# Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe freeze (nForce2) - tried all workaround

## thomateverte

hi,

first post here. but i would'nt consider myself a newbie as i've been using Gentoo for 4 years now. 4 years and for the first time, the answer to my question is not in the forums ! so here i am...

the problem today is my htpc box. i just bought an Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe to replace a Soyo MB for it (the famous issue with Via chipset and PVR-250). here are the spec:

Athlon XP 1800+ - 512Mb of Kingston PC2100 (one stick) - 120Gb Seagate 7200.7 ATA drive - Matrox G550 - Antec PSU - DVD ROM

(i removed the PVR-250 for now)

the problem is that when it is under load (either compiling of running cpuburn) the box just randomly freezes, completly. i cannot ssh, switch vt, use the magic kernel sysReq, nothing. and there's nothing in the logs.

of course i searched the forums, and more. i tried with no apic, no acpi, disabled the USB legacy keyboard (saw that one somewhere). i also tried to install ubuntu but it also freezes (even with noapic and nolapic options).

at that point, usually you say "it's a mobo problem, RMA it"

but here is where it becomes interesting: the exact same components with another nForce2 mobo works perfectly, and the exact same configuration (with the Asus mobo) works perfectly under Windows ! i ran memtest for a night with no errors, and cpu burn for 10 hours under windows with no problem and the CPU temp reaching 52 degrees C max.

so here i am:

- i think it's no a hardware problem because it's perfectly stable under Windows

- i'm pretty sure it has something to do with linux code but i have no idea what because i already tried all the known workarounds.

what i'm going to do now is to download overclockix to try cpuburn under linux again.

does any of you have any idea about my issue ?

thanks for your help

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## NeddySeagoon

thomateverte,

Stable on Windows doesn't mean anything. Windows incorporates workarounds for known issues, that normally mean turning off things 'just in case'.

I would suspect your memory or memory timings settings in the BIOS. That board isn't new, I have one almost 18 month old now and there were soem early APIC related issues. They have been fixed since about 2.6.6.

Set the memory timing in the BIOS to auto and the FSB to auto too. Ensure you are not accidently overclocking.

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## thomateverte

thanks for you answer.

I just double-checked to be sure and the FSB is at 133Mhz (standard value for the athlon XP 1800), the CPU multiplier is set to auto, and the memory timings also.

there's only one option that i'm not sure of, it's the FSB spectrum spread (set to 0.5%)

I'm really puzzled here... it must be something stupid that i forgot.   :Very Happy: 

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## NeddySeagoon

thomateverte,

Spread Spectrum is to reduce the radiaited electrical noise at the clock frequency by dithering the clock.

It spreads it over a wider band, reducing the emissions at any one frequency.

It has no effect on performance.

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## ppurka

I have the same motherboard, but a slightly different configuration:

nvidia geforce4, Athlon XP 3200, Samsung RAM PC3200, Seagate SATA 80GB

I have kept my kernel config file (from /proc/config.gz)  here. The kernel I am currently using is 2.6.12-gentoo-r4.   Perhaps you can try to set similar options based on my config file and see if it helps.

My BIOS settings are mostly default (no overclocking, etc), and thankfully the motherboard has been pretty stable through all sorts of compilations,- current uptime:

```
$ uptime 

 15:38:35 up 47 days, 19:36,  3 users,  load average: 0.17, 0.09, 0.04
```

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## thomateverte

ok i willl try your kernel config see if it is stable for me. will also do a diff with mine.

thanks to both of you

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## thomateverte

nope, still the same problem.

tried your config and it still freezes...

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## ppurka

Is it xorg that freezes or the entire system?  Maybe you can try and see if you can ssh into the box from some other computer.

I don't have any other idea as of now  :Confused: 

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## thomateverte

it is not xorg, as it is not even installed yet (it froze twice already while compiling   :Laughing:  ).

i tried to ping, ssh, but i get no answer for the computer, it's completly frozen. i even tried to let it sit for a night to see if it was really frozen or if it was just "working really hard"... but completely frozen it is. 

i also tried the 2.6.13 kernel yesterday, but no luck again. in the meantime i also continue to set up media portal on the same computer (just swaping the HD) and i didn't have any single freeze or problem... (i have a strong wife pressure for the TV and recording to work   :Laughing:  ).

anyway, i'll continue searching and post back if i find a solution.

