XP SP3 fresh install BSOD

[LennyRhys]

Hey folks,

you've probbly heard of this before, and I've been reading about it for hours upon hours. I dunno what the problem is; I'm completely stumped, which is why this is so frustrating. I boot from my XPSP3 CD, as I've done a million times before and everything is fine until I get to the "Windows is starting" screen, at which point a bsod hits me in the face. :eek: 0x0000007B, not that it helps much.

I've installed a fresh copy of XP onto a blank sata HDD every time I've built a PC (many times) and I've NEVER EVER encountered this problem. here's what I've done so far since I encountered this problem:

double checked that my sata HDD is configured as IDE in bios (it is)
double checked vdimm is set manually (it is)
replaced optical drive with new one
replaced old HDD with brand new one
replaced old video card with new one
tried two memory kits, both tested and working, no luck
tried all three jumper settings on my PATA (or is that PITA :yepp:) DVD drive
cleared CMOS

no luck, still get a BSOD every time setup is about to get to the HDD format stage.

Here's my new PC:

E6300 (the 45nm one)
ASUS P5Q-E
2GB Dominator 8500
Maxtor 250GB sata
Sony DW-Q30A
900w PSU from my last build

For what it's worth, I can't install Windows 7 either because it gets stuck at a point early on saying something like "CD/DVD device drivers are missing". :brick:

No matter what I try, I can't get any operating system to install on my new PC. I'm totally floored. :shrug:

[Speederlander]

Does it pass 24 hr memtest? Changing memory as you did won't help if you have a bad socket.

Is your XP disk damaged?

[dengyong]

Pull the cpu and check for bent socket pins.

[Equinediver]

If both the above suggestions show no problems, try a SATA optical drive. Maybe your IDE channel has gone bad.

You'll also find it way faster for installing an OS;)

[LennyRhys]

Thanks for the replies guys. :up: Some more info:

I already tried a brand new SATA optical drive, because I initially thought it was the old PATA drive causing all the trouble. Unfortunately the problem persisted, so I returned the SATA drive. For what it's worth, the PATA drive is virtually brand new and has never caused problems before.

Incidentally, I've installed both XP and Win7 using virtually the same setup before. I used to have a Q9550 with this mobo and ram, and I had no such troubles with either XP or Win7.

If this helps, when I tried installing Win7 yesterday, one time the setup actually managed to get to the "Installing Windows..." stage. It copied all the files, then at 41% of "Expanding files" it gave up, giving me an error message. This exact disc has been used before and installed Win7 flawlessly. The XP disc is brand new so I'm certain it's not the cause. ;)

I'll get memtest going again and leave it running for longer.

Is it possible that the new E6300 is incompatible with my mobo? The E6300 was released more recently than the last BIOS for the P5Q-E.

Could be so many things. :brick:

Thanks again for the help :yepp:

[LennyRhys]

OK I pulled the CPU and the socket is fine, no borked pins. Everything is back together and I'm running memtest again, hoping for a result.

At the end of the day I'm gonna have to keep swapping out components till I find the culprit.

[zalbard]

Well, seems like an OC issue to me, try installing on stock settings.

[LennyRhys]

Everything is at stock ;) memtest is passing with flying colours so I think I can safely rule out the memory, which means it must be the mobo or the CPU. I'll get to the bottom of this even if it kills me. :yepp:

[zalbard]

PSU issue then maybe?

[Serra]

I know you tried Win 7 and couldn't get that going due to driver issues, but have you tried any other OS's? I'm just wondering about something like a bit of CD rot or something corrupting a file on the install CD.

Maybe get a live CD of some kind and fire it up, then do some stress testing for fun. If that works I think you really have to look at the OS CD, and if it doesn't then you can confirm it's hardware.

[Biker]

STOP 0x0000007B = OS cannot find appropriate SATA driver.

Load appropriate driver from floppy disk using F6 option during install or set SATA to IDE mode in bios before install and change back bios setting to RAID / ACHI and then install appropriate drivers after OS install is complete.

[Serra]

You know, I hadn't thought to try something that Biker did and you probably should have done a long time ago: type the error into google.

Here's an MS support article (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324103) on troubleshooting that very error - google result #1.

[LennyRhys]

Yeah I tried the google avenue, and that didn't help because 0x0000007B can be a number of other things. I've already configured the sata drives as IDE in bios so the error isn't a result of missing drivers.

I'm very suspicious that the motherboard is playing up, so I'm going to get an RMA code and send it to the technicians to have a look at it and perhaps they'll be able to find something conclusive and give me a shiny new P5Q-E in return.

[Biker]

You know, I hadn't thought to try something that Biker did and you probably should have done a long time ago: type the error into google.

Here's an MS support article (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324103) on troubleshooting that very error - google result #1.

I can assure you that my response was from memory, not google ;)

LennyRhys,

The only times I have come up against this error it has been due to the OS not recognising the SATA controller device the OS is booting from (bad or missing driver) so i'd either say it was the problem I outlined above or there is something wrong with your install disc / optical drive or there is a cabling issue. Another possibility is that the drive you are installing to is bad, do you have a spare drive to install on to test?

Edit:

I see you are using a pretty ancient Maxtor 250GB as your boot drive. I have had a few of these throw up 7B errors due to bad sectors. If you are booting in IDE mode (bios) and the cabling is known good then I would suspect the drive...

[LennyRhys]

Thanks for your advice Biker - I've tried all these things, eg. replacing the optical drive with a brand new sata unit, trying other HDDs, but to no avail.

