I'm trying to install Windows XP on a blank HD in a system built around an MSI K8NGM2-FID motherboard (Athlon 64 3200 processor, 512MB Corsair Value Select RAM), and every time I get to the screen where I'm asked to press <enter> to install or <R> to repair, I get a BSOD--I've had a few different STOP messages, but the most frequent has been IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.
I've tried every suggested solution I've found online: Upping the RAM voltage, updating the BIOS, shuffling the RAM slots etc, and none of it has worked. I've run most of the diagnostic programs on Hiren's Boot CD, and the RAM, processor and HD all seem to be functioning normally and in fine condition.
My main question is, could the processor be screwed up notwithstanding the tests, or does the fact that I can boot off of a CD and run diagnostics, etc. pretty much prove that the processor is OK? I moved all the components from a Biostar T-Force 6100 mobo that I decided to ditch because of its lack of a DVI output. While removing the processor, it got manhandled a bit: When I removed the heatsink, the processor came off with it, and the bond between the heatsink and processor was so strong that I couldn't pull it off. I installed the processor and heatsink on the new board by just clipping the heatsink on, forcing the processor into the socket without opening the socket with the release lever.
When the machine wouldn't boot, I removed the heatsink and processor and then spent ten minutes wedging a knife between the heatsink and CPU until I was able to pry it off, then installed the CPU the traditional way. The machine still didn't boot, but I then realized one of the RAM sticks wasn't properly secured. When I fixed the situation with the RAM, the machine booted--and I was briefly able to run Windows before the machine crashed. I subsequently wiped the drive clean and began my attempts to reinstall XP, which is when the BSOD plague began.
So yeah...do you guys think I need to replace the CPU, or should I keep trying conventional solutions to the BSOD problem? I'd rather not spend $150+ on a new CPU, and the fact that I can boot off the CD and run utilities sure seems to suggest that the processor is OK.
Any suggestions on other possible solutions to the BSOD problem would, of course, be very much appreciated.
I've tried every suggested solution I've found online: Upping the RAM voltage, updating the BIOS, shuffling the RAM slots etc, and none of it has worked. I've run most of the diagnostic programs on Hiren's Boot CD, and the RAM, processor and HD all seem to be functioning normally and in fine condition.
My main question is, could the processor be screwed up notwithstanding the tests, or does the fact that I can boot off of a CD and run diagnostics, etc. pretty much prove that the processor is OK? I moved all the components from a Biostar T-Force 6100 mobo that I decided to ditch because of its lack of a DVI output. While removing the processor, it got manhandled a bit: When I removed the heatsink, the processor came off with it, and the bond between the heatsink and processor was so strong that I couldn't pull it off. I installed the processor and heatsink on the new board by just clipping the heatsink on, forcing the processor into the socket without opening the socket with the release lever.
When the machine wouldn't boot, I removed the heatsink and processor and then spent ten minutes wedging a knife between the heatsink and CPU until I was able to pry it off, then installed the CPU the traditional way. The machine still didn't boot, but I then realized one of the RAM sticks wasn't properly secured. When I fixed the situation with the RAM, the machine booted--and I was briefly able to run Windows before the machine crashed. I subsequently wiped the drive clean and began my attempts to reinstall XP, which is when the BSOD plague began.
So yeah...do you guys think I need to replace the CPU, or should I keep trying conventional solutions to the BSOD problem? I'd rather not spend $150+ on a new CPU, and the fact that I can boot off the CD and run utilities sure seems to suggest that the processor is OK.
Any suggestions on other possible solutions to the BSOD problem would, of course, be very much appreciated.
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