[ Date Index ] [ Thread Index ] [ <= Previous by date / thread ] [ Next by date / thread => ]
On 03/04/17 16:06, Neil via list wrote: > If you have seen my most recent email, it seems that machines with both > USB ports and a PS2 one will not find the BIOS via a USB keyboard. Not only is that *definitely* not the case for any system I've ever seen, it also goes against reason (why would a 2016-era modern high-spec motherboard not support early init USB? Nonsense...) and the user manual for your SKU. Of course I've now obviously opened the door for you to try this tomorrow and immediately report back with a "haha it worked first time you idiot" in which case I'll be pleased for you but also very, very surprised! I'd also return the board as not fit for purpose 10 seconds later though if that behaviour didn't resolve itself after a full BIOS update. Whilst I do of course have a spare PS2 keyboard lying around I'd imagine that the vast majority of people buying your motherboard decidedly don't, and if Asrock *were* officially saying you need a PS2 keyboard just to access the UEFI settings on their 2016 mobo they'd be a laughing stock, and it would be a much, much more widely known issue. Just for a start, every single online review would probably mention it as the first issue along with a "do not buy this board" warning. So, looking at your manual from: ftp://europe.asrock.com/Manual/Z170%20Extreme4.pdf I'd have the side of the case off already - Asrock included a "Dr Debug" module on the board itself, which is basically a LED display that flashes up status and error codes for you. If you take a peek you can't miss it, unless your OEM installed a full length GFX card in the bottom PCIe slot for some reason in which case it will be hidden. It would definitely be worth getting eyes on that to see if it's displaying anything other than ok messages - particularly error codes B4 or D7 which are USB and kb/mouse faults respectively. I doubt it is to be honest, as once the system is up it all works fine. If you want to be careful, there's a BIOS_SEL1 jumper (check the manual for the diagram) which is currently set presumably in the normal position. With the system fully powered down and unplugged, switch the jumper to the backup BIOS position and power it back up. This time it will init from a protected and unmodified copy of the same BIOS - quite possibly failing to actually boot as it will most likely be in fully defaulted UEFI mode so won't actually be able to start your Linux install. No matter, you only want to verify that the dual BIOS function is operational and that you do indeed have a safety net prepared. Check and see with a reboot or two to see if USB support has magically reappeared in the BIOS now (it will have). Do *not* actually modify anything here though, you want this backup BIOS left completely untouched. Power down and unplug again - switch the BIOS_SEL1 jumper back to the original position and reboot. Your system will now be back in fully working and bootable mode although of course we still haven't actually changed anything so you still won't be able to access the BIOS. On the back of your system there is a small black button between the left most stack of USB inputs (the one including the PS2 port) and the HDMI port - this is the CLEAR_CMOS button, which does exactly what it sounds like. To use it, power off and unplug, wait 20 seconds. Press and hold the button firmly for a couple of seconds and release. Now plug the PSU back in and boot up and this time, finally, if you spam the F2/Del keys you will actually get into the BIOS (which will be fully defaulted again, probably to full UEFI mode which once again will most likely not boot your SSD). Sound like a pain in the arse? Damn right! Blame Asrock I'm afraid, although most modern motherboards are implemented exactly the same way. You will also now have to make a choice regarding how you move forwards. Initially you'll want to properly read your manual and not just trust me, I may have made a mistake somewhere whilst typing this out. Next, you need to be confident in what you're doing and have a spare laptop or something to hand 'cos you're probably not going to have a bootable PC for a while. Once you're into the BIOS, you're going to have to familiarise yourself with it's many, many settings or at least the ones you need. Additionally, and this is pretty major, your OEM probably had to tweak some settings and put the machine in old fashioned BIOS/CSM mode to get Linux installed and running which means as a corollary, if you default the system or manually change it back to the full modern UEFI mode it wants to run in, your SSD won't boot anymore (remember how earlier we checked to see if it had the /sys/firmware/EFI folders? It didn't, which means your Xubuntu install won't work). So now you have to choose whether to keep your system in BIOS mode to keep your Xubuntu install running, or if you switch to UEFI mode in which case you are going to HAVE to reinstall a new OS but only after learning all the ins and outs of EFI-flavoured Linux ISOs and how an EFI booted Linux OS differs from a traditional one. Which is non-trivial. It is also possible to modify an existing legacy OS instance - Windows or Linux - to be EFI compatible but we are now deep into professional sysadmin territory quite frankly. On top of all this "fun", you'd also be well advised to reflash your BIOS to the latest version before you even think about anything else (first things first principle) and then from the UEFI settings perform a backup of your brand new 7.20 BIOS over the backup failsafe BIOS you have, which is going to require another round trip to the manual. I bet you're now wishing you'd left the damn thing alone, and I wouldn't blame if you did :] Cheers EDIT: damn it, just after finishing all that I've found the problem. Predictably, it was right there in the manual all along: Page #96 | Fast Boot ------------------------------ Fast Boot minimizes your computer's boot time. In fast mode you may not boot from an USB storage device. Ultra Fast mode is only supported by Windows 8.1 and the VBIOS must support UEFI GOP if you are using an external graphics card. Please notice that Ultra Fast mode will boot so fast that the only way to enter this UEFI Setup Utility is to Clear CMOS or run the Restart to UEFI utility in Windows. Note the very clear warning in the last line: the *ONLY* way to enter UEFI setup is to clear CMOS or use Windows. *ONLY.* That was a moronic choice by Asrock to implement it that way (I've seen many similar UEFI/fastboot setups but never one that actually *completely locks you out* once it's been setup) and a doubly moronic choice by your system builder to flick that switch on, knowing it was a Linux build they'd just done. Something tells me that they're not nearly as "linux competent" as they claim to be. So fortunately, as it turns out the entire novel I've typed out above isn't useless, it's basically a condensed instruction manual for the exact steps you need to follow IF you want to do this. Don't bother with the PS2 keyboard, it will change absolutely nothing. It might all look a bit intimidating if you haven't already done this sort of thing a couple of hundred times but it's actually relatively straight forward and I'm always happy to help you out of course - just email away if you have a question. Umm, good luck! -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG https://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq