There is a pretty weird problem with the ASRock ION-330HT. The machine will boot itself from time to time. I did some research together with other ION-330HT owners and I’m pretty sure we narrowed down the problem. If you experience the same issue and really dont know what is going on be sure to read on.
The problem
I use the ASRock ION-330HT together with XBMC as home theater PC which is a great combination. When I first setup the machine the Linux drivers for the internal remote where not yet available so there was no way to control the machine except by using a mouse or keyboard connected to a USB port. But I started noticing the machine was powered on from time to time even though I was sure I had turned it off (with a complete power down). Since there where no Linux drivers available for the internal IR receiver it could not be some other remote that could cause this behaviour.
At first I thought it was perhaps related to XBMC and started a support topic on the forums. Turned out more people where experiencing this issue. After gathering the experiences in that topic I’m pretty sure we have found the source of this behaviour. It turns out plasma and LCD TV’s emit IR interference which can be picked up by the internal IR receiver of the ASRock ION-330HT. This IR interference will result in the maching booting by itself. This will even occur when there is no driver installed as this behaviour is completely OS independant.
The possible solution
If you experience this issue and would like to prevent it, here are your options.
- Disable Onboard CIR Wake Up in the BIOS
By doing so your machine will never power on through the internal IR receiver. It’s a radical solution if you only power on your machine with the button. If you would like to use a remote to power on your box this is not the way. - Try moving your ION-330HT away from your TV
As mentioned the most likely cause is the IR interference of your plasma or LCD TV. Moving your ION-330HT away from your TV could solve your issue. In my case I only had to move the system a couple of inches to almost completely resolve the issue. - Shield the internal IR receiver
Shielding the internal IR receiver with something like a sheet of paper or some tape you could prevent the reception of the IR being emitted by your TV but still allow the signals from the remote to be received. The internal IR receiver can be found at the front left behind the holes
It would like to hear from you if this solved your problem.
Holy Cow…I thought I was the only one going crazy…thinking that I must be losing my mind over this “self-startup” issue. I will try to move the unit first, cover with paper second…or…live with it as a third option..will get back with a post of my hopeful success!
Hello Doron,
Your last resort could be disabling in the BIOS. But this also means you cant boot the box by remote and always have to push the power button ..
Holy Cow…I thought I was the only one going crazy…thinking that I must be losing my mind over this “self-startup” issue. I will try to move the unit first, cover with paper second…or…live with it as a third option..will get back with a post of my hopeful success!
Thank you very much for that hint. I thought I am the only one who has a selb-booting computer. The only possible sollution for me is to disable the CIR-WakeUp, because I use a Logitech Harmony remote with a huge angle of “view” -.-
But yeah, that’s it!
(using a ASRock ION 330 HT-BD)