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Just built my first PC, Windows won't boot, help?

SimBenSimBen Hodor?Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
Alright people, here's the story. I just acquired the necessary components to essentially build my computer back from the ground up (keeping my previous case, HD, DVD drive and not much else). I got all the parts except for the video card, which I won't get until tomorrow, but I figured I'd try it out with the on-board graphics.

I assembled everything in what I thought was a proper manner, but now when I try booting it up it makes it all the way to the Windows XP pre-loading (i*.e. the little ASCII bar fills up), then it reboots completely to the BIOS. If I let it go, it'll do this over and over again. Could anyone more well-versed in this help? Or at least point me towards the probable source of the problem?

Here's my set-up:
-Intel motherboard model DG965WH with C2D E6600 CPU - it has one IDE port and six SATA ports
-My old HD and DVD drives, IDE. I have an IDE-SATA adapter that I originally put in my HD, then switched over to the DVD drive when the original attempt didn't work - to no avail.
-lol ram

I suspect the issue is either some IDE/SATA screw-up or the CPU overheating (though the CPU fan DOES work properly and I've been performing most of the tests with the case wide open anyway). Any help will... help.

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SimBen on

Posts

  • RookRook Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Does it even boot to safe mode?

    It's fairly unlikely that it's overheating, you should be able to monitor the CPU temp in the Bios under health status.

    Personally, I'd probably try memtest just to check the ram, try booting to a linux distro on CD and then a reformat and reinstall windows.

    Rook on
  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Nope, safe mode doesn't work.

    Sure, I'd reformat... if I had any way of doing a back-up... arrrrgh.

    SimBen on
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  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Okay, I found an old Ubuntu live CD I had laying around... tried to boot it and it froze at some point during the boot sequence. This at least tells me the problem is neither my CPU nor my HD.

    I did a memtest and I had a fail (it's still running right now). According to the diagram that came with my MB, my RAM (two 1GB strips) are placed on "Channel A, DIMM 0" and "Channel A, DIMM 1". Is it possible I need to put them in a different configuration for the system to properly recognize them?

    SimBen on
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  • bigwahbigwah Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    If you have more than one memory stick, remove the extra ones. Also, if you still get problems, put the stick in a different DIMM slot. Had a dimm semi die on me and took way too much time to figure out what the issue was.

    bigwah on
    LoL Tribunal:
    "Was cursing, in broken english at his team, and at our team. made fun of dead family members and mentioned he had sex with a dog."
    "Hope he dies tbh but a ban would do."
  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    According to the MB's PDF I found online, the memory configuration was indeed wrong - I needed to put both of them in DIMM 0.

    That doesn't solve the problem, though, and I still get a Fail on the memtest. :(

    SimBen on
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  • That_GuyThat_Guy I don't wanna be that guy Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Try using just one stick at a time to see if it will boot.

    That_Guy on
  • NeakyNeaky Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Did you set the voltage in the bios for the memory?

    I'd also setup the timings and the speed as well for the memory in the bios while you are there, I've never had auto work for me.

    Neaky on
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  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Ubuntu locks up every time I try to boot it after a line that says "Assume root bridge bus is 0". I have no idea what that means.

    About setting the voltage... what voltage should I set it at? I can't find any reference to it anywhere on my RAM's package or documentation...

    SimBen on
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  • NeakyNeaky Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Well, tell me what ram you have and lets go from there.

    Auto is usually 1.8v, so you can try 1.9, 2.0 and 2.1 but I wouldn't go any higher without knowing what it should be set at.

    Neaky on
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  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Neaky wrote: »
    Well, tell me what ram you have and lets go from there.

    Auto is usually 1.8v, so you can try 1.9, 2.0 and 2.1 but I wouldn't go any higher without knowing what it should be set at.

    2x1GB Kingston DDR2 800MHz.

    Also, under Memory options in the BIOS, the things I can change are Memory Frequency, tCL, tRCD, tRP and tRASmin. You'll kind of have to hold my hand through all these things I know nothing about. :P

    SimBen on
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  • NeakyNeaky Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Set it to 1.8v. Most Kingston ram use 1.8v.

    Neaky on
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  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Okay... how? :P

    SimBen on
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  • NeakyNeaky Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    In your bios. It should be under Advanced Chipset features or some thing close to that.

