Memory Problem (or maybe Motherboard?)

[Dopekitten]

Basically, my HDD crashed, so im trying to reinstall Vista/Windows 7. Here's the problem. It boots up, i select boot from CD-drive (which has my Vista boot disk in it), and it says Loading Resources or whatever, with the bar at the bottom. Once that is done, it goes into the Vista startup load bar--everybody is familiar, you know the loading screen before the login menu. It completes that, and then the next thing that should appear should look like this:

This what it should look like

However, i am stuck with just the background--without the window showing install now popping up. The mouse icon doesn't indicate working either. Now...at first i thought it was a bad CD drive, but i tested the disk on other computers, and it worked fine. So i was like whatever, ill just take the working CD drive and hook it up to my computer. But when i did that, i got the same problem. I replugged the "working" CD drive into the other computer, and it worked (like it had before). So i was like WTF, it means its localized to something in my computer, other than the CD drive.

I tested the RAM, i switched the places, took 1 out, and used only the other, and then switched them. Nothing worked. However, BIOS boots up fine. My HDD which im using now used to have XP, i reformated becuase whenever i tried to boot it would jsut say "error loading operating system."

Any idea on what could be the problem? I'm thinking motherboard, but i don't know for sure. Could it also be my CPU? i had it overclocked, but never above 1.3 volts (Q9450) so it was well within the specs for voltage.

I have a P5Q-E P45 motherboard and 4gb Corsair Dominators

Thanks

I posted this on Tomshardware--heres what i've done since then. I tested both ram sticks, isntallation never progresses with either one in (by themselves). I don't think the RAM is fail--i mean it posts

Also, i tested the IDE cable (i got a new one, so that works)

Could it be my motherboard?

 

[CoachB]

Sounds like everything goes well until you get to actually accessing the HDD to load Vista. Are you sure that HDD is healthy??? Did you run a diagnostic when you re-formatted?
My $0.02

 

[Dopekitten]

im loading vista from the boot disk--is the HDD even used?

 

[faxon]

it sounds like you may have a bad connection between the drive and the board. i had similar issues when i was trying to install vista to an older machine with a PATA DVD drive and the cable had a kink in it that had actually severed one of the wires internally. it would sort of load but it took like 30 minutes and when i clicked install it would instantly BSOD. i have had a lot of SATA and PATA cables go bad on me in the last year, so i would check the connection by swapping cables, and maybe try a different mobo port if that doesnt change anything. my 680i LT has a bad SATA port which it took me 4 hours to diagnose when i was trying to set up a RAID1, so i wouldnt put it past your board to have a similar issue either

 

[Dopekitten]

Alright, i was considering that, ill get a SATA drive (i need one anyway) and ill see if it works. I hope your right, because otherwise, its probably my CPU or my motherboard.

Could somebody rule out my CPU for me? Becuase if that was the problem, the computer wouldn't post right?

Anyway, thanks for the responses

 

[n7]

On the P45 motherboards, SATA is natively supported (assuming you use the Intel ports).
IDE is NOT.

Is both the optical drive & HDD IDE?

Or the DVD drive is SATA & HDD is IDE?

What ports are you plugged into for them?

I vaguely recall seeing people posting about issues with IDE DVD drive having issues loading OSes on P45 mobos, since the port isn't native, it JMicron or Silicon Image or Marvell, etc.

Also, keep in mind you have BIOS settings for IDE vs. AHCI for the Intel ports & also for whatever controller they have running the extra SATA & IDE ports (JMicron or Silicon Image or Marvell, etc.).

So what i'm getting at is that there are a good number of possible issues here.

For RAM, you better be running Memtest86+ before saying it's stable.
Being able to POST & being stable are two very different things.

But it's not even remotely close to stable.

I suspect your issue isn't RAM, but it still needs to be checked.

 

[Dopekitten]

Just the optical drive is IDE, the SATA HDD is connected, but the same problem happens regardless if its connected or not--i've out ruled that.

I only have one IDE port
As for settings--i wouldn't know, but it worked fine before, so i have no clue.
Ill do Memtest86+ and post the results

Other info: (What i've done so far thats new)

Seatools says my 7200.7 drive is fine (my old one, im trying to install to, its SATA)

I swapped CPU's (my current Q9450 and and old Pentium 4 3.0ghz one) same problem

Also, ill do Memtest86+ still, but i did take out all of my ram, and grab a stick from my brother's computer and attempted to load Vista using that--however i still experienced the same problem, so you're probably right that it's not my RAM

Really, all this leaves left is my motherboard--or IDE header on it. I'll be buying a SATA optical drive today though, so we'll see.

Also--i flashed the BIOS up to the newest one--no sucess either.

Final Thing:
I found this guy with the EXACT same problem as i have. Maybe he's said something i don't, might help, might not, but in any case:

http://www.vistax64.com/vista-...-menu.html#post1064101

 

[Dopekitten]

Ok, i got a new SATA optical drive--it doesn't fix the problem

Therefore is it my motherboard pretty much? I have yet to do Memtest86+, but im skeptical that will yeild anything useful

Could it be my graphics card? Just not displaying the window? Sorta out there, but you never know