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Can't boot to windows, can't install windows


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well just as mysteriously as all my problems started, they cleared themselves up. first i was able to install windows on my backup drive, then when i booted up, chkdisk repaired all the damage sectors on my first drive and recovered all the files. what a weird 3 days.

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I think you're deceiving yourself if you think replacing the power supply will fix your problem. You've simply got a corrupt installation here and once you've fixed that, you should be able to carry on as normal.

 

To fix the "load needed DLLs for kernel" error, try doing a repair installation like this:

 

1. Go into the BIOS and set CDROM to first boot device with hard disk second and insert the Windows XP CD. Hit F10 to save & exit.

2. When the installation menu appears, you'll be given three choices which are:

 

To setup Windows XP now, press Enter

 

To repair an existing Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R

 

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3

 

Choose the first one by hitting Enter. Hit F8 to accept the licence agreement and Windows will search for existing installations. Select the Windows installation you want to repair and hit R.

 

It's important that you don't hit Enter when you see the message along the bottom of the screen to "hit any key to boot from the CD" since Windows will simply load the setup menu again if you do. So go into the kitchen and make yourself a cup of coffee while the repair installation is taking place. ;)

 

Oh, and although it seems logical to do so, don't choose the second option to load the Recovery Console because there isn't an option to replace missing files from that menu.

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Worm, as much as we appreciate you trying to help, please do not suggest that we don't know what we are talking about when it comes to power supplies on these boards.

 

while it might not be the power supply causing this situation, our minimum specs for power supplies are 480w true 24-pin native psu's, and we try to steer people into psu's that we know work on these boards that are not the most expensive.

 

too many times in tech support email and in these forums we tell someone their psu does not meet spec, and in the overwhelming majority of those times the user gets the psu that is on the recommended list and the problems go away.

 

the psu is maybe the most important periphial that goes on these motherboards.

 

If the problem is not the power supply, then by getting a correct power supply, that will eliminate that periphial as part of the problem, since the user will now be at or above minimum recommended power. Until that time though, that is (because of our experience dealing with DFI customers and DFI NF4 motherboards) the first and most important aspect of his machine that needs to be corrected.

 

There have been times when issues such as these have not been corrected by having a proper power supply, but those are few and far between compared to those that have learned the hard way.

 

The proper starting place when building a DFI NF4 motherboard, is a proper power supply. We simply cannot have you giving users the idea that we don't know what we are talking about when it comes to power supplies on our motherboards.

 

When you work for DFI and see thousands of users both here and in tech support email as well as telephone, msn, and skype, and have gathered an idea of just how important power supplies are, then you can come into this support forum and tell users such things if they are true. Until then, please do not try to make users think that the power supply is not part of the problem when it does not meet minimum specs.

 

 

Your advice about corrupt windows might help this user, but he will still need to get a power supply that is within minimum specs as he will always have issues with that setup until he does.

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worm, i appreciate the help, but this is beyond a windows installation (which i did eventually do, btw). i'm hanging up at 3 LEDs on startup and sometimes i hang on 1 (i get the splash and hang up there, or i get to POST and can't continue or get into bios).

 

besides, i couldnt/can't get far enough into the windows install to repair.

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Worm, as much as we appreciate you trying to help, please do not suggest that we don't know what we are talking about when it comes to power supplies on these boards.

Angry, with all due respect, not every problem is hardware related. Although the PSU can influence the way a system behaves, it shouldn't be applied as a "one size fits all" solution to every issue that arises and the necessary steps should be taken to eliminate the problem as a software issue before changing parts.

 

I know troubleshooting can be very time-consuming, but to state that every BSOD, particularly Stop 0x000000A is a hardware issue is downright irresponsible in my opinion.

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Guest Bulldog

@Worm

 

I feel the need to spring to the defense of Angry. He and I had a lengthy discussion yesterday, and one of the topics was exactly this. The PSU. The PSU is what I call the "forgotten peripheral" in a system that many people would rather not think about. Any system exists from 5 main components, MB, CPU, Memory, Videocard, and PSU. The first 4 get the "spotlight" and the PSU always seems to come in last place. I have worked as an MB technician at a number of MB makers with branches in Europe (Ik denk dat jij weet als Nederlander dat een groot deel van de Taiwanese MB makers heeft een vestiging in NL) In this time I have been confronted with literally 1000's of issues were an insufficient PSU was to blame. I can therefore independantly confirm what Angry is saying.

 

Note that in Angry's response he nowhere states that upgrading the PSU will resolve the issue for 100%, but rather like any good MB technician he is trying to remove a variable from the equation that is a possible/likely source of the problem. The removal of the variables and sticking to the scientific method to resolve a problem is what sets MB technicians apart from normal computer techs. I hope this doesn't sound arrogant as this is not my intent.

 

You are right to a degree, however. Changing the PSU is not a "one size fits all" solution, but it inkeeping with solving a problem in a structural manner, hardware variables must be ruled out first.

 

As one of the active and responsible members of this forum I feel it necessary to impress this on you. I believe that you are active on Tweakers as well correct? If so then it is my hope that you will pass out responsible advise to the members there based on these principles. As Europe falls under my jurisdiction I don't have much tolerance for misconceptions being spread on European forums, just as Angry and Rgone don't have tolerance for such things in their area.

 

Please don't see this as an attack, on the contrary you seem to be a helpful, knowledgable person that I think will respond well to constructive criticism.

 

-Bedankt voor je aandacht hierop.

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