    Neaky on
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  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    SimBen wrote: »
    Also, under Memory options in the BIOS, the things I can change are Memory Frequency, tCL, tRCD, tRP and tRASmin. You'll kind of have to hold my hand through all these things I know nothing about. :P

    After many more tests (including a successful launch of Ubuntu if I use a special parameter), and a failure to even format and reinstall my HD (I get a BSOD in the process), I've decided that my HD probably got corrupted somehow during the build, or that there's some incompatibility with the IDE/SATA converter, or SOMETHING that makes it unusable with my new build. I think I'm just gonna get a new HD today when I go get my gfx card, my old one was full to the brim anyway. Hopefully I'll still be able to access my old HD when booting on the new one so I can back-up the REALLY essential stuff.
    lol pr0n
    I mean pictures of my ex
    pr0n of my ex?
    :winky:

    SimBen on
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  • RookRook Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    That_Guy wrote: »
    Try using just one stick at a time to see if it will boot.

    This should be your next step. Make sure you run memtest on the single sticks as well. To be honest it just sounds like you need to send them back for a replacement, but best to be sure that everything else works first.

    Rook on
  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Rook wrote: »
    That_Guy wrote: »
    Try using just one stick at a time to see if it will boot.

    This should be your next step. Make sure you run memtest on the single sticks as well. To be honest it just sounds like you need to send them back for a replacement, but best to be sure that everything else works first.

    I already did that. I did it again just to be sure. I get the same results no matter what configuration I put the memory in (I tried putting them in different DIMMs too in case one of them was defective).

    The only other thing I can think of is that there's something wrong with the SATA slot I put the HD in. I'm gonna put it in another one right now, see if that works. If it doesn't, I'll pretty much have eliminated every element other than the HD itself.

    SimBen on
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  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Oh hey, I managed to make it worse somehow. Now the whole thing won't even boot up - pressing the power button does nothing at all, it doesn't even start the fans or anything. Though using the power supply's I/O switch does make them spin for a second and lights up the LEDs. I checked the power button contact a million times. One time I DID manage to turn the thing on, which led to only the thing doing three long beeps, which, when I looked it up in the manual, means "Memory error".

    Well fuck then. I guess both my strips are fucked or something. Gonna take them back to the store when I go later today.

    SimBen on
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  • RookRook Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    SimBen wrote: »
    Well fuck then. I guess both my strips are fucked or something. Gonna take them back to the store when I go later today.

    Yeah, that's what failing memtest means.

    Rook on
  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Okay, so it seems the issue was not hardware-related at all. It was just XP not recognizing the chipset and being a dick about it. I went and bought a new HD (I was sorely overdue for one anyway) and as soon as I can get Vista on it, I will.

    SimBen on
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  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    In the end I had to buy a brand-new DVD drive, but it finally worked!

    I'm now cruisin' on awesome.

    SimBen on
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  • MonoxideMonoxide Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited April 2008
    SimBen wrote: »
    Okay, so it seems the issue was not hardware-related at all. It was just XP not recognizing the chipset and being a dick about it. I went and bought a new HD (I was sorely overdue for one anyway) and as soon as I can get Vista on it, I will.

    I would really make sure that this is the case, considering that it failed memtest and Ubuntu wouldn't boot (both of which have nothing to do with Windows), before you keep using it beyond your warranty period.

    There could still be something wrong with the hardware there, most likely memory or motherboard related. Run memtest again, at the very least.

    Monoxide on
  • SimBenSimBen Hodor? Hodor Hodor.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Monoxide wrote: »
    SimBen wrote: »
    Okay, so it seems the issue was not hardware-related at all. It was just XP not recognizing the chipset and being a dick about it. I went and bought a new HD (I was sorely overdue for one anyway) and as soon as I can get Vista on it, I will.

    I would really make sure that this is the case, considering that it failed memtest and Ubuntu wouldn't boot (both of which have nothing to do with Windows), before you keep using it beyond your warranty period.

    There could still be something wrong with the hardware there, most likely memory or motherboard related. Run memtest again, at the very least.

    It was the DVD drive. I was running Ubuntu off of a live CD, and the Windows installs didn't work because of it.

    And I did get the RAM switched in with a shiny new set before I managed to install, when I was still observing my options. Crisis is averted, and BioShock is beautiful.

    SimBen on
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