Re: New installation of Windows Xp Pro

taurell wrote:

> I built the system. The bios sees the harddrive and ram. I don't get
> any
> beeps and every thing says it is there. I have even exchanged the cd
> rom
> thinking it was bad. It did the same thing. If the ram was bad that
> I bought won't I get beeps at the start?

No, you wouldn't necessarily get beeps unless the RAM was improperly
seated or the wrong voltage. Since you built the machine yourself, you
should strip it down and test everything. Reseat all cables and make
sure you're using the right ones for your hardware. Don't try to
install an operating system with anything installed except the bare
basics and nothing connected to the box except for keyboard/mouse.
Since you are having issues, that means don't even put in a soundcard
or nic, just the optical and hard drives, RAM, and video card.

Make sure you've installed the motherboard properly with all necessary
standoffs. I'm not trying to insult your mad skilz here - I have no
idea what your skill level is.

You again didn't give us any hardware specs. If you are using SATA
drives, did you install the drivers at the F6 prompt during the XP
install? Otherwise, here are some testing suggestions:

1) Open the computer and run it open after cleaning out all dust
bunnies. Observe all fans and make sure you attached all fans properly
to motherboard.

2) Test the RAM - I like Memtest86+ from www.memtest.org. Obviously, you
have to get the program from a working machine. You will either
download the precompiled Windows binary to make a bootable floppy or
the .iso to make a bootable cd. If you want to use the latter, you'll
need to have third-party burning software on the machine where you
download the file - XP's built-in burning capability won't do the job.
In either case, boot with the media you made. The test will run
immediately. Let the test run for an hour or two - unless errors are
seen immediately. If you get any errors, replace the RAM.

3) Test the hard drive with a diagnostic utility from the mftr. Download
the file and make a bootable floppy or cd with it. Boot with the media
and do a thorough test. If the drive has physical errors, replace it.

4) The power supply may be going bad or be inadequate for the devices
you have in the system. The adequacy issue doesn't really apply to a
laptop, although of course the power supply can be faulty. Make sure
you've installed a powerful enough one and that all connectors are
properly in place.

5) Test the motherboard with something like TuffTest from
www.tufftest.com. Sometimes this is useful, and sometimes it isn't.

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
.

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