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General information
Troubleshooting
Additional resources
General information
Operating system compatibility
Refer to Supported Operating Systems to find the driver/operating system support for your Intel® Desktop Board.
| Notes |
- Some desktop boards include features that are supported only under certain operating systems.
- Windows Server* 2003 and Server 2008: Intel® Desktop Boards do not support either Windows Server 2003 or Server 2008. There are no drivers available for these operating systems.
- Windows XP*: If your desktop board includes PCI Express* capability, you must use Windows XP with Service Pack 2, which includes support for PCI Express.
- Windows XP 64-Bit Edition and Windows Vista*: Availability of Windows XP 64-Bit Edition or Windows Vista drivers may be limited for some Intel Desktop Boards. All board features (audio, video, LAN, etc.) may not be supported. Refer to the download page for your board.
- Windows* 2000: Availability of Windows 2000 drivers may be limited for some Intel Desktop Boards. All board features (audio, video, LAN, etc.) may not be supported. Refer to the download page for your board.
- LINUX*: All information and software contained herein is provided "AS IS" to Intel customers. Intel Corporation disclaims all express or implied warranties and liabilities for the use of this document, the software and the information contained herein, and assumes no responsibility for any errors which may appear in this document or the software, nor does Intel make a commitment to update the information or software contained herein. Intel reserves the right to make changes to this document or software at any time, without notice.
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Intel® Desktop Boards and WHQL
Intel® Desktop Boards are submitted to Microsoft* Windows* Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL) for participation in the Motherboard Logo Program (MLP). Successful passage of the WHQL tests results in the "Designed for Windows" logo for qualifying boards. Click here to view MLP reports.
When you see the "Designed for Windows XP" logo, as you do with Intel Desktop Boards, it signifies that the board meets Microsoft's standard for hardware compatibility with Windows XP. For more information, you can visit the Microsoft Windows Catalog*. For the system integrator desiring a WHQL qualified system, starting with an Intel Desktop Board makes certifying your own system considerably easier.
Loading RAID driver at OS installation
Unless you are using Windows Vista, the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager driver must be loaded during operating system installation using the F6 installation method. This is required in order to install an operating system onto a hard drive or RAID volume when in RAID mode or onto a hard drive when in AHCI mode.
If using Microsoft Windows Vista, this is not required, as the operating system includes a driver for the AHCI and RAID controllers.
Refer to Chapter 5 of the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager User’s Manual for complete instructions.
Virtual floppy Drive and CD related to Intel® Active Management Technology
With Intel® Desktop Boards that support Intel® Active Management Technology, if you set Wake on LAN from S5 to "Stay off", Windows* detects an Intel Virtual Floppy and an Intel Virtual CD. See images below.
These virtual devices also appear in the BIOS Boot menu, in the selection list for CD/DVD-ROM Drive Order.
The drives (related to the Intel® Active Management Technology) are inaccessible drives and are seen only at the first cold boot. If you restart Windows, they disappear. However, if you shutdown and restart the PC from a cold boot, they reappear.
The virtual devices appear because power to the Intel® AMT chip is provided if Wake on LAN is enabled. The system then believes that AMT is turned on, even if it is not. Therefore it is looking for AMT components and tries to enable them. If AMT is not enabled too, the components are not accessible.
To eliminate these virtual devices:
- During boot, enter the BIOS setup by pressing F2.
- In the Power menu, set Wake on LAN from S5 to Power On.
- Press F10 to Save and Exit.
137 GB drive size limitation
The original Windows XP or 2000 CDs can only support a maximum hard drive capacity of 137 GB. To install a hard drive larger than 137 gigabytes on your computer you need Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 or later or Windows XP Service Pack 1 or later.
Setting up a dual boot system
You can install more than one operating system on your computer and choose which operating system you want to use every time you start your computer. This is often called a dual-boot or multiple-boot configuration.
Resources:
Moving a hard drive to a new PC
If you have a PC with Windows XP configured just the way you want it and then upgrade your system to a newer desktop board, you may be able to ‘migrate’ your original hard drive to the new system without losing your personal data. However, Windows XP may halt when you try to start up the old configuration in the new computer (blue screen or STOP error).
You may be able to successfully migrate your hard drive by following the steps below.
