Newbuild PC Problem

[Matty]

I am just building a new PC: Athlon XP2400+, 120GB Maxtor HDD, 256DDR,
Gigabyte GA-7DXE Mobo, Abit 128Mb Gf4.
On first boot, the machine recognised all the components perfectly.
All went well in installing Windows XP Pro, until the blue screen said press
enter to install windows.
Thne nothing was happening, no keyboard lights, no response from the screen.
It had definately hung.
So I pressed reset, and now the pc wont get past the Verifying DMI DataPool
line on boot up. It hangs there before the screen to say its booting from
CD.
When I disconnect the HDD ribbon cable, the PC will start to boot from the
CDROM, paast the Verifying DMI DataPool message, until we get to the press
enter to install windows.
I have tried another keyboard...same thing. I have tried both the new
keyboard and HDD in my other PC and they are fine. In fact the HDD is
formatting and partitioning as I write this.
So what can be wrong? Motherboard?
Any tips or ideas please most appreciated. If you think as I do its the mobo
tits then please confirm!!

MAny thanks in advance

Matty

 

[jch]

Sounds like it could be the board or maybe the onboard controller. Can you
disable the onboard HD controller in bios and put in a PCI controller card
to see if that works? Or... try another (smaller) HD and see what happens.
Maybe the mobo you have is just having trouble with that particular HD.

 

[Walt R]

I am just building a new PC: Athlon XP2400+, 120GB Maxtor HDD, 256DDR,
Gigabyte GA-7DXE Mobo, Abit 128Mb Gf4.
On first boot, the machine recognised all the components perfectly.
All went well in installing Windows XP Pro, until the blue screen said press
enter to install windows.
Thne nothing was happening, no keyboard lights, no response from the screen.
It had definately hung.
So I pressed reset, and now the pc wont get past the Verifying DMI DataPool
line on boot up. It hangs there before the screen to say its booting from
CD.
When I disconnect the HDD ribbon cable, the PC will start to boot from the
CDROM, paast the Verifying DMI DataPool message, until we get to the press
enter to install windows.
I have tried another keyboard...same thing. I have tried both the new
keyboard and HDD in my other PC and they are fine. In fact the HDD is
formatting and partitioning as I write this.
So what can be wrong? Motherboard?
Any tips or ideas please most appreciated. If you think as I do its the mobo
tits then please confirm!!

MAny thanks in advance

Matty

Several things need to be checked:
Double check the cpu jumpers, if it gets too hot you may get
odd symptoms.
Is the WindowsXP CD actually functional?
Does the CD drive work correctly?
Will the system boot up another operation system?
Boot up the system in DOS or linux, fdisk and format the harddrive.

Good Luck!
Walt R.

 

[Hill Street Blues]

I am just building a new PC: Athlon XP2400+, 120GB Maxtor HDD, 256DDR,
Gigabyte GA-7DXE Mobo, Abit 128Mb Gf4.
On first boot, the machine recognised all the components perfectly.
All went well in installing Windows XP Pro, until the blue screen said press
enter to install windows.
Thne nothing was happening, no keyboard lights, no response from the screen.
It had definately hung.
So I pressed reset, and now the pc wont get past the Verifying DMI DataPool
line on boot up. It hangs there before the screen to say its booting from
CD.
When I disconnect the HDD ribbon cable, the PC will start to boot from the
CDROM, paast the Verifying DMI DataPool message, until we get to the press
enter to install windows.
I have tried another keyboard...same thing. I have tried both the new
keyboard and HDD in my other PC and they are fine. In fact the HDD is
formatting and partitioning as I write this.
So what can be wrong? Motherboard?
Any tips or ideas please most appreciated. If you think as I do its the mobo
tits then please confirm!!

MAny thanks in advance

Matty

Don't take this personally, But, was it a Legit Copy? And were you
connected to the Internet in any way..Ethernet, Cable Modem, DSL, any
possible way, where the software could find a way to reach MS Servers
do a quick check in a zillionth of a second, and then pipe some
data back to screw up your machine. This is a common scenario
I am seeing more and more, in my day to day travels.

