my computer won't boot into windows

drakesteakn · Dec 12, 2004, 09:17 PM

when i try to get into windows the screen will flicker and reboot and not make it to the windows Xp boot screen. i tried to go into safe mode. no go. tried last known good config. no go. it must be a hardware problem. the only new device in the system is a mx 4000 128mb gxf card, been in it for 3 weeks no problem. i'm thinking its a RAID or HD problem.

specs->

AMD A64 3200+
MSI K8T FSR
1 gb(2x512) ddr400 samsung
2 36gb western digital raptors in RAID 0
MX 4000 128mb chaintech(shmx4000)
win XP pro sp1
antec PSU 550 true power

thanx for any help

EDIT: no overclocking on anything

pr0digal jenius · Dec 12, 2004, 10:47 PM

sounds like a hard drive issue for sure. can you put in a 3rd drive, install windows on it to boot, and see if you can read the raptors as non-bootable drives? Then you could atleast copy over anythign you needed before formatting them

drakesteakn · Dec 12, 2004, 11:00 PM

i already have a 3rd hd installed. i will try later to see what i can do. right now i'm redoing a term paper thats do tomorrow. half of my research is on that computer. but i was smart enough to remember where i found the info. thanx for the suggestion. i'm wondering if its the HDs. they would just lose windows sometimes. not exactly sure. but, this would be the 3rd time i reinstalled cuz of something similar to this happening.

Zardon · Dec 12, 2004, 11:29 PM

or a possible corrupted page file caused by a memory problem. are you overclocking? if you are have you tried it at stock speeds. have you tried booting from a memtest+ ISO boot cd?

pr0digal jenius · Dec 13, 2004, 12:23 AM

he isn't OCing...but I had forgotten about memtest....definately give that a try

or perhaps boot from the XP CD and run the recovery program

drakesteakn · Dec 13, 2004, 12:25 AM

will try that too. didnt try memtest. will give it a shot to see if the memory hs errors. i have never ran thr recovery consol program on the cd. wil try it out too.

thanx for the help. now back to work. will get back and let u know if i find the problem

pr0digal jenius · Dec 13, 2004, 12:28 AM

alright...best of luck!!! *crosses fingers and hopes for the best for you and yer paper*

CDsDontBurn · Dec 13, 2004, 08:19 AM

hey man, it might be your PSU as well. with 3 hard drives in your system, your PSU might not be able to handle all of those devices you have in your system. How many optical drives do you have? I think it might be your PSU not getting you enough power to everything making your system crash.

Zardon · Dec 13, 2004, 09:50 AM

PSU is a possibility as well as a HD issue, but the fact it appears to be crashing at exactly the same time just as you get into windows rather than a random issue, makes me think something in the OS install has corrupted, which could have been caused either by a bad driver install or as I said earlier memory corrupting the pagefile.

Warpy · Dec 13, 2004, 10:30 AM

Does your BIOS tell you the CPU temps?

CDsDontBurn · Dec 13, 2004, 02:44 PM

it may also be that the MoBo might have blown capacitors.

drakesteakn · Dec 13, 2004, 09:33 PM

alright guys, i got lost of suggestions on a possible fix. nor for a update. i ran memtest it is still looping. no errors. i unplugged everything thats not essential for the computer too boot. got nothing better. i'm wondering if thr RAID is failing or a hd is failed. is there a way to see if a drive has failed. thanx. would like some more feedback guys. thanx alot

pr0digal jenius · Dec 13, 2004, 09:53 PM

I think maxblast 3 will run hard disk diagnostics off a bootable floppy, yes

drakesteakn · Dec 13, 2004, 10:36 PM

thats for maxtor hard drives right? i have western digital drives

drakesteakn · Dec 14, 2004, 01:29 AM

think i found my problem. a boot sector virus. i was formatting my hard drives and a window popped up in the start of partition magic 8. said boot sector virus detected. continue.

i reformatted and installed windows on one of the raptors and finished and one of my hard drive didnt shoe up anywhere in my computer. i found it in device mananger and in BIOS but its as if its not there. any suggestions on how to get rid od this thing

Nuke209 · Dec 14, 2004, 04:36 AM

you can try doing
fdisk /mbr
in dos and let that clear out the master boot record
that'll remove virus from boot sector, try that on the second hd?

drakesteakn · Dec 14, 2004, 06:07 PM

alright, using the data lifeguard utility i wiped the drives writting 0's and redid the MBR. should take care of that.