- Go into BIOS setup and make the CDROM drive the first boot device.
- Insert the original Windows XP CD and allow the computer to boot from the CD drive. You'll be prompted to press a key to boot from the CD.
- When the Windows setup screen appears, pick the option to setup Windows XP now.
- You'll be presented with a screen that shows your current Windows XP installation with the option: To repair the selected Windows XP installation, Press "R". Do so.
- You'll be asked to enter the product key that comes with your XP CD and then setup will continue. Follow all setup prompts. (During setup the computer will reboot, but this time when you're prompted to "Press any key to boot from CD", don't do it.)
- Once your re-installation has finished, you can install the drivers for your new motherboard (graphics, LAN, audio, etc.). All your original settings and software should be preserved. You likely will be required to re-activate Windows by web or phone as though it were a fresh installation.
Slipstreaming Windows XP to include Service Pack 2
Windows XP with Service Pack 2 is required for a number of recent desktop board features (i.e. PCI Express*, security, etc.). If you need to reinstall Windows but only have an original shipping version of Windows XP (without Service Pack 2), you may encounter errors during installation.
You can create a bootable copy of the Windows XP setup disk that includes the Service Pack and new device drivers. This is called slipstreaming. Alternatively, you can set up your network installation (RIS server) to include Service Pack 2 and new drivers.
There are many resources available online describing the slipstreaming process. Here are just a few:
Memory limits in Windows
Limits on memory and address space vary by platform and operating system. Typically, 32-bit versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista are limited to 4GB. To take advantage of system memory greater than 4GB, all the following components must support 64-bit:
- Operating System
- Chipset
- Processor (EM64T)
In addition, the 32-bit versions of Windows will reserve a portion of memory for critical system functions such as chipset, BIOS flash, PCI Express, etc. If you have 4GB installed, Windows will indicate less than 4GB is available (example: 3.24GB). Your desktop board’s Technical Product Specification includes a detailed system memory address map.
Refer to these articles for additional information:
Troubleshooting
Operating system installation issues
Cannot load RAID/AHCI drivers on system without floppy connector
If you are using Microsoft Windows XP, the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager driver must be loaded during operating system installation using the F6 installation method. This is required in order to install an operating system onto a hard drive or RAID volume when in RAID mode or onto a hard drive when in AHCI mode. By default, Windows XP Setup assumes you are using a floppy diskette.
| Note |
This is not an issue with Windows Vista installations. | |
Some Intel Desktop Boards do not include a floppy drive connector; therefore you will not be able to use the standard F6 floppy method. In this case, you have the following options to load the driver
- Use an external USB floppy drive. Microsoft lists compatible USB drives at Article ID 916196*.
- Create a ‘slipstream’ CD that includes the F6 driver files.
Stop error on PCI.SYS during Windows XP installation
If you are installing Windows XP on an Intel® Desktop Board that includes PCI Express* support, you must use Windows XP with Service Pack 2, otherwise you may see the following blue screen error during installation:
***stop 0x0000007E (oxc 0000005, oxf9a380bf, oxf9e84208, oxf9e834208, 0xe9e83f08
*** PCI.SYS address f9a380bf base at f9a31000, date stamp 3b7d8ssc
If you do not have an installation CD that includes Service Pack 2, you can create a ‘slipstream’ CD.
Error "The BIOS in this system is not fully ACPI compliant"
If the BIOS on your system is not the most current version, you may receive the following error message when trying to install the operating system:
STOP: 0x000000A5
The bios in this system is not fully ACPI compliant.
To resolve this problem, update the BIOS on the desktop board to the most current version. The latest BIOS version for Intel® Desktop Boards can be downloaded from Intel's Download Center.
Windows XP setup can’t find hard drive (STOP: 0x0000007B)
If your Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive is set to AHCI mode in BIOS and you install Windows XP without using an F6 driver, Windows setup is likely to fail, reporting that it cannot find any hard drives. You may also get the error "STOP: 0x0000007B".
To resolve this problem, change the drive mode in BIOS to IDE - or use the F6 driver diskette during Windows XP setup (if your SATA drive supports AHCI).
To change the drive mode:
- During boot, enter the BIOS setup by pressing F2.
