- Nov 21, 2014
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- 0
- 4,510
Hi all,
First time posting and first time building, so I'm unsure of exactly where to place this query and if it need be moved I understand.
I've just finished building a new rig and it's my first build in 12 years, so I'm essentially new again. I've double and triple checked that every component is in place and managed to POST, get into BIOS and begin a fresh install of Windows 8.1 (legit, bought directly from Microsoft) from a USB stick. Where everything falls apart after that is beyond me.
Starting with specs directly from PCPartPicker:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kfqCgs
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: EVGA Z87 FTW ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($92.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($57.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($94.99 @ B&H)
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-21 20:15 EST-0500
Note: I had to boot with only one RAM module to start (in slot #2, per the board manual), and I selected XMP Profile 1 in BIOS because apparently with both modules in and the automatic profile set by default, I couldn't POST. I've still only got one stick of RAM in the machine.
I'm starting the machine with the following peripherals attached:
- External display connected via HDMI to the graphics card
- USB keyboard
- USB stick with Windows 8.1 deployment package
I'm able to begin my Windows installation (select language, keyboard layout, install location, etc). Windows copies the install files to my SSD and then I'm prompted to remove the USB stick and informed that the machine will automatically restart to continue installation. At this point, my computer does appear to restart, but after restart there's no signal from either the on-board graphics or the GeForce. My monitor flashes "monitor going to sleep" and after 20 minutes of seeing nothing happen, I hit the power switch to shut it off, then turn it back on again to receive a message to the tune of "Windows installation failed, please try again".
I have started to suspect the problem may lie in the way that the motherboard resets, because when I press the reset button on my computer, nothing happens. All the case cables are connected to the front panel header and are intact, and the power switch, power LED and HD LED all seem to work. However I don't know why that header would affect a soft reset anyway, so any suggestions would help.
One last note now that I'm thinking of it: Windows installer seems to be reading my SSD as Drive 1 and my mechanical storage drive as Drive 0. I assume it's related to the order in which I've plugged them into my SATA controller but I don't know if it's significant.
First time posting and first time building, so I'm unsure of exactly where to place this query and if it need be moved I understand.
I've just finished building a new rig and it's my first build in 12 years, so I'm essentially new again. I've double and triple checked that every component is in place and managed to POST, get into BIOS and begin a fresh install of Windows 8.1 (legit, bought directly from Microsoft) from a USB stick. Where everything falls apart after that is beyond me.
Starting with specs directly from PCPartPicker:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kfqCgs
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: EVGA Z87 FTW ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($92.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($57.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($94.99 @ B&H)
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-21 20:15 EST-0500
Note: I had to boot with only one RAM module to start (in slot #2, per the board manual), and I selected XMP Profile 1 in BIOS because apparently with both modules in and the automatic profile set by default, I couldn't POST. I've still only got one stick of RAM in the machine.
I'm starting the machine with the following peripherals attached:
- External display connected via HDMI to the graphics card
- USB keyboard
- USB stick with Windows 8.1 deployment package
I'm able to begin my Windows installation (select language, keyboard layout, install location, etc). Windows copies the install files to my SSD and then I'm prompted to remove the USB stick and informed that the machine will automatically restart to continue installation. At this point, my computer does appear to restart, but after restart there's no signal from either the on-board graphics or the GeForce. My monitor flashes "monitor going to sleep" and after 20 minutes of seeing nothing happen, I hit the power switch to shut it off, then turn it back on again to receive a message to the tune of "Windows installation failed, please try again".
I have started to suspect the problem may lie in the way that the motherboard resets, because when I press the reset button on my computer, nothing happens. All the case cables are connected to the front panel header and are intact, and the power switch, power LED and HD LED all seem to work. However I don't know why that header would affect a soft reset anyway, so any suggestions would help.
One last note now that I'm thinking of it: Windows installer seems to be reading my SSD as Drive 1 and my mechanical storage drive as Drive 0. I assume it's related to the order in which I've plugged them into my SATA controller but I don't know if it's significant.
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