Programmable logic controller for Z490 motherboard
Programmable logic controller for Z490 motherboard
I received a new ASUS STRIX Z490-e motherboard, but it keeps showing the error “A2” regardless of the drive type (M.2, SATA, other M.2 slots). I followed all instructions on their website and reached out to their support team, but I couldn’t get through the queue and nothing resolved the issue. Please help.
Well... I didn't mention your disk configuration. Make sure all M.2 drives are properly mounted with a standoff. Verify in BIOS that it's recognized as the correct drive type—SSD or AHCI. Ensure the speed is correctly set. For dual or quad drives, confirm you've designated the M.2 as the primary boot disk. This setting might appear automatically if no OS has been installed yet. If the system can't locate a boot partition, it will disappear after the OS installation.
Which expansion drivers are connected? Which SATA storage devices are currently installed?
I’ve tested various SATA connections and M.2 slots, even without any storage devices. My primary M.2 boot drive is fixed in place, but the motherboard only provided one mounting point with screws—I had to rely on a heat sink to secure the other one. There’s no display even when using a different graphics card (RTX 2060 and GTX 1660 were tried). I can’t access BIOS, and my CPU lacks an integrated GPU. The drives came from an older system where they functioned perfectly, so switching from an MSI board to an ASUS ROG board helped them work.
Get 20 dollars off for not having an IGPU, but it costs a lot later if you don’t have it like this. Changing vendors doesn’t always ensure a smooth installation, though it usually works unless you’re using raid 0 or something similar. Some vendors read boot sectors differently, which might be the reason. Have you tried booting from an install USB? When setting up on a new mainboard, I’d suggest reinstalling Windows because the drivers are different each time. Also, some systems aren’t meant to stay with you. It’s hard to say anything specific without more details about your setup.
Back then, it was more affordable to purchase a ready-made PC and remove the GPU and CPU yourself. I also resolved the issue.