MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

[Behemot]

Got this MoBo from guy to repair. First I checked memory, one module seemed bad so I swapped 2 of fours for a kit. Now there are 3 gigs in 4 Kingston memories.

However, it still does not run. When I tried Ubuntu, it seemed to be working on backroung, it e.g. reacted on Ctrl+Alt+Delete, the problem is there was no image.

With Windows installation (XP with3 different disks and versions) always hangs on:

The signature for Windows XP Professional Setup is invalid. The error code is ffffc0d.

Setup failed to install product catalogs. This is a fatal error. The setup log files should contain more information.

Tried both SATA and UATA drives, upgraded to latest BIOS. Still nothing. Tried even just one memory stick. Do you think caps (Teapos) can make some device be bad so it does this, or is it more likely caps unrelated?

[bigbeark]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

Try loading Ubuntu onto a USB stick (pen drive). I have an 8GB Centon that I bought for Ubuntu installs. Try to install the OS this way.

That way you've eliminated CD rom problems. In my experience, optical drives are frequently the cause of failed OS loads.

I have an old copy of Mandriva 8.0 that I run in text mode when I have problems loading an OS. Never fails to spot bad drives.

Bad IDE cables can cause a world of pain too.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

Yes, bad small caps can louse up drive controllers and any other kind of IC chip.
.
I had an IDE board where if I connected drives to either port it worked fine, but if I connected drives to both ports the board couldn't find -any- drives connected at all [including the ones on the first port that had been working].
Switch back to one port and it found the drives again.
Turned out to be a bad [but not bloated] 200uF 16v near the ports.
.

[Behemot]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

Try loading Ubuntu onto a USB stick (pen drive). I have an 8GB Centon that I bought for Ubuntu installs. Try to install the OS this way.

That way you've eliminated CD rom problems. In my experience, optical drives are frequently the cause of failed OS loads.

I have an old copy of Mandriva 8.0 that I run in text mode when I have problems loading an OS. Never fails to spot bad drives.

Bad IDE cables can cause a world of pain too.

Well I also tried at least two optical drives with two different cables so its probably more of a controller/southbridge problem.

Strange thing here is that there are no small caps down there. Closest are two 1000uF-like caps, probably Vin to southbridge.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

A southbridge will have several small VR's with caps associated with it.
They won't necessarily be that close to it.

Like I said on the one I had the cap was down by the ports - and thus not up by the southbridge where the IDE controller it goes to is.

I see 8 possibles in a photo of the board but I'm not sure if it's your exact board model/rev and I obviously can't tell if they are associated with the southbridge without the board in-hand and a DMM.

Have a photo of your actual board?
.

[Behemot]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

This one looks like her:


The thing is, I have run out of 1000uF caps so I cannot do much till I get some.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

Well that's a LOT different than the version I looked at.
That one had all the stuff in the lower left populated.
.
Those 4 caps closest to the SATA ports might be southbridge.
Also 1 or 2 of the three by the tail end of the video slot might be southbridge.

~
Have you tried changing the "On Chip ATA Mode" in the BIOS between Legacy and Native with both kinds of drives?
.
There is another thread with this board where I think it had a MOSFET problem.
.

[Behemot]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

I did even better thing - tried native UATA drive. Hovewer I got the same results so it is probably not SATA related.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

I did even better thing - tried native UATA drive. Hovewer I got the same results so it is probably not SATA related.

But did you try it with the BIOS set alternately to Legacy and Native mode?
There may also be a 'No SATA' mode in there somewhere.
.
Those early IDE+SATA combo controllers were kinda goofy in the way they worked and I'd try both ways in case the BIOS code was also goofy.
- Some disabled one of the IDE ports if you used SATA [maybe not right words,,, you could have a max of 4 drives of mixed SATA and IDE.]
That means the SATA BIOS settings might affect IDE even if you don't have a SATA drive attached.
- Because of that make sure you are using the Primary IDE port and not the Secondary. Secondary go *poof* with SATA enabled.

Also try the IDE drive with jumpers in both Master and Cable Select for both BIOS settings.
- IOW you need to check it 4 [or 6 if there's a No SATA mode] ways before you have every possibility covered.
- You didn't have anything important to do today anyway,,, right?
.

[Behemot]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

Sure, there is like 6 UATA channels. I did turn the SATA off when I didnt have drive connected to it, it did some weird UATA detection with no SATA disk…

But SATA set as legacy must work since its most common setting - IDE emulation and it does not need separate driver this way. If it does not work, the board is considered as defective for me…

What? Been cooking, trying other board and now I am repairing displays and shit…I dont have all weeks to waste, kinda young for retirement (the question is whether I will live long enough to make it to retirement since they prolounge the age for it all the time :-D).

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

Setup failed to install product catalogs. This is a fatal error. The setup log files should contain more information.

This is usually a corrupted XP CD, usually because nLite or HFSLIP corrupted setup data.

And Ubuntu responding with Ctrl+Alt+Del with just a background might be a software issue.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

The signature for Windows XP Professional Setup is invalid. The error code is ffffc0d.

That's one I haven't seen before. Looks like a hardware problem.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

I would try another CD drive with the symptoms you have.

[mariushm]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

In case you didn't realize yet, you're writing to a thread from December 2011.

[Behemot]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

Several independent and normally working discs were tried so that is definitelly NOT a disc-related problem.

And it is not solved yet, the board still lays here arround it somewhere

[Scenic]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

ESD-damaged southbridge? I ran across something like this before.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_ICH5#ICH5

The board I had was a higher-end i875 based MSI. No matter what you did, any HDD or optical drive connected to the southbridge would result in corrupted data.
I "fixed" it with a PCI IDE controller with its own BIOS (Promise Fasttrak 100 I think). That worked for a while (months), but then the board stopped POSTing all of a sudden, and that was the end of that one

[Behemot]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

I don't believe on ESD anymore since it never happenned to me. There are always some caps which can catch it I would bet its more like cracked BGA joints either on SB or NB.

[Uranium-235]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

did you ever run a passing memtest? I know you ran memtest, but did you like try one stick?

are you sure the PROCESSOR is good? I've had a few damaged working processors before that just act wierd (bad L2 caches can cause this). of course most of the time these were K7's

edit: find a pci ide controller hook the HD to one port and the cd to another and see if it will work then

[c_hegge]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

Have you tried -fully- recapping the board? Including the small caps.

[Behemot]

Re: MSI 865PE Neo2-P - cannot install OS

Not yet - didn't have 1000uF caps back than and no time since than. It's on track Cant try PCI IDE controller if recap won't help, the problem is it usually has many problems with ATAPI.

I suspected microprocessor too, but it ended in different board where I installed OS just fine. Also run OCCT for several hours without any problem.