Sudden change in system

[heymrdj]

Well let me start the story I hope you guys can keep up with it.

THe Desktop in question:

Soyo I865PE mobo Dragon 2 Plus
512MB Ultra DDR3200 memory
2.8Ghz c class Intel Pentium 4 processor with HT
160GB Western Digital IDE HD
320GB Seagate SATA HD
40GB Seagate IDE HD
TDK 4x DVDRW
Windows XP Home

This system, for the last 3 years, has been my computer, my only computer. I got this laptop now (HP 9500t Desktop Replacement, as related to in my other thread in the laptop section) and am now ready to turn my desktop into a permanent media server.

So I stuck a floppy copy of DBAN into the system, and I ran the thing and erased the 160GB drive (I had transferred all important stuff to the laptop). Now I installed Win2kPro (its what I had laying around). Low and behold, it marks my SATA drive as unformatted (to make clear later in this story, this drive has all it's info on it, 2k just can't read it for some reason).

So I move to reinstall XP and just go from there. (At this point the only drive connected is the 160 to prevent accidental loss of the data on the SATA drive). So I get installing. It freezes. Ok...bad glitch...start again. BSOD. BSOD. BSOD 9 out of 10 times I tried installing it. Finally installs all the way through. BSOD's during driver setup for the mobo.

Ok Windows is a bust, no matter, lets run Ubuntu Studio and use VMWare to run windows when I need it. Through in the Ubuntu 6.06 disc. Hangs on configuring X Windows.

Ok lets try Kubuntu 6.06. Freezes on making root user.

It doesn't matter what I throw at this thing it all screws up now. It has went from a perfect working system with 0 errors, to not even accepting an OS.

So I pull an old 40GB I had on the shelf that I used in a retired webserver, thinking that maby Dban borked the 160. Nope, still BSOD.

At this point its one HD, my one stick 512MB RAM, Seasonic S12 430 watt PSU, my gfx card (no on board video, ahve to use) and my DVDRW drive.

Now it's only BSODing once in awhile. Instead it's taken a fancy to just suddenly rebooting. I have no clue why, it can be idleing, or working, and it will just suddenly reboot.

I need this system, I ahve no others that accept SATA drives, and taht's where the media is at. It was my hope that once I got this laptop, I would retire my desktop as a server and stream my shows from my desktop to my laptop which is connected to my home theater and TV. Well I only got to do that for one day before we decided to go on and reimage (to get rid of all my programs and junk). Now I have nothing. I can't access the media without that computer, and I don't want to use an external device, cause I need the desktop to be my web development server. Any ideas what's up guys?

PS: i am going on vacation starting tomorrow for a few days, I'll check mail on my laptop when I can but there's no guarantee I can be active here. I appreciate any and all help though guys.

Thx.

Heymrdj

 

[heymrdj]

Darn no replies at all. Well I just got home, I'll have to try it in a little while.

 

[Markbnj]

The problem is you're reporting so many different kinds of errors with different operating systems and hardware configurations. There's not really much we can say about it unless you focus on one issue and provide some details. To begin with, I would ditch w2k and get XP, or stick with Linux, and then work out the issues with the selected OS.

 

[heymrdj]

Well I've tried sticking to XP and this is what I've got so far.

Changed out HD's and its still BSOD's.
Changed out memory and memory slots and it BSOD's.
Changed out AGP gfx card from my 8x 440MX to my 4x 420MX I had laying around. Now instead of BSOD it just reboots at the same point every time during the "Installing Devices" part of the XP installation. Could it be pointing to a bad AGP slot? I don't have any PCI cards to test out, and I don't know of any I can get my hands on.

 

[montag451]

What psu?

 

[heymrdj]

I run a Seasonic S12 410. More then enough wattage for this system. My latest:

I fooled with the mobo and reset the CMOS and the system seems to have increased in stability. No more BSOD's, but it is randomly rebooting. Mainly when I work core Windows things, such as I was unable to install SP2 and some larger Windows Updates wouldn't go through.

I'll keep updated. Right now I'm running DBAN through the 160 again, and I'll see what I get afterwards.

 

[Bozo]

Instead of dban, why don't you use the hard drive manufacturer's utility to write all zeros to the hard drive?
You might want to re-flash the BIOS and set everything to default settings.
Change the motherboard battery?

Bozo

 

[RebateMonger]

Random problems installing an OS are usually caused by bad memory. Have you tested it? Run the drive manufacture's hard drive diagnostics, too.

 

[heymrdj]

Ram is clean. Overnight memtest at its stock 400Mhz speed gave no errors.

Ran Dban, came out with some non-fatal errors. Ran Ultimate Boot CD and ran the Western Digital drive diagnostics and the drive came out clean. I might soon try BIOS reflashing, even though it has the latest one ever made for this board. The battery seems good, and I doubt a dead battery would cause BSOD's anyways.

I'll try installing XP on it again today and see what I get.

 

[heymrdj]

Well the system is a bust. Its definitely the mobo. It appears that the headers themselves or whatever the course is from IDE to processor and back is corrupting the data. The board as given me trouble for years ever since I overclocked the system on a stock 350 watt PSU that came with the Soyo bundle. It must have just fried the thing as much as I worked it those last days. I dunno if the system would work with a SATA drive in it or not.

I appreciate the help guys. I'm gonna give up on this one I guess. It's got me blindingly pissed though. A 1,500$ rig that is now useless without a new board I can't afford, and probably couldn't get the 2.8 out anyways without breaking it thanks to that industrial cooler on it. I can't afford an SATA external enclosure, thx to the fact I received a 2700$ bill for fall semester at college today cause HOPE changed their rules and won't accept me till 30 hours down, and I have 320GB of shows and stuff that I have been wanting to watch for over 2 years now, and now that I had the perfect setup, I can't access it.

PS: I'm sorry for making this sound like a blog. I am just so mad right now >_<.

 

[heymrdj]

Well guys in some spare time i've resurrected working on the old system and I've uncovered some interesting things. I know it ain't the board. I installed Windows Home Server RC2 on it yesterday just foolin around, and it went through the whole 2.5 hour issue last night without a problem. It then proceeded to run Orthos on itself all night while streamin a playlisted list of 2 different anime series on the hard drive to two different computers on the network. Stress apparently ain't an issue. SO I thought maby my gutting it fixed it. So I tried XP again, but it still freezes on the SP2 install. I'm just gonna keep fooling around with it. I'd love to rune Home Server instead of XP cause it's more for waht I need (file/game server) But alas I couldn't afford it even when they do release it...

 

[heymrdj]

Hey guys, I'm noticing other OS's are working except for XP. I'm wondering if my disc of 6 years may be the culprit. Can anyone give me an XP Home ISO that I could use my key with? That way I could use a fresh disc. (It's a multiinstall disc, I've probably used it over 100 times, it's scratched and worn and I never made a copy of it ).