New Build - Can't install (any) OS

Kid G

Hi,

I recently purchased the following set up and have been able to get it running and to display the BIOS:

AMD Athlon II X3 435 "Boxed" 95W, Sockel AM3
ASUS M4A77TD, Sockel AM3, ATX
4GB-Kit G-Skill Ripjaws PC3-10667U CL9
Corsair CX400W 400 Watt
LG GH24LS50 Retail schwarz
MSI R5770-PMD1G, 1024MB, PCI-Express
NZXT Gamma Tower pure black, ohne Netzteil
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1000GB, SATA II (HD105SI)

I have tried Windows 7 and a couple of different Linux Distros. I also tried a copy of XP - all of the installations seem to "hang" very early in the installation process and no real error messages have been displayed. I'm really lost here so I would appreciate any help!

Kid G

old_aussie

Hi,

Can you see the HDD in the BIOS?

Does the BIOS need to have the boot SATA port selected that the HDD is connected to?

Kid G

old_aussie wrote: »

Hi,

Can you see the HDD in the BIOS?

Does the BIOS need to have the boot SATA port selected that the HDD is connected to?

The BIOS main settings shows the Sasmsung HDD at SATA 1. As to your second point, the HDD is listed as 1st boot device - is that what you mean?

yoyo

Try changing SATA mode from RAID/AHCI to IDE/Legacy mode in the bios, think this happened me before in a previous build

Nick

Jonny7

I had this almost same build and same prob before

It could be some prob with the comp recognising the hdd so follow as poster above said

Check along those lines in google

and make sure you do ONE change at a time, if you tinker around too much you won't get it going.. took me 4 days to solve, then XP just started installing and everything seems to be okay a few months on

Monotype

Don't forget to try different cables.

Kid G

yoyo wrote: »

Try changing SATA mode from RAID/AHCI to IDE/Legacy mode in the bios, think this happened me before in a previous build

Nick

The default seems to be IDE; should I change it to RAID/AHCI?

Thanks

nVital

What about the power? Looks like you have a 400W powering a 5770 gfx card, which needs 450 minimum.

Kid G

nVital wrote: »

What about the power? Looks like you have a 400W powering a 5770 gfx card, which needs 450 minimum.

I based this build on Solitaire's latest in budget gaming build thread I also used Hardwareversand's config utility. Think I'll buy a Dell next time

marco_polo

nVital wrote: »

What about the power? Looks like you have a 400W powering a 5770 gfx card, which needs 450 minimum.

Yes but it is a quality 400W PSU, with a 30amp 12V rail it will do just fine for a single 5770 and a 95W CPU.

Chuck Finlay

Hm, this is a long shot, but I have read about the F3 having problems with SATA6Gb/s connections which can only be fixed by a HDD firmware upgrade. Do you have the ASUS M4A77TD Pro version? Then you could try changing your storage config from 6Gb/s to 3Gb/s in the BIOS. If it's that, then the installation process shouldn't find the HDD in the first place, i know, but as I said: long shot

Kid G

Chuck Finlay wrote: »

Hm, this is a long shot, but I have read about the F3 having problems with SATA6Gb/s connections which can only be fixed by a HDD firmware upgrade. Do you have the ASUS M4A77TD Pro version? Then you could try changing your storage config from 6Gb/s to 3Gb/s in the BIOS. If it's that, then the installation process shouldn't find the HDD in the first place, i know, but as I said: long shot

It's not the Pro version i'm afraid. Thanks all the same.

Hank Scorpio

Your hardly have another hard drive lying around you can try?

Sorry to here about your problem, im sure it will be sorted soon

best of luck

Seifer

Sounds to me like it could be ram. Download and run memtest on all your new sticks.

Kid G

nuxxx wrote: »

Your hardly have another hard drive lying around you can try?

Sorry to here about your problem, im sure it will be sorted soon

best of luck

I might be able to borrow one from work. Fingers crossed that'll sort it

Kid G

So i borrowed another SATA HD from work and I have Knoppix Live CD desktop running :-) Does this mean my Samsung HD is for the bin though?

Monotype

Did you actually install to the hard drive, or are you just running the live CD? If you installed, then your HD could well be a doorstop.
Can you see the harddrive you bought in knoppix?

Kid G wrote: »

I based this build on Solitaire's latest in budget gaming build thread I also used Hardwareversand's config utility. Think I'll buy a Dell next time

The PSU is fine. - Your experience will only serve to help you in your next build!

