So I left my old PC behind in Kansas, and grabbed a new one from my uncle. 7900GT, 80GB WD Caviar SE, AMD64 3200+, 2x512mb of G.Skill DDR400, a couple other niceties.

Thing is, it cuts off whenever I try to install windows.

Now I bought (and returned, because it didn't fix it) a Maxtor 160gb IDE drive from Staples, replaced the PSU (though the other PSU may not have been 100%, it still doesn't matter as the exact same problem persisted), replaced the RAM (still didn't give it away) and am about to pop a PCI video card in there just to see if that's it. The only thing I haven't checked is the BIOS (I don't know what could cause this kind of problem) and the CPU.

If anyone has ANY ideas, please give me some help, because otherwise this thing just will. Not. Run.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure it's never restarted before I get to the "Starting windows" thing, not sure (when windows installs). It always happens right after formatting and right before the windows mini-install app starts up. I'm not sure why. Tried multiple installation discs.

You know, the bad thing for you about me being in the military is that I keep getting closer to you. Where are you from in Kansas? I live in Manhattan now.

Just something I noticed...

I lived in Hays, about 90 miles west of Salina. Used to live in Junction City and Lawrence though. I also live in Alabama now, so the point is moot.

I would try running memtest from a bootcd overnight. And looking in the bios to see if your temps are running high.

it might be a problem with your windows cd

reset bios to failsafe defaults and turn of integrated sound/lan/etc

make sure ram is set to correct speed

turn off anything relating to raid, and the sata controller if you are not using it

This exact thing happened on my brother's computer as well. It wasn't until we replaced damn near every component that it worked. Strangely enough, we could install any other operating system. Just not Windows XP SP2. We tried many different medias, too.

It could be your IDE controller is fubar or something. It's probably an issue with your motherboard.

(I assume you've already tried booting in safe mode, ect)

There's no safe mode when there's no OS.

But it's the 12v rail on both PSU's. Hooked it up to a working PSU yesterday and everything went hunky dory.

I ****ing hate powersupplies--they give you no end of grief without ever letting you know they're the component dying.

I don't build computers myself anymore because of lame things like that. :/

Power supplies are evil. One of mine caught on fire before.

You also pay an extra grand on average for the same components.

I'll take a week of frustration and an extra few hundred bucks in my pocket.

:/

Last desktop I had a friend built for me for like $100 on top of the cost of picking out the parts and getting them shipped for me. :/

I had a Dell before that, that I only paid like $700 for.

I know how you feel. I build them myself too. Mostly from other people's older computers, and mostly they work without problems. I usually don't mess with Motherboards and Power supplies though. But lately I've been having a lot of trouble with my PC...

I'm having a weird problem. It's running windows fine, but whenever I play a game it crashes after 5 minutes or so. Everything runs great and at high resolution, but, it just keeps crashing. Any game, old, new doesn't matter. I've tried reinstalling, replacing RAM, replacing videocards (unfortunately I only have a couple of older AGP models) - nothing helps. Really frustrating. I'm beginning to think it's my processor that gets too heated, because the fan looks pretty clogged up. Only problem is, it's a really strange fan model, and I've been looking and trying for hours for a way to get it off, but I just can't figure it out. I really don't want to force it, but I can't find the 'correct' way to get it off. Ugh.

Take the whole heatsink and fan assembly off the CPU then. Or if you are scared to do that, get a can of compressed air and it'll empty that thing in no time.

Still 200 dollars more than I'd pay for it, and I'd never pay for a dell desktop. That's just putting 2-300 dollars in dell's pocket everytime you buy one.


What CM said, or it might even be the powersupply believe it or not.

Wooooootles. I have friends here at KU from Hays, Yosh.

And Wookie I didn't know you were in Manhattan, toight.

What's their names? I know a lot of the KU attendees. I probably know every sophomore.

I'm sick of Windows XP Pro.

I assumed my Onboard sound card was randomly creating blue screens so I added a nice card and it still does it (more so)

I'm so sick of its utter ****eness I'm going Vista Premium 64

Haha, yeah, Vista is sure to be the fix for all of your problems.

Especially with soundcards. If you have a creative it DEFINITELY will.

ALRIGHTY! So I got my computer working (with two PSU's who are gimped alone, fun ****) but now the DVD/CD-RW drive won't read DVDs (at least burned ones, haven't tried any commercial ones yet, updated the firmware) and the onboard sound doesn't work.

I'm thinking it's a driver problem, but I don't know how to look up my motherboard's model number through windows. If anyone has any clue on how to do that, please give me an answer.

pop open the case and look. most mobos have a brand and model number stamped on them.

Usually what I do, but all I can find stamped on it is "BFGTECH LOLOLOLOLOL"

God I hate BFG.

look on bfgtech's website and find the one that looks most like it?

If all else fails I just might have to...we'll see.

look into a thing with a Svchost.exe taking a ton of RAM involving Windows Autoupdate, i used to have that problem

CPU-Z could probably tell you about your motherboard.

Good idea, I'll try that, thanks. It's not that I'm afraid, I would if I could figure out how to take it off properly.



I certainly hope it isn't. My powersupply is only connected to three devices though, a DVD players and a DVD burner, and just one internal HD. That is not counting the diskdrive. However, it may simply be dysfunctional. I'll try cleaning the CPU first, haha.



I've been wondering about that. Right now I 'm seeing seven instances of svchost.exe, all of them are taking up about 4 to 5 megs a piece, but one instances is over 20 Mb. I got a Gb of RAM though, but why on earth would I need so many instances of this? I don't even know what it does.

My previous computer had a similar sort of problem, before I switched to this one. I remember seeing the same thing there. I'll look it up, thanks.

Okay, now my sound just won't work period. I got an SB Audigy and it still won't ****ing work. It worked for a while, then I unplugged the speakers and now it refuses to work (stopped working right after I unplugged them). Jesus ****ing christ I hate creative.

I know Vista has its issues. And sadly I do have a SB XtremeGamer....

But the sodding thing barely works in XP. ANY improvement will be good.

did you try plugging them back in...

>.>
<.<

Yeah. I reseated the card and now it works fine :wtc:

***. Their driver team is unbelievably incompetent.