Help! Abit KG7 dying on Windows bootup

[MuuMuu]

I'm having problems getting Windows to boot up without killing the computer with my KG7. If any of you have had similar experiences and/or can help me, I'd appreciate it.

I installed the CPU, installed the mobo, put in the memory, and put my HDD in the thing......

...oh, the Vid card too.

In any case, when I try to boot up to Win98, the system crashes halfway through the bootup procedure, or just after I get into windows. With Win2K the crash can occur during the bootup process, or about five, six seconds after it enters win2k. The crashes range from just a complete system freeze to a complete system freeze with the screen getting garbled.

What's odd is that DOS works just fine. Booting up from a floppy with Dr Dos on it, I was able to flash the bios so thtat I could use my 1800+.

I haven't tried reinstalling Windows, though I thought that it was an unnecessary procedure. What am I doing wrong, or are the components at fault?

(I had to realign the heatsink/fan for the CPu a few times, but the difference in heat dissipation shouldn't come into play THAT quickly, should it?)

Thanks for any help,

Muu

p.s. Just fyi, I saw another post that someone made who said that their XP1700+ was incorrectly recognized at first as a 1500 at which point problems started. Should I try flashing the BIOS to an older version as well? (I'm using the latest version which I believe came out on June atm)

 

[mechBgon]

If your power supply doesn't supply at least 180W on the 3.3V and 5V channels combined, this could be the problem, or part of the problem. What brand/model of power supply are you using?

It could also be a cooling problem. If your heatsink came with a square patch of tacky "bubblegum" stuff, be aware that it's a one-use thing. If you run the PC and take the heatsink off, then you need to scrape it off and put on a new one, or some decent thermal grease. If you don't, the heat may have a hard time getting from the CPU to the heatsink. Socket-style heatsinks are usually directional too, so make sure it's not on 180 degrees backwards or something. Good luck!

 

[MuuMuu]

it's a 430W truepower.

I honestly do NOT think it's heat related; I mean, why would it run in DOS then? Then again, that could just be me...

Muu

 

[mechBgon]

Nice power supply, that's not likely to be the issue then. I was thinking maybe DOS is just easier on the CPU than Windows is. What kind of CPU temperatures do you see in the BIOS?

edit: I just re-read your initial post. Are you saying you put your HDD into the new mobo/CPU/RAM combo with a previous installation of Windows already on the hard drive? Win98 might be able to cope with that change (I've done it before) but Win2k... not likely. If this is the situation, probably should back up any important data using your previous hardware, then reformat and reinstall Windows.

 

[MuuMuu]

Yeah, that's what I've been doing so far. This would be much easier, of course, if my other HDD wasn't dead... Windows 98, by the way, dies as well at certain spots.

Is there some sort of stress-test utility I'd be able to run from DOS? I don't think the temperature that I'm getting reported is correct (38C seems too low; probably because I had to bend that thermal sensor a bit to get the chip in place), so I'd like to see if that will solve anything as well.

Muu

 

[werbwerb]

Hi there, MuuMuu.

I think mechBgon is right about reinstalling Windows. I'd try that first (but I guess that might be kinda hard if you can't back up your files since your other HD is gone...)

I know that's not helping much, but I'm curious about something else with the KG7. When I first intalled Windows with my KG7 I had a weird problem due to the IDE cables. So, if you do reinstall and are still having problems, I'd like to see if it's the same thing I had.

Thanks, hope you see this.