Kid G wrote: »

The default seems to be IDE; should I change it to RAID/AHCI?

Go with AHCI unless there's problems... or when you solve your problems.

Kid G

I haven't yet installed Knoppix but I could see the borrowed HD in Knoppix. I couldn't get the live Knoppix cd to even start with the harddrive I bought!

Using the borrowed HD, I got Windows XP installation past the rebooting to continue the installation phase but it hanged with 33 minutes remaining

Monotype

Did you try different cables? It sounds exactly like what happened to me before. I was stumped. Windows froze half way through about 4 times and wasn't working well when it got through once.

uberpixie

Kid G wrote: »

I haven't yet installed Knoppix but I could see the borrowed HD in Knoppix. I couldn't get the live Knoppix cd to even start with the harddrive I bought!

Using the borrowed HD, I got Windows XP installation past the rebooting to continue the installation phase but it hanged with 33 minutes remaining

If you are installing XP: set the harddrive to IDE/compatible mode
For windows 7/vista use AHCI

(you need to install drivers to enable AHCI properly under XP, just skip it, it's less hassle to get setup under xp if you do....)

zappb

Seifer wrote: »

Sounds to me like it could be ram. Download and run memtest on all your new sticks.

What Seifer said +1

Over 12 years of experience in building computers tells me this is either incompatible memory or a problem with one of the Dimms, I could almost guarantee its the memory.

Check the qualified vendors list (you can download this from asus)

The only other option is you haven't seated the cpu correctly, reseat it just in case.

98% possibility its one of these two things


You sould set ACPI anyway but it's not the problem



EDIT -
I just realised I have the M4A77D - the am2 version of your board, it's been for sale on adverts for awhile, http://www.adverts.ie/258441/hardware/phenom-ii-940-asus-m4a77d-ram-zalman-cooler-corsair-650w-tx-psu-wireless-n-etc/

It was an absolute disaster with memory, i had 4 different types of DDR 2 ram, and none of them where on the qualified vendors list, all of them crashed - i could get about half way through any OS install and then it would just cut out.

If you check new egg reviews, the board gets good reviews, but every fifth review or so, someone is complaining about picky memory...(in some cases even qualified memory still causes these crashes)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=13-131-397&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&SelectedRating=3&PurchaseMark=&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&Page=1&Keywords=

If you check newegg reviews for my am2 version, its even worse,


Qualified Vendors List:

Just checked the QVL on Asus for your board,

The ram you have isn't officially supported,

The only DDR3 1066 ram that is supported for GSkil has this part number

F3-8500CL6D-2GBHK

This can't be the same ram you have, because it only comes in a 2 gig kit (2 x 1gig ddr3 1066 dimms)

The next type of Gskill ram supported is all 1333 MHZ (lots of types) and 1600MHZ.

You need to sell the ram you have on adverts, there's nothing wrong with it, just your mobo is very picky,

and pick up some 1333 MHz ram that's supported and on the vendors list,

And nice rig, I love those 3 core rana chips

Kid G

Thanks for all the replies. I did run one pass of memtest and the results were positive. How many passes should I run to be sure the RAM isn't the problem?

massy086

10 pass,s with juist 1 stick at a time

Kid G

Cheers, will try that and report back.

Kid G

So before running memtest again, I managed to install Windows 7! I've installed it on the HD I borrowed from work. I don't want to sound slow (too late probably) but having successfully installed Windows can I assume that the other components, including the RAM, are ok? Is there any hope for the HD I bought or will I have to try sending it back to Hardwareversand?

uberpixie

Kid G wrote: »

OK, so before running memtest again, I managed to install Windows 7! I'm currently installing the various drivers and it seems to be working (so far). I've installed it on the borrowed HD I borrowed from work. Is there any hope for the HD I bought or will I have to try sending it back to Hardwareversand?

download the ultimate boot cd and get it running on a usb key/CD
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

Boot the UBCD and run one of the hard drive health checks with your own harddrive connected. Will tell you very quickly if it is alive or not.

Seifer

Kid G wrote: »

So before running memtest again, I managed to install Windows 7! I've installed it on the HD I borrowed from work. I don't want to sound slow (too late probably) but having successfully installed Windows can I assume that the other components, including the RAM, are ok?

Not if you swapped the order of your ram sticks around. It's quite possible there's a bad sector on one but by moving them around you might've made it not use it during the Windows install. So it could come back to haunt you later.

Kid G

Aw shucks, thought I was through to the other side I'll run various tests you have suggested and report back. Thanks again.