[mobo]When the OS starts to boot I get an error my my BIOS is not ACPI compliant

[BillyBadAss]

So as many of you know I just build a new PC. I got the A8N32-SLI DELUXE motherboard. Now when running the install for windows after(what seems like, but I am not sure) it's been on for a few mins say after formating the drive, and it reboots, I get an error "Windows has detected that your BIOS is not ACPI compliant. It then gives the hex error:

0x000000A5 (0X00000002, 0X89427A60, 0XE12A7668, 0X893EF1A8)

Now if I power it off and let it cool down for a few mins and try again, it seems to get past it about 50% of the time maybe more, but if I just power it off and boot up again it seems to go back to that error.

I flashed the BIOS and put on the latest version, but this didn't seem to help. I still get the same error. I checked in BIOS and ACPI is enabled. I also tried disabling it and I received the same error. So I have enabled it again just because that was the default.

I am starting to wonder if it is just Windows being stupid, and after getting Service Pack 2 install it might fix it, but I don't know. Anyone else ever have this problem? I called Tech Support, and they said it sounded like a corrupt BIOS, and told me to flash it so I did, but they are asshats and really didn't seem to know what they were talking about. Any help would be great.

[Sir_Brizz]

Does your motherboard have an option for IOAPIC? If so, try disabling it, just to see if it helps. From what I understand, this sometimes conflicts with ACPI in single processor systems.

[BillyBadAss]

I have a dual core CPU. Does that make any difference?

[BillyBadAss]

Originally Posted by Sir_Brizz

Does your motherboard have an option for IOAPIC? If so, try disabling it, just to see if it helps. From what I understand, this sometimes conflicts with ACPI in single processor systems.

After looking I didn't see that option, so I am guessing it doesn't.

[BillyBadAss]

I think I found a fix here.

"Stop 0x000000A5" Error When You Are Installing Windows XP
View products that this article applies to.
Article ID : 314830
Last Review : February 27, 2004
Revision : 1.0
This article was previously published under Q314830
SYMPTOMS
When you are installing Windows XP, you may receive the following Stop error:
STOP: 0x000000A5 (Parameter1, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4)
The ACPI Bios in this system is not fully compliant to the specification. Please read the Readme.txt for possible workarounds, or contact your system vendor for an updated bios.

The bios in this system is not fully ACPI compliant. Please contact your system vendor for an updated bios. If you are unable to obtain an updated bios or the latest bios supplied by your vendor is not ACPI compliant, you can turn off ACPI mode during text mode setup. To do this, simply press the F7 key when you are prompted to install storage drivers. The system will not notify you that the F7 key was pressed--it will silently disable ACPI and allow you to continue your installation."
The parameters Parameter1, Parameter2, Parameter3, and Parameter4 vary from computer to computer.
CAUSE
This behavior can occur if Windows has detected that the BIOS in the computer is not fully compliant with Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI).
RESOLUTION
To resolve this behavior, contact the manufacturer of your computer to obtain a BIOS that is fully ACPI compliant.

To work around this behavior, manually install the Standard PC hardware abstraction layer (HAL): 1. Restart the computer to restart Setup.
2. When Setup starts again, press F7 (not F6) when you see the "Press F6 if you need to install a third-party SCSI or RAID driver" screen.
Windows automatically disables the installation of the ACPI HAL and installs the Standard PC HAL.


MORE INFORMATION
The following information can help you debug a Stop 0x000000A5 error. • The cause of the Stop message is always errors in the ACPI BIOS. There is nothing that you can fix at the level of the operating system.
• This Stop message can occur at other times. For example, you could receive this Stop error after you install Windows XP and later make a hardware change, such as adding a device. A computer that works properly with Microsoft Windows 98 may not work with Windows XP. Windows 98 does not necessarily use all of the ACPI functions that Windows XP uses. Windows 98 may allow workarounds that Windows XP cannot use because of its more stringent requirements for system stability).
The following information lists possible causes of the Stop 0x000000A5 error. To identify the cause of this Stop error, note Parameter1 and compare it to the numbers listed in the following paragraphs, to get a general idea of the problem.

The other parameters (arguments) are not discussed in this article. You can view these other arguments only by connecting the system to a kernel debugger. This article provides a description of the issues that this Stop error can involve, without requiring more advanced debugging. For more information, refer to Acpidbg.h.

(0x00000001, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

This argument is defined as an ACPI root resources failure. More specifically, ACPI could not find the system control interrupt (SCI) vector in any of the resources that ACPI received at startup. SCI is a special interrupt type that provides a more efficient way to deal with problems that are normally handled by system management interrupts (SMI). If SCIs cannot be initialized, ACPI cannot function. This can occur if no entry for this IRQ is found in the list or if no IRQ resource list was found at all.

