Unusual behavior with the SSD or storage device...
Unusual behavior with the SSD or storage device...
I've just assembled my new setup yesterday. Everything seems to be functioning properly. However, I'm encountering an unusual problem. Whenever I restart the PC—pressing Start and selecting Restart—I immediately see an A2 Q-Code appear during the boot process. The system freezes completely, making it impossible to enter BIOS. Even after pressing the reset button on the case, it only restarts again without resolving the issue. If I power off the machine entirely and turn it back on instantly, it works fine. This happens even during a normal cold boot. My system settings are all set to default except for XMP Profile 2, which doesn't affect the problem. Another concern is that one of my 1TB MX500 drives has disappeared during boot-ups. I've checked Crystal Mark Disk Info, and it shows everything as healthy. The drive still works with games installed, and benchmarks confirm normal speeds. I've updated the BIOS to the latest version, but the issue persists. Could this be a Windows bug, or is there something wrong with my SSD? Is it possible the drive is failing silently?
I found some new information... I was attempting to recreate the problem. It can get tricky, so I’m breaking it down step by step. I think the issue might be with my 1TB MX500 drive.
1) I’m on the Desktop, click Restart to try fixing things.
2) The PC boots up and shows an A2 error again. I shut it down completely.
3) After restarting, I turn it back on and it works fine. I reach the Desktop without any issues.
4) However, one of my 1TB MX500 drives is missing entirely (it’s marked as G).
5) I select Start > Shut Down.
6) Then I power off the PC again (don’t restart).
7) After turning it back on, I reach the Desktop and see the G drive appears again.
I noticed nothing unusual—no power cable connected to the SSD or SATA port. I didn’t touch anything, even though I know it’s a new drive and not used. I haven’t done anything at all, not even checked the power cable. Just shut down and rebooted like from a cold start. What’s going on? Is the drive failing? Is there a bug? It’s a new drive, but accessing SATA on it is really difficult. The GPU removal would help, but I can’t do that. My Crosshair VI is also affected.
I’ve already tried changing the SATA cable before, since I suspected this drive was the culprit. I’m not sure if my PSU power cable is loose—since it shares the same cable with another drive (the 2TB MX500) and that one works fine. The 2TB drive isn’t behaving either.
I hope it’s not related to my Mobo. This expensive device is hard to access, especially SATA ports. Please help!
Sorry for the mix-up, I'm really trying my best. This only occurs during Restart. On Cold Boot/Warm Boot (regardless of whether it was running before or first time today), it doesn't happen. Here are some cases:
- PC is already running and I switch to Desktop. After Shut Down → Shut Down again → Power on, no problems. Restart → PC restarts. When starting, I see A2 code and get stuck in BIOS. Must turn off the PC completely, then power it back on. It works fine now.
- Pressing the reset button on my case doesn't help; it boots normally but stays stuck with A2 code.
Another issue: One drive keeps disappearing even after a successful first boot. If this happens, simply shut down the system, restart it, and it should boot normally again. The drive should reappear.
I suspect a possible SATA port problem on my machine? The health status shows 100%, but the drive still disappears during playback. I've tried swapping cables, but the issue remains.
Restart means a warm boot. Warm or cold starts aren’t about temperature—they relate to how components load. A restart takes a different route compared to a “cold” boot. This seems like the second similar case I’ve noticed recently. I think I might have seen a fix involving hard drives, but it’s fuzzy. It could be a helpful thread to explore.
Hard Drive issue detected. I have one installed and considered checking forums or removing it to investigate. However, this seems unusual since the drive that disappeared unexpectedly is an SSD, not an HDD. Updated May 3, 2021 by gh0st47
I checked the forums, but most problems seem to occur only during cold boot. Not warm boot. It appears to happen only when I’m using the new system for the first time. The initial days were fine, and updating Windows didn’t trigger it. However, the first time I tried a warm boot with this setup, the issue started. Some users reported strange fixes involving the monitor or display cable. I’m curious if any software needs a restart after installation or removal. Would it be possible to recreate the problem using another program instead of dealing with driver updates? I also know GPU drivers often require a restart, but I’d like to explore more user-friendly options.
I discovered a person facing a comparable problem. However, I didn't grasp exactly what they did or why it happened. Plus, I suspect they might be using Linux. https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.ph...ux-XI-Code
New discoveries while uninstalling Armory Crate yesterday. After completion it needed a restart. I followed the uninstaller's restart prompt and it worked fine. No problems occurred. I tried restarting the PC manually, but it didn’t help. It kept showing the A2 error during boot. I decided to wait, thinking it would resolve on its own. After 30 minutes with nothing happening, I reset the PC using FlexKey and set it for instant boot into BIOS. Clicking that option didn’t open BIOS, and I couldn’t enter it either. It remained stuck at A2. To fix it, I had to turn off the PC as usual.