Posts by Fred E.

21) Message boards : Number crunching : Win 8.1 Issues and Questions. (Message 1508824)
Posted 26 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
Thanks, Ageless.

Here's plan B: I've spent way too much time on this and so has the community, and I have some pressing matters to handle. I think the disk is defective. I also bought Win 7 for another family member's computer. It is unopened and returnable, so I plan to exchange it for another 8.1. If that disk is ok, I'll either work with Microsoft for a replacement/download or buy another next month when I get that computer ready.

Q - If the new disk works, can I install on the second computer and use the license key from this package? That's essentiallly what I'ed do with that ISO file. Have to go to the store anyway - I have another unopened item to return and want to buy that USB flash drive and some blank disks so I can learn more about them.
22) Message boards : Number crunching : Win 8.1 Issues and Questions. (Message 1508780)
Posted 26 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
Forgive if I missed it being previously posted but you
can download a program from microsoft and it will tell you if
you if your PC can run win8. Read the instructions for
"Upgrade Now".

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/buy

Have you tried that to see if it finds any problems?

Yes, ran it before I bought Win 8.1. It says I have to do a clean install and 6 apps are either incompatible or are now charged separately, like MS Outlook and MS Word Viewer. It also says my BIOS doesn't support Secure boot but that can be fixed after the install. The Win 8.1 system requirements say:

One of the additional requirements to use certain features says:
...
•Secure boot requires firmware that supports UEFI v2.3.1 Errata B and has the Microsoft Windows Certification Authority in the UEFI signature database
...
I think that's the BIOS update we're talking about.

Ozzfan wrote:

Would it be helpful to you if I provided you with a universal Windows 8.1 64bit .ISO so you can write it to a 4GB flash drive to see if that works during the boot process? I personally prefer to use Microsoft's own Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool which will automatically write the ISO to a flash drive and make it bootable.

Don't spend any time on this now. Think that is a bit over my head - I don't know what an ISO is. I've decided to wait until after the install to do the BIOS/UEFI update.

Think it's interesting that TBar and Hal9000 got further than I can with incompatible computers. I'm considering a plan B now, will advise.
23) Message boards : Number crunching : Win 8.1 Issues and Questions. (Message 1508464)
Posted 25 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
I would suggest downloading the latest firmware from the website and put it on a USB/flash drive (making sure to unzip it if it is compressed). Then go into your UEFI/BIOS and most will have a self-updating capability where you can point to the flash drive for the update. I prefer this method myself whenever I update my firmware.

Only an option to use Live Update. I'm going out later to get a USB flash drive and some DVD blank discs in case I go back to that option.
24) Message boards : Number crunching : Win 8.1 Issues and Questions. (Message 1508425)
Posted 25 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
By the way, going to their main address, it shows a lot more BIOS updates, all the way up till v2.6
It would seem you need at least v2.2 for Windows 8 support, but that's normally so everything under Windows can work with all the hardware in the machine, not so much for the installation only.

Thanks Ageless. I loooked at that site yesterday and didn't find the right pages. Don't know why Live Update doesn't show anything newer than 1B0. I won't be able to use it for the update if it doesn't find the 2.xx versions, so I will have to use their flash method and that one will need a lot of study. The instructions are over my head, and the caution on the website is "DON'T FLASH IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!!!" If I can get the install done some other way, maybe Live Update will show those versions when I' runnnng a version that needs them. Doesn't look like the current BIOS is what's preventing the install.
25) Message boards : Number crunching : Going Away (Message 1508399)
Posted 25 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
I wouldn't leave on unattended that long. I'd go No New tasks and just abort any remaining ones that will expire while you are gone, and make sure BOINC does an update to report them so replacement tasks can be issued to someone else well ahead of their expiration dates. Do you have Spring lightning storms in your area? Why worry about it? If this is a pleasure trip, hope you have a great time!
26) Message boards : Number crunching : Win 8.1 Issues and Questions. (Message 1508396)
Posted 25 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
Thanks for these comments. I will try to respond:
Most UEFI's have a built-in legacy mode, which means it reverts back to BIOS-style functionality (UEFI being a modern replacement for BIOS). When using UEFI, only certain boot records are supported. When using Master Boot Record (MBR) booting, BIOS mode is required. Windows installation media still utilize MBR booting, and therefore the UEFI should be set to boot using legacy BIOS style booting.