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## NeddySeagoon

thomateverte,

Poor cooling would cause lockups under compiling.

Is your heatsink properly fitted with just a smear of good thermal paste?

Was the plastic protective tab carefully reomved from the heatsink if you have a boxed set?

Does the fan run?

Is the heatsink choked up with dirt/grot/cat fur ?

Next time it hangs, get into the BIOS and check the temps, before it has a chance to cool down.

If you have a boxed CPU/Heatsink the thermal pad is thermosetting and can be used only once.

Any attempt to reuse it (e.g. if the heatsink is removed) is likely to lead to damage to your CPU.

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## thomateverte

you're right, and it was my first reaction also, bad cooling.

the processor i'm using is already 4 years old, and when i changed the mobo, i followed the instruction on the arctic silver web site (i use arctic silver 2 paste). then i checked the temperatures and the CPU was at 49 degrees, which i think is a good value.

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## NeddySeagoon

thomateverte,

49C at idle is high. Its the maximum value under load that counts. If the maximum went much over 70C (from the on die sensor) I would be concerned. If the sensor is in the CPU socket then 60C is too high.

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## ppurka

 *NeddySeagoon wrote:*   

> thomateverte,
> 
> 49C at idle is high. Its the maximum value under load that counts. If the maximum went much over 70C (from the on die sensor) I would be concerned. If the sensor is in the CPU socket then 60C is too high.

  I don't think 49C is too high.  About two months back, my system was reading 51C at idle (Athlon XP 3200, Barton with stock heatsink & fan).    I then noticed that the heatsink and fan were clogged with dust.  Cleaning the heatsink and fan reduced the temperature to about 46C idle.   I then emerged athcool and enabled the Stop Grant Disconnect bit, which brought down the idle temperature to around 44-45C, and to 42-43C when my room is air conditioned.  So, i guess with no athcool, his idle temperature is not too high. 

Also, under high load, my temperatures would go to max 58-60C earlier.  Now, it goes to max 52C.

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## cadu

Hi,

   I have the same mobo and hd. My PC randomly freezes, too. The kernel log shows something like "[kernel] ata2: command 0x25 timeout, stat 0x50 host_stat 0x1".

   After searching I discovered there is a kernel bug when using some mobos and some HDs together - we're so lucky  :Sad: . The kernel code has some workaround, but unfortunately it drops the performance of the hd from ~50 Mb/s to ~20 Mb/s (test yours with hdparm -t). However, my hd still freezes, and I can hear a beep when it does, then I must reboot. The HDs models are (/usr/src/linux/drivers/scsi/sata_sil.c):

```

  { "ST320012AS",   SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST330013AS",   SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST340017AS",   SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST360015AS",   SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST380013AS",   SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST380023AS",   SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST3120023AS",  SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST3160023AS",  SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST3120026AS",  SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST3200822AS",  SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST340014ASL",  SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST360014ASL",  SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST380011ASL",  SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST3120022ASL", SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "ST3160021ASL", SIL_QUIRK_MOD15WRITE },

  { "Maxtor 4D060H3", SIL_QUIRK_UDMA5MAX },

```

Don't comment yours, otherwise you'll have file corruption (I did that...). I'm thinking about buying an IDE 160 GB, but it coasts R$500,00...

Check your kernel log and see if this is your problem.

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## ppurka

I believe a way out is to not use the sata_sil driver.  I remember that I used to have /dev/hde* nodes earlier, before I changed my kernel config to use the sata_sil drivers (which produced /dev/sda* nodes).  So, if we don't use the sata_sil drivers, we should be ok, right?

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## NeddySeagoon

ppurka,

Its worth a try but probably not ...

The issue is with the SIL 3112 chipset and the hard drive. Thats common to both kernel drivers. Its worth a try.

If your HDD is on the kernel blacklist, read the comments in the code carefully. Its a blanket blacklist by drive/controller types.

You may be able to get a firmware upgrade for your drive (flash the drive) to fix the issue, then you can remove it from the kernel blacklist with a degree of confidence. Do your own testing of course.

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## Auka

I'm using the same motherboard and everything works fine here. (But I do not use the SATA).

