POST error, or not?

[sirstarvsalot]

When I turn on my newly built computer (as of wensday) I get a single beep about 14 seconds into the boot up. By this time I've passed the asus start up screen telling me to press del to enter setup, and the screen checking all of my ide devices and ram. It tells me "256 ram ok" (or 512 however much I have in at the time). Then it goes to the screen saying something about no fastrak devices installed. Then right after that I get the single beep. The beep sounds at the same time it tells me "Press any key to boot from CD". I checked my mobo booklet and it says one beep means a "memory refresh timer error". My question is, is the beep a POST error or not?

What makes me think it is a POST error:
1) While trying to install Windows XP, i've gotten a BSOD three times saying dumping physical memory, or something to that affect.

What makes me think its not at POST error:
1) I can go to the bios before I get the error, then when I come out I will get the beep. Isn't the POST susspose to take place before you get to the bios?

2) I don't want it to be. I've tried my two sticks of OCZ DDR 400 ram into most of the DIMM slots, and I still get the error.

System Specs:
P4C 3 ghz 800 mhz fsb
Asus p4c800 mobo
256 OCZ DDR 400 ram x 2
Radeon 8500 (for now, got 9800 but haven't put it in yet)
WD 40 gig HD (7200 rpm I belive, how do I check though)
MSI 52x Burner
Sony 16x DVD-rom

 

[jackschmittusa]

You are past the POST if you are getting the reading from the Fastrak controller. How is your hd set up and where in the install process does Windows crap out?

 

[sirstarvsalot]

Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
You are past the POST if you are getting the reading from the Fastrak controller. How is your hd set up and where in the install process does Windows crap out?

Phew, so its not a post error?

Not exactly sure were windows craps out while installing, but ive been having LOTS of trouble with installing XP. At first I tried to install using my MSI 16x DVD drive, but I got tons of errors saying cant find this file, then Id just press retry about 10 times and it would find it eventually, but during the install it would sometimes just hang. So I did it on my MSI 52x Burner and it did the same. So I put my old sony 16x DVD, and it still told me It couldnt find some files and I had to retry, but it happend alot less. I once got to the point were there were three minutes left, but it hung there.

So with my Sony 16x DVD, it just hangs or I get a BSOD. Neither are comforting. This also might have something to do with the hanging...I moved me HDD from my old computer to my new computer, with windows XP already on the drive. I could get it to run, but trillian, IE, and opera kept closing randomly, and It would also just randomly restart. I thought orignaly it was just restarting because of conflict errors from my old computer to my new one, but I may be restarting for the same reason XP is hanging and BSODing. Or could xp be hanging and bsoding because my Win XP cd is messed up?

 

[sirstarvsalot]

If my RAM is ok, then what is causing the bsod saying physical memory dump? Could that be due to a bad windows XP cd (scratches and what not)? Also if it's not a POST error, then what is causing the beep?