FYI on Optiplex 755 model

FYI on Optiplex 755 model
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MMA @ 5th Feb 05:46PM:
FYI on Optiplex 755 model

If you are having issues booting to a bootable CD-Rom, booting to Acronis boot disk, UBCD4Win, Sysprepping, etc., try this:

In the BIOS set the SATA Operation to "RAID Autodetect / ATA" instead of "RAID Autodetect / AHCI"

I was getting BSOD's with my UBCD4Win boot disk, and newly imaged PC's were rebooting themselves over and over after deploying a Sysprep image using with Acronis.
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techjoe @ 6th Feb 01:28PM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

AFAIK, AHCI is only really supported properly under Vista the bit I read into it. We have it disabled at Dell via CFI to avoid quite a few issues with our current deployment.
--
www.clanc.cc
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MMA @ 6th Feb 07:11PM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

Yeah, I have to check the PC's to see if they came with Vista. I didn't check and just blew the PC away with my XP sysprep image. If they shipped the PC's with that BIOS setting and XP installed I guess that's pretty lame? Or maybe it's my image that has the issue?

BTW I laugh every time I see your profile pic techjoe.
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ryang @ 6th Feb 08:11PM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

I changed mine to Legacy in order for Acronis to recognize the HD. I found the solution online a few weeks ago.
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dobby10 @ 6th Feb 08:34PM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

We got the 755's at work and it took about 4 hours to figure out that BIOS change to boot into Ghost.

Our 755s all ship to us with XP and are set to AHCI.

We have also had our first issue with one of the 755s. It kept blue screening at random times with different error codes. Ran the diagnostics and it said bad Dimm2. Dell was out today, swapped ram and motherboard, and it still gives the same bad Dimm2 error. Dell's quality control just isn't there, they are trying to push these out too much.
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wssddc @ 6th Feb 11:36PM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

You may have to update the BIOS to even get a legacy mode option.
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dave @ 7th Feb 12:07AM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

said by MMA :

Yeah, I have to check the PC's to see if they came with Vista. I didn't check and just blew the PC away with my XP sysprep image. If they shipped the PC's with that BIOS setting and XP installed I guess that's pretty lame? Or maybe it's my image that has the issue?

I say it's your image. Why ship a modern system and make it use the disks in Ye Olde Compatibylyty Mode?

I recently installed Windows Home Server (Server 2003 kernel) on an Optiplex 330 with the disks in AHCI mode; sure, 'F6 for drivers' was needed, but after that it's fine.

I had no trouble with bootable CD-ROMs though.
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hgratt @ 7th Feb 11:17AM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

I have been following this thread with interest.

I came across a similar problem while helping a friend reinstall XP onto a new HDD for an old Dimension 8400. The machine operated in AHCI mode and thus would not recognize drives under Acronis or a BartPE CD (with Acronis plugin). The install from the Dell Recovery CD was able to recognize the AHCI mode - I guess Dell slipstreams the AHCI drivers into the recovery CD.

Anyway, I would like to know if the following procedure would work:

1. Given a working XP machine in AHCI mode, one would make an Acronis image as needed.

2. If reimaging is required, boot to the BIOS and set the SATA mode to ATA (or Combination, etc) and then reboot to the Acronis (or BartPE) CD.

3. The drives should now be visible so restore the image (which should contain the AHCI mode drivers).

4. When imaging is complete and the reboot is initiated, go again into the BIOS and reset the SATA mode to AHCI.

5. Allow the machine to continue to boot into XP.

Any comments as to whether this sort of procedure would work>

Thanks,
Harvey
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MMA @ 7th Feb 11:59AM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

I guess I need to read up on AHCI. I see now why I couldn't even boot to the WinXP CD. I needed to F6 and provide the driver, right? How would I resolve the boot issue with UBCD4Win then, an updated version of UBCD4Win? I tried UBCD4Win with the factory image today and still get a blue screen.

My question is, what advantage does running AHCI via the BIOS have over running ATA mode via the BIOS. Again, I probably just need to do some reading.
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JoelC707 @ 8th Feb 12:53PM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

Here's some things to get you started:
»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_H···nterface
»www.intel.com/technology/serialata/ahci.htm
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dave @ 8th Feb 05:42PM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

Elsewhere, I've been having a discussion about whether the 'typical' desktop user will see any measurable benefit from using AHCI instead of IDE emulation.

(i.e. not 'theoretical' advantages but actual)

Anyone got any opinions, data, etc?

Thanks.
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Nate425 @ 8th Feb 08:22PM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

said by dave :

Elsewhere, I've been having a discussion about whether the 'typical' desktop user will see any measurable benefit from using AHCI instead of IDE emulation.

(i.e. not 'theoretical' advantages but actual)

Anyone got any opinions, data, etc?

Thanks.

No data, but an opinion. We got in a bunch of 755's and for the average (and even not so average) user, they won't notice a bit of difference.

But if you're in the buying phase now, I'd wait for the next model. I haven't been too thrilled with these. We've had issues with the nic and video card. Although I will say the video card is not the onboard card, but we added an agp card to it. I've also heard of other people having all sorts of random problems with this model. Hopefully the next one will be better.
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MMA @ 9th Feb 09:48AM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

said by JoelC707 :

Here's some things to get you started:
»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_H···nterface
»www.intel.com/technology/serialata/ahci.htm

Thanks Joel.

Well I am just going with the "RAID Autodetect / ATA" option at first boot now for all of the 755's. I don't see a point in attempting to get a driver loaded at boot up for the Acronis, UBCD4Win, WindowsXP, etc CD's in order to use these tools with AHCI mode enabled.

For Acronis 10 and UBCD I do not even know how you would load the correct driver anyway.
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anon @ 13th Feb 03:53AM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

Do all your 755 come with Intel AMT pre-installed?

Do you have any drivers that are AMT dependant?

Can you find out any info on AMT, other than the ADVERT that sits at the end of the link for further info?

We have had no end of problems with our 755's. BSOD on two out of 20 straight out of the box! Trying to reinstall windows was fun, until I found the driver and used F6. I will try the AHCI mode setting and see what difference this makes.

We also have a really weird video related issue. We have a 3rd party Oracle based application, which grays out certain lines in a grid view, only on the 755's it vanishes and becomes a blank line?! I have tried every setting; contrast, gamma, colour. I have updated the BIOS, the Graphics drivers, changed the monitor for a different type and tried both VGA and DVI; still no line. This doesn't happens with any other PC in our business.

Any one else had anything like this?
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bilbusb @ 14th Feb 12:32AM:
Re: FYI on Optiplex 755 model

just use acronis 9.5 Echo workstation. IT has a new Kernel that supports sata2 fully.

You can also change to legacy mode in bios, install intel matrix drivers in windows, set bios back to enhanced and bot windows just fine.
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