Is it the MSI K9N Platinum or the RAM?

[Desertfox89]

I am currently on my second motherboard for this build im doing. The first mobo i had was an Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe. I am using AMD Athlon 64 3500+ with 2 sticks of 1 gig Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400 (800 mhz) on a power supply of Antec Truepower 430. However, the motherboard refused to recognize the RAM. I tried changing hte timings and everything but I couldnt get Windows installed as a result. I RMAed the mobo and got a new one, the MSI K9N platinum because it boasted compatibility with the RAM. So today i hooked it all up and bam, im hit with the same stupid blue screen of death when i try to install windows. I tried changing the timings and everything and still nothing. I'm really starting to get frustrated and I'm wastingin a lot of time trying to figure this out.

In addition, i played around with the mhz, making my memory at 400 @ 2.1 volts and setting my timing manuallly to 4-4-4-12 and that doesnt even seem to work. Is something wrong with the motherboard and should i get another RMA? The memory should be okay since i ran Memtest with both DIMMs in slots 1 & 3 and there were no errors. Also to clarify, the BSOD occurs when the blue setup screen says "Setup is starting windows" where afterwards there is supposed to be all the partionining and installation info and stuff. However, in that place i get a BSOD.

Any help would be appreciated since it's been a week since my parts have arrived and i can't still do anything

 

[raven3x7]

try updating your bios. OCZ used to have problems with this mobo if you didnt install the 1.31 beta bios. you can find it here . Theres a link in that thread as well as some info that might help you.

 

[Desertfox89]

I already flashed my BIOS up to 1.31, but to no avail. Still the same crash when i try to install windows [when it gets to "Setup is starting windows" on the bottom after loading a bunch of drivers and stuff]

 

[raven3x7]

What version of XP are you using(SP1 or SP2)?I think this might be a software issue. To install windows on sata drives i think you need SP2, if you dont have that it will probably not work. For confirmation you could try a Linux live cd(Knoppix, Kanotix) to see if that will boot.

 

[Desertfox89]

I've heard that before and im in the middle of trying that out now [with slipstreamed XP SP2]....however i dont use any SATA, only PATA, so idk

 

[raven3x7]

I think it still could be a driver(lack thereof) in SP1.
ps i've ordered the same board.

edit: my typing sucks

 

[jimw428]

If you get this far with the installation, it pretty well eliminates the MB and memory as the source of the trouble. That leaves OS version, device drivers and HDD coimpatibily as potential problems.

Try downloading a self loading HHD testing program to eliminate the drives and interface. The one I like is available on the Hitachi web site, but WD and Seagate offer similar programs. Just be sure to get the DOS versions.

 

[Desertfox89]

I did get the Seagate dos startup tool. It looked fine when i loaded it up and it recognized my HDD and everything, but as im typing im slipstreaming SP2. Hopefully that is the problem

 

[Desertfox89]

Tried installing with SP2 XP disc, but no cigar. still the same old crash message at the part where it says Setup is starting windows in the blue Windows Setup screen.

 

[brycer79]

I could be way off here but could it be the 2.1 volts? for the ram???? can it be adjusted to 1.8? I think it's 1.8 I have heard that am2 mobos have problems with 2.1 volts... or maybe that is just asus but hey who kows it might owrk!

Brycer79

 

[brycer79]

Have you tried going to single chanel for the ram?? I jsut read htis poost again...

"Well... i have lived to tell the tale... it was more annoying than anything though. I did end up getting the DDR2 800 RAM, 2gig in dual channel mode. I ended up formatting my harddrive cause it was having trouble recognizing the RAID setup. Basically it would blue screen and reboot right after loading the RAID from the BIOS. But after that it would crash at random times in the windows installation.
All i did was swtich to a single channel setup and windows installed fine. After the install i had massive issues after changing to the dual channel again and then i throtled down the frequency of the RAM to 400MHz and changed the TRAS setting to 15 in the memory timing configurations in the BIOS (I didn't know this was something you could now configure in BIOS) and it booted fine after that, although running 800MHz RAM at 400MHz isn't what i would call ideal.
To fix this, all i did was flash the bios to the newest 1.20 that MSI had out and now everything works fine. Had some problems getting the SLI to work but thats nothing that really concerns this thread at all.
Perhaps i was just lucky..."

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/system-upgrades-K9N-SLI-Platinum-ftopict194608.html

maybe that will help???

Please let me know I ahve this board in a new case jsut awaiting my cpu and rma inabout a week and will be going with 2 gigs of dd2 800 and would love ot know who to get everythign working nice and easy...

brycer79

 

[riccochet]

Well i had the same problem with this MSI board. What i did to fix it was change the memory timings, throttle it down to 400MHz, then use only ONE stick of ram. I have 2 gig of OCZ 800MHz RAM (2, 1 gig sticks) and only when i used a single stick did i get through the windows installation. After that, I had to flash the bios to the newest version. Then and only then did my memory work fine without crashing anything. I have it set to 800MHz and both sticks of RAM in the machine now and everything has been pretty solid.