Harkonan

Hey guys its another crash problem for me.

i think my problem is HDD/Mobo/cable related. so my set up is thus:

(PATA)Samusung SPN 200Gb: IDE channel 1 master
(PATA)Samusung SPN 200Gb: IDE channel 1 slave
(SATA)Samusung SPN 250GB: ATA channel 1 Master

all connected to a Nforce Mobo and Hyper-R PSU.

so heres the story

Ok ive had my system running for around a month after my last re isntall of windows and suddnely, wham it frezzes mid movie and refuses to boot.

When i go into bios there are NO IDE or ATA Drives. but after a few scans i manage to get it to recognise them. however it still refuses to boot into windows, it just spends 10 mins 'Scaning NFTS' before saying BOOT FALIURE PLEASE INSERT PROPER BOOT DEVICE.

Deciding the windows isntall was dead i tryed to re install XP however after a few BSOD's while copying setup files the sucessfull pre install does nothing. same scan and error.

ive played about with a lot of settings both Bios and cable combinations with no luck.

any ideas?
thanks a lot in advance

dai

d/l and run the hard drive manufacturers diognostic utility on the h/drives
try new 80 wire cables
run
chkdsk /r

Harkonan

Good idea on the diagnostical tool. already done a chkdsk /r gave me a.ok untill 50% then it died.

new symptom.

upon boot the system moves through the post then it black screens and says

"Windows cannot start because of a computer disk configeration problem

Could not read from the select boot disk check boot path and disk hardware."

followed by some advice about the MS site.
i follow the instructions on the site (advice about rebuilding the boot.ini). but to no avail.

also half the time the computer crashes during post when "scanning IDE".

dai

recheck the jumper settings on the drives

Harkonan

ok ill try the jumpers. just to check i do have the correct set up as discribed in the first post? they should not all be set to cable select right?

well the next and final stage of death has set in. now when it starts up I get no input to the screen and a beeping noise from the computer. thats it.

Harkonan

ok ive managed to find what the beeping means, memory problems
so im checking the memoy now, so far ones good three more to check.

Harkonan

Right. now i have disconnected all but one of the HDD's and managed to get far enough in the Windows install to do a complete format, and then install the pre windows set up on it. however when i restart to go into windows itself it does the first part of the POST check and then restarts. if i press f12 to select the boot device and choose the HDD it moves to the next stage of the POST untill it says Verifiying DMI data.. then re boots.

Please can any one shed some light on this? its starting to get very frustrating. thanks.

Zazula

Had you wiped out (zeroed) the system hdd with the manufacturer's utility before you installed WinXP?

Harkonan

Nope. at the moment i dont have a floppy drive in the computer.
do you think would cure the problem?

Zazula

1. All HDD manufacturers' utilities come also as ISO image files for burning bootable CDs that run stand-alone under DOS.

2. My personal experience has shown that clean Windows installations should always go on wipe-cleaned HDDs; otherwise strange things happen...

Harkonan

Exilent
thanks am trying this now

linderman

Things to check: as you well know >>> fixing computers is really just about swapping out parts until you fidn the cilprit & alot of geek experience will help reduce the number of parts you swap out thru experience.

Here is what I would try in this order:


A) run memtest 86 on your memory to be sure you have no memory leaks !

B) change the cd-rom drive you are using fro isntall to another drive

C) try another PSU >>>>> Hiper is not a high quality unit unfortunately
if the PSU has enough voltage fluctuations and spikes or dips lower or higher than the component thresholds then it will cause BSOD's and auto shutdowns

D) try diff cables leading to the drive

during diagnostics always run the bare minimum i.e. one stick of memory, one cd or dvd drive, one drive for windows OS

wipe & erase is a very good plan >>>> boot & nuke in my sig (free) has a burnable ISO image

keep us posted

Harkonan

Ok. do far i am down buy two ram sticks and i am only running on one 512. where would i find the memtest86? im guessing in the Windows repair fuction?

i was under the inpression the Hyper Type R was a fairly high quality modle. but them in not exactly an expert in PSU, it is however certianly better than any of the other PSUs i currently have, but i shall try it any way.

As for cables have switched them all around as well as testing with some of my other ribbons.

im hoping i dont have to burn any thing yet because im currently running Knoppix out of the only CD drive on there.

I shall carry on with swapping parts and cables around untill i can get over to some one who has a burner for making the nuke and boot utility.

thanks for taking an intrest.

dai

set the drives up master and slave
master on the end of the cable and slave in the middle
http://www.memtest86.com/

Harkonan

Well no love on the PSU.
this eveing ill be traveling to my fathers to burn a Boot & Nuke as well as the memtest86. any other sugesstions on tools i should burn, id rather not have to make a second trip. :P

cheers for all help.

Harkonan

Ok so i have now illiminated the SATA 250 Gb Drive as it fuctions fine. however I still have the two 200Gb on which i previously have had Windows installs.

Having Zero level formated both and then normal formated them. ive isntalled pre windows and now on rebooting i get the message i stated in my second post

"windows cannot start because of a computer disk configuration......."

im thinking that next i should reboot into the install CD and use the repair fuctions and the command lines given on the windows KNowalge base to fix this particualr problem.

is there any other advice or processes i should be trying first? or after?
i will keep you posted on how the repairs go.

thanks for the help so far.

Zazula

Check out methods #2 & #3 from Error Message: Windows Could Not Start Because of a Computer Disk Hardware Configuration Problem.

However, what I would do is to plug only one hdd, the one that will have the OS installed, and not plug any other hdd's until the WinXP installation finishes OK.

When you zero a hard disc, you are asked for the OS that will go on it. So, after having decided which of the hdd's will have WinXP, you tell so to your hhd utility so it appropriately prepares the hard disc, you then move on with the installation, and after it finishes you start adding the other hdd's.

Harkonan

sure i will make sure i disconect the second HDD befor i try to isnstall widnows. then if that doesnt help itll be time for the Win Repair.

cheers.

Harkonan

Right one step forwards. following Zazula's advice i can now boot windows up and have a fully functional computer. however when i pulg in the other two drives (one Zeroed one not) the computer presents the following problems:

200Gb = no screen, when i boot the computer every thing sounds OK but the screen doesnt come out of standby mode.

250Gb = the compter, as before, moves through POST and does the 'scanning for NFDS... and declares there is no boot media in the PC.

it may also be woth noting that if eather of the two drives are pluged in the Bios starts doing funny things with recognising drives. not seeing pluged in drives etc. There is also the stillr emaning problem of the jam on IDE detection during the POST.

Zazula

Select which of the two remaining HDDs will be your Slave drive, set its jumpers accordingly (also check the jumpers of the OS hard disc to confirm they're set to Master - not Single), and then try booting with the two HDDs connected - post back!