biostar mobo issue

[BigEmpty312]

191342.1

I recently purchased a Biostar mobo M7NCD. I'm building a pc from scratch using the following:

CPU=AMD Athlon XP 3000+ 400 FSB
RAM= 1024 MB DDR PC2700
ATI 9600se 128mb
HHD= Maxtor 80 gb 7200/8mb OEM
no floppy drive

Got everything hooked up. When I installed Windows XP, the part when it tries to load the setup, a continous beeping sound occurs (sounds like an alarm). I tried it several times, different cd drives, the same result, all on the same spot. Then I tried to install 98. It formatted the drive and got as far as preparing directory but it gets stuck on 61% while checking available disk. It scanned the HDD and it looks ok every time.
I have a feeling its a bad hard drive? Or is it the BIOS? Nees your advise. Thanks

 

[Scout]

Have you got the memory slowed down to 333 MHz. (PC2700)? If you're trying to run the memory at DDR400 in a 1:1 ratio with your processor, that memory likely won't take the speed...

Scout
700 Mflops in SETI!

 

[BigEmpty312]

Yes, I used 2 512mb Ultra brand DDR 2700 333 mhz. Can memory mess up the XP installation? I went to BIOS and everything I hooked up was detected. Anywhere from the hard drive to the 2 optical drives, it even got the model numbers right.
On the XP cd it copied all the files needed to the hard drive, but when it starts the setup that s when it started beeping. I turned the pc off right away.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by BigEmpty312 on 11/25/04 01:13 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Scout]

Hummm... are the CPU temperatures OK when you look in the BIOS hardware monitoring section?

What kind of Power Supply are you using, and do you have the supplimental four pin connector connected? A weak PSU can cause lots of problems.

Finally, did you go into the BIOS and select "setup defaults" in case there are some settings causing problems..

Another trick would be to pull one of your memory sticks and see if that stabilizes the system... When you have a lot of memory, it is tougher for the system to manage it.

Just a few ideas to try...

Scout
700 Mflops in SETI!

 

[Crashman]

The beeping could be the temperature alarm. I'd start it up, go into BIOS, and watch the temps for a few minutes to see how hot it gets.

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[BigEmpty312]

I think the memory is the culprit here. I bought the Ultra brand, I heard a lot of complaints about this brand, but I took my chances since its really cheap.
I will work on this in a minute and I will let you know the result. Thanks.

 

[BigEmpty312]

Temperature last I checked was 46c/116f. Power supply is ULTRA 400w it came with the barebone. Biostar case came with the mobo and psu.

 

[BigEmpty312]

Could be, but I just remembered when I tried to install 98 it got stuck at 61% preparing the hard drive and I left it there for more than an hour hoping it might move. And I didnt hear the alarm/beeping nor did the pc shut me down.

 

[BigEmpty312]

Thanks for your help. Just so you know, the problem was the cpu fan. For some reason its not cooling the entire cpu, it was the correct fan according to the box but replacing it with another brand fan did the trick. Apparently it was shutting off whenever the cpu doesnt get sufficient cooling.