DFI Expert Keeps On Shutting Down On It's OWN!

A

aldy402

2[H]4U
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
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I have just upgraded from the SLI-D board to the Expert. Everything was fine and running stable with the SLI-D. Once I upgraded to the Expert motherboard. I have had nothing but problems. I am running off the latest bios(4/06/06). I experience random shut downs and lockups. It will shut down randomly at given moments(overclock or NOT). It also freezes during windows media player use or while im playing a game. It locks up VERY FREQUENTLY. It also shuts down EVERYTIME I start up SPEEDFAN. I am pulling my hair out and i have no idea what's going on and I regret my upgrade. Can anybody help?

-turned off CPU thermal throttling
-shuts down after starting up speedfan(everytime) overclock or not
-used pretty much the same settings that I used with the SLI-D board which worked perfectly
-all power connections plugged in

what is going on?

This is from a clean format and installation
 
Perhaps the bios battery is dying or low? You might go get a new bios battery and see if that helps; even if that is not the case, you are only out about $4.00. I had issues with my MSI K8T-Neo FSR where the board would not boot all the time and would shutdown from time to time IIRC. Good Luck.

BTW, I look forward to using your old SLI-D.
 
Try different RAM. I have some OCZ sticks that aren't stable on the DFI Expert board at any setting, but work fine in an Ultra-D. Seems similar to your situation.
 
Right click on My Computer. Click the Advanced tab. Go to the Startup and Recovery section. Uncheck "automatically restart".

Next time, instead of it shutting down, you may get a blue screen. You can then post the error code or google it. That might tell you what component has a problem.

Also try the BIOS battery and different RAM.
 
HOCP4ME said:
Right click on My Computer. Click the Advnaced tab. Go to the Startup and Recovery section. Uncheck "automatically restart".

Next time, instead of it shutting down, you may get a blue screen. You can then post the error code or google it. That might tell you what component has a problem.

Also try the BIOS battery and different RAM.
Click to expand...

hey thanks ill try that
where can i get a new bios battery?
 
Just so you know, Speedfan is not compatible with the Expert mobo.

I had the same problem when i first got this board.

I am now using MBM 5. (Mother Board Monitor 5)

It is a big change from speedfan but I like it much better now.

There is a thread on dfi-street about how to setup mbm to run on your system.
 
aldy402 said:
hey thanks ill try that
where can i get a new bios battery?
Click to expand...

Walmart or anyplace like that. It's a CR2032 watch battery IIRC.
 
Actually speedfan is. I have the same board and the same problem You dont get a BSOD...the comp just turns off as if you pulled the plug. This is what you have to do to fix it:

Install Speedfan
Right click on the desktop shortcut (or the shortcut that you use) and go to properties
Go to the 'Shortcut' tab and after the Target text box type in /NOSMBSCAN
So it will look like this exactly: "C:\Program Files\SpeedFan\speedfan.exe" /NOSMBSCAN
Click apply -> Ok and then execute the exe and Tada! your comp wont turn off anymore! Thats to fix the speed fan issue. Not sure about the other ones. Have you tried the original BIOS? I believe itw as the 11/7/05 one. That always worked for me (the 12/2 didnt) so I went with the 4/6 and thats been working great for me too.
 
HOCP4ME said:
Right click on My Computer. Click the Advanced tab. Go to the Startup and Recovery section. Uncheck "automatically restart".

Next time, instead of it shutting down, you may get a blue screen. You can then post the error code or google it. That might tell you what component has a problem.

Also try the BIOS battery and different RAM.
Click to expand...

ok i did that and it DID get a blue screen instead of shutting down
i got

"MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION" ??
 
honestly i was using speedfan with my SLI-DR and it would BSOD I now use MBM5 and no problems. follow the DFI-street thread on how to set it up.

also i have found that the nforce newtwork firewall gives me BSOD so i dont use it and have no problems


really get rid of speed fan and uninstall drivers for network firewall (nforce)

they should help, but also you should reinstall windows to start fresh and with out anything on it see if it restarts or not.
 
Thanks for posting the error code. Unfortunately, it's one of the generic codes that doesn't give you much useful info:

Is your stop code "0x0000009C"? If so, according to this:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=329284&sd=RMVP

it is some sort of hardware problem.

So, that didn't really help us much. :rolleyes: All this means is that there is a greater chance of it being an actual hardware issure rather than a software problem (not good). Don't give up though, because there's still a chance it could be a software problem (fixable).

Try this: Do a completely clean install, but this time, don't install the NVIDIA IDE drivers or the NVIDIA firewall. Many people (including the poster above me) have had problems with these.

Also don't use speedfan without the suggested modification.

If that doesn't work, it may be time to start testing different components to find out which one is faulty. Start with the RAM.
 
IF you have the NV EIDE drivers and any ATA devices, Right click on the channels you have devices running on and uncheck "Let the BIOS select Transfer Mode" and manually set the speeds of your devices. I had a strange issue with a different DFI board that it would incorrectly detect the speeds of ATA devices and cause the MCE at random intervals when making ISOs, or when burning discs with Nero. Also check your event log and see if there are an unnecessary high amount of errors under the System log.
 
