SATA HDDs causing POST fail and reboot

[0ldfart]

Im working on an Acer SA85 desktop with a perpelxing problem.

POST

RAM check (OK)

DETECTING IDE DRIVES - finds IDE DVDrom, and moves on. (OK)

---

next step of POST

DETECTING IDE DRIVES (I assume at this point its looking for SATA via disk controller)

It pauses FOR ABOUT 10 SECS, and then reboots. Cant get past POST with either of its two SATA drive attached. Just does cyclical reboot on 'detecting IDE drives'

Power supply and RAM check out (swapped them both and error still occurs)

CPU seems fine - machine boots to boot CD with IDE DVD drive, no problem. Runs fine.

I pulled one of the SATA HDDs and put it in a USB enclosure, ran some scans using a boot disk. It checked out OK. No bad sectors. No disk errors.

Either drive causes the problem, so Im pretty sure its not an HDD error. (Would be unlikely for both to cause the same thing?)

Anyone got any ideas what I might do next? Im perplexed

Thanks for any suggestions

Jim

 

[Cambridge PC Support]

SATA cable?

(filler text)

 

[0ldfart]

Hi Kev

Thanks for the suggestion.

Hang on... BRB.

(inserts new SATA cable)

nope. does it with that one too.

 

[Cambridge PC Support]

have you tried the other SATA port on the mobo?

also, maybe there's an SATA/RAID/AHCI/etc type setting in the BIOS?

or maybe the HDD needs a jumper to tell it to use 150 instead of 300 mode if the mobo is old?

 

[iisjman07]

Look around the BIOS for any suspicious activity or reset it using the jumper on the motherboard

 

[NYJimbo]

I would reset the BIOS to factory default and then try it.

Also check to see if its the latest bios, sometimes these things are caught later on. If AHCI is the default try setting it to IDE or RAID. I have seen machines do goofy things with AHCI.

Did you try it with no drives attached or an IDE drive?.

 

[chrisaroz]

I have seen machines do goofy things with AHCI.

My first thought as well.

 

[0ldfart]

Hi Guys

Thanks for the suggestions!

I did reset the BIOS as first step to trying to nut this out. Ive tried both SATA ports and get the same result.

Yes it boots ok with both IDE DVD and with an IDE HDD

Just for S*its and giggles I attached one of the drives to my desktop to see if I could replicate the error and it booted fine.

[edit] pulled a SATA drive from my desktop and installed it on the ACER. Same problem.

Im thinking its the SATA controller on the mobo. Unfortunately I dont have a SATA PCI card I can test with. No boot to drive when attached by SATA, so no way of running any software diagnostics on the machine to test the controller.

hmmm.. anyone?

 

[controlfreak]

have you tried to update bios to latest version? or was it on latest version already?

 

[0ldfart]

Its the latest revision