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Issue: System cannot startup due to
switching on printer
Models involved: 5TDM0, 5TDM1, 5TDM2, 5TTM0,
5TTM1, 5TTL which were manufactured before October 1997
Description: The system is connected to the printer
(or other device which uses the printerport) and cannot startup due to an electrical pulse
caused by the switching on of the printer to the mainboard`s microcontroller. The pulse
flows through the pull-up resistors which had been added to the mainboard`s printerport in
order to support printerport test devices (loopback). This pulse will block the
microcontroller and prevent it from starting up as usual.
This problem will only occur when the following
conditions are met:
- the mainboard is one of the above mentioned models
manufactured before October 1997
- the printer is being switched on before the system
power is turned on (typical situation for onsite installations of especially currently
energy saving printers).
Please note:
- This problem will not happen if the printer happens to
be still on after the PC system has been used and turned off. The problem only occurs when
a switching on pulse from the printer blocks the microcontroller before startup.
- The problem has been found to occur mainly when AMD K6
CPU`s are installed. Systems equipped with Intel MMX CPU`s will usually not have this kind
of problem.
Solution:
The solution to this problem is to make sure that the
printer`s power is not being switched on when the PC system is turned off. So turn on the
system`s power first before switching on the printer`s power.
Please note:
Some energy saving printermodels do not have a power switch. In this case, usually only
the first time after installation the above problem could occur. Make sure the system is
turned on before the powercord is attached to the printer.
Issue: Overheating
Alarm Sounding Often with AMD K6 CPU
Models involved: 5TDM0, 5TDM1, 5TTM0, 5TTM1
Description: The APTC overheating protection
technology used in the above mentioned mainboards depends on a signal coming from the heat
sensor near the CPU. This sensor has been set at a certain value (temperature), which was
based on data provided by Intel/AMD/Cyrix. In practice, however, it appears that the AMD
K6 CPU often operates at a higher temperature than this APTC critical temperature value.
As a result, the APTC technology regards this temperature as an overheating problem and
subsequently slows down the CPU and issues a sound warning to the user.
Furthermore, there are only few thermal solutions
(fan/heatsink) that are sufficient to deal with the heat dissipation of the AMD K6 CPU.
The ones that have been approved by AMD for use with these processors can be found on AMD`s website. Using a non-approved fan will aggravate the
above mentioned problem
Solution: the critical temperature on the sensors of
above mentioned mainboards is fixed. In order to prevent the APTC from sounding, there are
two possible solutions:
- ( 1 ) If your system`s APTC only occasionally sounds
the overheating warning, then you might be able to solve the problem by using an AMD
approved thermal solution. In the case of the 5TTM1, which uses the highly sensitive
thermistor, it is possible to reduce the problem by making sure the thermistor does not
touch the surface of the CPU by bending the thermistor and/or placing a piece of
non-heatconducting material (piece of paper) between the CPU and the thermistor.
- If your system has been equipped with an AMD approved
thermal solution and solution ( 1 ) does not solve your problem, then you should disable
the APTC function in the BIOS setup. This APTC enable/disable function is only available
on BIOS updates with a datecode later than October, 1997. Please update your BIOS with the
latest BIOS update which can be found through the BIOS
Instruction page.
Issue: CPU
Speed Recognition Problem At System Startup
Models involved: 5TDM0, 5TDM1, 5TDM2, 5TTM0,
5TTM1, 6LTM, 6LTS
Description: The CPU`s ID and speed
recognition is done by a BIOS routine which probes the CPU and uses timing checks and a
CPU lookup table to determine the exact ID and speed of the CPU. If the system is being
reset during this CPU detection phase (so before the startup screen appears on your
monitor) the SeePU technology will regard the detection either as correct (if the timing
check results correspond to a certain CPU ID/speed in the CPU lookup table) but show the
wrong speed, or it will regard the detection as failed and then return to its default
values before the system. was setup, which is also different from the used CPU`s speed.
Wrong recognition may also happen when the system is
switched off and on too fast. After switching off the PC system, there are still a lot of
residual voltages present within the PC board. After a few seconds these voltages will
have disappeared. However, if the system is switched on again when these voltages are
still present, the timing checks of the SeePU technology may also be influenced. In
general also for harddisks it is considered not suitable to switch the PC system on and
off very fast due to the sensitivity of harddisks for electrical pulses.
Due to varying timing specifications of SDRAM modules
on the market, the use of certain SDRAM modules may also cause a wrong recognition. on the
5TDM0/1, 5TTM0/1 mainboards. Recommended modules are mentioned on the mainboard`s manual
addendum.
Solution:
1.) Do not press reset before the startup screen
appears.
2.) After the system has been switched off, it is
necessary to wait wait about 10 seconds before switching the system on.
3.) When using SDRAM DIMM modules, use recommended
SDRAM module brands, which are mentioned on the mainboard`s manual addendum.
4.) for the 5TDM0/5TDM1/5TTM0, use the 09/19/97 BIOS update or later official released BIOS updates
If you have CPU recognition problems that cannot be
solved by the above 4 guidelines, then please contact our Technical
Support and mention the following information in your e-mail:
- Mainboard model and PCB version
- BIOS version (datecode)
- Memory modules brand/type/size
- Other hardware related information (the more complete,
the better)
- Description of the problem (which CPU is used and how
is it recognized by the BIOS)
- An estimation of the occurrence of the problem (% of
startups)
Issue: After system
startup the system will power down immediately
Models involved: 6LTM, 6LTS
Description: After switching on the power by
pressing the powerbutton the harddisks will start spinning, but then almost immediately
power down again.
The problem is caused by the powersupply which is not
capable of providing enough standby current. The 6LTM and 6LTS, which are loaded with new
features on the board, need a higher standby current in order to function properly.
Solution: Make sure you use a power supply
with a standby current of 50mA or higher. Some older power supplies are only capable of
delivering 30mA. Almost every power supply mentions this current value on the sticker on
top of the power supply.
Issue: Linux
installation problems
Models involved: All models with Trend
ChipAwayVirus boot virus protection
Description: Installation of Linux OS fails
Solution: Disable the ChipAwayVirus function
in the virus. If your BIOS does not contain this option, then make sure to download the
latest BIOS update for your mainboard model.
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