Yesterday I bought a new motherboard. I have connected to the motherboard a 2.2 GHz pentium 4 processor, 2 hard drives (80 and 120 GB), a dvd player and a DVD/CD re-writer. Everything is showing up in the BIOS ok.


I installed Windows XP (made no changes or installed any software after installing) and rebooted the PC. When I rebooted the PC after the initial P.O.S.T the PC hangs for about 1 - 2 minutes and I get the following error message

Hardware/profile configuration menu

This menu allows you to select a hardware profile when windows is started

If your system is not starting correctly, then you may switch to a previous system configuration, important: system configuration changes made since the last successful start up will be discarded.

Profile 1


If I choose profile 1 (the only choice) windows loads normally.


I tried reformatting again and I still get the same boot up problems.

I have tried altering and copying the hardware profile settings in device manager

I thought I had the PC sorted. I stripped the PC right down. Reformatted the hard drive and added each device 1 by 1. I managed to get it 1 hard drive, 512k memory, 2.2Ghz processor, DVD player, DVD writer, 3 PCI cards and a Geforce fx 5200 AGP card. Everything was working ok. The moment I added my second hard drive to the equation I got he boot up problems again. I have an external hard drive that I use for back up purposes. I tried installing that as the second hard drive and the PC was still stable and booting up ok.


So I assumed the second hard drive was at fault. I removed the second hard drive and put it back in my external hard drive case. I then went out and bought a new 120 GB hard drive.


I put the new hard drive in the PC as a slave (so I now have two 120 GB hard drives in the PC) The PC is now booting up ok but Windows has trouble finding the DVD player and DVD writer (forgot to check if the bios is recognising them). Sometimes when I boot up windows the DVD player and DVD writer are showing. Next time I boot up time only one may be showing. The next time I boot up none may be showing etc.

I am now wondering if it may be the IDE controllers on the motherboard at fault (the IDE cables are brand new)?
Could it be the hard drive? I have been installing XP on the same hard drive all during the problems (but it is a brand new hard drive).

Harddrive problem: check that your 2nd harddrive is not SATA, as opposed to ATA. If your mainboard/BIOS does not support SATA, that could be one reason. However, it appears that with the addition of the new HD you purchased you solved the problem. You didn't say in your quote, but make sure that one drive is jumpered to Master, and the other to Slave. Put them both on one IDE cable.

Reset your BIOS back to default settings and see if that helps. I have seen corrupted or incorrect settings cause hair-tearing problems. You can reset customized settings later after you boot clean.

Optical Drive problems: the symptoms you are describing are exactly what will happed if you have one or more of your IDE (data) cables plugged in upside down. Occasionally I will have a client complain of your problems, and that is the reason. It is very easy to do-actually you can insert one of the plugs upside down and all the contacts will fit! Just that everything now has reversed polarity. Also, just to be safe, put both your optical drives on ONE IDE cable, and make sure that one is jumpered to Master, and the other to Slave.

Post back and let us know.

When you reset the bios and check/changet he jumpers - makes ure the bios is also set for the drives to be master and slave.

The bios settings not matching the jumpers can cause weird issues too.

Also, did you have these problems with two different sets of ide cables? Just because they are new does not mean they are not defective.

Jumper settings and cables are ok

I am trying to test all the parts of my PC to see if I can find the fault. I have downloaded a memory tester. Memtest86+

It has reported errors. I left it running for 10 hours and then I had to go to work (it is still running while I am in work). I am unsure what the errors mean. Does anybody know? Does it mean my memory has a problem. It is a new memory stick. It is 1 512k stick of PC 166 DDR ram.

A colleague in work says all memory has some slight errors and it means nothing. I think he is wrong.

Memtest86+ results after 10 hours

Wall time 10:47:51
Cached 511m
ResvdMem 360k
MemMap e820-std
Cache On
ECC Off
Test std
Pass 43
Errors 4
Ecc Errs 0

Test 7
Pass 9
Failing address 00006ab0654 - 106.0mb
Good 03b54d45
Bad 0bb74d45
Err-bits 00020000
Count 4
Chan

Your memory is bad, and your work associate is dead-wrong. Any glitch whatsoever in memory will crash your computer.

I must admit, the problems that you are getting are not typical bad memory errors, but there is no doubt that your memory is faulty.

Most memory comes with at least a 1 year warranty, and many brands have lifetime warranty. Make a printout of your memtest result, and return or exchange the memory stick.

By the way - did you reset your BIOS back to default settings as I suggested?