DVAmon said:
IF you have the NV EIDE drivers and any ATA devices, Right click on the channels you have devices running on and uncheck "Let the BIOS select Transfer Mode" and manually set the speeds of your devices. I had a strange issue with a different DFI board that it would incorrectly detect the speeds of ATA devices and cause the MCE at random intervals when making ISOs, or when burning discs with Nero. Also check your event log and see if there are an unnecessary high amount of errors under the System log.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's why many people have decided not to install the IDE drivers.
 
I have a DFI board also and experienced random lockups and the such, I cant remember if it was happening before or after I upgraded my ram and filled all four slots on the board but either way, I had to bump up the Ram voltage in the bios and since then No PROBS whatsoever... give it a try.. .I wouldnt go up more then .2 volts at a time though.
 
Don't know mucho an that mobo...
jumper? Check them all and make sure they are all correct...

Is you HSF on and connected??? Any fans too low rpm???

Hope u fix it... might just be a mobo prob... RMA?
 
you have all the power plugs on the mobo plugged in? including the xtra ones they toss on for graphics card stability?
 
well im thinking its the ram, im running on water so its not a temp issue and i also turned off cpu thermal throttling. It hasn't been locking up as much but it still locks up

the error msg seems to be to general, i think its time for an RMA
 
I had the same problem as well as numerous others with my 3 expert motherboards.

Just save yourself the headache and get the Asus a8n32 sli or the dfi utra d; you'll wind up doing it eventually anyway. Trust me.

I have the Asus now and it overclocks higher (except for the memory), runs cooler, actually boots up when I turn it on, and believe it or not it doens't even BSOD or power off every other hour! Imagine that!
 
I would recommend you try the following before RMAing anything:

1.Run memtest for at least 10 passes. If you get errors, go to step seven.
2.Do clean install
3.Clear CMOS with jumper
4.Don't use IDE driver
5.Dont't install NVIDIA firewall/network managment utillity
6.Don't install speedfan
7.Increase memory voltage by .2V increment
8.Check chipset temp and HSF
9.Check all jumper settings (I heard of one person who had a bunch of problems because the CMOS reset jumper was in the "reset" position)
10.Check 12V rail with multimeter.

If you do all that and it still doesn't work, test as many components as you can in other systems to narrow down the problem. Start with the RAM. Next, try the PSU. If neither of those is the culprit, chances are it's the board that's faulty.

EDIT-Oh yeah, and don't forget to try the BIOS battery. $4 is nothing compared to the hassle of an RMA.
-
 
HOCP4ME said:
I would recommend you try the following before RMAing anything:

1.Run memtest for at least 10 passes. If you get errors, go to step seven.
2.Do clean install
3.Clear CMOS with jumper
4.Don't use IDE driver
5.Dont't install NVIDIA firewall/network managment utillity
6.Don't install speedfan
7.Increase memory voltage by .2V increment
8.Check chipset temp and HSF
9.Check all jumper settings (I heard of one person who had a bunch of problems because the CMOS reset jumper was in the "reset" position)
10.Check 12V rail with multimeter.

If you do all that and it still doesn't work, test as many components as you can in other systems to narrow down the problem. Start with the RAM. Next, try the PSU. If neither of those is the culprit, chances are it's the board that's faulty.

EDIT-Oh yeah, and don't forget to try the BIOS battery. $4 is nothing compared to the hassle of an RMA.
-
Click to expand...

Amen.
 
Lot's of good suggestions to fix a very picky motherboard. I have one that runs perfectly that my wife uses. I had another that was a straight up pain in the ass. Rma'd the board twice, got a new replacement and it had problems. Compute one hour and work on the board two hours. It just wasn't worth the trouble. I've read countless posts with multible problems with the expert. I just sold the board and lost a few bucks but feel a hell of a lot better. Some of the problems with the expert can be fixed and others will be there forever.
Good Luck
jp
:)
 
jazzpicker said:
Lot's of good suggestions to fix a very picky motherboard. I have one that runs perfectly that my wife uses. I had another that was a straight up pain in the ass. Rma'd the board twice, got a new replacement and it had problems. Compute one hour and work on the board two hours. It just wasn't worth the trouble. I've read countless posts with multible problems with the expert. I just sold the board and lost a few bucks but feel a hell of a lot better. Some of the problems with the expert can be fixed and others will be there forever.
Good Luck
jp
:)
Click to expand...

Still, I would hate for someone to go through the entire RMA process when it was something very simple that was wrong and could be fixed (i.e. RAM voltage, CMOS jumper, BIOS battery, IDE drivers, anything ELSE that has an all-caps acronym :p ).

You're right though, the DFI boards are not really for someone who just wants to plug it in and go. They didn't call it Expert for nothing.

It's just that we can't be sure it's a mobo problem yet. Random lockups and shutdowns could be RAM, PSU, mobo, or even HDD. Before RMAing anything I would make sure I knew what component was causing the problem. I've seen too many times when someone pretty much gives up on DIY computing because they RMA'd the wrong component, and still had problems afterwards.
 
great checklist but i've pretty much did all of that except for replacing the bios battery, that will be my last shot before just selling the damn board. Maby some1 will have better luck then I will but I will most likely be replacing it with a a8n32. I think im finally done with DFI

i regret upgrading from my SLI-D to the expert. did I mention after upgrading from the SLI-D my ram wont run at 280 anymore on the expert?? moving to the expert was just a huge mistake.
 