- Depending on your board, either:
- Go to the Configuration > SATA Drives menu
- Set Configure SATA as to IDE
Or
- Go to the Advanced > Drive Configuration menu
- Set ATA/IDE Mode to Native.
Press F10 to Save and Exit.
To use F6:
Near the beginning of Windows Setup, Windows pauses briefly and displays the following prompt: Press F6 if you need to install a third party SCSI or RAID driver… This option is displayed in the status line and lets you use an OEM mass storage controller driver.
For instructions on using F6, refer to F6 Installation Method.
Unable to install Windows* from certain PATA (IDE) DVD-ROM drives
Some Intel® Desktop Board DG35EC may have a compatibility issue with certain PATA (IDE) DVD-ROM drives. If you are using a PATA DVD-ROM to install the Windows* XP or Windows Vista* operating system, you may encounter some failures with one or all of the following symptoms:
- File copy errors from installation media to the system hard drive.
- Unexpectedly long time to copy installation files from installation media to the system hard drive.
- File copy process completes but an automated system reboot called by the installation process will restart the entire installation instead of proceeding to the next step of the operating system installation.
This compatibility issue affects specific board AA# revisions as follows:
- Intel® Desktop Board DG35EC with AA# E29266-202 and earlier revisions are affected.
- Intel® Desktop Board DG35EC with AA# E29266-203 and later revisions are NOT affected.
If your Intel® Desktop Board DG35EC is affected by this compatibility issue, you may request a replacement board through the normal RMA or warranty process.
| Note |
This is not an issue with Microsoft* Windows operating system. | |
Errors in device manager
Error on LPC interface controller
Errors in Device Manager on the LPC Interface Controller (example: Intel 82801 LPC Interface Controller) may occur for various reasons.
Intel® Desktop Boards that support Intel® Viiv™ processor technology
Intel® Desktop Boards that support Intel® Viiv™ processor technology may display a yellow exclamation mark within the Other Devices in Device Manager, indicating a problem with the LPC Interface Controller (example: Intel 82801 LPC Interface Controller). This may occur under the following conditions:
- The operating system requirement for Intel Viiv processor technology has not been met. Intel Viiv processor technology requires Windows* XP Media Center Edition.
- Intel® Quick Resume Technology (Intel® QRT) is enabled in the BIOS but the drivers have not been installed.
To resolve this:
If you plan to use Intel Viiv processor technology:
- Install the supported operating system - Windows XP Media Center Edition.
- Install the Intel QRT drivers.
If you do not plan to use Intel Viiv processor technology:
- During boot, enter the BIOS setup by pressing F2.
- On the Power menu, disable Intel QRT.
- Press F10 to Save and Exit.
Intel® Desktop Boards that support consumer infrared
Intel® Desktop Boards that support consumer infrared may display an error in Device Manager, indicating a problem with the LPC Interface Controller (example: Intel ICH10RLPC Interface Controller).
Consumer infrared is supported only in Windows Vista*, which provides embedded drivers; it is not supported in Windows XP*.
To resolve the error in Device Manger, disable Consumer Infrared in the BIOS:
- During boot, enter the BIOS setup by pressing F2.
- Go to Advanced > Peripheral Configuration.
- Disable Enhanced Consumer IR.
- Press F10 to save changes and exit BIOS Setup.
Error on Unknown Device
Intel® Desktop Boards that include the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) feature may display a yellow exclamation mark on an Unknown Device in Device Manager. This error will occur even if TPM is disabled in the BIOS.
To eliminate the Unknown Device in Device Manager, you must install the TPM drivers. The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) software/driver can be installed from either the Trusted Platform Module CD that came with the desktop board or from Intel's Download Center. Follow these steps:
1. Enable TPM in the BIOS
a. During boot, enter the BIOS setup by pressing F2.
b. Go to Advanced > Peripheral configuration.
c. Enable the Trusted Platform Module.
d. Press F10 to save and exit.
2. Install the TPM drivers.
After installing the drivers, you can disable TPM in the BIOS if you wish.
The installation of the TPM software will place a Security Platform icon on the Windows* Quick Launch bar; you may see the message “Security Platform is not initialized. You haven’t initialized your Security Platform” when you boot the computer. To eliminate this message, disable the Security Platform software on the Quick Launch as follows:
- Click Start » Run.
