Help! Installation stuck, code 51 (memory initialization error)

[julianliu]

Hi, everyone, I just built my first PC and want to install El Capitan on it (a little ambitious for first time builder). I had difficulty going to the BIOS (fixed) and going into the Clover boot screen (by hitting F10, not F12 for Gigabyte motherboard). After I choose to boot from my USB which is loaded with El Capitan through Unitbeast, the installation was stuck with apple logo and status bar stays empty (0%) after a while ( more than 10 mins). At the same time, there is code 51 shown on moatherboard. 51 denotes memory initializaiton error occurs according to Gigabyte manual. Even though I had this memory error occurred earlier, which lead to computer unbootable even to BIOS, but I think I fixed this error because I can see BIOS shows RAM of 16 GB (only one slot).
I plugged the thumb drive to USB 3.0 at the back of motherboard close to HDMI as some people suggested (all USB at the back are 3.0). I use wireless keyboard and have a adapter connected to the front panel USB 2.0.

Can anyone please help to tell me anything could be wrong? By the way, I use only one Samsung M.2 SSD drive installed to the M.2 slot close to the CPU (there is another one between PCI slots). I think the SSD needs to be formatted to Journal format before installing El Capitan? but I could not find out how to format it with Clover before I install OS X. Any ideas?

Btw, I had difficulty loading to BIOS even though I fixed it. I had to clear CMOS lots of times.

Please help. I had been trying to install the OS X for several days and have been reading posts here but still could not figure out why. Thanks to you all for any comments.

Julian

 

[allennobles]

Hi, everyone, I just built my first PC and want to install El Capitan on it (a little ambitious for first time builder). I had difficulty going to the BIOS (fixed) and going into the Clover boot screen (by hitting F10, not F12 for Gigabyte motherboard). After I choose to boot from my USB which is loaded with El Capitan through Unitbeast, the installation was stuck with apple logo and status bar stays empty (0%) after a while ( more than 10 mins). At the same time, there is code 51 shown on moatherboard. 51 denotes memory initializaiton error occurs according to Gigabyte manual. Even though I had this memory error occurred earlier, which lead to computer unbootable even to BIOS, but I think I fixed this error because I can see BIOS shows RAM of 16 GB (only one slot).
I plugged the thumb drive to USB 3.0 at the back of motherboard close to HDMI as some people suggested (all USB at the back are 3.0). I use wireless keyboard and have a adapter connected to the front panel USB 2.0.

Can anyone please help to tell me anything could be wrong? By the way, I use only one Samsung M.2 SSD drive installed to the M.2 slot close to the CPU (there is another one between PCI slots). I think the SSD needs to be formatted to Journal format before installing El Capitan? but I could not find out how to format it with Clover before I install OS X. Any ideas?

Btw, I had difficulty loading to BIOS even though I fixed it. I had to clear CMOS lots of times.

Please help. I had been trying to install the OS X for several days and have been reading posts here but still could not figure out why. Thanks to you all for any comments.

Julian

Did you ever figure this out? I seem to be having a similar issue.

 

[mblum93]

I am also having this issue!

 

[mblum93]

I found a fix for my problem on an Amazon review of my motherboard from Amazon user cac22 (who saved me hours and probably hundreds of dollars!!). Here is what cac22 said:

ERROR 51: I DO PUT CAP LOCKS BECAUSE THIS ERROR ON BOOT UP COST ME 250$ TO LEARN AND FIX... THE ERROR 51 ON BOOT UP MEANS A MEMORY INITIALIZATION ISSUE. I WENT OUT AND BOUGHT A NEW SET OF MEMORY AND IT DID NOT CHANGE A THING... DO NOT MAKE SAME MISTAKE. ERROR 51 IS GENERATED BY THUNDERBOLT...IF YOU DO NOT NEED THUNDERBOLT, THEN DISABLE IT IN BIOS AND IT WILL REMOVE ERROR 51 THAT STAYS STUCK DURING BOOT-UP AND EVEN AFTER AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MEMORY. I had to find this potential fix in an old 2013 post about some other motherboard...and that was it. If you have error 51 even after turning off Thunderbolt in BIOS, then you might have a real issue with memory.​

 

[machound]

Thanks! Disabling Thunderbolt worked for stopping the ERROR 51 on my Z170X-UD5 TH under Sierra.

 

[renatocg]

Same for me, I was worried I would have to buy new memory. Soon I will post pictures from my brand new CustoMac! )))

 

[vcattoir]

Hello,
I have the same issue (first build but trying with sierra stuck at black screen with error 51 previoulsy) but removing thunderbolt only removes the led problem. The error now is A0 which i think is not really an error but still impossible to go on with the installation. It just stops and all USB devices disable. I tried using multiple clover options and the verbose shows that it does not stop exactly at the same place every time. I really do not know what to do.

Thanks for the help you could bring

 

[cubano]

I found a fix for my problem on an Amazon review of my motherboard from Amazon user cac22 (who saved me hours and probably hundreds of dollars!!). Here is what cac22 said:

ERROR 51: I DO PUT CAP LOCKS BECAUSE THIS ERROR ON BOOT UP COST ME 250$ TO LEARN AND FIX... THE ERROR 51 ON BOOT UP MEANS A MEMORY INITIALIZATION ISSUE. I WENT OUT AND BOUGHT A NEW SET OF MEMORY AND IT DID NOT CHANGE A THING... DO NOT MAKE SAME MISTAKE. ERROR 51 IS GENERATED BY THUNDERBOLT...IF YOU DO NOT NEED THUNDERBOLT, THEN DISABLE IT IN BIOS AND IT WILL REMOVE ERROR 51 THAT STAYS STUCK DURING BOOT-UP AND EVEN AFTER AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MEMORY. I had to find this potential fix in an old 2013 post about some other motherboard...and that was it. If you have error 51 even after turning off Thunderbolt in BIOS, then you might have a real issue with memory.​

hey man I don't know how old is this but thx a lot I got the same code 51 n I just disable the TB n got the A0 I know that means ok, thx..........