QUOTE (ranchhand @ Jul 11 2005, 07:57 PM)

Your memory is bad, and your work associate is dead-wrong. Any glitch whatsoever in memory will crash your computer. I must admit, the problems that you are getting are not typical bad memory errors, but there is no doubt that your memory is faulty. Most memory comes with at least a 1 year warranty, and many brands have lifetime warranty. Make a printout of your memtest result, and return or exchange the memory stick. By the way - did you reset your BIOS back to default settings as I suggested?

I am writing this in work (I work nights). I had already tried doing the bios to factory defaults, checking jumpers, cables etc. I am going to return the memory and get a replacement stick. After that if I am still having problems I am going to return the motherboard (asrock P4VM800). I have a feeling the IDE controllers are at fault. All the problems have been with IDE devices and I have tried different IDE cables.

When I get the replacement memory I am going to strip the PC down and rebuild it again slowly. Checking each device one by one.

Ok here is the latest update. This beggining to feel more of a tale of woe in a blog than a tech support query lol. I feel the more info I can give about the reboots and crashes the better as they are very random.

I got the memory changed. I no longer have any problems starting or restarting the PC (well not yet). I am typing this in basic word that comes with windows XP. A lot of the later troubles are happening as I type this. As I type this I am trying to install windows updates.

I am getting ramdom reboots of windows and program crashes. Also windows does not recognise the second hard drive in my computer.

I removed the AGP card and the PCI cards. Disconnected all the IDE and floppy cables. Fitted the new memory. I double checked all the jumpers on the IDE devices.
I now only had the memory and the CPU connected. I reset CMOS and ran the bios set up utility.

I then added the floppy disk and checked I could load a boot floppy. I then connected the two hard drives (IDE 1) one by one. Each time checking they were being recognised in the bios. I then added the DVD player and DVD writer one by one (IDE 2). Each time checking they were recognised in the bios.

Both hard drives are identical 7,200 rpm 120GB maxtor hard drives. I ran maxtors powermax program. It is on a boot CD. I done a low level format of both drives and then doen a full check of each drive. No errors were reported. I then went back into bios and double checked everything. All IDE devices are being recognised correctly. The floppy is being recognised and is working.

I then installed windows from a boot cd. Windows loaded ok. I tried to have a check of things like device manager, control panel etc. Windows just rebooted itself when I clicked on the button to open device manager? When the PC rebooted I opened up My Computer and found the second hard drive was not listed. In my computer I could only see Local Disk ©, 3½ Floppy (A), DVD Drive (D), DVD-R Drive (E). I checked the size of the C drive and it is 120GB. Stupidly I did not check if device manager was recognising the second hard drive. I installed the latest motherboard drivers and loaded bios defaults to see if that would help. The second hard drive was still not being recognised in My Computer. I was still gettting random program crashes and PC reboots. Sometimes windows would just totally crash and I would have to do a forced reset. Other times windows would just reboot itself. It seemed to be when opening things up such as the start menu, device manager, word. Once a program or control panel etc was open it was stable. I had not installed any programs at this point. The only thing I had installed was Windows XP prof and the motherboard drivers. The only devices connected were the floppy, 2 hard drives, DVD player and DVD re-writer.

I thought it all may of been due to the windows installation not going in as it should of done. So I done another low level format of the C drive and fully checked both hard drives again. No reported errors. I installed windows again and immediately checked My computer. Again the second hard drive was still not listed? This time I wasn't so stupid and also checked what device manager was telling me about the second hard drive. Device manager can see both hard drives. As they are identical 120GB hard drives they are each named Maxtor 6Y120LO. System restore can only see the C drive also. I was still also getting random crashes and reboots. I either get a total crash (causing a forced reboot) where task manager will not open. I then get a program crash and the windows explorer has encountered an error box pops up. I also occasionaly get the PC just reboting itself. It is never when you are doing the same thing though it is very random.

I then again ran the latest motherboard drivers. I now realise I have never said that the board is an ASRock P4VM8. I checked device manager the only thing with a ? or a ! is the USB 2 which the board manufacturer says to download from windows updates.