 

[~misfit~]

I am just building a new PC: Athlon XP2400+, 120GB Maxtor HDD, 256DDR,
Gigabyte GA-7DXE Mobo, Abit 128Mb Gf4.
On first boot, the machine recognised all the components perfectly.
All went well in installing Windows XP Pro, until the blue screen said press
enter to install windows.
Thne nothing was happening, no keyboard lights, no response from the screen.
It had definately hung.
So I pressed reset, and now the pc wont get past the Verifying DMI DataPool
line on boot up. It hangs there before the screen to say its booting from
CD.
When I disconnect the HDD ribbon cable, the PC will start to boot from the
CDROM, paast the Verifying DMI DataPool message, until we get to the press
enter to install windows.
I have tried another keyboard...same thing. I have tried both the new
keyboard and HDD in my other PC and they are fine. In fact the HDD is
formatting and partitioning as I write this.
So what can be wrong? Motherboard?
Any tips or ideas please most appreciated. If you think as I do its the mobo
tits then please confirm!!

That's an old model mobo, and, while I'm running one at the moment on this
machine (XP2200+) and it's fine, I certainly wouldn't be doing a new build
with one. They are limited to 266FSB, no independant PCI/AGP adjustment, no
vcore adjustment, no multiplier settings. You can up the FSB but it puts the
PCI and AGP busses out of spec.

If I were you, I'd return the mobo and get a cheap nForce2 chip-set board.
Soltek do one cheaply and I've had absolutely no problems with them. I've
used a couple on builds for mates and just wish I could afford to replace
mine with one.

 

[Billy]

It could be that the unexpected shut down (by lockup) signaled the BIOS
to reset the CMOS to default settings. Open setup in BIOS and check all
your settings. Your MB manual will provide some ideas, as will a Goggle
search. Especially make sure that Virus Protection is off, PNP OS = No,
Reset DMI or similar = Yes. No fighting between on-board and card
devices (disabled as necessary) and so on.

 

[Gordon Findlay]

Hang on - have you any evidence - cold, hard evidence like captured
network traffic - that would prove that any MS product did this check
as you describe. Becausae MS don't admit to this happening: they rely
on activation.

And in this case, can you suggest how the possible internet connection
can be fnctioning without an installed OS? The Windows XP CD on its
own cannot initiate an Internet connection.

 

[JAD]

The Windows XP CD on its

own cannot initiate an Internet connection.

Or does it? only the shadow knows, what evil lurks in the minds of men.... ;^) I'm opening an X file

 

[John E. Carty]

Uh, no operating system installed and it's contacting Microsoft??? What a
load

 

[Raymond]

In fact the HDD is
formatting and partitioning as I write this.
Did you use fdisk to format and partition your HDD, then install xp from
cdrom? If you used fdisk to format and partition your hdd, you may as well
use fdisk to install win xp if you cannot install from cdrom.

 

[Matty]

In fact the HDD is
formatting and partitioning as I write this.

Did you use fdisk to format and partition your HDD, then install xp from
cdrom? If you used fdisk to format and partition your hdd, you may as well
use fdisk to install win xp if you cannot install from cdrom.

Many thanks to all who have posted ideas.

It did not let me get that far! Now it hangs at the "Verify DMI DataPool"
message on the boot. Besides the keyboard ( have tried a new and old one)
fails to initialise, so I cannot even get into the Bios to change/check
setting!
This is why I am sure its the mobo, the HDD has been successfully formatted,
partitioned in another pc! The new Keyboard works on another PC. I have not
used the RAM in another PC but it recognises it fine on post!!

In answer to previous thoughts...the Windows is legit....the CD and cdrom
works fine.

Any more thoughts????

Cheers Matty

 

[Shep©]

Many thanks to all who have posted ideas.

It did not let me get that far! Now it hangs at the "Verify DMI DataPool"
message on the boot. Besides the keyboard ( have tried a new and old one)
fails to initialise, so I cannot even get into the Bios to change/check
setting!
This is why I am sure its the mobo, the HDD has been successfully formatted,
partitioned in another pc! The new Keyboard works on another PC. I have not
used the RAM in another PC but it recognises it fine on post!!

In answer to previous thoughts...the Windows is legit....the CD and cdrom
works fine.

Any more thoughts????

Cheers Matty

Pull power cord and try clearing the CMOS again?



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[Hill Street Blues]

Many thanks to all who have posted ideas.

