Crashing in Windows 8 and wont reboot in a new build.

[Skay2003]

Hello,

Just built my first PC. I'm most definitely learning as I go so forgive me if I leave out any obvious details but here's my specs and issues.

I5 3570k
P8z77-v Thunderpolt
Gigabyte GTX670
16gb Corsair Vengeance
Corsair TX650W
Samsung 840 Pro 256GB
Seagate Barracuda 2TB
Windows 8

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I'll describe the issue in the order it became apparent to me. I'm not sure if they are related.

I installed windows on the SSD and after updating a few drivers (perhaps 30 mins later) I got my first crash. It's not instantaneous, it starts with unresponsiveness from different programs eventually resulting in me being able to move the cursor but carry out no actions. My girlfriend has been using the system playing SimCity and says that it crashes - the sound keeps playing - but the game freezes.

So the first time this happened I hit the reset button. I can't remember if I'd rebooted before this when I was installing the motherboard drivers but either way this time I was presented with the message -

'Please select proper boot device ...'

I reset and went into the bios. Only my Optical drive and HDD were shoing up in the boot menu. Couldn't see the SSD anywhere.

I whacked in the windows 8 cd - firstly I tried to access a lot of the repair functionality but it said it couldn't access the disk so I powered down and restarted the system - it booted off the cd.

Carried on using the system and even installed some other new drivers. This time I KNOW I rebooted successfully, even without the windows CD.

Then an hour or so later it crashed again. Went into bios. SSD not there.
Looked at my different SATA assignments in the bios. I have my SSD plugged into one of the Asus grey SATA slots for 6gb SATA cables (p1)

and then the HDD and OD are plugged into p5 and p6 blue ports.

I unplugged the SSD and restarted. Nothing.

Plugged it back in. And it worked. Booted up fine.
Went into bios. I could see the SSD.

Then an hour or so later it crashed. Went into the BIOS SSD was nowhere to be seen.

Now I can boot the system from the Windows CD and it crashes anywhere from 40 mins to 3 hours after.

I stumped but like I said I'm a laman who is just fiddling around.

Any help much appreciated

 

[tator_80]

Leave the SSD and Optical Drive plugged up and unplug the HDD and try a fresh install of windows 8 to the SSD. Leave internet disconnected from the computer until you get at least the basic drivers that come on the disks with the hardware(I.E drivers for the CPU,GPU, Optical Drive, and software for your motherboard but not Bios updates).

Use a flash drive and put an antivirus on your computer before connecting to the internet (I use Avast)
Connect back to the internet and do your windows updates

Then get the latest drivers for your hardware.

Last would be the bios updates. Those are the updates that truly provide system stability in the updates.

If it crashes at any point during this, it's more than likely you could have got a bad SSD.

 

[Skay2003]

Apologies for not following through with your suggestion just yet but I've got a bit more info now after reading this

http://scottiestech.info/2012/09/01/windows-8-freezes-or-hangs-the-fix-that-worked-for-me

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So on the advice of the article I enabled hotplugging on both my drives.

Whether related or unrelated to that - I now have no boot issues.

However the crashing still occurs.

I go into 'event log' and I have loads of

'The IO operation at logical block address 'XYZ' for Disk 0 was retried.'

in addition almost immediately before every crash I get the log entry

'Volume New Volume (\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy10) requires an Online Scan. An Online Scan will automatically run as part of the next scheduled maintenance task. Alternatively you may run "CHKDSK /SCAN" locally via the command line, or run "REPAIR-VOLUME <drive:> -SCAN" locally or remotely via PowerShell.'

 

[Skay2003]

A scan on google would imply I am not alone with Windows 8 and yet I can't understand anyones solutions

 

[tator_80]

It could be windows 8 itself like the article you found said. I don't have windows 8 myself, but i had this kind of problem a while back with a larger drive with windows 7 on it. The system would hang and lock up and a restart would solve it, but it would crash later. I solved my by having a smaller SSD with windows on it, and the larger drive used for my normal programs. Haven't had a problem since. Either way a fresh install could get rid of any issues. Never hurts to try again.

 

[Skay2003]

Ok.

Something's definitely not right.

Last night I did a clean install with the HDD unplugged (formatted it as well first). No boot issues after install whatsoever, installed mobo drivers, GPU drivers and then windows updates (whilst keeping an eye on the events log - I did see one 'The IO operation at logical block address 'XYZ' for Disk 0 was retried' but only one and no crash.

Once I'd updated windows I powered down and plugged in the HDD.

Straight away there was a boot error - ''Please select proper boot device ...'

Went into the BIOS and the same error I'd had originally was there - couldn't see the SSD. I fiddled around, enabling hotplugging but the only thing that got it to come back was 'resetting defualt settings'. Strange. I hadn't changed the BIOS myself so don't know if the HDD does this when it was plugged in and just pushed the SSD out of the way.

I never see the SSD AND the HDD on the boot settings together as options. Always just one with the OD - not sure if this is normal.

Once the SSD showed up I booted up ok.

Now when back in windows I started to experience the same intermmitent freezes as per before the clean install. AGGHHH!!!!

However this time when I look in the event log after having to reset there are not IO errors really but it does talk about not being able to find an assigned DNS address and/or something about the disk cache interferring with access.

I've tried changing the SATA ports on the MOBO but to no avail.

At a loss really.

Only thing I can think is to try ANOTHER bloody clean install but this time only on the HDD just to see if that has issues in isolation.

But this is ridiculous. Is it just that Windows 8 is *?

 

[tator_80]

So there were no crashes after the clean install, but once the HDD was added back in the SSD didn't show back up.
What could be happening is when the HDD is added back in it's taking the SSD's drive assignment (I.E C: drive). If the both have the same drive assignment that could be the problem.

Go to your disk management and see what the drives are labeled. Leave the SSD labeled C: and rename the HDD to D: drive. That could be why only one is showing up in bios.

Now as to the crashes, it could also be part of that to, if that is indeed what is happening

 

[Skay2003]

Really appreciate your help mate.

Correct, it wasn't crashing before adding the HDD but the HDD auto assigned to drive E: so it's not an assignment conflict I don't think.

Trying to think of options to eliminate other variables.

Plan now might be to clean install windows to the HDD alone with the SSD unplugged and see what happens.

 

[tator_80]

With that 2TB drive, windows 8 might not run the greatest in the world. It's probably still going to hang. when i said i had issues with mine before my SSD, it was because it was installed on a WD 2TB drive.
Try leaving the HDD out and updating your Bios Version, if you haven't done that. It could be a compatibility issue?

Whats weird to me is that my friend just got basically the same parts as you did. Same CPU,MB, but the SSD was an OCZ vertex, and he didn't have a HDD.
we put it together yesterday, had no issues with it.
I'm thinking out loud at this point. What watt PSU do you have? Maybe PSU issue?

 

[Skay2003]

Coolermaster gx 650w

Really want to incorporate an hdd with my build so would really want to find a way to incorporate one even if it means replacing parts but don't want to order in anything only to have the same problems.

Haven't updated the bios yet no will try it.

 

[tator_80]

You should have no problem with incorporating it. I did the same thing (60Gb SSD & 2TB WD drive) works fine. I had some system stability issues before i updated my bios the first time. That could be it.
It's not under powered, so power isn't the issue

You might just have to RMA the SSD to see if it's the problem