ASUS Sabertooth Z77 boot time issue

[colonel_mortis]

The problem is now resolved. If you are experiencing a long wait after post before the Windows logo, go into BIOS and in the BOOT menu, disable fast boot.

This is because your keyboard is detected as multiple keyboards (or you are using multiple keyboards) and fast boot is confused by this. The purpose of fast boot is to load any USB flash drives and a mouse and keyboard, so multiple of either cause issues.

Previous post (for reference)

I am running my sabertooth z77 with a 3570K, Sapphire HD7870 (2GB) and 8GB Corsair vengeance RAM. When I boot it, it usually displays a black screen for 10 to 20 seconds before continuing with boot.

I have a Samsung SSD 840 (not pro, 250GB) connected to the built in intel (z77) SATA 6Gb/s port

NOTE: The problem has been narrowed down to an issue with USB keyboards being plugged in. When my Microsoft Sidewinder X4 and/or XBox controller are plugged in, the boot time is extended, but if they're not, it boots straight away. I would prefer not to have to unplug the keyboard + controller every time I boot, so if anybody has a suggestion for a work around, I would gladly hear it.

Details:

• The POST beep occurs very early on, and the screen stays black for a long time afterwards
  
• It does not happen every time I turn it on, but about 95% of the time
  
• My monitors are detecting an input (black screen rather than no signal screen)
  
• It occurs with both cold and warm (restart) boots
  
• The boot device POST LEDs are on
  
• While I have overclocked my CPU and GPU but it occurred before overclocking
  
• It occurs whether GUI boot is enabled (logo splash screen) or not
  
• -When it is enabled, the image is displayed during the wait
  
• -When it's not, the POST report is not usually displayed afterward, but it did today. POST report is set to 1 second and splash screen to 0 seconds.
  
• It occurs which ever intel SATA port I use; haven't tried the addon controller's ports
  
• My SSD is configured as the only boot device at the moment.
  

This is my POST report:

I can't think of any more details to add at the moment. It's getting on my nerves now, so if anybody has any suggestions on how to fix it, I would be happy to try them.

[unidentical]

Only thing I can think of is... Is the sata mode set to raid? If your sata mode is set to raid and you're not using a raid that time may be spent firing up the raid controller and detecting drives.

[asusfan]

Are you using the latest Bios from Asus?

check all the voltage settings in the Memory and CPU as you said that you over clocked it.

Check memory modules make sure there clean and installed correctly,

Check graphics card for cleanness and fit,

check all cables

make sure your using the correct drivers from the manufacture

If you can reset all the config settings in Bios to default and try use the Asus AI suite II software to overclock your system and set to performance mode and see if its improved the boot up. good idea if or once you install the newest Bios or reset the current one if its already newest one to default.

it could be so many things, i would try all the things i suggested first and see if you work this problem out.

one last thing make sure the cable for your monitor is in the correct port on the back of the graphics card.

hope this helps.

[eshbop]

Turning off the components you don't use in the BIOS may make a difference as the BIOS checks components during post (if their disabled it doesn't check them). My parents Asus H77 board displayed a black screen on boot up. Disabling the Marvell controlled SATA ports got rid of it.

[Animus]

I would flash my bios to the newest one and if that doesnt work asus supports these boards for 5 years. I know i have one :)

[colonel_mortis]

The SATA ports are in AHCI mode

I have the latest BIOS as of the start of the year but I will check. It also occurred on the previous BIOS

I have tried reinserting the graphics card & wires to no avail

I have NOT tried swapping the graphics card; I have a spare one lying around and I'll try that tonight/tomorrow

I have disabled most of the unnecessary items in BIOS but if I disable it in BIOS is it disabled in windows?

Thanks for the prompt replies!

[eshbop]

The SATA ports are in AHCI mode

I have the latest BIOS as of the start of the year but I will check. It also occurred on the previous BIOS

I have tried reinserting the graphics card & wires to no avail

I have NOT tried swapping the graphics card; I have a spare one lying around and I'll try that tonight/tomorrow

I have disabled most of the unnecessary items in BIOS but if I disable it in BIOS is it disabled in windows?

Thanks for the prompt replies!

Yeah pretty much. Say if you disable the Frontpanel audio, or an ethernet port or third party SATA controller then you won't be able to use these devices, anything attached to them won't show up in Windows, etc.

[Helepolis]

Have you checked if your motherboard has an startup processes running durin post? For example a memory diagnostic process.

[colonel_mortis]

OK looks like I had some dodgy information (which was my fault). The LED which is actually on is the boot device LED, meaning that it is an issue with my SSD or mobo. I have the Samsung SSD 840 (non-pro) 250GB model connected to the built in Z77 SATA 6Gb/s ports, although I have also tried the 3Gb/s ports (no improvement). I have added more information to the initial post above. I have checked the data cable connection, which appears to be fine.

The only reason I can think of is that the SSD is not being powered on immediately, although I don't know whether this is possible - it occurs even after a warm boot and my PSU has a single +12V rail (it's the corsair HX750).

[colonel_mortis]

Have you checked if your motherboard has an startup processes running durin post? For example a memory diagnostic process.

How can I do this? It's not supposed to be running anything as far as I know.