HOCP4ME said:
Still, I would hate for someone to go through the entire RMA process when it was something very simple that was wrong and could be fixed (i.e. RAM voltage, CMOS jumper, BIOS battery, IDE drivers, anything ELSE that has an all-caps acronym :p ).

You're right though, the DFI boards are not really for someone who just wants to plug it in and go. They didn't call it Expert for nothing.

It's just that we can't be sure it's a mobo problem yet. Random lockups and shutdowns could be RAM, PSU, mobo, or even HDD. Before RMAing anything I would make sure I knew what component was causing the problem. I've seen too many times when someone pretty much gives up on DIY computing because they RMA'd the wrong component, and still had problems afterwards.
Click to expand...

The "Experts" at the DFI factory couldn't reslove the problems with the board. Go ahead and try the usual troubleshooting and maybe something will work.
I have a collection of expensive power supplies, memory and varied other things trying to get the damn board to run.
I have a DFI venus that is an upgraded expert and it'is rock solid but the regular expert has unresolvable problems in my opinion.
I could never run the board but never without talking out a stick of memory, unplugging the machine and plugging it back or going through some craziness before starting it. It seemed that the blame was placed on the components (psu etc) but I think it was a defect in the MB.
THe one thing I did notice was that using a smaller powersupply (Antec 500W smartpower 2.0) would run the board with problems but many people thought that PSU was underpowered for the video card.
 
there are ongoing problems with this board concerning some higher end psu's. thats right, if you have a very good psu it will not work, but if you have an average psu it will work. this issue has been addressed by dfi, google it or check dfi street for it.
 
vanilla_guerilla said:
there are ongoing problems with this board concerning some higher end psu's. thats right, if you have a very good psu it will not work, but if you have an average psu it will work. this issue has been addressed by dfi, google it or check dfi street for it.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, I've read every word on DFI street and at this point, I cringe when I hear the word "expert". I'll keep the venus, it's a great piece of equipiment. I'll pass on further DFI products. I don't demand much from a computer but want the thing to start when I push the power button.
If you look at the signature below you see an EPoX 9NPA+SLI. THat thing is a tank, it just runs without stopping, no doubt it's the best MB I've ever had. EPoX is a quality product.
:cool:
 
jazzpicker said:
Thanks for the advice, I've read every word on DFI street and at this point, I cringe when I hear the word "expert". I'll keep the venus, it's a great piece of equipiment. I'll pass on further DFI products. I don't demand much from a computer but want the thing to start when I push the power button.
If you look at the signature below you see an EPoX 9NPA+SLI. THat thing is a tank, it just runs without stopping, no doubt it's the best MB I've ever had. EPoX is a quality product.
:cool:
Click to expand...

Hmm, I would not pass on further DFI products.

I have a DFI Lanparty 875 Pro-B Running an Intel Northwood 2.8Ghz

I've had no problems was so every with this board, It's been very good quality and the FSB hit's 1Ghz without a problem.
 
aldy402 said:
I have just upgraded from the SLI-D board to the Expert. Everything was fine and running stable with the SLI-D. Once I upgraded to the Expert motherboard. I have had nothing but problems. I am running off the latest bios(4/06/06). I experience random shut downs and lockups. It will shut down randomly at given moments(overclock or NOT). It also freezes during windows media player use or while im playing a game. It locks up VERY FREQUENTLY. It also shuts down EVERYTIME I start up SPEEDFAN. I am pulling my hair out and i have no idea what's going on and I regret my upgrade. Can anybody help?

-turned off CPU thermal throttling
-shuts down after starting up speedfan(everytime) overclock or not
-used pretty much the same settings that I used with the SLI-D board which worked perfectly
-all power connections plugged in

what is going on?

This is from a clean format and installation
Click to expand...

I just picked up this mobo and that same power supply(for the adjustable rails). Are you running sli? The ocz tech told me this psu isnt sli certified for the new gen cards(7900 series, x1900). I exchanged it for the 700watt gamer extreme and no more odd problems(wouldnt turn on, freezing, overloading my UPS). Worth a shot, may want to call ocz and they can provide more info on this problem, the ocz guy even offered an even exchage for the gamerextreme, but I didnt feel like waiting a week.. Theres also a psu thread on dfi street that talks about the problems of this particular psu and to avoid it.

This was with dual 7900gtx's
 
yep i had the same problem. it was a 100% psu related. two 7800gtx's and a Silverstone Strider 600w psu. random locks, power button would not power on the machine some times until the power was cycled on the back of the box. random and resets, freezes, and lock ups in games, itunes, media player etc. it's a major hassle and you'd think any high power rated psu would work, but it seems ocz and dfi are exclusive now. it sucks you have to buy psu's from a list on dfi-street.com just to get it stable.

AN32SLI deluxe baby! stable ever since with SLI.
 
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