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[Rampage V Edition 10] UEFI boot time / Direct Key

aan3kk
Level 7
Hi everybody,

I have the Rampage V Edition 10 and after getting an M.2 SSD I finally could disable the Intel Raid and thus disable UEFI-CSM. For sure I reinstalled Windows 10 onto the new SSD.

Both of my notebooks boot into windows login screen within 2 - 5 seconds from S5 (power off) state. I hoped my high-end gaming PC would do the same. While booting up got greatly improved by disabling UEFI-CSM It still takes way too long and doesn't look like it's working as intended.

Sometimes the boot logo shows up with the typical "Press F2 or DEL to enter BIOS" text but most of the time it doesn't show up at all and even hammering on DEL doesn't go into BIOS. Fast Boot is enabled (BIOS and WIndows 10) but since it's only active when doing a "Power Off" in Windows and is disabled when just "Restart" I don't think it that something to do with that. The BIOS delay is set to 5 sec.

I haven't overclocked anything and set all possible settings for a fast boot. Sadly I cannot disable SATA Support completely (I don't have any) so I had to set it "Boot Drive Only". I even have disabled both SATA controllers in the PCH Storage settings. After that I wanted to set the USB Support setting. I have Disabled, Full Initialization and Partial Initialization. I want to set it to Disabled to the improved boot speed but then (I guess) I can't access the BIOS anymore.

That's why I checked into the DirectKey feature of the board. At the end of the Boot settings menu is an entry called "DirectKey (DRCT)" with the following description:
[Enabled]: Allow the system to turn on and go to the BIOS setup directly when the reset button is pressed. Connect the 2-pin connector of the chassis reset button cable to the onboard DRCT header to support this function.
[Disabled]: The system will only turn on or off when the reset button is pressed.

I had a really hard time finding this header. I guess there isn't one (or is it on the back of the board?). I then started using the KeyBot II software which includes the DirectKey feature too. I'm sorry to say that but that software is useless. First of all because the functions (I only need DEL to go into BIOS) are ONLY enabled once the software is started, thus you have to log into Windows. If you shut down your PC before you logged into Windows the keys won't work. Secondly it doesn't even work correctly. I pressed DEL for 2 seconds and the PC powered on but instead of going into the BIOS it normally booted into Windows. And finally it only works with basic USB keyboards not - for example - with these Logitech Unifying USB dongles for wireless keyboards. Thank god I had a spare and simple USB keyboard.

Am I doing it wrong?

P.S. In the Advanced > APM Configuration menu I set ErP Ready to "Enable(S5)". I heard that's required to get DRCT working.

Thank you all very much in advance!
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20 REPLIES 20

JustinThyme
Level 13
And this is why I tell people to stop obsessing over boot times. I call BS on 2-5 seconds from power off state on anything.

Something else one has to consider is there is a lot more going on during post with a desktop. Just leave it and let it be. If you are upwards of a minute or two you have a legitimate gripe, otherwise 30 seconds or less is par. Time varies depending on what you have enabled and what other hardware is connected. Add a spinner with CSM enabled then add some time as the BIOS is going to search that drive for a boot partition. Have USB drives that stay plugged in, that has an effect too.

What exactly are you calling too long?
Are you out of the bed and ready to run out the door in less than 30 seconds? You can disable the delay that gives you a chance to get into the BIOS if something craps and save 3 seconds but guess what, when it craps you now have to clear the CMOS completely and start over.
I dont understand the obsession over this and from a lot of people. Does it have an effect on your performance once booted?
If I was you I would be more worried about that Corsair AIO busting one of the plastic fittings (happens A LOT!!) and raining coolant up in your case. Your boot time will really suck after that.



“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, I'm not sure about the former” ~ Albert Einstein

xeromist
Moderator
Hey aan3kk,

Justin's bedside manner sucks but he's right that it's normal to see longer boot times due to all of the stuff that has to be initialized. Fast components don't really factor into boot times as you are held back more by the number of components and features. So by that measure a simple laptop boots quickly while a premium desktop should be expected to take longer.

How long is it taking to boot currently? That will help people advise you whether it's par for the course or if you're experiencing an anomaly.
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…

Hi xeromist and thanks for your reply.