[asusfan]

OK looks like I had some dodgy information (which was my fault). The LED which is actually on is the boot device LED, meaning that it is an issue with my SSD or mobo. I have the Samsung SSD 840 (non-pro) 250GB model connected to the built in Z77 SATA 6Gb/s ports, although I have also tried the 3Gb/s ports (no improvement). I have added more information to the initial post above. I have checked the data cable connection, which appears to be fine.

The only reason I can think of is that the SSD is not being powered on immediately, although I don't know whether this is possible - it occurs even after a warm boot and my PSU has a single +12V rail (it's the corsair HX750).

I noticed on the screen shot you posted that the SSD is not on port 1 ??? i assume that your SSD is what Windows is running on??

also check your boot priority, it could be looking at all your data on your HHD,

I have the exact same SSD as you and beleave me its super fast and should not be a slow post or boot up.

something is wrong and i dont think its your bios as sounds like you have a new one.

i would check boot priority and change your SSD into slot one on the m/board, also make sure your using Sata 3 cables so it transfers at 6 gig / sec. (Brown or Grey ports on your Sabertooth board)

your optical drive is in the correct place from looking at the screen shot.

make sure you use the SSD in a sata 3 port and sata 3 data cable.

[asusfan]

just noticed looking at your screen shot its says "3 keyboards" i am thinking its port #3 has a keyboard attached?? as if you have 3 keyboards attached it would be bizzare and cause a problem.

is this a R2.0 Sabertooth? i will look into the manual for you and see if i can figure something out if you are still having problems, and is it a new build??

last thing i see the memory is running at 1333mhz is this the speed of the modules? i would carefully look into the recommended manufacture / timming and spec the board should run.

[AJRicho]

my guess with thw keyboard issue is that he has a wireless one and sometimes post them as multiply keyboard. instead of say keyboard and mouse. I know on my Msi board it posts my webcam as a keyboard lol

[colonel_mortis]

@ASUSfan: It's on port 2 because I was trying it out too see if it was a SATA port issue (it's not). It has been connected to port 1. My BIOS is from December '12 and I have just found there is an update. However, I highly doubt it will fix the issue as nobody else has reported it in my search of the net. It is a SATA rev 3 port with a SATA rev 3 certified cable.

My keyboard is an MS sidewinder X4, which is detected both in BIOS and Windows as 3 keyboards (really odd). In Windows it counts as 2x "HID Keyboard Device" and a "Microsoft SideWinder X4 Keyboard (Mouse and Keyboard Center)". I will try updating the BIOS and also booting with no keyboard attached and update on my results.

It's a new build I did in December/January and the issue has been around since then. I can't seem to find the revision of the motherboard at the moment: speccy just describes it as SABERTOOTH Z77 (LGA1155).

Thanks for the help. I don't get why I haven't seen this issue anywhere else on the web, and hopefully it can be fixed. :)

[mgsstar]

Did you try removing all the peripherals and booting it? It could be that the motherboard is detecting your peripherals and thus slowing the computer down in boot. Is your boot priority for your SSD set to be the first one?

[asusfan]

The keyboard could cause an issue, it does seem weird it thinks its more than one, i would try an old basic keyboard and one that goes into the ps2 port if you have one.

If it continues to happen contact Asus (if you haven't already)

[colonel_mortis]

Yeah I also have an XBox controller plugged in which is one of the keyboards. I can confirm that it boots CORRECTLY when my keyboard and controller are unplugged, but I don't want to have to keep unplugging them to boot my PC. If anybody knows a workaround, I would be glad to hear it.

I will try with a different keyboard soon hopefully (it's PS2 or USB and I have the ports for both).

Thanks for helping me find the problem!

[colonel_mortis]

I think I've solved it now. Despite the title, fast boot was the cause of my problem because it was trying to load the important USB devices during bootand multiple keyboards (even though they weren't actually) confused it. Having turned off fast boot in the boot menu of the BIOS it boots without issue.

Thanks for the feedback on this thread, it really helped. Without it, I would never have got it fixed.

[kalamar182]

Sorry my english.

I have the same problem.and the same mother .when i start the cpu im having 10 secs of a black screen.until the first beep then the megatrend splash 3 secs and theeeen start the windows splash.

I have 2 ssd samsung 256 pro in raid cero

Can yu please take some pictures of your bios config to showme if i had something wrong???

The principal problem i think uts the first 10 secs of black screen.that i dont think thats a normal thing .

Sorr my english

[colonel_mortis]

Sorry my english.

I have the same problem.and the same mother .when i start the cpu im having 10 secs of a black screen.until the first beep then the megatrend splash 3 secs and theeeen start the windows splash.

I have 2 ssd samsung 256 pro in raid cero

Can yu please take some pictures of your bios config to showme if i had something wrong???

The principal problem i think uts the first 10 secs of black screen.that i dont think thats a normal thing .

Sorr my english

This problem was solved 1.5 years (18 months) ago and is no longer an issue. Bringing back threads that are solved and have had no further posts in for a long time is against the code of conduct.

[kalamar182]

This problem was solved 1.5 years (18 months) ago and is no longer an issue. Bringing back threads that are solved and have had no further posts in for a long time is against the code of conduct.

Sorry about that...