Need Help with Gigabyte GA-7vrxp

[billd222]

Hello all,

Okay this is the first system I've ever built. (Noob line)
So I've got this KT333 Gigabyte Mobo and I installed it and all my other components with more or less with no problems.
The computerr turns on, the RAM checks fine the processor is listed correctly. The only (and MAJOR) problem that I have is that any time I cannot successfully install any operating system without crashing.

I've tried Win XP, Win 98, Win 98SE.

The 98s start to crash repeatedly near the end of installation around the time when it is adjusting system settings.

XP will format drive and then start to install but then just
quit and give a cryptic error message, which seems to be different every single time.

I'm really stuck, I dont know if this is a beginer problem or what.
I've tried playing with some Bios settings but I dont think I should mess with V-core and AGP Voltage settings as I dont know how the hell to even remotely figure that stuff out.

Could it be something as simple as my ATI card not getting along with my other components? Or the fact that I'm using a CDRW as my only CD-drive for installation.

Sorrry this is so long I just wanted to give as much info as possible. Thanks in advance for any of your help!


__________________
Rock me Amadeus,

BillD.

Sys Specs (WIP)

Enermax 330W , Server Tower
Gigabyte MOBO GA-7VRXP (retail)
AMD Duron 1GHZ
Corsair 256MB PC2700
TDK VeloCD CDRW 16x/10x/40x
Maxtor ATA133 80 gig "quiet drive"
ATI Radeon Retail 64mb

 

[rcj187]

ok your components are good so its more likely an overheating problem.
1:check the heatsink is seated correctly on the cpu
2:check the fan is plugged in to the correct power socket
3:if it still doesnt work, scream, kick the computer then throw it out the window! :lol:

how do you set a laser printer to stun?

 

[billd222]

Hey, thanks for the reply.

I am pretty sure the fan (its the retail fan that came with the duron) is on right -it lines up with the depression on the heatsink correctly and the fan is definitley plugged in and spinning. I didnt shove the heatsink down hard when I installed it(for fear of damaging chip) so I am just assuming that the tight clamp it has will make the adhesive sticker stick to the processor.

But this sounds like a overheating issue?

 

[rcj187]

wat sort of fan is it? i just re-read your post and you are getting a duron? duron's are great little cpus and rarely overheat... so either
1: your heatsink/fan is very poor quality
2: your duron is faulty
3: its not an overheating problem
4: i dont know wat 4: is
i assume your duron is running on 100fsb and not 133?
check ur bios and tell me wat its reading your temp as?

how do you set a laser printer to stun?

 

[dweilbacher]

Maybe this will help. After a friend of mine built his PC,
it also failed to load WinXP. It would fail at various
times during the installation.

We used a software download program:
(http://www.simmtester.com) DocMemory
to test the Memory. It found that 2 of the
3 memory sticks were bad. We removed the bad sticks
and reloaded WinXP successfully.

You did not specify your memory config. If you
have more than 1 stick, then try loading with
just one stick installed.

 

[Decado1]

"KT333 Gigabyte Mobo "

I'm not sure if this is your problem, but in my experience, and the experience of others, that mobo doesn't like the ATI Radeon 8500 retail card at all. If that is the card you have, that *could* be your problem.

 

[billd222]

I think according to my bios my cpu has been at like 45 degrees and pretty much hasnt moved from that.
I only have the one stick of PC 2700 256 corsair memory in.
Unfortunately I dont have another stick lying around.Is Corsair a trustworthy brand?

I got everything from Newegg.com, so I figure mist everything should work.

When I go home I'm gonna try swapping my vid card for another I have lying around.

 

[dhlucke]

bump

<font color=red>God</font color=red> <font color=blue>Bless</font color=blue> <font color=red>America!</font color=red>

 

[silverpig]

bump for spammage clearing

If my baby don't love me, I know, I know, her sister will.

 

[jlanka]

check the rated CAS level of the RAM vs. the CAS level set in the BIOS. Don't try to overclock your RAM while installing. Same problem happened to me, and it turned out I was driving 2.5 RAM at CAS 2. When I set it to 2.5 the install crashes/corrupt file problems went away.

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

 

[billd222]

Thanks Jlanka I will try that!
So last night I swapped my Radeon8500 for an older vid card.
I also swapped my CDRW for a regular CD burner.
I am still having the same problems



I also checked the CPU temp and it was averaging about
45-46C/114F

I will try the CAS level thing tonight.

Thanx everyone for your help so far.

-Bill D.

 

[dancen]

You don't tell us if you had any sound, LAN, or modem cards.
Are these in your system when you try to install Windows? You want to install Windows with the bare minimum of components. And add everything else one a a time later.
If this is what you are doing try making sure there are no goofy settings in the bios. You could try resetting it, or use the fail safe bios setting option.

 

[billd222]

Hey Dancen,

The GA-7vrxp mobo has integrated sound and LAN which I turned off in the BIOS. Yeah I'm trying to install with as little components as possible.

The only this peculiar and I dont know if this has happened to anyone else is the PC2700 stick in my machine goes thru the memory check and it seems to be fine EXCEPT and I dont know if this is a bad thing that the computer makes a beeping noise the entire time the memory is being checked.

Its not a steady beep either, its not a tune mind you, but its not just a flatline sounding beep

 

[jlanka]

the one I built didn't do that.

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

 

[billd222]

YES, FINALLY THE COMPUTER OF DOOM IS WORKING!

Thank you everyone on this board for your help.

It was the CAS latency!Nothing to do with my hardware.
After all the drive swapping rechecking of connections all I did was change the CAS latency from 2 to 2.5!!

Thank you all!


__________________
Rock me Amadeus,

BillD.

Sys Specs (WIP)

Enermax 330W , Server Tower
Gigabyte MOBO GA-7VRXP (retail)
AMD Duron 1GHZ
Corsair 256MB PC2700
TDK VeloCD CDRW 16x/10x/40x
Maxtor ATA133 80 gig "quiet drive"
ATI Radeon Retail 64mb



__________________
Rock me Amadeus,

Bill D.

 

[Kanaz]

Try downclocking your RAM to PC-2100 for the install.

P.S. Corsair is a very good RAM company, but everyone can make a mistake (Not implying this of course).

-<font color=green>"<i>Tis not a <b>man</b>, tis a <b>monster</b>!</i>"</font color=green>

 

[jlanka]

wow. I nailed that one, huh?

Well, the only reason I nailed it was that it happened to me already and I spent two hours banging my head against the wall trying to figure it out. If you had searched the forum for you MB model you would have found <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=507795#507795" target="_new">this thread</A> about my experience.

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>