My PC can't boot and mainboard can't recognize SSD. Who ever experienced this? Need help..

[NAIDIVER]

It happened everytime i boot it since I've received it from Paul Pang.

 

Last month my storage drives were nearly full so i bought a new 4TB HDD for it. After everything connected, it didn't boot. I had to restart it 5-6 times before it went to windows.

 

The problem is i have total 3 storage drives but it recognized only 2 drives then i restarted it and it went worse.

 

Sometimes it recognized one, sometimes two, sometimes didn't recognize OS drive.

 

Now even it can recognize OS SSD but still can't boot.

 

Need help, pleaseeee....

[planner]

I'm using a PPA server and can only share my own experiences where it didn't boot. All my clocks (main board, OS SSD, and USB card) are OCXO.

 

Events where my server couldn't boot:

1. Power sequence. My OS SSD and Music SSDs are power via external PSU. I have to power up the main board first, then the SSDs and boot up.

2. SATA cables. According to PPA, his original Red and Black SATA cables is not compatible with Windows 10. He replaces it with a new version of Black SATA.

3. Sensitive hardware. My server is super sensitive to pressure. Meaning if I didn't close up the server properly, or some parts inside has a little pressure, it won't boot up.

 

Hope that my experiences could help.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[davide256]

Is the system stable without the added new drive? If so, any chance you have exceeded the allowed power draw for the power supply when you add the 3rd drive?

[NAIDIVER]

Is the system stable without the added new drive? If so, any chance you have exceeded the allowed power draw for the power supply when you add the 3rd drive?

 

I've had this problem since received it from Paul but not often.

If i leave my LPSU standby, it worked well but once i shutdown (switch off) on my LPSU, it happened again.

 

Its components are i7 2.2ghz, 8g ram, PPA OS SSD with OCXO clock, one Samsung 850pro and one WD 4tb HDD. All are fed from TeraDak ATX 350W. Is it enough power for my components ?

 

Now i already packed it for returning to Paul but wait for some suggestions that it will cause by the others not by his mainboard.

[NAIDIVER]

looks like this...

 

please see on over ride option below. Each time of restarted, storage drive it reconized never be the same...

 

 

 

[kilroy]

Try removing the PPA SATA cable on the OS drive and replacing it with a generic one. Might help on the music drives as well.

[NAIDIVER]

Try removing the PPA SATA cable on the OS drive and replacing it with a generic one. Might help on the music drives as well.

 

Did you have experience like this?

Why the cable get involve? I'm so curious.

[kilroy]

Did you have experience like this?

Why the cable get involve? I'm so curious.

 

Yes, this was my experience. I have Black cables. Sometimes the drives were not visible, or sometimes the drives were visible but won't boot or load. I substituted cheap cables and the problem went away. Also, Pang replaced one because he said it was defective. Now the Black cables are installed but I don't ever turn off the server for fear it will not start again.

 

Worth a try, although you might have a different problem.

 

My motherboard from him was also junk and I ended up replacing it. This may have had something to do with the drive problems too. He refused to admit the board was no good so didn't give me a new one or a refund. More money wasted on PPA.

[NAIDIVER]

Yes, this was my experience. I have Black cables. Sometimes the drives were not visible, or sometimes the drives were visible but won't boot or load. I substituted cheap cables and the problem went away. Also, Pang replaced one because he said it was defective. Now the Black cables are installed but I don't ever turn off the server for fear it will not start again.

 

Worth a try, although you might have a different problem.

 

My motherboard from him was also junk and I ended up replacing it. This may have had something to do with the drive problems too. He refused to admit the board was no good so didn't give me a new one or a refund. More money wasted on PPA.

 

Now i feel like i paid for my music server $3000 for nothing.... I wanna give him some F word but it may improper here.

[17629v2]

350 watts seems really low for what you're doing. I would replace it even if its not the problem.

 

"I've had this problem since received it from Paul but not often.

If i leave my LPSU standby, it worked well but once i shutdown (switch off) on my LPSU, it happened again."

 

Log into Windows and then do a full shutdown while holding down the shift key. Then turn the switch off, or whatever you normally do, and then reboot and see if all of your drives are working. Also, go into your bios and turn off fast boot.

 

If you have a video card that needs to be plugged in to your PS, make sure you are not powering it with a sata. It needs to be cpu/express power (sometimes labeled as type 3). Its a common mistake especially if you have a modular power supply.

 

There are a lot of other things you can try as well. A lot of it has to do with who installed the OS. There's UEIF and legacy boot. It can be confusing because its possible to have all of your drives listed twice. Once as a UEIF device and once as a legacy device. One other thing you can try is to enter your bios and manually select the drive/partition you want to boot from. If you have 2 listings try them both and if 1 of the options works, make sure your bios is set to boot the working option.

[NAIDIVER]

There's UEIF and legacy boot. It can be confusing because its possible to have all of your drives listed twice. Once as a UEIF device and once as a legacy device. One other thing you can try is to enter your bios and manually select the drive/partition you want to boot from. If you have 2 listings try them both and if 1 of the options works, make sure your bios is set to boot the working option.

