Z170M Extreme4 BIOS freeze, Shutdown & Sleep Issue

Error logs??

benleenyc wrote: Just setup a new build using a Z170M Extreme4 motheboard and am experiencing BIOS freeze issues, sleep issues and shutdown issues and an occasional windows freeze. BIOS freeze issue: I can move my mouse around but can't click on anything, need to press the power button to reset. Sleep Issues: After more then a few hours of using my machine, it will not wake from sleep. I see a blank screen, fans are running, need to press the power button to reset. Shutdown Issues: Using my machine for extended periods of time, windows will not shutdown. It'll just hang at the shutdown screen with the icon circling. Window Freeze: Only after an extended period of time, windows will just freeze and I'll have to do a cold reboot. This is more rare then the issues above. I know my hardare is good b\c I was using this for a previous Ivy Bridge build that was rock solid. The i5 is brand new and the RAM has passed memtest. I've updated to the latest firmware 1.70 dated 03/15/2016, cleared CMOS a few times, no overclocking, using onboard video via HDMI, clean install of Win7 Pro SP1. I see that others are also having the same issues with this board and variations of it in the threads below: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2824928/asrock-z170m-itx-shutdown-properly.html http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1582&title=z170m-extreme4-shutdown-issue-windows-10 http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=854&title=asrock-z170-extreme4-uefi-freeze Also, I have noticed that other variations of this board have BIOS updates released at the end of July while the newest BIOS for the Z170M Extreme is dated March. Are there any other firmware in the works for this board to fix the issues listed above? This is my first build with an ASRock mobo and I'm pretty disappointed right now. Spec: Asrock Z170M Extreme4 Intel i5-6500 G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500 GB Seasonic X-Series 560W SS-560KM Onboard Graphics - HDMI Windows 7 Pro SP1

Wake from Sleep issues are common with any version of Windows and any PC platform. I've had PCs that could never wake from Sleep, while others do that fine every time. Very difficult to diagnose, and seemingly random. Some Z170 board users have wake from Sleep issues, but I don't.

What is the basis for blaming the mother board for the failure to wake from Sleep? It is a Windows feature running from within Windows. Have you checked with Microsoft about this problem?

Have you checked the Windows Event Log for any clues about the failure to wake from Sleep? The same for the Windows freezing.

You said no OC (can't OC your CPU) but have you adjusted any CPU options in the UEFI? Or do you use default values?

Your memory is the double sided (DS) type, which should be used in the A1 and B1 slots, in case it is not there now. No mention of the memory speed or use of the XMP profile. Many DDR4 XMP profiles are not working correctly, and any memory OC must be entered manually for best results.

The System Agent (VCCSA) and VCCIO voltages are important for memory in Skylake systems. With 32GB of memory, the Auto values may not be enough. Memtest may pass, but when coming out of Sleep, the memory is waking up quickly, and if not powered up sufficiently, things can happen.

No mention of driver sources for your Windows 7 installation.

What driver version are you using for the Intel integrated graphics? You might want to try a new version, if you aren't using it now:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26078/Intel-Graphics-Driver-for-Windows-10-and-Windows-7-8-1-15-40-

A common wake from Sleep issue is a driver not responding quickly enough for Windows, which logs it as an error and does not wait for the driver/hardware pair to being working. Video drivers are one main culprit, which is why I suggest a different video driver. Windows 7 will flag this as a PSU problem, which is false.

The UEFI/BIOS "freeze" issue is many times a lag or hesitation, in my experience, that begins responding again after a while. Not a good thing of course, newer UEFI versions for ASRock Z170 boards have greatly reduced the occurrence of it. Your board is due for a UEFI update, when it will be available, I don't know.

I'm confused about the hardware being good statement, since the only hardware in your list that you could have transferred from your Ivy Bridge PC is the PSU and SSD.