I've been building my own computers since I was 12 (21 now) and I have never seen anything like this one.
First the specs:
Chaintech 7nif2 matx mobo
Mobile XP 2400+ 35Watt
512mb PC3200 Corsair Value Select RAM CAS 2.5
Ok, about 2 months ago I had been wanting a HTPC/Gaming Server, so while building a computer for someone else, I tagged on the CPU and mobo to his order and didn't charge anything for putting his together. Fry's had the RAM for like $30 AMIR so I thought I had my computer for dirt cheap. I put it together, had to pin mod it to get the voltage and multiplier right (defaults to like a multiplier of 6 and 1.5ish volts). After set the pin mods to 1.35V and a multiplier of 13 for the 2400+ (being an HTPC I wanted it to be quiet, hence the lack of OC'ing) Ran fine for a couple of weeks, but it seemed like the hard drive was dying. Files corrupting here and there. No huge deal, all my stuff was on an external one anyway and the one in it was a 3 year old white label maxtor; I figured I'd just ride it out and replace it. Well, finally Windows corrupted to where it wouldn't boot anymore, and that's when it all started getting wierd.
I swapped out HDs and tried to reinstall windows. I'd get past the quick format and it would start copying files and then say something to the effect of "cannot read file (fill in the blank), possibly a bad CD. X to retry, Y to ignore, Z to abort" So I'd put in a different XP CD and get the same error. I tried this at least a dozen different times as the "corrupted files" were different each time and totally random. Then on some off chance I decided to do a full format instead of a quick one. While formatting it came up an error saying that the HD partition was bad and to install it on a different drive. So I swapped it out for another drive that I know is fine and it does the same thing.
A friend suggested that I test out the RAM with memtest and sure enough it's got errors galore. Well now I've solved all the worlds problems I thought. Grass will be that much greener and no more wars and... you get the idea. But alas, NOPE. I swapped it out with my 512 stick of CAS 2 XMS from my gaming rig and reran memtest to be sure. No errors this time. Great! I thought and proceeded to install windows. Same exact errors.
Also I have a DVD norton ghost img of a preinstall of windows that I use with my gaming rig. So I put that in and cloned it to the HD and everything seemed to work. For about 4 or 5 reboots, then stuff got so corrupted again that it wouldn't boot.
Recapping, I've tried:
about 4-5 windows CDs (all of which have tested out fine in other systems)
3 CD ROM drives
2 different PSU's (both of which are decent PSU's and tested out fine in other systems)
2 sticks of RAM (one of which tests out and is known to work in my gaming rig)
a img of a windows install cloned onto the hard drive
3 different hard drives
4 different IDE cables
I am not OC'ing at all. My bios shows my Vcore to be 1.34
I have no PCI slots installed
I am using the onboard video
I have turned off the onboard sound/LAN
Cooling is not an issue
That's about all I can think of. Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated. Also, does anyone know how Corsair's warrenty/RMA department is, as it looks like I'll be talking to them tomorrow? I really don't want to RMA the mobo to newegg, (they are a pain when it comes to RMA'ing stuff) but it's looking more and more like that's exactly what I'm going to have to do.
BTW, here's my gaming rig for parts that I can swap with my HTPC to diagnose stuff:
XP 2400+ Mobile
Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro 2
512mb Corsair XMS PC 3200 CAS 2
Radeon 9500 non pro (which soft modded into a 9700 pro
)
Antec 350w PSU
WD 10k 35gb HD (also of which I am quite proud of)
Thanks again for any help
First the specs:
Chaintech 7nif2 matx mobo
Mobile XP 2400+ 35Watt
512mb PC3200 Corsair Value Select RAM CAS 2.5
Ok, about 2 months ago I had been wanting a HTPC/Gaming Server, so while building a computer for someone else, I tagged on the CPU and mobo to his order and didn't charge anything for putting his together. Fry's had the RAM for like $30 AMIR so I thought I had my computer for dirt cheap. I put it together, had to pin mod it to get the voltage and multiplier right (defaults to like a multiplier of 6 and 1.5ish volts). After set the pin mods to 1.35V and a multiplier of 13 for the 2400+ (being an HTPC I wanted it to be quiet, hence the lack of OC'ing) Ran fine for a couple of weeks, but it seemed like the hard drive was dying. Files corrupting here and there. No huge deal, all my stuff was on an external one anyway and the one in it was a 3 year old white label maxtor; I figured I'd just ride it out and replace it. Well, finally Windows corrupted to where it wouldn't boot anymore, and that's when it all started getting wierd.
I swapped out HDs and tried to reinstall windows. I'd get past the quick format and it would start copying files and then say something to the effect of "cannot read file (fill in the blank), possibly a bad CD. X to retry, Y to ignore, Z to abort" So I'd put in a different XP CD and get the same error. I tried this at least a dozen different times as the "corrupted files" were different each time and totally random. Then on some off chance I decided to do a full format instead of a quick one. While formatting it came up an error saying that the HD partition was bad and to install it on a different drive. So I swapped it out for another drive that I know is fine and it does the same thing.
A friend suggested that I test out the RAM with memtest and sure enough it's got errors galore. Well now I've solved all the worlds problems I thought. Grass will be that much greener and no more wars and... you get the idea. But alas, NOPE. I swapped it out with my 512 stick of CAS 2 XMS from my gaming rig and reran memtest to be sure. No errors this time. Great! I thought and proceeded to install windows. Same exact errors.
Also I have a DVD norton ghost img of a preinstall of windows that I use with my gaming rig. So I put that in and cloned it to the HD and everything seemed to work. For about 4 or 5 reboots, then stuff got so corrupted again that it wouldn't boot.
Recapping, I've tried:
about 4-5 windows CDs (all of which have tested out fine in other systems)
3 CD ROM drives
2 different PSU's (both of which are decent PSU's and tested out fine in other systems)
2 sticks of RAM (one of which tests out and is known to work in my gaming rig)
a img of a windows install cloned onto the hard drive
3 different hard drives
4 different IDE cables
I am not OC'ing at all. My bios shows my Vcore to be 1.34
I have no PCI slots installed
I am using the onboard video
I have turned off the onboard sound/LAN
Cooling is not an issue
That's about all I can think of. Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated. Also, does anyone know how Corsair's warrenty/RMA department is, as it looks like I'll be talking to them tomorrow? I really don't want to RMA the mobo to newegg, (they are a pain when it comes to RMA'ing stuff) but it's looking more and more like that's exactly what I'm going to have to do.
BTW, here's my gaming rig for parts that I can swap with my HTPC to diagnose stuff:
XP 2400+ Mobile
Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro 2
512mb Corsair XMS PC 3200 CAS 2
Radeon 9500 non pro (which soft modded into a 9700 pro
)Antec 350w PSU
WD 10k 35gb HD (also of which I am quite proud of)
Thanks again for any help
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