Help: My computer keeps on restarting before loading.

[xSeongminx]

Hi, I have an issue with my computer and it is very annoying. It repeatedly keeps on restarting before loading Windows XP. Like, I can see the bar in which the green (blue?) think runs inside the bar, meaning that the computer is loading desktop. However, right after this finishes, the computer restarts and continues to repeat this process. Also, when I installed the operating system, I couldn't even install the operating system, for it would say that the harddrive was corrupt and wouldn't be able to finish the installation. I tried with Windows XP Pro, and the same thing happens. Could it be because of my harddrive, ram, power supply, or could it possibly be related to a software problem. The reason I say software problem is because when I tried to install Windows XP Home on my other desktop, the OS wouldn't install for an error message would appear, telling me to check the motherboard and such. PLEASE HELP!

 

[mechBgon]

How about hit Quote at the bottom of this post, and fill in the example with your exact configuration as far as you're able to. Is your CD a genuine Microsoft CD with a valid license?

• CORE HARDWARE
  • Power supply Antec TruePower 430
  • Motherboard Asus K8N-E Deluxe
    • Revision 1.03
    • BIOS 1005
  • CPU Athlon64 3000+
    • Core 130nm Clawhammer
  • Memory (2) 512MB Corsair XMS 3200C2 modules
    • Voltage Manually set to 2.7 volts
    • Timings AUTO, results in 2-3-2-6 @ 200MHz
• CARDS
  • Primary video card ATI Radeon 9800Pro AGP 8x
  • PCI slot #1 (top) empty
  • PCI slot #2 empty
  • PCI slot #3 LeadTek Winfast TV/FM tuner card
  • PCI slot #4 Creative Audigy 2 ZS
  • PCI slot #5 LSI Logic Ultra160 SCSI
  • PCI slot #6 (board only has five PCI slots)
• DRIVES
  • Boot drive 160GB Seagate 7200.7
    • Interface Serial ATA
    • Controller hosting this drive nForce3 SATA controller
    • Jumper setting not applicable (SATA)
  • Additional hard drive 40GB Seagate 7200.7
    • Interface Parallel ATA
    • Controller hosting this drive nForce3 standard ATA controller, primary channel
    • Jumper setting Master
  • Additional hard drive 18GB Seagate Cheetah 15k.3
    • Interface SCSI
    • Controller hosting this drive LSI Logic U160 card
    • Jumper setting SCSI ID 01
  • Optical drive #1 NEC 3500A DVD burner
    • Interface Parallel ATA
    • Controller hosting this drive nForce3 standard ATA controller, secondary channel
    • Jumper setting Master
  • Optical drive #2 Lite-On combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW
    • Interface Parallel ATA
    • Controller hosting this drive nForce3 standard ATA controller, secondary channel
    • Jumper setting Slave
• OS AND SECURITY
  • Operating System WindowsXP Professional
  • Service Pack SP2
  • Internet connection Cable
  • Hardware firewall Netgear RP614 router
  • Software firewall WindowsXP firewall
  • Antivirus Norton Antivirus 2004

 

[xSeongminx]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
How about hit Quote at the bottom of this post, and fill in the example with your exact configuration as far as you're able to. Is your CD a genuine Microsoft CD with a valid license?

• CORE HARDWARE
  • Power supply Generic 400W
  • Motherboard ECS 848P-A
  • CPU Celeron D 320 (2.4 Gigs)
  • Memory (1) Centon PC2700 512Megs
    • Voltage Manually set to Default Voltage (2.55, 2.6?)
    • Timings AUTO, results in 2.5-3-3-7 @ 166MHz
• CARDS
  • Primary video card ATI Radeon 9800Pro AGP 8x
  • PCI slot #1 (top) empty
  • PCI slot #2 empty
  • PCI slot #3 empty
  • PCI slot #4 enpty
  • PCI slot #5 Turtle Beach Santa Cruz
  • PCI slot #6 (board only has five PCI slots)
• DRIVES
  • Boot drive 80B Seagate 7200.7
    • Interface ATA-133
    • Optical drive #1 52x24x52 CD-RW
      • Interface Parallel ATA
      • Jumper setting Master
    • Optical drive #2 Sony 16x DVD
      • Interface Parallel ATA
      • Jumper setting Slave
  • OS AND SECURITY
    • Operating System WindowsXP Professional
    • Service Pack SP1
    • Internet connection 56K
    • Software firewall WindowsXP firewall
    • Antivirus McAffee Crap

• 
  
  
  I don't know how my system specs would effect any of this? I'm pretty sure that it is either the power supply or the harddrive. (Leaning more towards the powersupply..)

 

[mechBgon]

I agree that the power supply could be contributing to the problem. The specs help because they show me how much stuff the power supply is trying to support. Also, it helps to see what PCI cards you have. http://www.omnicast.net/~tmcfa...uides/build/atx12V.jpg

Try this: remove the Turtle Beach PCI card for now, and see if that helps. It could be creating a resource conflict, and removing it will confirm/deny that. If removing the sound card fixes the problem, then try it in one of the middle PCI slots instead of the top or bottom one.

It could be that the memory is faulty too. You can make a self-bootable Memtest86 CD or floppy from memtest86 and let it run overnight to see if it finds errors. If so, it might help to raise the memory voltage a little bit, but if the power supply is not stable enough, that still may be only a partial diagnosis.

 

[xSeongminx]

Disassembled the whole computer and put it back together. Now it loads into Windows. However, when I try to reinstall the OS, it says that the HD is corrupt or some BS like that. I don't think that its the memory because the memory worked fine inside another computer. Therefore, it's either the HD or the Power supply, and because everything is working pretty good, I believe that it is the HD. Time to go out and buy another one...

 

[mechBgon]

If you can't buy a HDD tonight, consider running Memtest86 overnight in the meantime. Nothing to lose...