The only reason v18 wasn't "released" is because Abit quit making motherboards. I've been ruunning v18 for 4 months its the only version that supports EO stepping. V18 came straight from Abit, I haven't used the SLIC modded v18.
Ahci + ip35pro This is standard behavior - when AHCI is enabled in the BIOS, then any USB - please note, ONLY USB - keyboard will not work in BIOS. By standard, I mean as in "with the Original ABIT Bios". This has never - AFAIK - been sorted, nor will it be. By resetting the BIOS, you're reverting out of AHCI and thus your USB KB is usable again. There are 2 ways forward: 1. Use a PS/2 KB, or at least when you need to enter the BIOS 2. Sell it to someone that does not use AHCI. Another side effect of enabling AHCI on an IP35PRO is that you cannot boot off CD/DVD.
Thank you both very much for taking the time to reply to my issue. I understand that once SATA AHCI mode in enabled, the USB keyboard does not function during BIOS POST, but I can PAUSE the screen while ICH9R is detecting the HDDS with the "Pause/Break" Key. I have activated Windows 7 with 7Loader, so I really wanted to restore the BIOS back to the original version M629B_17.BIN. But the problem still remains! If there any way of completely erasing the BIOS before flashing the firmware? Many thanks.
A. When you flash the BIOS, the 1st thing the flasher does is to erase the existing information off the flash chip (BIOS). So... you already erased it. B. As stated previously, my IP35PRO was NOT modified in any way, still exhibited the same behavior as the one you're noting. I personally have found no way to have AHCI enabled and use a USB KB to enter the BIOS screen. I really searched the net for a solution back then... C. While AHCI is active, you cannot enter the BIOS setup program (by pressing DEL). I also found that you can [PAUSE] during the POST phase... but I could not enter the BIOS, thus [DEL] does not work. It does not recognize [ENTER] either.
stefan_b many thanks for your reply. I understand you have the same problem as me while you are using the official IP35 Pro firmware. Can you please confirm if you are using firmware version 18 "M629B_18.BIN"? I can confirm I did not have these problems while I was using official firmware version 17 "M629B_17.BIN" When I flash the BIOS now with the official "M629B_17.BIN" the problems remain. My conclusion is firmware version 18 "M629B_18.BIN" introduced these problems. Having used "M629B_17.BIN" for over a year now without the issues, I am looking for a way to go back to this firmware completely. Many thanks.
Note: My BIOS used to display: P35-W627DHG-6A79oA1BC-17 Now it displays: P35-W627DHG-6A79oA1BC-17 B05 Anyone knows what the B05 is? Many thanks.
I flashed the old "M629B_16.BIN" and everything seemed to work. But I would really like to use "M629B_17.BIN" as it has improved support for the Intel E8400. Still hoping someone can answer these questions. Thanks.
No, I never used 18. 17 was the last one publicly available, this is what I used. Was unhappy about this issue and UGuru randomly setting the CPU fan speed to max upon restart. The only way to cure this was to unplug the power for 5 mins... Have you reset the CMOS - thru the jumper - after the BIOS up/dngrade? I'm just guessing that the B05 is a minor revision of the BIOS... have no idea. Sorry, I won't be able to test... I used to have 2 of these MB's, but ended up replacing them with 2 P5Q-Deluxe. I must say I'm really happy with these.
Many thanks stefan for all your help. I have finally solved all the problems by flashing the BIOS to version 16 "M629B_16.BIN" everything is working fine. For anyone reading this having the same issues, there is quite a few posts about this error on Xtreme Systems forum. The solution given is: 1. Use a PS2 Keyboard, not a PS2-to-USB Keyboard as it will not work. or 2. In BIOS change IDE Delay to "2" I cannot use solution 1 and solution 2 just adds more time during boot up. I hope someone finds this information useful in the future.
Why not just turn AHCI off? On a desktop PC it's command queuing and hot-swapping features are useless. You won't get any performance boosts for using AHCI over SATA-IDE Mode.