Problem with Installing OS on New System

[Evenflown]

I finally have the system together after waiting an extra week for a new power supply to come in because the orignal PS was faulty, and now I am having trouble with installing XP Pro.. WTF.

During the loading setup files it says "so and so can't be loaded. error code 7" I look it up on microsoft.com and it says the cause is usually related to BIOS not working right with ACPI and to hit F7 during the "press F6 to install third party or raid drivers" screen. So I hit F7 and it bypasses the ACPI load and it starts unloading all of it's files, but during the unloading process it will freeze on a file and then the computer shuts down and it won't turn back on.

I have to unplug the power supply for several minutes just to get the computer to turn back on, and usually I have to also unplug the CD-ROM from the motherboard and the power supply. This keeps happening. What is going on?

 

[ddmcp2000]

That does not sound to me like software, but a hardware issue. What is giving it away is the fact that you have to unplug the power, and the CDROM chain. Software goes away when you reboot, reset, or power off, WITHOUT unplugging the PS...

How about some specifics about your hardware? MOBO, CPU, RAM, OC'ing or not, OEM RAM and CPU, PS wattage... maybe than we can help a little more.

 

[Evenflown]

Mobo: Chaintech CT-7NJL6 w\ NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 chipset
CPU: AMD XP 3gz
Video Card: PNY 6600GT 128MB
Swaped out the CD-ROM and put in a DVD-Rom

Swaped out the Maxtor 160GB EIDE HD ATA-133 with an older 40gb drive still the same results...

Sometimes the Install makes it past the error code 7 and starts to load all the files, but it always seems to freeze during the install and then the computer shuts down and won't turn back on unless I turn it off and leave it for several minutes. I don't actually have to unhook the CD-ROM I've found.

The setup for windows xp has made it the furthest believe it or not, with out the harddrive hooked up(forgot to plug it back in one time)

I can't figure out what the heck is going on. About ready to take it down to a computer store and pay the 200 to have them fix the problem for me...

 

[Prydonian]

The fact that you say that you have to let it sit for a while before it will start up again suggests to me that you might be experiencing an overheat problem with the CPU and/or the hard drive.

Verify the CPU fan is spinning correctly. If it is, remove the fan and heatsink (Wear a ground strap!!), clean everything properly, re-apply thermal grease and reassemble making sure the heatsink is FULLY in contact with the CPU. Make sure it is installed correctly; some models may not fully contact the CPU when turned 180 degrees.

You don't say what brand HD you have. Seagates tend to run warmer than most others, but they should not be HOT to the touch. A digital thermometer might come in handy. Radio Shack sells a cheap model...

Worth a try before spending $200....

Mike, The IT Guy

Life is too short to drink warm beer....

 

[BadBigBen]

@EvenFlown - Clear the CMOS/BIOS settings, go into the BIOS setting, load Default Settings, change PLUG-N-PLAY OS to NO, turn off the SMART MONITORING for DRIVES, turn off VirusChecking, then thit F10 (Exit and Save)...
You also didn't specify what size the PSU is? or how the old PSU died, etc. this can be very useful in finding the culprit...



@Zinda89 - Please, and I stress PLEASE, when you answer put them into paragraph form, if you are unsure what I mean, see the post right above yours...
It is so much easier to read it that way, then the way you have written your post... thank you for your time...


Ben

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

 

[Evenflown]

Hey guys, don't have much time right now to post, about to head out the door to work, but I'll fill you all in one what has been going on.

It turns out that it for some reason, had something to do with the ram slot. I changed the ram chip from slot 1 to slot 3 and now I am no longer getting the windows error 7. The windows XP setup begings to load fine, loading all the files, and then it gets to "Starting windows setup" and I get a windows stop error.

My hard drive is a Maxtor 160GB EIDE HD 7200/8MB/ATA-133
for those of you who wanted to know. PSU is 400w.

I am not even able to make it to the screen to partition and format the hardrive. I threw in a floppy and did it the old fashion way with fdisk and format.exe to get it formated and partitioned. But still nothing.

When I get home from work tonight I will try some of the things suggested. Please let me know if you guys can think of anything else. Thanks.

-Mike

 

[BadBigBen]

Yep, RAM compatibility could be the culprit here...

have you tried to update the BIOS to the latest?

Ben

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

 

[Evenflown]

Yeah the BIOS is updated. The thing is I moved the ram from slot 1 to slot 3 and it got past the error code 7. Now it is giving me a windows stop error. I've switched out every componet but the CPU and the motherboard and the ram (Switched slots but didn't switch ram chip).. So I don't know what the deal is. Any ideas?

 

[franklin97355]

Run diagnostics on the system. Get Memtest and a download from your HD manuf. to test the memory and hard drive. Test each for several hours to let them heat up. Check MS site and the MOBO manual for compatability issues with the components you chose.

 

[ceh4702]

The STOP error is normally caused by bad hardware. Often it is the RAM. If you have some other kind of RAM or even slower RAM try it and see if it works. Some motherboards are picky when it comes to specific RAM Slots and the configuration of the RAM modules. The RAM itself may be good but incompatible, or it may be defective.

What Kind of RAM do you have?

Namebrand?
Don't Know?
Generic?

The highest stess is put on the computer when it boots up. If you have a faulty power supply that is usually when it gives up. A fluctuating power issue can cause hard drive and RAM issues. You might also have a heat issue on the CPU.

If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[Evenflown]

Thanks everyone for the help. It ended up being the ram. The brand given to by TigerDirect.com in the barbone kit I got was a crappy brand that the guy at the computer store never even heard of. He gave me some Buffalo ram and it's been working great so far.

Thank's again everyone for the help.

 

[BadBigBen]

Glad you got it sorted out... and that it was a compatibility problem of the RAM in use and not something real expensive...

good luck...

Ben

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