(0x00000002, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

This error is defined as ACPI root PCI resource failure. To discover what current resources are being used by PCI devices, ACPI must be able to query the CRS descriptor in the ACPI namespace. This error occurs if the BIOS lacks a pointer to the list, or if the list is empty, or if the list contains errors or conflicts.

(0x00000003, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

This error is defined as "ACPI failed must succeed method." This error occurs if ACPI cannot build a control method to reference the ACPI namespace. Other arguments for this error reference the ACPI object that was being run and the name of the control method. One greatly simplified explanation (which might not be completely accurate) is that the system cannot find a way to get to the ACPI tables that define the Plug and Play and Power Management capabilities of the system.

(0x00000004, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

This error occurs because the system received some data type other than the expected integer as a package element when defining a _PRW method in the ACPI namespace. _PRW is only defined for systems that have the ability to wake the system from Sleep mode. Among other things, _PRW defines the lowest power system state that the system can enter and be able to wake up.

(0x00000005, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

The _PRW referenced must contain at least two elements. When queried, the _PRW indicated that it was incomplete.

(0x00000006, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

A power resource is named, but there is no information available in the namespace for this resource.

(0x00000007, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

When the system referenced a method in the ACPI namespace, the system expected a data type of BUFFER but received some other data type.

(0x00000008, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

The system expected a data type of INTEGER but received some other data type.

(0x00000009, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

The system expected a data type of PACKAGE but received some other data type.

(0x0000000A, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

The system expected a data type of STRING but received some other data type.

(0x0000000B, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

An _EJD string referenced a nonexistent object. The _EJD object defines objects that are dependent on a specific ejection device. For example, if you have an add-in adapter in a docking station and you attempt to eject the laptop computer, ACPI references this namespace to determine whether the dependent adapter in the docking station supports the ejection. This error occurs because there is no object to define the name referenced in the _EJD string.

(0x0000000C, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

The namespace defines support for docking but lacks enough information to implement it. This can be because it is not properly defined or because there are duplicate services defined.

(0x0000000D, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

There are many objects that must be defined in the ACPI namespace, and one or more of these was not found. This error generally occurs if either the _HID or _ADR object is missing. An _ADR is used to define the address of a device on its parent bus. The _ADR is a static address that defines slot numbers for devices that reside on any number of bus types, including EISA, floppy, IDE controller, IDE channel, PCI, PCMCIA, and CardBus. The _HID contains objects that supply the operating system with Plug and Play hardware ID for a device. Technically, these objects are optional, but they absolutely must be present to describe any device that is enumerated by an ACPI driver.

(0x0000000E, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

This error occurs because the system could not find a required method or object in the namespace for a power resource. These are anything other than a "device." If the BIOS does not supply either an ON, OFF, or STA for a power resource, the system stops with this error.

(0x0000000F, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

This occurs when a Plug and Play resource descriptor is smaller than its defined size, indicating that the descriptor is either incomplete or corrupted. Resource descriptors describe the system resources that the computer is using, can use, or wants to use. Each descriptor entry has a predefined size, which must match the data returned.

(0x000000010, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

When a system transitions from one power state to another, the system compares the states that are supported system-wide to those supported by the individual devices in the system. This error occurs if Power Resource maps to a nonexistent system-wide resource. You can use a kernel debugger to view the specifics of this error, including the system power state that is causing the problem.

(0x000000011, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

The system cannot enter ACPI mode. There are many reasons for this, including: • The system cannot initialize the AML interpreter.
• The system cannot find the Root System Description table.
• The system cannot allocate a critical driver.
• The system cannot load the Root System Description table.
• The system cannot load device descriptor blocks.
• The system cannot connect an interrupt vector.
• The SCI_EN (system control interrupt enable request) cannot be set (see 0x00000001).
• The ACPI Table checksum is incorrect.
ACPI is a hierarchical arrangement of tables, each one building upon the next to define the complete capabilities of the system and of every device in the system. ACPI starts by looking for the Root System Description table, which points to the next table, which points to the next table, and so on. Usually, the 0x000000011 error occurs because these tables are damaged or missing.

(0x000000012, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

ACPI is expecting a Power Resource Object that it cannot find. You can view the error through a kernel debugger to see what the exact object is.

(0x00002001, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

ACPI tried to evaluate the control method for a specific type of Programmable Interrupt Controller and did not succeed.

(0x00010001, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

ACPI tried to perform interrupt routing and did not succeed. This error is usually due to a damaged interrupt routing table.

(0x00010002, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

ACPI could not find a link node that is referenced in the interrupt routing table.

