Am i Network booting? Help greatly needed

[Elderscrollsinisten]

Hello everyone! every time i try to boot my recently built PC i get messages like:
"PXE-E61: media check failure, check cable" and while trying to load windows installation: The file \AMD64\hal.dll could not be loaded. The error code is 4. And so on

I think this might be due to bios settings on my motherboard: " MSI K9N Neo-F". Does anyone know how i can end this problem? Possibly by disabling networkbooting? How do i disable that?

If you have got any ideas on whats going on, clues to how i get it fixed, or other suggestions i am very happy to recieve them all

 

[uk_gangsta]

Hello everyone! every time i try to boot my PC i get messages like:
"PXE-E61: media check failure, check cable" and while trying to load windows installation: The file \AMD64\hall.dll could not be loaded. The error code is 4. And so on

I think this might be due to bios settings on my motherboard: " MSI K9N Neo-F". Does anyone know how i can end this problem? Possibly by disabling networkbooting? How do i disable that?

If you have got any ideas on whats going on, clues to how i get it fixed, or other suggestions i am very happy to recieve them all

Sounds to me moe like your windows is corrupt, usualy wen it network boots and fials, it wil default to the next boot device and try all of them. mite still be the network tho not sure......

 

[Guest]

Sounds like a suicidal Windows installation; Make no big deal out of it and just reinstall...

 

[thechristopher]

PXE = Pre-Boot Execution Environment

The PC is looking for a network to boot off. Useless unless you have 1000 or so PC's you want to push software out to while the users are at home in bed. Very usefull in this case as you can upgrade them all from the server without turning them on -ie: visiting each machine to hit the power button.

Hit delete at startup to enter bios.

Check the boot options tab.

Boot from 1st HDD, CD, Floppy, then LAN last. I dont have an MSI board so anyone who does please have a look in the bios and post any corrections.

Check too

There may be a LAN boot switch - ASUS has this in the Onboard devices tab - you just hit disable and save changes. Dont know where this is in the MSI bios. Have a poke around and see if you can find it.

 

[mesarectifier]

HAL.dll is probably the no. 2 DLL that likes to crash Windows, in my experience (number one being Mup.sys). I've never found a way round HAL.dll being the one that crashes the load other than reinstallation.

 

[Elderscrollsinisten]

I believe the boot option "HDD, CD, Floppy etc" is fine although il have to check out the Lan which i havent seen. I will also check for a LAN boot switch in the bios. It is a possibility that my Windows Installation CD is bad as it was a downloaded trial version of Windows XP Pro 64 bit. I will try to acquire another copy of "normal" Windows XP. "I have a copy, but it is only legit and possible to install it with the dell machine it came with." Meanwhile i am still happy to hear your thoughts and ideas concerning this problem!

 

[thechristopher]

Missing Hall.dll can also be associated with a corrupt boot.ini.

Was the trial 64 bit patched? Did it have a build number in the bottom right hand corner?

Try the following M$ link

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;330184

This gives a suggested fix for the 32 bit XP. 64bit will be similar.

 

[Elderscrollsinisten]

I dont believe i can get as far as the recovery console. Mine stops at the first screen were it is loading all those things before i get to the setup menu, i believe. :? However i tried to disable something in the "integrated peripherals" menu in the bios called onboard LAN controller which before was set to auto. As a result i no longer get the PXE-E61 error while starting with nothing to boot from "no CD or operating system, which has never been installed before etc" and Nvidia bootagent has also disappeard from the selected booting methods. However in the final stage of the first loading screen i have been given a new message from the computer i have never seen before. I will post the message below:

 

[Elderscrollsinisten]

A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to the computer.

BAD_POOL_HEADER

If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen "seen it a couple of times now" restart your computer. If this screen apears again follow these steps:

Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed. If this a new installation, ask your hardware or software manufacturer for any windows updates you might need.

If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. Disable bios memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use safemode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to select advanced startup options, and then select safemode.