 

Hi,

How can i check my OS drive that it is legacy or UEIF. I often saw only UEIF drive on bios boot section. (i think PPA SSD is set to be a legacy)

 

If it is true, do i have to change it to UEIF? and How to do it? What is the difference between UEIF and Legacy?

[dtb300]

If it is true, do i have to change it to UEIF? and How to do it? What is the difference between UEIF and Legacy?

Google is your friend.... Do a little searching, learn while you search/read....

 

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=legacy%20vs%20ueif

[kilroy]

Naidiver, if your boot drive shows twice in the boot menu, select one and try it. If not that one, select the other one and try it. If it still doesn't work, try replacing the SATA cable.

 

Keep it simple.

 

BTW I have even less power than you for a similar system. It works just fine.

[NAIDIVER]

Naidiver, if your boot drive shows twice in the boot menu, select one and try it. If not that one, select the other one and try it. If it still doesn't work, try replacing the SATA cable.

 

Keep it simple.

 

BTW I have even less power than you for a similar system. It works just fine.

 

I don't think it cause from not enough power for sure. Because i ever tested it with my another pc (i7 3.6g 4790,16g ram, gigabyte z97 mainboard and 2 SSD, 1 HDD) it worked fine. No drop off.

 

For my audio pc is just i7 2.2g 4785t, 8g ram 2SSD and 1HDD. My USB card is fed from separate lpsu.

It should work fine.

 

But one thing i notice is what you mentioned about SATA cable. I remembered that i ever used it with my another pc and it can't boot sometimes as well.

 

So tomorrow i will install the main-board back and try again.

Thanks for your comments, Kilroy ^^

 

Anyway... What about your ATC SCM19? Is it getting better? or already sent back?

[kilroy]

ATCs are still on trial............ and still not sure............

[NAIDIVER]

Finally i found why it didn't boot.

It caused from PPA SSD and his SATA cable.I tried to figured it out by removed all of PPA things out (except mainboard) and replaced them with samsung 850pro SSD and standard SATA cables and the result is..

- samsung OS SSD + standard cable + WD 4TB HDD + standard cable, worked normally.

- samsung OS SSD + standard cable + WD 4TB HDD + PPA black SATA, pc didn't see WD 4TB HDD.

- samsung OS SSD + standard cable + WD 4TB HDD + PPA Sarah SATA, pc didn't see WD 4TB HDD.

- samsung OS SSD + PPA black SATA + WD 4TB HDD + standard cable, didn't boot.

- samsung OS SSD + PPA Sarah SATA + WD 4TB HDD + standard cable, didn't boot.

- OCXO SSD + standard cable + WD 4TB HDD + standard cable, didn't boot.

- OCXO SSD + standard cable - no data HDD, didn't boot (it indicated that it is not about not enough power issue ( i used LPSU 350w and another LPSU 30W for usb card)

Each of above trial, i do 4-5 times each to make sure that the result are the same.

[kilroy]

Finally i found why it didn't boot.

It caused from PPA SSD and his SATA cable.I tried to figured it out by removed all of PPA things out (except mainboard) and replaced them with samsung 850pro SSD and standard SATA cables and the result is..

- samsung OS SSD + standard cable + WD 4TB HDD + standard cable, worked normally.

- samsung OS SSD + standard cable + WD 4TB HDD + PPA black SATA, pc didn't see WD 4TB HDD.

- samsung OS SSD + standard cable + WD 4TB HDD + PPA Sarah SATA, pc didn't see WD 4TB HDD.

- samsung OS SSD + PPA black SATA + WD 4TB HDD + standard cable, didn't boot.

- samsung OS SSD + PPA Sarah SATA + WD 4TB HDD + standard cable, didn't boot.

- OCXO SSD + standard cable + WD 4TB HDD + standard cable, didn't boot.

- OCXO SSD + standard cable - no data HDD, didn't boot (it indicated that it is not about not enough power issue ( i used LPSU 350w and another LPSU 30W for usb card)

Each of above trial, i do 4-5 times each to make sure that the result are the same.

 

Good scientific approach to solve the problem. Will you try to get replacement from Pang? He did give me a replacement Black cable when I had the same problems. He should give you a new SSD as well.

[NAIDIVER]

Good scientific approach to solve the problem. Will you try to get replacement from Pang? He did give me a replacement Black cable when I had the same problems. He should give you a new SSD as well.

 

Thanks Kilroy, it works fine? after replacement? I meant the cable.

[kilroy]

Thanks Kilroy, it works fine? after replacement? I meant the cable.

 

It worked when I got it most of the time. But now I don't shut the server off anymore because I'm afraid it won't start again.

 

You should check out Phil's Pachanko cables too. They look pretty good and there's some good comments about them.

[Lynn124]

How old is this computer? Did you buy it used? Is the music server separate from the main computer?

 

I would check to see if there was a virus on the main computer OR the server OR hard drives. Have you been downloading music? Not all viruses are detected by all antivirus software. If you download an infected file your AV may not recognize it as a virus, especially if you've clicked any warning windows as OK.

