Lockups: Installing windows, in BIOS, in DOS... EVERYWHERE.

[kimixii]

Hey all, needing some good advice here.... My newly built PC is locking up EVERYWHERE, if I go to install Windows XP OR Vista, it either locks up when it says press any key to continue or after it gets done loading system files... [USB keyboard, legacy mode enabled in BIOS]

In the BIOS, it is painfully slow refreshing and sometimes it just locks up and then once you restart it will be a blank screen. You either have to pull the RAM and put in another socket, or swap the hard drive to something else like a CD drive or vice versa...

If I try to boot into DOS it either give a General Protection Fault or just locks up.

Never had this many problems with a computer before, straight up tearing my hair out.

Specs:

2.93 Ghz P4 Prescott
ECS P915-A2 v7.1 MOBO
2 gigs Kingston RAM, DDR2 533 [normally run just one 1G stick for right now]
Nvidia 8400 GS 256 MB [tried a regular PCI graphics card, same result.]
60 Gig Maxtor HD, master jumpered IDE
DVDRW drive, SATA, slave

P.S. blew up my floppy drive earlier today, plugged it in backwards and set her smoking lol. So no BIOS flashing unless we can do it from a flash drive, which when I try to load FreeDOS on a flash drive with the BIOS files it gives a general protection fault and locks up, like everything else.

Please help.
Thanks.

 

[GhislainG]

Don't flash the BIOS if the system isn't stable. What PSU do you have and are voltages in the BIOS within specs? There's a good chance that either the PSU or the motherboard is faulty. Can you try another PSU?

 

[kimixii]

Yes, I tried another PSU with the exact same results.

Turns out the motherboard is 99% faulty. I have an RMA request that I should get back tonight, and I am exchanging the board for an MSI board with an ATI chipset.

I knew I should have never skimped on my MOBO. I guess if its too good to be true, it is. It cost 20 bucks.

Also something strange I saw was that the MOBO is made around 2005-2006, but the stamp on the BIOS chip says 1999. Like the actuall chip in its socket on the mobo. Not too sure about that.

Either way my friend loves his MSI board and the price is right so we shall try it out and see.

 

[GhislainG]

The 1999 date on the BIOS chip is not the manufacturing date. It should be the copyright date.