Motherboard Grrrr: the ASUS M2N-MX SE PLUS -- BAD news...

Sat Jul 26 19:43:43 UTC 2008

if i remember correctly the TLLTS had the guy in charge of linux support for asus on 
about 4-8 months ago,
you could work with the TLLTS to get his email address,
this guy was very nice to come on the TLLTS,
and maybe through that connection, and even 
involving Dan or Linc or most likely Pat to resolve it
and maybe even bring it up in a show as a discussion issue.
- now this isnt directly a linux thing, but since your using linux
for what you want to achieve .....

and i just looked it up it was:
Chad Ricker from Asus technical support
episode 205

-tl

On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:15:14 -0400
"Colin McGregor" <colin.mc151-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org> wrote:

> On 7/26/08, phiscock-g851W1bGYuGnS0EtXVNi6w at public.gmane.org <phiscock-g851W1bGYuGnS0EtXVNi6w at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> > I wonder if Slashdot would publish this? Now *that* would get their
> > attention.
> >
> > There is a precedent for this: Slashdot listed another mobo that had bios
> > issues - it would boot windows but not linux.
> 
> Well, I doubt Slashdot would be anywhere near as interested in the
> story of this motherboard, which will boot Linux off a hard drive
> and/or optical drive, just not off the network. Further unlike the
> Foxconn attitude that seems @#$% Linux users, the attitude I seem to
> be getting from ASUS is pleasant, clueless, but pleasant.
> 
> Any event I did post the letter as one of the comments in the Foxconn
> story, and shall see where that goes...
> 
> Colin.
> 
> > Peter
> >
> >> Just to continue the grumbles I have been having with ASUS re: the
> >> M2N-MX SE PLUS motherboard, below is an e-mail I sent to the staff I
> >> have had contact with at ASUS. Anyone have the e-mail addresses of
> >> senior staff as ASUS that I could forward this on to?
> >>
> >> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> >>
> >> Dear Kara Renner, Elijah Alexander and Blanca Ortiz;
> >>
> >> This e-mail is to note and explain my current unhappiness with the
> >> experiences I have had with  purchase of one of your M2N-MX SE PLUS
> >> motherboards. I have normally been happy with ASUS products, something
> >> I have been very willing to note in publications I have written for,
> >> such as www.linuxjournal.com/article/8219 .
> >>
> >> Before purchasing the M2N-MX SE PLUS motherboard I did take the
> >> precaution of reading the motherboard manual to make sure it supported
> >> net booting, and according to your documentation it does.
> >>
> >> After purchase it took me some time and effort to determine why this
> >> new machine would not net boot. The diagnose process did include
> >> downloading and installing the latest available BIOS. In the end the
> >> issue turned out to be a multicast MAC address burned into the
> >> motherboard. This multicast MAC address makes successful net booting
> >> out of the question. Having determined why the motherboard would not
> >> work, I called your firm, obtained an RMA number (EL864256) and I
> >> shipped the defective motherboard to your facility in Indiana (this in
> >> spite of the fact that your Canadian office is less than a 1 hour
> >> drive from my home). The motherboard was then returned to me,
> >> apparently untouched, as the MAC address on the motherboard had been
> >> not been changed. Further a secondary issue of concern, noted in the
> >> cover letter included with the motherboard, a BIOS bug, "MCFG area at
> >> e0000000 is not E-820-reserved" was not touched.
> >>
> >> Further telephone complaints triggered the shipping of a replacement
> >> BIOS ROM, which by the time it arrived at my location had be knocked
> >> around in transit. After some effort, bending pins I was able to
> >> install the ROM, but found that the motherboard would not even get to
> >> the POST messages after this change. Returning to the original BIOS
> >> ROM would at least allow the motherboard to display the POST messages.
> >>
> >> Additional calls resulted in my obtaining a second RMA number
> >> (2EL874667) and the shipping the motherboard yet again to your office
> >> in Indiana. This time I trust the motherboard will be repaired or
> >> replaced with a AMD AM2+ supporting microATX motherboard that does
> >> actually work.
> >>
> >> Going forward, regardless as to the result of this latest repair
> >> effort, this motherboard is a complete and total failure.
> >>
> >> My goal with this motherboard was to build a prototype basic "dumb"
> >> remote multimedia terminal that could be inexpensively, quickly built
> >> in significant numbers.  For inexpensive, we are talking over $95, $55
> >> for the motherboard, then over $40 for shipping multiple times to your
> >> office, plus a number dollars for incidental costs like long distance
> >> phone calls. The M2N-MX SE PLUS motherboard compares very badly
> >> against your competitors in the $95 price range. In terms of time,
> >> this is not a system that can be assembled quickly. Not only have I
> >> had to spend significant amounts of time assembling / disassembling a
> >> PC around this motherboard. I have also had to spend time
> >> troubleshooting, packing / unpacking and waiting for the repair. I am
> >> now looking a minimum of about two months between purchase and being
> >> able to actually use this motherboard, a figure I do not have the time
> >> to repeat. In other words, this is a prototype I can not repeat. I
> >> will have to look to another motherboard, most likely from another
> >> manufacture, to achieve my original goals.
> >>
> >> You can assume this is the last M2N-MX SE PLUS motherboard I will
> >> purchase, and may be the last ASUS product I will ever purchase. You
> >> can also assume that I will passing word of my poor experiences on via
> >> a number of routes, my writing, my presentations before local user
> >> groups and the mailing lists / web forms to which I belong. This way
> >> the people I know or come in contact with will not make the same
> >> purchasing error I made.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Sincerely,
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Colin McGregor
> >> --
> >> The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
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> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Peter Hiscocks
> > Syscomp Electronic Design Limited, Toronto
> > http://www.syscompdesign.com
> > USB Oscilloscope and Waveform Generator
> > 647-839-0325
> >
> > --
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> > TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
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> >
> --
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> 


-- 
ted leslie <tleslie-RBVUpeUoHUc at public.gmane.org>
--
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