I installed my USB ADSL modem. ran sasser and blaster patches. I open up word and started typing all this. I turned on the windows firewall and and went to windows update. The first 2 updates installed ok. After rebooting the PC I opened up word and carried on typing this. I went back to the windows update and got told there was 21 updates. Windows update stopped at installing update 10 stage. Seems it had crashed so I restarted windows. This time the 21 updates installed ok. After rebooting windows I went back to windows update. I was then told I needed to download service pack 2. when I clicked on install I immediately got the message that the download had failed. I closed Windows update and tried again. Again the same thing happened. The third time I tried it caused a crash and nothing in windows would respond. I had to do another forced reboot. When the PC was rebooting it suddenly rebooted itself at the welcome screen. It done it also on the second reboot but the third reboot it went into windows. However I got an error box with your system has recovered from a serious error. I opened up word to carry on typing this connected to the internet but when I clicked on the start menu the PC froze. Causing yet another forced reboot.

This time windows loaded first time but I still got your PC has recovered from a serious error box pup up. I again tried and failed to download service pack 2 from windows update? My Windows is legitimate. I am getting offered service pack 2 as an update. I click on download update. click on the I Accept button, get the preparing for download box and then get the following updates were not installed Windows service pack 2.

I saved what I had typed so far and decided to do a cold boot of the PC. I still got the your system has recovered from a serious error box pop up and service pack will still not download and install. I tried turning automatic updates on but thadid not start downloading any updates either.

So me questions are

Am I missing something very obvious?

Is the PC randomly crashing and rebooting down to windows installation or faulty hardware? I have now replaced the memory, fully checked both hard drives. The rebooting and crashes really are random. For example one time the PC rebooted itself when opening device manager but it has never done it since. One time the whole PC froze after clicking on the start button but it has never happened since. Another time the whole PC Just rebooted itself while I was in the middle of typing in all this up in Microsoft Word.

Why does Windows update sometimes crash and why will service pack 2 not download and install? In general Internet Explorer is working fine.

Is all this just down to a faulty Windows installation CD?

Could this be down to my processor? I know it is not down to overheating as when I done the memory test the PC was on for a full 24 hours wihout any problems.

Why is device manager recognising my second hard drive but system restore and My Computer not recognising them? Is it because in device manager both drives are listed with the same name (Maxtor 6Y120LO)?

Why do you think the PC is randomly crashing and rebooting?. It can sometimes be after 10 minutes or sometimes after 1 - 4 hours. It is never when you are doing or opening the same thing. It really is random.

I though I had it sorted out. I used disk management to get the second hard drive problem sorted out. I checked the all the temperatures and they where all ok.

A few people on various help boards had suggested it may be the power supply and that 350w was not enough.

I went out and bought a new 500w power supply. I reformatted the PC and things were stable. However when doing windows SP2 update about three quarters of the way through the PC rebooted. When it went back into windows there were lots of problems.

Rather than trying a system restore I decided to another format. This time all windows updates installed ok and I was able to install all the programs I use. I was also able to install my AGP card, a satellite PCI card (I connect a satellite dish to a PCI card on my PC) and a TV capture card. I rebooted the PC a few times to make sure all was ok. I tried using various programs and connected to the internet. I was using my PC for about 6 hours with no problems. I then went to bed happy.

I work nights. I got up and had something to eat etc. Before I went to work I thought I would test the PC. I booted up the PC got into windows and the PC rebooted. The Pc rebooted again when it got back into windows. I then had to leave for work. I am now putting this on the help forums while I am in work.

Do think it is a problem with the processor. IT is a 2.2.Ghz Pentium 4 that is about 3 years old.

Apart from trying a different processor (which I don’t have) is there any way I can test the processor?

Hi Enner,

Well, at this point, there are only a few remaining things to try, starting with the easiest:


> Move your memory stick to a new slot; twice I had problems with crashing in a newbuild until I did that in desperation, and no more problems.

>Run memtest again on your new memory stick; I always do that as SOP on every build, new stick or not. I have a cheap power supply tester and do the same with it.

> Pull your CPU; make double-dog sure that the thermo paste is applied correctly and is not overflowing down onto the chip circuit board. I had that happen once also, and I had a devil of a time finding the problem. Remember to clean the old paste off the heatsink and the CPU with a little paint thinner on a clean paper towel before applying fresh.

> When you installed your mainboard, were you careful to use the standoffs supplied, and for sure nothing was touching the bottom of the board to cause it to short out?

If after all that, the only thing that I can suggest is to return or exchange your mainboard. Bad mobos are extremely difficult to diagnose, and can create problems that you can never find. I hope that your return time has not expired.

I doubt that it is your CPU. Usually when those go bad, the system doesn't even boot or start up.

Post back and let us know.

Yes the standoffs were used. I have friend who is going to take a look at it for me. The mobo is only 2 weeks old so still under warranty. I will te you know how i get on

Well after all this time I finally found out it was the processor at fault. Thanks for everybody’s help