(0x00010003, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

A device is present in the system, but there is no entry for the device in the IRQ routing table.

(0x00010005, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

This error relates to the rules about how a PCI routing table is written. To prevent ambiguity, the device number must be specified in the table but the function number must not. To this end, the function field must be set to all F's. This error occurs when a function number is not all F's.

(0x00010006, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4):

ACPI must able to disabling a link node to reprogram it. This error occurs if ACPI cannot disable a link node.

[ZenPirate]

You really, really, really should be installing windows WITH SP2 integrated right from the get go. If you don't have a copy, you need to slipstream it.
Use nlite, or autostreamerXP.

AMD's forums have the best dual core install guide I've seen. Read it before you do anything else. I found it to be most helpful:
http://forums.amd.com/index.php?showtopic=64936

[Sir_Brizz]

Also, don't disable ACPI no matter what people tll you. Otherwise, you will not have the automatic turn off and several other important features (meaning to turn off your computer you would have to push the button every time).

[BillyBadAss]

That fixed that error, but now I get the error message after Windows XP just about finished installing that says:

Page_Fault_In_NonPaged_Area

Stop: 0x00000050 (0xE11D26AB, 0X00000000, 0X805C5F18, 0X00000001)


Any ideas? I am going to try reinstalling Windows again. This is the worst luck I have ever had with a PC.

I am starting to wonder if I am having RAM issues.

[BillyBadAss]

Ok I made a bootable CD so I could run Memtest86, and everything was fine until I got to Test 6. Once it started running I got tons of errors. I am not sure even after reading the details of what Test 6 is testing to what exactly has failed. Is it testing RAM, or did the cache on my CPU fail? The description as of what is posted on the Metest86 site is as follows:

Test 6 [Moving inversions, 32 bit pat]

This is a variation of the moving inversions algorithm that shifts the data pattern left one bit for each successive address. The starting bit position is shifted left for each pass. To use all possible data patterns 32 passes are required. This test is quite effective at detecting data sensitive errors but the execution time is long.

Can somebody please tell me what it was testing?

[Crowze]

Memtest86 tests exactly that. Check your memory timings in the BIOS, and run Memtest on each memory stick individually.

[Rukee]

what memory do you have?? Did you load factory default settings after the BIOS flash??

[BillyBadAss]

Here is what I have:

CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory

I didn't change anything after flashing my BIOS except disabling onboard sound. All the settings for RAM are set to auto configure.

[Rukee]

I would open up the a64tweaker and compare the memory timings to what is listed on the Corsair page for those sticks and see if you can find any discrepancies, record them and then correct the timings in the BIOS from their 'auto' setting. Be sure to extract the a64tweaker to a known location then run from there and hit the refresh button when it opens. Wrong memory timing/voltages can cause all kinds of problems including OS install issues, BSOD`s, reboots, memory dump issues, game crashing etc.

[Sir_Brizz]

Sounds like a bad stick of RAM, if not both, though.

[ZenPirate]

Originally Posted by BillyBadAss

Here is what I have:

CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory

I didn't change anything after flashing my BIOS except disabling onboard sound. All the settings for RAM are set to auto configure.

Put the timings your ram is rated at in manually. Some nforce4 mobos have problems reading ram at what it's rated for.

[BillyBadAss]

Originally Posted by ZenPirate

Put the timings your ram is rated at in manually. Some nforce4 mobos have problems reading ram at what it's rated for.

I set the voltage to 2.75, but I can't see where I can changing the timing to 2-3-3-6. I think I found the area, but what are the names of the things I am changing? Yeah I know I'm a noob.

EDIT:

I took a picture of what I am looking at, so maybe we can get on the same page.

[BillyBadAss]

Ok so I went and set my RAM to be 2-3-3-6, and to use 2.75 volts. Now I am getting errors in Test 4 now. Test 6 errors are still there as well. Below I posted my config, and then the errors in Memtest while it was in Test 4.

[ZenPirate]

I'd guess you have bad, or incompatable ram. Can you send it back andswap it for some GSkill, or OCZ?

[BillyBadAss]

Originally Posted by ZenPirate

I'd guess you have bad, or incompatable ram. Can you send it back andswap it for some GSkill, or OCZ?

Yeah it's got a lifetime warranty. I also tested each stick by itself, and I got errors too. Do you still think it's the RAM, or could the mobo or CPU be causing this?

[Sir_Brizz]

Potentially it could be the motherboard, but usually you will get errors in more of the early tests in that case. The best thing to try would be to RMA the RAM, see if it works and anil down that it is either the CPU or Mobo... you could also test that theory with someone else's RAM (or by putting your RAM in someone else's machine and running memtest86).