built a system but cannot get it to be stable

I don't know if anyone here can help. I built a system and no matter what I do, I can't get it to be stable. The OS keeps getting corrupt.

I don't know if it's the OS or my hardware.

I have an:

Asus 8AN sli deluxe motherboard
AMD athlon x2 3800+ dualcore processor (939 socket)
1 gb ram
2 160 gb SATA hard drives (i tried a western digital and seagate, same problems with both)
LG DVD burner
nvidia 7600 gt sli video card with 256 mb ram
600 Watt PSU (i had a 450 and upgraded, still getting the same problem)

it's pretty basic. I bought Windows XP Pro, can't get it to load. During installation, i sometimes get errors that certain files can't be written. When I leave it off all night and try the next day, it's fine.

Is it the DVD drive causing the data to not read properly? is it a sata drive issue (should I just get a IDE drive instead?) Motherboard maybe? memory?

Or, is is just a bad OS (CD damaged maybe??)

I'm desperate!! I had a semi stable system up to 3 days ago (lasted about 11 days) then it crashed and right after windows loads, i get a dump screen, but I can't get back into windows to copy the info or anything.

Please help!! i work in IT and everyone there thinks it's Windows, but to get a new OS, i have to apparently return the CD to microsoft while they test it and send me a new one!!

I can't afford to spend anymore money!!

 

If you know someone with the same version of XP, ask them to make a copy for you (or borrow their CD). Since you have a license and your own Product Key it does not matter which CD you use.

Have you set up any type of RAID system on the drives? Use one HDD until you get the system stable, then add the other.

Test the drives using the HDD manufacturer's utilities. Lifeguard at the WD support website, Seatools and Diskwizard at Seagate. It would be best to use their utilities to partition and format the drives.

If you have set the DVD drive as master on the primary IDE channel, change it to slave, master is normally where the boot drive is located.

Did you install the chipset drivers? (Version 6.65 is available for download at Asus under the heading "Others ")

If you can get to Windows, boot into Safe Mode and run Error Checking (chkdsk) on the drives.

Check the FAQs at Asus.
http://support.asus.com/faq/faq.aspx?model=A8N-SLI&SLanguage=en-us
For example, I found one about making a 32 bit or 64 bit SATA/RAID drivers floppy. Did you use the correct drivers?

Consider a BIOS upgrade if other avenues do not work. There may be a bug in the BIOS (Edit: use a floppy method of BIOS upgrade, do not use a Windows method if it is available, especially since your system is unstable).

Matt

 

First, can you confirm that you are using the Asus SATA controller drivers on a floppy drive following the F6 prompt during your installation?

 

I've done everything you suggested and everything in between. I have two hard drives, never used them at the same time (thought the first was corrupted so bought a second).

the utilities say everything is fine. i updated the bios, downgraded the bios..used the most recent chipset and older ones.

i've installed windows more than 15 times from 3 disks (all full version windows xp pro original disks). i even tried vista and xp home...still, same issue - data corruption.

i got a new more powerful psu...still, same issue.

the data corruption seems to happen with taking data over the LAN, internet, or from a CD Rom

Check disk always finds errors.

I can move a music file from my laptop to the desktop (new system) and then it is corrupted (won't play).

I did some research today and beleive it is related to my southbridge on my mobo. it's an nforce4 which is known to have data corruption with sata drives. there are no know fixes though, unless anyone can suggest anything here?

 

First, can you confirm that you are using the Asus SATA controller drivers on a floppy drive following the F6 prompt during your installation?


edit: The Southbridge issue you reference appears to be an issue primarily with Maxtors which (according to Maxtor) can be corrected with updated nForce drivers. This also is an issue that has been disputed but there certainly could be something to it. The fact that you have encountered this with WD & Seagate may be indicative of the same issue or (as I suspect) it could point to a more generalized memory problem. What memory are you running and what are your timings?

second edit:
This one bothers me because I have a similar motherboard, a pair of similar video cards and none of the problems you have described. Also, the problems you referenced re: loading an OS are very very typical memory related issues regardless of chipset. Have you tried using the SIL 3114 controller? That would help you determine whether your theory holds water or not. And, although not necessarily related, I trust you are also aware that the SIL 3114 is SATA I as opposed to the NVidia which is SATA II? Please correct me, but are both of the drives you tried SATA I?

 

The computer I am using for this has a bad drive controller (probably because of the goo oozing from the capacitors ). I thought about binning it, but decided instead to get a HDD controller card. The controller card works fine and the system has been humming along like this for a year and a half.

I suggest you try a controller card. Found some SATA + IDE cards at Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=Suggested&Description=16-102
A review on one ( for PROMISE ULTRA133TX2 PCI IDE Controller Card) said it was not bootable, but you should just need to set the BIOS to boot from "SCSI ". It may still run through the Southbridge so I could not guarantee that it will solve your problems, but I don't see why it shouldn't. Check the returns policy, you should be able to return it if it does not do the job. Check the specifications at the manufacturer's website (eg., Promise) in case it states that the controller is not bootable.

Hope it solves the problem.

Matt

 

Suggest you follow Rockster2U's thought re: memory. That's my first impression. IMHO substitution is the best diagnostic.