Q-Code 61 Hell..

[WolfzheaD]

Hi,

I'll list my specs first:

CPU: i7-4790K
M/B: Asus Maximus VII Gene
RAM: 16Gb 1600Mhz 8-8-8-24 Crucial Ballistix Tracer
GPU: EVGA 980Ti SC ACX2.0
PSU: Corsair AX1200i

All clock speeds are at stock settings until I can get this sorted.

I've been running in to problems for several months now with my Maximus VII Gene where I intermittently get Q-Code 61 during boot.
It has most prominently happened at the point Windows usually takes over in the boot process (the spinning dotted wheel below the
Windows logo), although I've seen it happening before reaching this point too.

I'm not sure if it's related but on the POST screen the board is usually detecting 2 Mice, 5 keyboards, 4 hubs. In reality I only have
1 Keyboard, 1 USB Hub, 1 Mouse and 1 XBone Wired Controller plugged in.

Another note: I run 3 screens in 1080p@144Hz and it's becoming common for the boot process to only fire up two of the screens
and after a few minutes the system will simply lock up and requires a hard reset. This is when it actually manages to boot up and
doesn't get stuck at the Q-Code 61.

When it first started, I sent the board back to the supplier but it was returned to me (after having to pay a tech fee) as they couldn't
find a fault. It then stopped happening for several weeks but it's now at a point where I am worried that if I shut down/restart my
system, it's not going to start up again.

So far I have tried:

- Swapped out SSD/HDD
- Swapped out RAM
- Swapped out GPU
- Swapped out PSU
- Swapped out BIOS clock battery
- Reinstalled Windows 10: Upgrade and Clean
- Reinstalled Windows 8.1

None of these worked. However, when I put my old 3770K & ASRock Fatal1ty Pro board back in the build the problem disappears.

I guess I'm looking for some advice as this problem doesn't seem to be what I'd call "widespread" and since the problem has been
so intermittent I don't want to send it back to the supplier again only to get another technical charge if they can't find anything wrong.

I'm seriously considering buying a new BIOS chip and installing it myself but I assume this will void the warranty right?

Thanks in advance for any help

[Arne_Saknussemm]

Hmmm well that error is classic RAM problem ....maybe familiarity breeds contempt among DIMMs too...

[WolfzheaD]

Arne Saknussemm wrote:
Hmmm well that error is classic RAM problem ....maybe familiarity breeds contempt among DIMMs too...

Yeah, perhaps.

I've gone ahead and configured the CPU and RAM manually in BIOS and it's the first clean boot in days.

What's odd is that my CPU Voltage was sitting at 1.285V under Auto. I know Auto usually pumps a little extra juice in but wow.. that seems like overkill 😕 I've dropped it back to 1.15V for the time being and DRAM Voltage is now 1.52V

Will have to wait and see if it makes a difference of course but it's an avenue I hadn't really explored so Thanks 😄

[WolfzheaD]

Just restarted the system 7 times back-to-back, all of which were successful. Cold Boot failed though 😕 tinkering with voltages some more.

Btw, you mentioned...

Arne Saknussemm wrote:
Hmmm well that error is classic RAM problem

Did you mean the RAM not powering up or the Q-Code 61? Just that 61 is NVRAM Initialization Failure (iirc), which is why I have been considering buying a new BIOS chip.

[Arne_Saknussemm]

Cool...so see how you go tweaking RAM voltage...and maybe CPU voltage...AUTO might set too much but setting borderline too little can give instability too especially booting

Maybe someone else will pop along with something not mentioned...

Let us know how you get on...

[Arne_Saknussemm]

Sorry, meant the "Overclock failed" very often RAM related

61 has been corrupt BIOS chip so if the other things don't work could investigate that too...cheap enough new chip

http://www.bios-chip24.com/epages/63730052.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/63730052/Products/30530

[WolfzheaD]

Ah okay. Plethora of issues it seems :<

Yeah, new BIOS chip was my next choice. Found them pretty cheap on ebay already. I'm just worried that swapping it myself will void any warranty that is still in place (board is only 13 months old)

[Arne_Saknussemm]

Not sure about that...they are not soldered in...just pull out push in so if the board goes back with original chip...

Leave that possibility for last though might be a good idea...exhaust other lines of inquiry first....

[WolfzheaD]

So after a few hours of tinkering with various voltages, I'm still getting unreliable boots. Going to order a new chip today. So many things point at it being either the BIOS chip or a screwed memory controller. The new chip is the cheapest/easiest one to check out right now so that's my next avenue.

However, I have discovered that the black screen issue is not related. It is in fact, a relatively common Windows 10 issue with nVidia and multiple displays. Easy workarounds until it's officially fixed.

[Arne_Saknussemm]

Have you run Memtest86+ on the memory? might be worth a go...I still have some suspicions of the RAM....

And sure replace the BIOS chip it's cheaper than replacing the processor!

Some bedtime reading

https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?55569-Rampage-V-Windows-lockup-fault-codes-fd-and-61-solve...!
https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?53270-Newbie-Error-Q-code-61-freezing-on-startup/page2

[WolfzheaD]

I ran memtest86+ a while back when I wasn't getting anywhere with it. It came back fine and the RAM worked fine using my 3770K/ASRock Z77 board for weeks while the M7G was at the shop.

I had a read through those posts last night. I'll give the USB thing another go if the problem persists with the new bios chip - I've already gone through the process of removing all devices and trying 3 different keyboards and 2 different mice, none of which are externally powered, with no resolution.