The Maxtor 250GB is brand new, bought from my local component shop yesterday. I also have a WD Caviar 320GB which was bought recently, and it's a good drive which has been used as a boot drive a few times; and I also have a Seagate 160GB sata. No matter what drive I use, HDD or optical, I can't install either OS.

Tis very frustrating. :yepp: But thanks again for your suggestions.

[Speederlander]

If every component is eliminated it may end up being the motherboard.

[Biker]

If every component is eliminated it may end up being the motherboard.

Exactly.

Which SATA controller did you attempt the install(s) from?

If you tried the red slots attempt from the Orange Silicon Image or the external SATA (Marvell) and have drivers ready via the F6 option if needed...

If this still fails then it must be the CD.

If every other possibility has been eliminated then it must be a dodgy board.

[LennyRhys]

I'm now pretty sure it's the board. I've tried installing in every sata port with various HDDs and still get the BSOD with the XP disc, and the system just gives up when I use either Windows7 disc.

I had an interesting episode in one of my recent attempts with Windows 7 - it found the HDD so I selected it and I tried to click the "next" button, but it wouldn't let me. When I rescanned, the HDD no longer appeared. Now you see it, now you don't. Dodgy motherboard? I think so.

[Speederlander]

I've lost the most hardware (motherboards and memory) to the :banana::banana::banana::banana:ty electrical in my apartment before I realized what was happening. Since I got my sine-wave UPS I haven't had a failure. And now I see every small brown-out when it clicks on, like at least once or twice a week when I'm sitting there. After I saw that I moved everything to UPS power in my apartment.

[Equinediver]

I've lost the most hardware (motherboards and memory) to the :banana::banana::banana::banana:ty electrical in my apartment before I realized what was happening. Since I got my sine-wave UPS I haven't had a failure. And now I see every small brown-out when it clicks on, like at least once or twice a week when I'm sitting there. After I saw that I moved everything to UPS power in my apartment.

If you live in the US, UPS's are an absolute must, especially down here in Florida. But in this case the OP lives in Scotland, they just don't suffer from the dirty power we have here.

Had a similar experience with a Dell the other week, swopped out everything, finally changed out the board and voila Windows loaded fine.

[jbartlett323]

I have had this exact problem multiple times... odds are there is nothing wrong with your hardware, try a SP2 disc and I would nearly guarantee it will work!
don't ask me why but i see this all the time at work on our IBM's. Some machines the SP3 disc will work with no problem, others no go... and the funny part is they are all the same model with *pretty much* the same hardware config (at least i haven't found a major dabilitating difference yet).

[zsamz_]

i gave up on xp3 a long time ago
to me its just a bsod pack
makes me wonder if it was done on purpose :rofl:

[LennyRhys]

Thanks for the input guys. I'll try getting hold of XP streamlined with SP2 and let you know how I get on with that. If XPSP2 fails, I'll blame the board for once and for all. :cheer:

I've been told to contact ASUS directly for an RMA. Oh noes. :D

[LennyRhys]

Well I got XPSP2 and the system BSODs in exactly the same place with exactly the same error. Given Equinediver's experience of solving the problem by changing the motherboard, I think I'll follow suit and hope for the best. Pleeeeease let my very first ASUS customer service experience be a good one. :yepp:

[rogard]

Have you tried configuring your hard drive as ACPI? or RAID instead?

[LennyRhys]

Yeah I have tried ACHI, and the BSOD still hits me at the same point. I don't have a floppy so trying RAID won't work, but based on my past experience with virtually the exact same system I shouldn't need to install third party drivers when the HDDs are configured as IDE.

I've been installing XP regularly over the past 2 years over which time I've owned five different motherboards and about twelve CPUs, and I've never needed anything except the XP disc itself. Same goes for Win7.

[LennyRhys]

OK I have an update and although I haven't solved the problem, I believe I'm getting closer to a solution - I'd still appreciate any input from you guys.

I was on the phone to a technician who told me he's almost certain that my motherboard is NOT faulty, and he said this simply because the HDD is recognised in the BIOS, which it wouldn't be if the SATA controller was borked, so I've tried other solutions - I have since managed to get hold of a vanilla XP disc (no service packs streamlined). Since trying this new disc, I have managed to get past the stage of the XP install process where my PC previously BSODed and have managed to format and begin installing the OS after booting from the newly formatted HDD. However still no luck with the install, as it freezes with 34 minutes to go - tried several times and it freezes in the same place every time. At least now I am making headway and have identified some very helpful things:

1) XP SP3 disc was causing the system to BSOD so I'm binning it :yepp:
2) memory performance is not consistent so it makes me suspicios of memory
3) it is NOT due to CPU compatability because bios has been flashed to an updated version

My next plan is to change the memory completely, even though my current kit passes memtest with no errors, and also to replace the PATA optical drive with a brand new SATA unit...permanently. Hopefully with the new memory, drives and vanilla CD the system will work fine. If not, I give up lol :brick:

EDIT: i looked at the setupapi.log file and the windows XP install is crapping out when it tries to install USB drivers. I tried the "delete the offending .inf" file solution but it just screwed up my installation and now an error message pops up and it refuses to continue. is it possible for a USB controller on a motherboard to die/cause big problems?

[LennyRhys]

PROBLEM SOLVED!!!

It was the PSU. I swapped out my uber expensive 900W modular PSU for a cheapy 650W one and XP installed absolutely fine. Every single problem, error, BSOD, hang, was because of a faulty PSU. How extremely annoying.

I have a PC again though. :cheer: