QCode A2 or Qcode AE while bringing up system- inquire within

[rajkirk]

Hi,
Like some others, I am getting a Qcode error AE or A2 I need some ideas and assistance. I will provide what I have and have done.

System:
Maximus VII Hero motherboard
Intel 4790K
16 G ram (2 dims)
BIOS = AMI Version 2.16.1240 //// BIOS Version 1104x64 ///// Build date 07/16/2014

Some config info:
P1 = Asus CD/DVD drive
P2 = HP CD/DVD drive
P3 = WD 2TB HDD
P5 = WD 2TB HDD
I have taken the video card out and am using onboard vga for bringup right now.
All fans working, and BIOS is aware and shows their status.
BIOS shows all good temps and voltages.
Set for AHCI.

First attempt:
Turn power on, it went thru some gyrations, on and off restarts. Did get a B6 error restarted, went away.
Then it settled down with qcode A2.
Monitor working fine, I can navigate the BIOS.
I see that if recognizes all 4 storage devices.
It had the boot device as the Asus DVD drive. I wanted the HP DVD Drive as the temporary Boot device so I changed BIOS to reflect my desire.

Then:
After doing the change of boot device, it now gives qcode AE.
I looked around at various posts online and tried the next item.

3rd attempt:
I inserted my Win7 64-bit DVD into the HP DVD drive and restarted.
BIOS came up eventually and not the OS screen I wanted to see and still qcode AE.
I noted that now the Boot Menu has changed and there is another entry shown which is UEF1-HP DVD (no P reference).

So, not quite sure what my next step should be. Seems like things are wanting to work and is close but something not quite right.
Also Can anyone explain why that new entry appeared in the Boot Menu?
Why did it change from A2 to AE when I changed Boot Device?

Thank you, for your anticipated ideas and assistance.
This is my fifth "build from scratch" PC and everyone seems to be a bit different with their own little bringup issues.

rajkirk

[rajkirk]

My own update to this thread with some questions.

I double checked cables and may things and lo and behold I discovered that I had the wrong DVD in the drive.
I replaced that with the correct DVD and restarted and things are looking good. I got the loading files message at the bottom of the screen and then a Windows 7 generated screen.
Also, the Qcode value went to A0 which from what I read is what you should get when all is OK. Yes?
I take the DVD out and restart and I get the AE qcode again.

So, here are my questions now.

My next step is to format one of the HDD's, and copy the windows files to a partition. (That way I can install the OS from the HDD rather than from the slower DVD. So when my copying is done. I will then change my boot order and make that HDD / partition the boot drive. Then, when I restart the computer, I should not get the AE error and I will boot the system from that OS on that drive.
Seem like a reasonable course of action?

Also, getting back to a previous question in my original post, why did the Qcode change from A2 to AE when I changed the boot drive? Might bad cables or something else could have caused that A2 rather than AE?

Thanks again.
rajkirk

[AliceInBroadban]

If you can get unto BIOS and can see all your hardware is being picked up I don't believe you need to worry about anything.

My M7F does this from time to time and I've never had a problem with it.

Good luck with your new build!

[rajkirk]

Thank you AliceInBoardband and Nate152. All is well with the OS installed and it ends up at code A0. Now I am off to configure and load and configure!

[Nate152]

Hello rajkirk

Install your OS onto one of your drives and those codes (A2,AE) should disappear.

You should then see code A0 which will indicate your board is working properly.