- Type MSCONFIG and click OK.
- On the General tab, choose Selective Startup.
- On the Services tab, uncheck Security Platform Management Service and Trusted Platform Core Service.
- On the Startup tab, uncheck SpTNA and PSDrt.
- Click Apply, then Close.
- Restart the computer.
Error on PCI simple communications controller
If the Intel® Management Engine (Intel ME) driver has not been successfully installed, you may see an error on a "PCI Simple Communications Controller" in Device Manager.
To resolve this issue, install the Intel® Management Engine Interface driver for your desktop board. This driver can be installed from either:
- The Express Installer DVD that came with your board
- The latest Intel ME driver downloaded from Intel's Download Center.
Error on PCI serial port
Intel® Desktop Boards that include the Intel® Active Management Technology (iAMT) feature may display a yellow exclamation mark on a PCI Serial Port in Device Manager.
To eliminate the error in Device Manager, you must install the iAMT drivers. You are not required to enable iAMT in the BIOS.
The iAMT drivers can be installed from either the CD or DVD that came with the desktop board or from Intel's Download Center.
Error on SMBus controller
If the Intel® Chipset Device Software has not been successfully installed, you may see an error on the SMBus Controller in Device Manager.
To resolve this issue, download and install the latest chipset device software for your desktop board.
| Note |
Drivers should always be installed in the order displayed below. The most critical step in the installation order is to install the Intel® Chipset Device Software first before all other drivers. | |
Installation & Configuration Order
- Fresh Operating System Installation
- Latest Service Pack or Patch
- Intel® Chipset Device Software
- All other device drivers
Processor information incorrect in Device Manager
After you physically replace the processor (CPU) with a similar model of processor on a Windows Vista-based computer or on a Windows Server 2008-based computer, the old processor information may still appear in Device Manager under Processors.
Refer to Microsoft's Article ID: 930861 for further information.
Errors on Other Devices and Ports
If your board has the consumer infrared feature enabled, but you are running Windows XP, two devices may have errors on them in Device Manager (see picture below). Consumer infrared is not supported in Windows XP.
Verify that you have installed the Intel Chipset Device Software and the latest drivers for your Intel Desktop Board. These can be found on Download Center.
After verifying you have the latest drivers, disable consumer infrared:
- Reboot your system and press F2 to enter the BIOS setup utility when prompted.
- Select Advanced-> Peripheral Configuration and change the Consumer IR setting to Disable.
- Press F10 to Save Changes and restart your system.
Other operating system issues
Inaccessible boot device error after changing drive's SATA mode
If you change the SATA mode of the boot device in BIOS, you may see the following error message when you start a Windows 7 or Windows Vista-based computer: STOP 0x0000007B INACCESSABLE_BOOT_DEVICE.
To resolve this issue, refer to Microsoft Article ID 922976.
Audio driver installation issue with Windows* XP 64-Bit edition
Audio drivers may fail to install in Windows* XP 64-Bit Edition. Symptoms may include error messages, such as "Error in installation" or "Unknown error".
Microsoft's Update for Windows XP x64 Edition (KB901105)* fixes this issue. After installing this update, the audio drivers for Windows XP 64-Bit Edition will successfully install.
The latest audio drivers for Intel® Desktop Boards can be downloaded from Intel's Download Center
Shutdown problem after installing USB 2.0 drivers
For Intel® Desktop Boards based on the 865 chipset (D865GBF, D865GLC, D865PERL), if Windows* 98 SE or Windows* ME will not shut down properly after installing USB 2.0 drivers, try setting the IDE Configuration to Legacy mode:
- During boot, enter the BIOS setup by pressing F2
- Go to Advanced > Drive Configuration > ATA/IDE Configuration
- Change the option to "Legacy"
- Press F10 to save the configuration
Related Topics:
Microsoft Help and Support*
Windows Vista Help: Tips for fixing common driver problems*
How to troubleshoot unknown devices that are listed in Device Manager in Windows XP*
How to troubleshoot unknown devices that are listed in Device Manager in Windows 2000*
Explanation of error codes generated by Device Manager in Microsoft Windows XP Professional*
Explanation of the error codes that are generated by Device Manager for Windows 2000, Windows Millennium, Windows 98, and Windows 95*
This applies to:
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