My rig gets stuck in reboot loops!

[DobyMick]

I recently got my rig together and booting and even had windows loaded. I then noticed that while installing drivers sometimes the machine would reboot twice instead of just once when installing things. I passed it off as being a hardware nuance until I got stuck in never ending reboot loops a few times. Does anyone know what could cause this and what might fix it?

E8400
Gigabyte EPU43-DS3L
Visiontek 4870
2gigs Corsair 1066 / 4 gigs of G.Skill 1066 (I get the same problems with either ram loadout)
WD6400AAKS

 

[chronox]

Are you running Vista by any chance? Back when SP1 got released I tried to install it but couldn't. After calling MS's call center, the wonderful tech managed to get my machine into an endless boot that could not be fixed until I performed a System Restore via that Boot Disc.

 

[DobyMick]

Sorry I should have specified that I am running XP SP3

 

[chronox]

Did you install SP3 on a SP2 build or did you have an integrated SP3 installation disc? There have been reports of non-integrated SP3 sending machines into a endless boot cycle.

 

[DobyMick]

Well I did install off of an SP2 cd, however I did fail a prime95 test and I am thinking that I might have memory problems. Do you know how I could figure out if its my memory or not?

 

[chronox]

If you have more than one stick of RAM, then insert each stick one at a time. Each time you insert a stick, try to boot to desktop.

 

[DobyMick]

I was using one stick of the corsair when I failed prime95. I think that I am going to try manually setting my voltages and timings and see if that improves anything.

 

[Roguestar]

Go download memtest ( www.memtest.org ) and burn it to a disc and try it with all your memory sticks in, then each one seperately.

 

[DobyMick]

upping my voltage on my corsair as well as tightening my timings has had no negative results but I will have to run memtest tomorrow to get a better idea

 

[mpilchfamily]

My understanding is if you don't need SP3 then don't install it since it causes more trouble then its worth.