BIOS Updates forum

Can this motherboard run XP? Mobo runs Win98SE fine with no problems.

Motherboard is a SOYO SY-5SSM and I recently upgraded it with the latest BIOS off the manufacturer's website.

BIOS Date: 12/16/99
BIOS Type: Award Modular BIOS v4.51PG
BIOS ID: 12/16/1999-SiS-530-2A5IMS29C-00
BIOS Eval: SSM-2DB1
Chipset: SiS 530 rev 2
Superio: ITE 8661/SiS 6801 rev 2 found at port 279h


I tried to installed Win XP and it fails every time. After the first step of verifying and copying files from the installation CD to the hard drive (WD Caviar 120GB), Win XP restarts, displays the splash screen and reboots, the same three steps over and over and over again. Only a video card and a CD ROM are connected to the motherboard.

I found information related to this problem that was posted by other people on a website forum. SOYO's tech support stated to them that the problem is in the BIOS and that the motherboard can only run win95, 98, 98SE, NT, but not XP and not ME... It doesn't make sense since NT and XP are similar OS's.


Things that I've tried:

Use different memory sticks
Use a different hard drive
Use a different CD ROM
Use a different power supply
Use a different video card
Use mobo's onboard video
Disable ACPI in BIOS
Disable Video BIOS Shadow
Disable System BIOS Cache
Disable CPU to PCI Write Buffer


If the problem is in the BIOS, which option is the best?

Use another Award Bios from a similar SOYO motherboard
Find a patch for the current Award Bios
Crossflash to a AMI Bios and patch it

Thanks for the help.

You need to enable ACPI in BIOS to be able to install XP.

You need to enable ACPI in BIOS to be able to install XP.

False. I have several boards in APM mode working 100% fine with XP.

ruelnov,

I tried both options, enable/disable ACPI in BIOS.... same result, PC keeps rebooting after the splash screen... bad motherboard, bios?

Any ideas? anybody?

Make sure you boot to the XP Setup CD from a cold boot.

By this I mean from power on or at least from pressing the case's reset button.

I have had Windows 2000 Setup fail on at least one system because I performed a warm boot and I expect the same precautions apply to Windows XP.

This may or may not be the solution but it is relatively quick and easy to try if you have not been doing this already.

Ritchie,

I tried the cold boot using the XP Setup CD as you suggested but the PC still goes into an indefinite power on, power off mode after it displays the Windows XP splash screen but never gets into the Windows XP installation screen. I also pressed the reset button to reboot but got same result.

I installed Win98 on a separate hard drive and tried to install Win XP on top of it. When the PC reboots, it recognizes more than one OS, and when I select Win XP to continue, it acts exactly as what I already described above.

I believe the mobo manufacter might be correct after all when it indicated that this motherboard only supports Win95, Win98, NT, but not XP. The manufacturer though, might have been trying to say that the BIOS was not recognizing Win XP.

I don't know much about programming a BIOS, but can I patch be written for this? how?

Thanks for the help.

Do consider trying the previous BIOS release, just for testing.

Assuming the BIOS does not have an O/S compatibility issue (which I have not come across):

1) Use default BIOS settings.
2) Make sure the system is not booting back into the XP Setup CD after the first reboot during installation. After the initial Setup reboot, the system should be booting from your hard disk in order to continue Setup. It sounds like you are already doing this correctly, so sorry if it sounds obvious - just worth making sure.
3) As AJZ suggests, the previous release is worth trying. I did once come across a board for which of the two latest BIOSs that were available, one was for a different model and accidentally listed under the model I was looking for by the manufacturer. A problem that I had under the latest update dissapeared when I went back one version (to the correct image for the board).

Good luck! If Soyo says XP is not supported then that could very well be the case since the advice is coming from them.