BSOD on fresh install of Win2k and WinXP- Mobo problem?

[sunil5]

Hi all,

This one has me baffled...

I'm trying to re-install Win XP on a custom built PC; reason being that the owner kept seeing the BSOD.

Anyway so I thought id totally format the hard drive and re-install XP but probably about 5mins into the setup I get the BSOD error. I have tried many attempts- both with XP and Win 2000 Pro.

I've also changed most of the components (and even taken out any unnecessary ones, i.e. just the mobo, CPU and CD drive.

The only thing I haven't changed is the mobo- because it is a AMD and I have no other AMD board to check with.

P.S. I've also flashed the BIOS to the latest version.

Any help/information on this would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Sunil

 

[wolluf]

What's on the BSOD? Exactly when does it occur (always at same point?)

History would be useful - eg, has machine ever functioned ok - if so, when did BSOD start and any changes to hardware/software which happened before this?

Getting BSOD on install does sound like a hardware problem - have you checked cpu fan/cpu temperature? Which components have you not changed?

 

[ImpetusEra]

Sounds like hardware, but if you've tried with bare components then it gets frustrating. Have you tried different ram? Ram, power supply and cd drive would be good places to start. You could get memtest on a floppy or put it on a cd even and test the ram. Try partitioning the hard drive and extract the windows cd to a directory on it and install that way. No usb devices connected during install?

 

[BadBigBen]

Hola,

1.) Clear CMOS to start with...

2.) Load Default settings... turn off Antiviral check, set Plug-n-Play OS to NO, turn off SMART on drives... Exit and Save...

3.) just to be on the safe side, change IDE cables...

Questions:

1.) how old is the Mobo?

2.) are the Caps (Capacitors) OK, ie. no buldging and no leakage?

Just some Food for thought here...




Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[sunil5]

Hi all,

Yeah, sorry for the lack of spec and specific error messages.

Having worked on this problem yesterday and today, I thought of changing the CPU clock mulitpler. It was set to 133Mhz which I changed to 100MHz (via jumper on mobo).

The board make/model is a Gigabyte GA-DX7E (AMD).

Having changed the CPU speed, installs of both Win 2k and XP were faultless -- the computer is running fine now. Although, it has been running on the 133Mhz setting for over a year prior...

P.S. Where would one start in deciphering the BSOD error messages?

Although I did not state the error message here, I did a search in google and got no results. I understand the basic concept of BSODs but how would I found out exactly what component/factor is causing fault?

Thanks for all the replies.

Sunil

 

[ImpetusEra]

Does it have PC100 or PC133 ram in it?

 

[sunil5]

The RAM is a 256MB DDR- 266Mhz (PC2100)

 

[addy]

Well, PC2100 should run fine at 133MHz. Could well be a bad stick of RAM that for some reason won't run at it's default speeds. Are you able to test the system using a different stick of RAM to see whether you can run the system at 133MHz?

 

[sunil5]

Addy,

Yep, that's what I thought too about the RAM running fine..

The RAM was indeed one of the components I did change- but still the same thing.

Although the problem is sorted - the CPU isn't working at it's optimum speed of course.

 

[felixc]

It can be that the power supply section of your mobo is running on the border line. It may feed the CPU with a voltage that is off, just enough for it to sometimes get crazy.

Are there any settings for the CPU core voltage settings in your BIOS? Some BIOSes allow for a 5% of play. Give it a try.

 

[Freestone]

Perhaps the CPU fan and/or heatsink needs cleaning. The CPU running at 100MHz would produce less heat.