the DOS prompt, so I just rebooted it > manually myself. > > Lo and behold, I try to boot and things seem normal until I get to the > Windows 7 splash screen. Then it just freezes. I can't seem to do > anything now. I even tried to reinstall Windows 7 - it even freezes > when I get to the splash screen from the CD. The freeze happens right > as the words "Starting Windows" appear. Right now I'm attempting to > find a copy of the old BIOS somewhere so I can at least get back into > Windows (maybe). > > When I try to boot in safe mode, it seems to choke on classpnp.sys. > > Any ideas? > > Thanks! > > * If it helps, here are the instructions I attempted to follow to > install the latest BIOS: > > ================================================ > FOR <filename>.zip > ================================================ > 1. Save this file to your computer. > > 2. extract the files to a DOS bootable device (such as a bootable USB > stick, or CD). > > 2. Boot to a DOS prompt and type AMI.BAT filename.rom. > > 4. Do not interrupt the process until the flashing is complete. > > 5. If the computer pauses, please wait until it starts to program. > > 6. The computer will re-boot on completion. > > > ** If the BIOS flash failed, you can contact our RMA dept. to have the > bios chip reprogrammed. > This will require shipping the board to our RMA dept. for BIOS > reprogramming. > The RMA dept's email address is rma(a)supermicro.com Some motherboards require special Windows drivers (or at least that was true for me a few years ago). You might have to check into that at the manufacturer's site. As I recall, Windows provides an opportunity to install drivers during installation of the OS - which might not be what you want to do. If there are drivers needed, and if you're lucky, the manufacturer might tell you how to install them without reinstalling Windows. -- Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)
From: Bolwerk on 1 Jul 2010 15:04 Gene E. Bloch wrote: > Some motherboards require special Windows drivers (or at least that was > true for me a few years ago). You might have to check into that at the > manufacturer's site. > > As I recall, Windows provides an opportunity to install drivers during > installation of the OS - which might not be what you want to do. If there > are drivers needed, and if you're lucky, the manufacturer might tell you > how to install them without reinstalling Windows. Well, I've had some success. It's definitely a BIOS problem. I mass disabled some BIOS features. I'll see if I can isolate what the problem was and report back.
From: kony on 3 Jul 2010 13:07 On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 11:51:33 -0700, "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me(a)other.invalid> wrote: >On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:48:27 -0400, Bolwerk wrote: > >> I have a homemade box with a Supermicro C2SEA mainboard and installed >> Windows 7 on it. I had a major problems with BSODs, which seemed to >> partially subside after I installed a few updates. >> >> But I continued to have problems. I decided to try to upgrade the BIOS >> using the relevant link on SuperMicro's site: >> >> http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Core2Duo/G45/C2SEA.cfm >> >> I did it by taking a boot CD that came with the board, booting to DOS, >> and then swapping it out with another CD with the BIOS utility and ROM >> on it. It didn't reboot as the directions* in the readme said it would. >> Rather it just kicked me back to the DOS prompt, so I just rebooted it >> manually myself. >> >> Lo and behold, I try to boot and things seem normal until I get to the >> Windows 7 splash screen. Then it just freezes. I can't seem to do >> anything now. I even tried to reinstall Windows 7 - it even freezes >> when I get to the splash screen from the CD. The freeze happens right >> as the words "Starting Windows" appear. Right now I'm attempting to >> find a copy of the old BIOS somewhere so I can at least get back into >> Windows (maybe). >> >> When I try to boot in safe mode, it seems to choke on classpnp.sys. >> >> Any ideas? >> >> Thanks! >> >> * If it helps, here are the instructions I attempted to follow to >> install the latest BIOS: >> >> ================================================ >> FOR <filename>.zip >> ================================================ >> 1. Save this file to your computer. >> >> 2. extract the files to a DOS bootable device (such as a bootable USB >> stick, or CD). >> >> 2. Boot to a DOS prompt and type AMI.BAT filename.rom. >> >> 4. Do not interrupt the process until the flashing is complete. >> >> 5. If the computer pauses, please wait until it starts to program. >> >> 6. The computer will re-boot on completion. >> >> >> ** If the BIOS flash failed, you can contact our RMA dept. to have the >> bios chip reprogrammed. >> This will require shipping the board to our RMA dept. for BIOS >> reprogramming. >> The RMA dept's email address is rma(a)supermicro.com > I can't see the original message so I will reply here. After flashing the bios it is good to go into the bios menus and "Load setup defaults" (or however they word it), or failing that, to write down any changes made in the bios from the defaults, then unplug AC power, pull the battery for 10 minutes and use the clear CMOS jumper. I tend to agree it could be memory related, but you might see if the AMI.bat file includes the command line switch that was supposed to reboot upon successful flashing of the bios and try reflashing the same bios. There are 3rd party 'sites on the web that will flash the bios of your choice to a new chip and mail that to you for installation. The service typically cost $15 last time I checked though the price might have gone up since then. PS - to the original poster of this topic please do not post to so many newsgroups.
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