Crosshair v formula z q code 66 and boot device led solid red

[Pyromancer]

I just completed my first build today, and I checked everything over again before powering on. When I pushed the power button the board and all of the case leds lit up like they should and the fans were all running, but during POST the boot device led stays lit and I get a qcode 66. Then the whole machine continues to run but the screen never does anything. After looking it up it seemed to be a problem with the ram for most people, so I tried only one stick in both the A2 and B2 slots, but the same code happened. This is a completely new build, so it has never started up before. Any help would be appreciated.

Build parts:
AMD FX-8350
Crosshair V Formula Z
Ultra 1050 Watt power supply
G.Skill Trident X Series 16GB DDR3-2400
Corsair Force LX Series 128GB 2.5" SSD
Seagate Barracuda 1TB
EVGA GeForce GTX Ti 750 1GB
Cooler Master Storm Trooper case

[Pyromancer]

So I tried it one more time to make sure I didn't forget to mention anything and this time it did the same thing except I got a qcode 99. I am not sure what this relates to, but the qcode list says "Super IO Initialization."

[Dr__Zchivago]

When I built mine back in January, I saw the same code 66 for no apparent reason. After reseating the RAM a few times, it went away on its own.

I know that doesn't answer why the code is displaying, or anything about the 99, but that's my experience.

Z

[Pyromancer]

What slot did use when the 66 went away? I have reseated in B2 several times now to no avail.

[MeanMachine]

Hi Pyromancer.
Have you tried uninstalling AISuite, if indeed you have it installed. to see if there is a conflict.

[Pyromancer]

MeanMachine wrote:
Hi Pyromancer.
Have you tried uninstalling AISuite, if indeed you have it installed. to see if there is a conflict.

As far as I know, that is not installed. I have not even gotten the system to start up completely. It stops on the code 66 during post.

[MeanMachine]

I would say it is a DIMM related problem.
Have you carefully checked that your modules are listed on the QVL? if they are not, Is there a way you can try with another set and swap them.
If your modules are listed and have been tested, then run Memtest86 on another machine, to eliminate that fault possibility.
This is the only way to be sure as your DIMMs are not being recognized IMO.
Qcode 66 is not defined very well, but many other posts would suggest this to be your issue.

[Pyromancer]

I am going to borrow the ram from my room mates computer to see if it will boot. If I can get into BIOS, are there any settings I can change to try to improve the chances of it booting with my ram? The motherboard manual says that anything higher than 2133Mhz is not the JEDEC memory standard and compatibility and stability depend on the processor. I know that there are other people with the same ram, board, and cpu as me that get everything working fine.

[Dr__Zchivago]

If you can get into BIOS, then press "F5" to load optimized defaults. This should set your RAM clock speed to 1333 MHz, and the timings will be 11-11-11-33, but leave it alone until you get your issue sorted.

It seems that if you can get into BIOS, then you know you have some bad RAM that needs replacement.

Z

[HiVizMan]

Please do the following.

Remove all the memory from your system.
Clear CMOS using the button on the back or a jumper which ever is applicable for your system. (This is a soft Clear CMOS)
Place one stick of memory in the slot furthest from your CPU.
Ensure that all the power connectors are populated, that includes both the 4 pin and 8 pin EPS 12v connector.

Power on your system.
See if you boot to BIOS.

If not then we can do a hard Clear CMOS.

Remove all the hardware from your system. That includes the taking the motherboard out of the case, CPU from the socket and even the battery out of the motherboard itself.

Now place the board on the box it came and press the Clear CMOS button.
Hold it down for a few seconds.
Leave your board as is - over night.

Then do the build steps above.


You can see what your shipping BIOS is by looking at the white sticker that is near to the SATA and 24 pin power connector. The last four digits will be the bios version.