Well, I know that I can't except my Desktop to boot up as fast as my Notebook (600 € Sony VAIO ~3 seconds) or my Ultrabook (HP Spectre ~2 seconds) but it should boot up faster than my old Desktop (Core2Quad Q9650 on Rampage Formula).

While my Notebook, Ultrabook and current PC are using UEFI without CSM my old Desktop uses BIOS (no UEFI at all). My Sony uses a SATA3 Samsung 850 EVO, my HP uses a Samsung 961 (or so) M.2 NVMe and my current Desktop uses a Samsung 960 Pro M.2 NVMe. My old Desktop uses a SATA2 Samsung 840 EVO. I even make use of the Intel Raid (two SATA HDDs) on my old Desktop.

Current boot time of my current Desktop is 52 seconds from pressing the power button to seeing the windows lock screen. Before I "Shut Off" the Computer so Fastboot was enabled.

I have nothing connected except the M.2 SSD and a graphics card. I do have four USB ports connected to devices but since BIOS should not check them it shouldn't influence the boot up time. I also have completely disabled both SATA Controllers.

Do you happen to know where the onboard DRCT header is?

xeromist wrote:


Justin's bedside manner sucks


That's why I stay away from beds! :rolleyes:;):cool:

If you have 53 seconds look to what you have plugged in and the configurations. Check my specs, Im booting cold start every time, fast boot is disabled, and up to log in in about 15 seconds.

One of the biggest killers are large capacity spinners, especially 5200 RPM and especially with CSM enabled.

Try stripping it back to alleviate what is causing the extended bios pinging.



“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, I'm not sure about the former” ~ Albert Einstein

Hi @aan3kk,

Did you find a way for the "Directkey" feature to work through a chassis reset switch in the end? My switch is connected to the only reset header I found on the motherboard and "DirectKey (DRCT)" is enabled inside UEFI, but it doesn't work as intended, just as a classic reset switch. I'd really like for this feature to work properly, it would be so convenient.

midlife_crisis wrote:
Hi @aan3kk,

Did you find a way for the "Directkey" feature to work through a chassis reset switch in the end? My switch is connected to the only reset header I found on the motherboard and "DirectKey (DRCT)" is enabled inside UEFI, but it doesn't work as intended, just as a classic reset switch. I'd really like for this feature to work properly, it would be so convenient.


The manual / website is wrong. There is no DRCT header on the mainboard. All you can do it so install their software for that feature which requires you to connect your keyboard to a special USB port and it then triggers on eg. Ctrl+F1. But to be honest the software is pure crap and the reboot into BIOS didn't worked always.

Instead I use Windows itself to reboot into BIOS. PC Settings > Update and Security > Restore > Extended Start. Maybe there is the possibility to use a shortcut for this.

aan3kk wrote:
The manual / website is wrong. There is no DRCT header on the mainboard. All you can do it so install their software for that feature which requires you to connect your keyboard to a special USB port and it then triggers on eg. Ctrl+F1. But to be honest the software is pure crap and the reboot into BIOS didn't worked always.

Instead I use Windows itself to reboot into BIOS. PC Settings > Update and Security > Restore > Extended Start. Maybe there is the possibility to use a shortcut for this.


@aan3kk,

Yeah, I thought so. Indeed, I'm using both keyboard (just pressing "Del" for 2 sec from S5 state works for me) and Windows methods. I guess, at least, it's better than the "press F2 or Del" lottery at boot up.

Thank you

xeromist
Moderator
I'll let someone who owns one chime in regarding whether 52 sec is similar to what they see and address your header question, but that time doesn't strike me as out of the ordinary for a full desktop system.

A lot of the boot time comes prior to OS loading so storage speed and CPU speed really don't count for much. That's why assuming a new system should be faster than an older one doesn't work. If you are seeing a slowdown during OS loading then that may be cause for concern. Fast storage and a relatively plain OS install should have that done pretty fast. Slow OS loads may improve by changing a single driver or startup software.

Also keep in mind that not every part of the boot process is optional or configurable. There are many features on premium boards that will always be initialized and will always take time so even if you strip everything you can you may not shave much time.

For further reading there was also this recent thread you might find interesting:
http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?90578-Slow-boot-discussion-(X99)
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…

Chino
Level 15