You would have to look around in your UEFI firmware to find the legacy option. Your manual may be helpful here. I know my Asus motherboard allows me to select UEFI DVD booting as well as legacy (BIOS) UEFI DVD booting; I assume the same will be true for you.


The boot selection menu lists the drives with their model, and also lists the same ones with [UEFI] preceeding the model names. I've been selecting ones without the [UEFI] prefix. Maybe that is legacy mode. Have tried the UEFI choices, but the boot fails like the other options. The boot override menu includes an option to load an UEFI shell. I get an EFI command prompt and I have no idea what the valid commands may be and my guesses have all been invalid.

The BIOS Update looks interesting.

MSI's Live Update utility says yes there's an update available.That update only improves memory compatibility, and I can't find any listing of interim updates and what they changed/fixed. Think this utility can do the update from Windows and saves the old BIOS to disk. That's a big change from when I did it with floppy disks years ago! Is it safe enough to take a chance on losing a motherboard?

By the way, that utility says the BIOS is from AMI. Their name didn't apppear on the BIOS setup page.

Sorry for the typos in previous post. I was trying to beat the edit deadline.
27) Message boards : Number crunching : Win 8.1 Issues and Questions. (Message 1508363)
Posted 25 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
I'm wondering. Isn't it possible that the Windows 8.1 DVD is dual layer (8.5GB), and that you therefore need a dual layer DVD drive for it? Who was the DVD bought from?

The DVD is a bulk drive, ASUS model DRW24B3ST purchased from Fry's, a large electronics retailer. I don't think it is dual layer. Wouldn't a lot of people have problems if a dual layer drive is required for the install of Win 8.1? he upgrade assistant anayzed my system and didn't have a problem with it. Also trying with a borrowed Lite-On iHAS324B DVD drive.

Also, what brand and model motherboard do you have?
Does it have a BIOS or an UEFI?
Is it possible it needs an update before it allows for Windows 8/8.1 DVDs to be started?
Is there a boot option called "Legacy support"? Try that, as it may be necessary in some EUFIs to use to start from Windows 8/8.1 DVDs.

The motherboard is MSI and it is either 970A-G46 or 970SG46, not sure which. The manual covers both and I haven't seen any differences in the manual. The
BIOS seems to be from MSI and it is E7693AMS V1.9. The build date is 8/14/2012.

Wouldn['t think a BIOS update would be necessary, but I'm willing to consider it. I haven't done one of those in years.

There is no mention of legacy support.


edit: Just noticed the fine print on the manual's cover say model number MS-7693. Guess the other numbers are model names.

edit 2: Just to comicate it, MSI"s website calls it both UEFI and BIOS.
http://us.msi.com/product/mb/970AG46.html#/?div=Overview
28) Message boards : Number crunching : Win 8.1 Issues and Questions. (Message 1508194)
Posted 24 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
Jason wrote:
Going from memory, at some point there became a necessity to use AHCI mode (if not RAID), and legacy IDE was insufficient for primary OS install. I forget the full details, but there was something about transition to UEFI BIOS involved, and filesystem changes. Had something to do with fast bootup OS functionality etc.

Tried AHCI mode and it made no difference. Still goes into never never land when I boot from that DVD. I don't have another bootable dvd to test with.

Sirius B., I downloaded imgburn and will try it when I can get some blank disks. Or maybe a USB flash drive might work - can they be bootable?
29) Message boards : Number crunching : Win 8.1 Issues and Questions. (Message 1508099)
Posted 24 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
In most cases people use the IDE mode. Have you determined if it's the disc or the machine? Can you try the disc on another machine, or another bootable disc on the problem machine? If it's the disc, you should be able to download the image from MS and burn another disc. I burned a disc and made a USB Pendrive from the image I downloaded.