Technical information: *** Stop: 0x00000019 (0x0000000000000020, 0xFFFFFA80000860D0, 0x0000000006030203)

 

[phyglenaut]

Elderscrollsinisten,

First, regarding your network boot issue -- your system is only doing this because it has no other device to boot from. As soon as you get an Operating System installed on it, it won't try to boot from a Network. Unfortunately this MSI board unlike most, doesn't have the option to turn off the Onboard LAN option boot ROM separately, so disabling the Onboard LAN as you have done is basically disabling your entire networking card, which, I assume you don't really want to do, especially once you get an Operating System installed. For now, I'd recommend re-enabling the Onboard LAN, and trying to disable "Boot from other devices" in the BIOS boot sequence settings.

As for your OS loading issue, I'm almost 100% positive that your problem is NOT a bad OS installation CD, but either bad RAM or bad RAM/chipset compatibility. I've already had a few experiences like yours with the new K9N series using the new Nvidia chipset.

Basically what is happening, is that your installation CD is attempting to load an Operating System, but in order to do that it has to pass all that stuff through system RAM. Your RAM is having compatability issues or is just plain bad, and the files your OS install CD is loading to your hard drive through your RAM are getting corrupted by your RAM, hence the errors.

There is a very extensive topic regarding this in another thread here in this forum, but before I link you to that, I'd recommend, first, if you are using 2 sticks of dual channel DDR, I'd remove one stick of RAM and try only 1 stick, then load your OS, if you still have problems with that, then I'd suggest downloading memtest86+ (do a google search) and running it for at least 12 hours and/or until you get errors on that memory stick. If you get errors, I'd suggest raising the voltage to your RAM by about 2 tenths of a volt and try running memtest86+ again. If you can run it now without any errors for a minimum of 12 hours, then you are having the same problem many people are having with there K9N based systems. In that, case install both RAM sticks back in dual channel DDR mode, keep the voltage raised and install your OS and it should work now. If you can't make the errors go away by raising the voltage to your RAM then you have bad RAM and you need to RMA it and get a good set.

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1153835#1153835

the part of that thread that is pertinent to you doesn't start until I think page 4. I've posted my experiences there and some other people have had similar issues. Incidentally, what type of RAM are you using?

Good luck, I hope you get this solved.

 

[Elderscrollsinisten]

I am using TwinMos DDR2 PC2-5300 2GB 667Mhz "A kit with 2 matched 1024MB dual channel sticks"

Edit: i will certainly try your sollution, and I hope my RAM will cope with the voltage. I would like you guys to know that im really thankfull for you taking time to write extensive posts like the one above to help me. I will start testing this method sometine tomorrow and if im lucky it might resolve my problem. Il keep posting, thank you very much. oh and by the way running memtest on both or one stick? probably the same? il run both.

 

[Elderscrollsinisten]

Grave news... Well i dont exactly know where to start. i downloaded the three versions of the memstest unfortunately it wasnt able to run any of them from my usb-pen drive. the floppy drive on my current laptop isnt working so il try to make a memtest floppy some other way. This might not solve the problem though, as all the other floppy disks i have tried in the new Computer wouldnt react be it boot floppy or other kinds. I did try to set the voltage of one of the RAM modules to first 1.95 and then 2.05 and it would still not install windows...

Edit: i switched the RAM module i tried first, im now running the other 1024 MB stick at 2.05 volts and i've gotten furthur than ever, im actually formating my drive!!!!!!! this is great progress thank you phyglenaut!!!!! Still il keep you posted, the other module may very well be busted since i was unable to do the same thing with it.! Edit again: I might still keep posting or start a new post if i encounter furthur problems PS: Phyglenaut ur a geniuos, coming as far as this was almost beyond my highest hopes!!! :lol:

 

[phyglenaut]

Elderscrollsinisten,

Glad to read your edit at least . . . Hope things are still improving for you regarding this and that some of my suggestions may have helped.

Anything new to report?