Asus A8v rev2.0 issue w/ winxp sp2 install

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Ok here is my setup, just received it this received afternoon:

A64 (90mn) 3500+
Asus A8V Deluxe rev 2.0 bios version 1007
Antec 480w PSU
zalman cnps 7000-Cu
2- 512mb Crucial Ballistix DDR400 DIMMs running in dual channel
XFX Geforce 6800GT
45gb 5400 RPM Western Digital WD450 IDE HDD (waiting for new ones in a few weeks)
Plextor PX-708A DVD-/+R CR-R/W Writer


here is the problem:

i put everything together and turned on power, goes through POST ok but is rather long (1-1.5 minutes when detecting drives), finds the IDE harddrive and cd writer fine. i went into bios, and basically left all defaults except i disabled the SATA BOOTROM and Enabled the Promise Controller and set Operationg Mode to Onboard IDE Operation Mode, all of which are under the Advanced -> Onboard Devices Config menu. After i saved the settings, rebooted and booted from CD to the Windows XP w/ SP2 installation. I get through all the pre-install installion fine, i am able to reformat the IDE drive to NTFS and process to get to the real install when about 60% of the way through the Installing Devices portion of the windows install it hangs for about 5 minutes, with no hdd or cd activity, then i get the dreaded windows blue fatal error screen. It contains the following:

Technical Information:

0x000000F4 (0x00000003, 0x86293c08, 0x86293d74, 0x805c749a)

that is all of the information ive gotten about the 10 times ive tried it now, the 2 middle sets of numbers seem to random each time.

Do i have the wrong settings in the bios for using just a regular IDE drive? I have tried using just one stick of RAM to no avail. Also tried using 2 different install discs of winxp w/ sp2. Any idea of what can be causing this?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[mechBgon]

Welcome to the Forums Looks like a sweet rig and here are my ideas:

1) Raise the memory voltage to 2.7 volts if you didn't already, AUTO is usually only 2.5V and that makes fancy memory look like this -->

2) Since you mention the really slow detection of the hard drives, and you have a Western Digital drive, check the drive's label to see if they have a Single Drive setting. I know with the current WD drives, if they're on their own cable, they need to be set for Single Drive or they'll cause that slow detection and oftentimes a complete POST hang.

3) Since you have no SATA drives, you can rule out the Promise controller regardless of whether it's in RAID mode or IDE mode. On your motherboard, it's only governing the SATA_RAID1 and SATA_RAID2 plugs, and those are currently vacant. In fact, you might want to disable the Promise controller in the BIOS just to eliminate Windows having to detect it and decide what to do with it.


I'm pinning the majority of my hopes on #1 and #2 there. Good luck!

 

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Thanks mech, gald to be here.

Ok, i raised the memory voltage like you suggested, doubled checked the jumper on the hdd that it was set as single drive, and also disabled the promise controller in the bios. In the process of formatting and reinstalling windows as we speak, hopefully i can get past Installing Devices without a BSOD ill be back with a conclusion in 30 mins.


wish me luck

 

[mechBgon]

Good luck! Hopefully you'll be blasting your way through Doom3 for the rest of the weekend

 

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Looks like you were right, must have been the ram voltage, everything seems to running fine now, hope no more BSODs.

thank you for your help very much, ive been trying to figure this out most of the day.

 

[mechBgon]