You can tell I'm reaching with that SATA mode question. I tried a borrowed drive this morning with the same results, so I suspect the disk.

I'll look into burning a disk - never have done that. Know of any free burner sortware?
30) Message boards : Number crunching : Win 8.1 Issues and Questions. (Message 1508073)
Posted 24 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
Well any machine that's going to run Win8 should boot just fine off a DVD drive.

But some things to check.

Get into the BIOS settings and make sure it's got all the SATA ports enabled. Some older motherboards had "compatibility modes" where they had the PATA ports as primary, and may not use all the SATA ones. There are also issues with some SATA RAID controllers (turn the raid off)

Then once you can see the DVD and HDD in the BIOS, then go into the boot settings and set the DVD as first boot (you can change this later) This will ensure that it boots off the DVD first, rather than some random boot block that might be on the hard disk.

Once you have that then put in the windows 8 disk and boot off that, and follow the prompts.

It's not driver issue because at boot time there are no drivers loaded, it's just the BIOS loading the OS off the disk. If you ONLY have the DVD drive connected it will still boot, and start the setup. Of course it will bomb out at the point where you choose which hard disk to install it too. But it should get that far at least.

Thanks for the comments. Earlier in the thread I indicated that I've tried changing the boot sequence in BIOS. I've also tried the option for a one time override to boot from the dvd drive. BIOS sees all Sata devices. This morning I finished installing the new hard disk but have not bothered to partition or format it since the install will do that. I also installed a borrowed DVD drive but with either drive it just goes to a blank screen and hangs up. I gave that almost 10 minutes without anything appearing on the screen.

Question: The BIOS has a setting for SATA mode. It is set for IDE mode. The other options are RAID mode (I don't use RAID) and something called AHCI mode, whatever that is. Do I have the wrong selection?
31) Message boards : Number crunching : Win 8.1 Issues and Questions. (Message 1507852)
Posted 24 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
Update: ran into a probldm mounting that new hard drive. I will try again in the morning - simply tired of these problems for tonight. Thanks for the comments. By the way. I tried booting from the Win 8.1 DVD and this time it just went off into never-never land rather than booting from the second priority device.
32) Message boards : Number crunching : Win 8.1 Issues and Questions. (Message 1507797)
Posted 23 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
It is also worth noting that an upgrade can not be preformed when switching platforms, x86 to x64 in this case, & a new installation of windows will be required.

If you saw the message "Press any key to boot from the disc..." then you are booting form the disc. Something just seems to have gone a bit wrong.
I would try the disc in another machine and/or try another disc in the drive to make sure it boots.

I intend to make a clean install - have a new hard drive for it. Think I'll install it and not partion it or format it. Then disconnect my current hard drive (I intend to set it up as a D: drive so i can transfer some data files and 64 bit app installers that I've already downloaded. Then I'll format it and use it for backup - something I don't have now.

Will try that in a little while - have something else pressing right now, so it will be a while.
33) Message boards : Number crunching : Win 8.1 Issues and Questions. (Message 1507773)
Posted 23 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
I'm confused... Windows has had built-in support for CD drives since Windows 95, and DVD support since Windows 98. You don't need separate drivers for such things to be loaded, in general.


Let's start at the beginning. Firstly, 3.9GB sounds about right for the install disc so I don't think you're missing anything. Secondly, have you told your BIOS to boot from the DVD? And is this DVD bootable?

Autorun can get disabled if you click-away the auto-start dialog box too many times. Can you manually open the DVD icon and launch the SETUP application?


I have tried changing BIOS boot priority, and also tried the one-time sequence change option. It gives a message "press any key to boot from the optical drive" or something like that. When I press a key it skips to the next boot priority. Don't know how to tell if the disk is bootable.

How do I find out if autorun is disabled? I tried auto play from the properties box but got the message that it is not a 32 bit app. Yes, I tried running setup.exe from the root dirctory and it failed - 64 bit app in a 32 bit os.