 

I don't know what your software set up is, or how many operating systems your set up requires, or if you are up to this... But if it only requires one... I personally found the easiest thing, instead of chasing a virus around, is to put everything on external hard disks and then disconnect all external disks (& the server?) and completely re-format and re-install the operating system. Then install an antivirus and a malware checker (Malwarebytes is good- there is a free version). Update the antivirus & maleware checker and as you re-connect each drive and maybe the server- do thorough checks on them. If it's not a virus, personally, after all you've been through I would send the entire thing back and demand my money back.

[NAIDIVER]

How old is this computer? Did you buy it used? Is the music server separate from the main computer?

 

I would check to see if there was a virus on the main computer OR the server OR hard drives. Have you been downloading music? Not all viruses are detected by all antivirus software. If you download an infected file your AV may not recognize it as a virus, especially if you've clicked any warning windows as OK.

 

I don't know what your software set up is, or how many operating systems your set up requires, or if you are up to this... But if it only requires one... I personally found the easiest thing, instead of chasing a virus around, is to put everything on external hard disks and then disconnect all external disks (& the server?) and completely re-format and re-install the operating system. Then install an antivirus and a malware checker (Malwarebytes is good- there is a free version). Update the antivirus & maleware checker and as you re-connect each drive and maybe the server- do thorough checks on them. If it's not a virus, personally, after all you've been through I would send the entire thing back and demand my money back.

 

Hi, Linn124

Thanks for your kindly help for me to find out.

My server is a new one (7months old) and it completely isolated from network. (I don't stream or use any remote accesses)

 

For music files, i downloaded them to another pc and then transfered to my music server.

 

I think the problem may cause by SSD either or cables as my earlier replied.

 

Last week, Paul (PPA) mailed me that he will visit me and check all mess things out by 19th this month. (He will fly from Taiwan to Phuket for this thing, so impressive)

Then he will spend a few days for vacation.

I will post to you later for the outcome.

[Lynn124]

Any virus in the music files that are downloaded could be transferred to the server.

 

But- that's very good he will be checking out the system. I hope it's something simple. Best of luck!

 

 

Hi, Linn124

Thanks for your kindly help for me to find out.

My server is a new one (7months old) and it completely isolated from network. (I don't stream or use any remote accesses)

 

For music files, i downloaded them to another pc and then transfered to my music server.

 

I think the problem may cause by SSD either or cables as my earlier replied.

 

Last week, Paul (PPA) mailed me that he will visit me and check all mess things out by 19th this month. (He will fly from Taiwan to Phuket for this thing, so impressive)

Then he will spend a few days for vacation.

I will post to you later for the outcome.

[scan80269]

Just because a PC component is audiophile grade does not necessarily mean it is compliant to applicable specifications.

 

For example, SATA & USB cables can be all over the place in terms of their impedance specs, especially differential impedance. Ironically, heavily fortified audio grade cables can have excessively high capacitance that can adversely affect signal integrity. If the differential impedance of the cable is out of spec, the signal waveform will be distorted by the time it reaches the receiving end. This can easily lead to intermittent or failed detection of attached storage devices.

 

Also, improper use of ferrites can impact things like power delivery systems. Ferrites are typically intended as chokes to help block high frequencies, and are often deployed to mitigate EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) issues such as radiated emissions exceeding allowed limits for an electronic device. Ferrites have inductance which can oppose change in current, and in worst case can induce undesirable voltage spikes that can exceed the limits of active electronics.

 

Unfortunately, things like cable impedance are not easily measured. A Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) setup involving an expensive oscilloscope is often required. This means most people buying exotic cables for their audio gear have no hope of verifying the cables meet the critical specs for optimum operation, and systems built up using such components end up with intermittent behavior or hard failures.

 

To the OP, it sounds like your troubles are heavily focused in the SATA subsystem. I'd recommend looking at all the parts used in the SATA end-to-end subsystem and temporarily swapping them with "normal" PC parts to see if the drive detection failures can be narrowed down to specific parts. The SATA cables are likely prime suspects, but if the drives (e.g. SSD) have been "beefed up" they can also cause trouble.

 

My overall point is that audio-optimized PCs can have spec non-compliance issues affecting robust operation, but troubleshooting these may not be easy or quick. Very few manufacturers will make spec claims for their products such as impedance meeting specifications. USB cables are supposed to have 90 ohms +/-15% of differential characteristic impedance, per the USB 2.0 Specification. I have no idea how many audiophile USB cables actually meet this spec.

[Harpy]

Run all Intel cables and play cables and play with with the USB out to the convertor. Have a silver in cloth non powered. USB on FireWire made to connect routers (100 ohms +- 5%). I also x have a USB certified $8. I haven't, had any drops on any cable though if I running a server farm I probably would not use the silver in cloth. In the system I run it mainly because it carries no power and the converter is driven by battery.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N930A using Computer Audiophile mobile app

[Harpy]

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