SuB8HaVeN Posted February 7, 2006 Posted February 7, 2006 After getting constant problems I already RMAd the motherboard, PSU, memory, and video card. I've tried different hard drives and optical drives. What happens is that sometimes Windows setup will hang at different times. Sometimes it will install perfect then when you restart it hangs while trying to start up or restarts. I haven't been able to get Windows stabile and I've tried everything. I tried relaxing the timings, loading defaults, etc. The only thing left to swap is the CPU and I don't think that's it. Memtest seems to run fine and doesn't hang. I even ran it overnight for ~7 hours through 15 passes with 0 errors and no lock-ups. I have the Enermax 500W Liberty with the 8-pin EPS plugged in and 24-pin ATX plugged in. I've tried standard DDR400 memory in every combination possible. If it POSTs, it will do the same hangups trying to install Windows. I have my Mushkin DDR500 installed in slots 2/4 (orange slots). I also have a 160GB Seagate SATA1 8MB that has the same issues when installing Windows. My new 320GB Maxtor SATA2 16MB does this as well. I've also tried different SATA cables and power cables. This is plugged into SATA1/2 on the integrated NF4 SATA2 controller. Haven't tried the external SiliconImage SATA1. I've also tried different power supplies (generic 480W, 305W Delta, 350W L&C, 400W Enermax) and all have rock-solid rails and have the same issue. I've tried relaxing the memory timings, raising CPU and memory voltage, etc. I tried loading the defaults, same problem. I've tried different Windows install CDs (Win XP Pro, Win MCE 2005) and all do the same thing. The only thing I haven't swapped out is the CPU and it seems to do fine after running through memtest overnight flawlessly. I've also tried installing with different CD drives, same problem. Also to top it off, my friend built the exact same system as me with the same motherboard, memory, CPU, and video card. His never froze up and runs fine to this day... I have a few questions... 1. The floppy connector over the top PCI-E x16 slot is not required is it? I read in the manual it is only required for SLI operation. Do I HAVE to have this plugged in? Is this my culprit? 2. Windows installs fine without hitting F6 to install nVidia NF4 SATA drivers (I'm not using RAID). Do I have to install the drivers anyways on the floppy disk they bundle with the motherboard? I did install XP successfully once but it wouldn't start back up again. 3. Is there some sort of incompatibility with certain SATA drives? My troubleshooting tends to point towards my hard drive, but I've tried both the 160GB Seagate and 320GB Maxtor with the same problem. Would NCQ cause this problem? 4. Has anyone had issues with the SATA cables DFI provides? Thanks guys, I just really want to get my rig running. I've invested a lot of time and money troubleshooting over the past month, and I've about had it... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuB8HaVeN Posted February 7, 2006 Posted February 7, 2006 Also, will updating the BIOS help? I haven't done this yet but find no reason to... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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