There were some severe stability issues when running linux at the time I bought it back about almost 2 years ago. 

-> Check the bios version and update it to the latest version!

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## cadu

 *ppurka wrote:*   

> I believe a way out is to not use the sata_sil driver.  I remember that I used to have /dev/hde* nodes earlier, before I changed my kernel config to use the sata_sil drivers (which produced /dev/sda* nodes).  So, if we don't use the sata_sil drivers, we should be ok, right?

 

I remember the hd* to sd* problem on boot  :Smile:  . So you changed back to hd*, using the deprecated IDE SATA support. Is it stable? Any data corruption so far? How long are you using hd* SATA?

I want my hdd's performance and stability back... Now my X is freezing... I'm really disappointed  :Sad: 

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## ppurka

 *cadu wrote:*   

>  *ppurka wrote:*   I believe a way out is to not use the sata_sil driver.  I remember that I used to have /dev/hde* nodes earlier, before I changed my kernel config to use the sata_sil drivers (which produced /dev/sda* nodes).  So, if we don't use the sata_sil drivers, we should be ok, right? 
> 
> I remember the hd* to sd* problem on boot  . So you changed back to hd*, using the deprecated IDE SATA support. Is it stable? Any data corruption so far? How long are you using hd* SATA?
> 
> I want my hdd's performance and stability back... Now my X is freezing... I'm really disappointed 

 Yes! Now I remember why I switched from hd* to sd*. hd* was produced by the deprecated drivers!!

Coming back to your question, I had been using sd* since Dec 2004 - May 2005 (and I am still using sd*), and I never had any problems. (and hd* before Dec 2004).  But, since kernel 2.6.11, my hard disk (Seagate 80GB) was also added to the black list.  However, since I had stable performance for so many months, I decided to comment out the black list for my hard drive in the sata_sil.c file for kernel 2.6.11 onwards.  I have not faced any problems yet, but that may be due to the bios version in my motherboard (A7N8XE-DLX). 

However, I never had instability with the earlier hd* or current sd* drivers.  Furthermore, hdparm showed very similar hard disk performance for both hd* and sd*.  So, perhaps one option out for you would be to try out the deprecated sata driver and see if your problems with instability get resolved.

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## thomateverte

 *cadu wrote:*   

> Hi,
> 
>    I have the same mobo and hd. My PC randomly freezes, too. The kernel log shows something like "[kernel] ata2: command 0x25 timeout, stat 0x50 host_stat 0x1".
> 
>    After searching I discovered there is a kernel bug when using some mobos and some HDs together - we're so lucky . The kernel code has some workaround, but unfortunately it drops the performance of the hd from ~50 Mb/s to ~20 Mb/s (test yours with hdparm -t). However, my hd still freezes, and I can hear a beep when it does, then I must reboot. The HDs models are (/usr/src/linux/drivers/scsi/sata_sil.c):
> ...

 

Hi,

I'm not using SATA, I'm using a Seagate IDE drive. I also tested with a Maxtor and an IBM hard drive, with no luck.

I've come to the conclusion that it is the motherboard, so it's going back to Asus.

So I put all the components back to my "old" Soyo Dragon Plus motherboard, and the system is rock solid. Even better, I saw somewhere on the web (ivtv forum maybe) that if you enable the option "PCI Delay Transaction" in the BIOS it can solve the problem of the DMA overflow when you use a Hauppauge PVR 250 with a VIA chipset. And guess what, it did ! So I finally have MythTV working perfectly after 2 years of trying.

To summarise here is my setup:

- Soyo SY-K7V Dragon Plus

- Athlon XP 1700+ 

- 768 Mb of RAM (PC2100): a 256 Crucial and a 512 Kingston

- Matrox G550

- Seagate 120GB HD

- Hauppauge PVR-250

- Memorex DVD player

- Antec Overture case

In the BIOS, enable the option "PCI Delay Transfaction", I run Gentoo linux with ivtv v0.4.0 and MythTV 0.18.1. All perfectly stable now.

The only problem left is that on one channel the sound is skipping and on another one it is very low: these don't happen all the time, and it's apparently due to some problem with SECAM standard (living in France here...). For those interested, the sound skipping problem is with France 2 and the low level sound is with France 3.

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