Problem installing OS on new hardware

Hi, I build a system using the following hardware: ASUS P6T Deluxe V2, i7-930, Corsair 1866 6Gb Memory, Sapphire HD5870 Vapor-X and 4 WD Black Caviar 1Tb disks.

Boot to BIOS OK; Memtest86+v4 passed OK (twice) for the memory; BIOS recognizes the disks, both as IDE and RAID; using the Intel tool I set some RAID0 and 1 configs. Created disk driver for Intel RAID drivers.

I tried to install Windows 7 Profesional 64 bits and it hungs (freezes) about 10 to 20 seconds after changing to graphic mode (1st splash screen of windows logo). Only once it moved to the first blue/green background before freezing, by the way with a very low resolution.

Tried again after disabling the sound, the 2 LANs and USBs. Same.
Tried going down from RAID10 to RAID 1 and 0 (officially supported by MS). Same.
Tried again putting the disks as IDE. Same.

So, took old copy of Windows XP, moved disks to IDE and enabled 32 bit transfers on disks. Created a 200Gb partition in one disk.

The install of XP goes OK to the recognized disk, reboots but freezes about 1minute after moving to graphics mode, when copying drivers.

If I reboot, it tries to keep going with XP but freezes again at the same point, copying drivers. If I do not put the DVD, the screen (on graphics mode) can keep forever but as soon of activity is taken, freezes again in about a minute or so.

So... :confused: it may be the graphic card or a driver issue? What can I do to narrow the issue (buying a new -cheap- graphic card just to test)? it is any known issue with the motherboard/Graphic card/win7 64bits ? How can test from BIOS or DOS the Graphic card (I have no compatible system to test)?



Any suggestion is welcomed!

Is your system overclocked ? I normally install windows with stock settings and then once installed I will set my overclock

Nope, all at stock settings, so running memory at 133. My intention was to build and baseline before starting OC... Does this memory run's OK at stock settings? Memtest was OK....

if memtest passes then it should be OK. just make sure you have the correct voltage on the RAM

Can you swap out your GPU?

Olly K,
QPI/DRAM voltage is set to AUTO. Memory is the Corsair TR3X6G1866C9DF, 3x2GB, DDR3-1866, CL9@1.65V. Can be the memory? Should I manually override it?

DAK1640, no, if I want to do that I should buy another GPU...that has a W7 compatible 64 bits driver, so not sure it will be cheap... :)

Thanks very much for the hints...

ram on auto s/b fine. It's almost as if you don't have enuf power to GPU...

DAK1640, Power supply is a Corsair 950W; GPU is connected to the two extra power connectors on th eback... in priciple should not be that. Or the memory does not have enough power, but I don't know the Dominators specs (Will read now...) or the GPU has a problem or... I don't know. Something else (Motherboard?)

Is the GPU new? You have a high quality rig and should not be having this issue. I would try re-seating everything. Does the DVD work properly? Rest assure, something is up with the GPU.

It's all brand new out of the box... spent some weeks deciding what to purchase :D

DVD works fine. Could be god to have a way to test GPU from DOS or BIOS.

Try the GPU in a diff PCI-E slot.

Thanks DAK140,

I tried on the second location but got the exact same result with both XP and Windows 7, freezing at the same time than before. Cannot try the 3rd location as it is a double card and steps on the connectors at the border of the MB; and is missing one more slot to the outside. So, you can not use the Asus P6T MB with 3 ATI crossfire double cards... bad design...

The GPU card was quite hot (in spite of his fan). Maybe that's not normal?

I'm now also inclined to think that the GPU is the problem. Unluckily my other machine is older and has an AGP card so I can not test it on the Asus P6T MB. So probably I must buy a cheap model of GPU, PCI slot card, that works fine out of the box with Windows 7 Profesional 64 bits.

If it works is the Sapphire card which fails, if not... then is the motherboard.

I'll bet it's the GPU...I have a few spare GPU's...Come on over to Da Goosey's or PM me for a Free ATI GPU. I'll help you buddy.:up:

Many thanks for the kind offer, I appreciate it, but I think that sending a GPU from Chicago to Switzerland will cost more than buying one... I ordered one (says: Asus HD 4350 Passiv, PCI-E, 512MB DDR2, HDMI, low profile - compatible Windows 7 64 bits) for 40 bucks and should get it tomorrow. I'll let you know if it's that (if not, things get complicated).

Thanks again,

OK, I tried with the second simplest GPU card and... same freeze.
I tried to increase RAM voltage as proposed by Olly K; so I AI Overclocking Tuner to X.M.P. letting him calculate the voltage values for this RAM. It passed OK Memtest. Tried to do a new install of the OS: same freeze.
What is left to try?

have you tried a different DVD drive ?

Olly_K,
There is only one. I can try to pick one out of another system.

But to recap: RAM seems OK, GPU seems OK, so is either the DVD or the Motherboard.

Am I right?

if its happening for Win7 and XP using different CD/DVD media and you've swapped the gfx card then I would assume so, yes.

I have a Genuine Windows XP CD at home and I had a similar issue with it. It was only when I copied the disk and install it from the copy was I able to complete the setup.

Also, have you tried a different HDD ?

OK, I dismounted an IDE DVD and plugged in here. Was well recognized, tried again, freezed again at the same point with Windows 7. I imagine will do again the same if I try with XP.

I have 4 disk drives, I can unplug 3 and try a couple of them...

If it was the DVD, will not freeze with W7 and XP, so... I'll try sawpping the disks and if it is not that I think I can assume it is the Motherboard and send it back, isn't it?

what about a different HDD ?

It's what I'll tr ynow, leave only one hard disk as IDE, try, swap it if it doesn't work by another one, etc... Will tell back soon...

Also, make sure your deleting any partition during setup, and creating a new one :)

Yeap, I destroyed the RAID so all disks are clean. I put all disks as IDE. Then I connected only one by one, each time at a different SATA port. Same freeze at the begin of the first graphic screen (Windows 7 logo).

So, MEM is OK, GPU is OK, Disks are OK, DVD is OK....euh... Power Supply is Ok :) the fans and watercooling (had no chance to put that CPU beyond my body temperature!!! :mad: and mouse and keyboard too... :rolleyes:

So, the motherboard is the most probable cause :eek:

I'll pack it and send it to Mr. ASUS...and wait for weeks... sniff...

if its new then where you got it from should give you a replacement

humm... I'll try and see how good the after sales service is... :shrug:

Thanks for the kind help, it was not easy to find as every piece was new, not the same as when you are adding new parts to old stuff you know it works...

OK, hopefully I'm soon back asking about cooling, volts and frequencies, probably a much more exciting subject !!! :)