Edit: I don't think I see all files because the disk space used is identical to the disk capacity, per the properties box. I don't have another dvd to see what size it is.
34) Message boards : Number crunching : Win 8.1 Issues and Questions. (Message 1507744)
Posted 23 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
Need some help. I bought Win 8.1 and a dvd drive to upgrade from XP. But Microsoft won't give me a driver for it - apparently, driver support for XP ended when the upgrades ended earlier this month. The Manufacturer (ASUS) says in the install instructions that Windows will provide the driver, and I can't find a driver on their website - only some useless utilities that came on the software CD. So I'm in a box - I need the DVD drive driver to install Win 8.1 but need the new OS to get the driver!

Windows installed a CD driver from 2001, and I only see 3.9GB on the Win 8.1 disk. It won't autorun and I can't boot from it.

My feeble searches come up with numerous people offering free drivers, but the catch is that you have to buy their software to get a driver. Even if I pay them, they probably get their drivers from Microsoft and will just tell me tough luck. Can anyone provide a driver or a link to a genuinely free download site? The model number is Asus DRW24B3ST. I don't care about the write capabilities, just need to read the entire disk.
35) Message boards : Number crunching : WinXP EOS -> it's really unsafe after April 08, 2014? (Message 1507585)
Posted 23 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
I remember when cnet/download.com was actually a good website...then they sold out to every adware and malware company that exists. Urg.

Certainly agree. I tried them yesterday to try to find something, and was disappointed at all the junk files they promoted. Used to use them a lot.
36) Message boards : Number crunching : Panic Mode On (88) Server Problems? (Message 1506661)
Posted 20 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
This seems like a very long run with the Astropulses (not that I mind)or is it my imagination?

Think it's a combination of:

1) Before they mounted new tapes, the remaining to be split was a pretty low number.

2) They mounted some additional tapes for the Holiday weekend.

Has been a nice run.
37) Message boards : Number crunching : Multiple workunits using "blessed" Astropulse/MB app (Message 1504167)
Posted 15 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
There is an easier way to do this, Einstein does this.


GPU utilization factor of BRP apps
DANGEROUS! Only touch this if you are absolutely sure of what you are doing!
Wrong setting might even damage your computer! Use solely on your own risk!
Min: -1.0 / Max: 1.0 / Default: 1.0, negative values will disable GPU tasks of this type 1

This project would benefit.

I understand from posts on Einstein that Einstein offered this solution for use by other projects, but Dr. A. did not like the coding/methodology. Instead, the BOINC team developed the app_config.xml solution.
38) Message boards : Number crunching : Letter to Professor Stuart Bale, Director SSL (Message 1498872)
Posted 3 Apr 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
Interesting comments by Jason and Eric about credit in the News forum today if you haven't seen:

http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=73935&postid=1498621 and the precediing message.
39) Message boards : Number crunching : Panic Mode On (87) Server Problems? (Message 1496461)
Posted 28 Mar 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
Has anyone heard any word on what is causing these recurring upload server issues?

It would be interesting to know if anyone is actively working to increase the stability of the systems versus just kicking them as required. I can't imagine anyone is too pleased at the amount of time they're having to spend just keeping the operation limping along...

Only thing I've seen is Matt's post of Jan 7th:
Meanwhile we had a few crashes recently. As we now have faster network inside the colocation facility and larger disk arrays, we are hitting some linux i/o limits causing CPUs to randomly lock up (requiring hard power cycles). Anybody have any tips on this front? I'm messing with /sys/block/device/queue/scheduler to see if that helps.
Of course, he's only half time now due to funding shortfalls. Think Eric has also mentioned cpu lockups, but no cause. Bruno seems to be getting the most.
40) Message boards : Number crunching : Panic Mode On (87) Server Problems? (Message 1496288)
Posted 27 Mar 2014 by Profile Fred E.
Post:
Server Status page says we're out of work [as of 27 Mar 2014, 21:10:05 UTC]. Can't tell that by looking at Cricket.


Previous 20 · Next 20


 
©2025 University of California
 
SETI@home and Astropulse are funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and donations from SETI@home volunteers. AstroPulse is funded in part by the NSF through grant AST-0307956.