Dec 12, 2004, 09:17 PM	#1
drakesteakn boo!!!! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Ft. Meyers, FL Posts: 2,041 Rep Power: 0	my computer won't boot into windows when i try to get into windows the screen will flicker and reboot and not make it to the windows Xp boot screen. i tried to go into safe mode. no go. tried last known good config. no go. it must be a hardware problem. the only new device in the system is a mx 4000 128mb gxf card, been in it for 3 weeks no problem. i'm thinking its a RAID or HD problem. specs-> AMD A64 3200+ MSI K8T FSR 1 gb(2x512) ddr400 samsung 2 36gb western digital raptors in RAID 0 MX 4000 128mb chaintech(shmx4000) win XP pro sp1 antec PSU 550 true power thanx for any help EDIT: no overclocking on anything __________________

Dec 12, 2004, 11:00 PM	Thread Starter #3
drakesteakn boo!!!! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Ft. Meyers, FL Posts: 2,041 Rep Power: 0	i already have a 3rd hd installed. i will try later to see what i can do. right now i'm redoing a term paper thats do tomorrow. half of my research is on that computer. but i was smart enough to remember where i found the info. thanx for the suggestion. i'm wondering if its the HDs. they would just lose windows sometimes. not exactly sure. but, this would be the 3rd time i reinstalled cuz of something similar to this happening. __________________

Dec 13, 2004, 12:25 AM	Thread Starter #6
drakesteakn boo!!!! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Ft. Meyers, FL Posts: 2,041 Rep Power: 0	will try that too. didnt try memtest. will give it a shot to see if the memory hs errors. i have never ran thr recovery consol program on the cd. wil try it out too. thanx for the help. now back to work. will get back and let u know if i find the problem __________________

Dec 13, 2004, 08:19 AM	#8
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,805 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	hey man, it might be your PSU as well. with 3 hard drives in your system, your PSU might not be able to handle all of those devices you have in your system. How many optical drives do you have? I think it might be your PSU not getting you enough power to everything making your system crash. __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Dec 13, 2004, 02:44 PM	#11
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,805 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	it may also be that the MoBo might have blown capacitors. __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Dec 12, 2004, 10:47 PM	#2
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	sounds like a hard drive issue for sure. can you put in a 3rd drive, install windows on it to boot, and see if you can read the raptors as non-bootable drives? Then you could atleast copy over anythign you needed before formatting them

Dec 12, 2004, 11:29 PM	#4
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 179	or a possible corrupted page file caused by a memory problem. are you overclocking? if you are have you tried it at stock speeds. have you tried booting from a memtest+ ISO boot cd?

Dec 13, 2004, 12:23 AM	#5
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	he isn't OCing...but I had forgotten about memtest....definately give that a try or perhaps boot from the XP CD and run the recovery program

Dec 13, 2004, 12:28 AM	#7
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	alright...best of luck!!! crosses fingers and hopes for the best for you and yer paper

Dec 13, 2004, 09:50 AM	#9
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 179	PSU is a possibility as well as a HD issue, but the fact it appears to be crashing at exactly the same time just as you get into windows rather than a random issue, makes me think something in the OS install has corrupted, which could have been caused either by a bad driver install or as I said earlier memory corrupting the pagefile.

Dec 13, 2004, 10:30 AM	#10
Warpy DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: USA Posts: 2,761 Rep Power: 0	Does your BIOS tell you the CPU temps?

Dec 13, 2004, 09:33 PM	Thread Starter #12
drakesteakn boo!!!! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Ft. Meyers, FL Posts: 2,041 Rep Power: 0	alright guys, i got lost of suggestions on a possible fix. nor for a update. i ran memtest it is still looping. no errors. i unplugged everything thats not essential for the computer too boot. got nothing better. i'm wondering if thr RAID is failing or a hd is failed. is there a way to see if a drive has failed. thanx. would like some more feedback guys. thanx alot __________________

Dec 13, 2004, 09:53 PM	#13
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	I think maxblast 3 will run hard disk diagnostics off a bootable floppy, yes

Dec 13, 2004, 10:36 PM	Thread Starter #14
drakesteakn boo!!!! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Ft. Meyers, FL Posts: 2,041 Rep Power: 0	thats for maxtor hard drives right? i have western digital drives __________________

Dec 14, 2004, 01:29 AM	Thread Starter #15
drakesteakn boo!!!! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Ft. Meyers, FL Posts: 2,041 Rep Power: 0	think i found my problem. a boot sector virus. i was formatting my hard drives and a window popped up in the start of partition magic 8. said boot sector virus detected. continue. i reformatted and installed windows on one of the raptors and finished and one of my hard drive didnt shoe up anywhere in my computer. i found it in device mananger and in BIOS but its as if its not there. any suggestions on how to get rid od this thing __________________

Dec 14, 2004, 04:36 AM	#16
Nuke209 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: St. Paul Posts: 568 Rep Power: 0	you can try doing fdisk /mbr in dos and let that clear out the master boot record that'll remove virus from boot sector, try that on the second hd? __________________ 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX

Dec 14, 2004, 06:07 PM	Thread Starter #17
drakesteakn boo!!!! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Ft. Meyers, FL Posts: 2,041 Rep Power: 0	alright, using the data lifeguard utility i wiped the drives writting 0's and redid the MBR. should take care of that. __________________