It did not let me get that far! Now it hangs at the "Verify DMI DataPool"
message on the boot. Besides the keyboard ( have tried a new and old one)
fails to initialise, so I cannot even get into the Bios to change/check
setting!
This is why I am sure its the mobo, the HDD has been successfully formatted,
partitioned in another pc! The new Keyboard works on another PC. I have not
used the RAM in another PC but it recognises it fine on post!!

In answer to previous thoughts...the Windows is legit....the CD and cdrom
works fine.

Any more thoughts????

Cheers Matty

I think your prognosis is correct, and these types of problems can be
the most vexing of any computer problem we will ever encounter.
Besides my everyday computer repairs for customers, I have been working
my way through 7 pallets(aprox 100 CPU's) of used late model DELL Towers
and Desktops that I bought at auction several months ago. Aprox 5-6 out
of the 75 or so I have checked so far, have exhibited the same "symptoms"
you have described here.

I was wondering how you would take it when I asked about the Windows XP
CD and whether it was legit or not, but you handled it good, not getting
defensive, and keeping an open mind.

When I made the reference to Software dialing out, and checking with
servers, as to verify the product or legality of the installation, I knew
I would ruffle someones feathers, but this is hardly a new concept or
Technology in the world of Software.

It was first developed and used by a company called Sausage Software, way
back in 1996. Since then, it has been utilised by many other companies
that distribute software. At that time, thier famous "Hot Dog" Web Page
creation software had become one of the most pirated pieces of software
around. During Installation, the software would "look" for an active
connection to the internet and then furtively connect in the background
and completely disable the program if it found invalid registration info.

There are actually a number of commercial software programs available in
free "demo" versions today that when "patched" are programmed to set in
motion a domino-like wrath of destruction, on every .com or .exe file on
your computer. One very popular cd-labeling program, comes to mind.

I can't "prove" this, anymore than I can prove that the girders in a
skyscraper are actually composed of swirling electrons. It's just
something I know.

But, this is way beyond the scope of the original post, so I will stop
here.
I wish you luck, and let us know how things turn out.

 

[JAD]

PNP OS installed to NO
reset configuration DATA to yes

in the bios

 

[Matty]

Thanks for the reply...but...

I cannot get into the bios because the keyboard fails to
initialise..therefore no keys work.

Matty

 

[JAD]

yikes USB keyboard.....? reset bios through jumper and unplugging...1 minute or more undo the floppy from the controller on
the MB

 

[Matty]

Jad

Thanks for the tip...I never knew about the floppy. And I dont have a USB
k/b.
Anyway did that and still no luck. Keyboard still refuses to work, although
when I press the power switch I noticed the lights on the k/board
illuminate. After the Detecting IDE devices, I got a "CMOS checksum error -
Defaults loaded" message, trying to press del to enter the bios
failed....... i.e. keyboard dead.
Does this mean the bios is u/s?? What reading I have found suggests so.

Any thoughts

Matty

yikes USB keyboard.....? reset bios through jumper and unplugging...1

minute or more undo the floppy from the controller on

 

[JAD]

so a different KB does the same thing?
you shorted the CMOS and the then You get cmos checksum? that would be normal,,,but then no kb still...
hmmmm if you try a different KB lets us know...meanwhile I'll ponder some more..

 

[Raymond]

I cannot get into the bios because the keyboard fails to
initialise..therefore no keys work.
I don't know what the problem is, but if you just want to install the damn
window xp try this:

Popup window 98 startup disk into your A drive. At the boot, press delete
to go to cmos and select first boot device at floppy drive, save and get
out. Now, it should bootup fine with no prompt like boot from cd keeps
staring at u. A menu will popup during the boot process, pop your xp cd in
and choose boot with cd support on the menu. It will take a while for the
programs to load from floppy and cd, but eventually it will stop at an A:
prompt. If your HDD already partitioned and formatted, then you are ready
to install win xp. type D: then press enter to see if your cdrom is your
cdrom drive, then type in dir, if you see from the top if D: is a
MS-ramdrive. If D: is your ramdrive, then your cdrom drive is probably
drive E:. Type E: press enter, then dir to verify. If E: is your cdrom
drive, then you should see a dirtory call i386 when you type dir at the E:
prompt. Then, type cd i386 press enter, this should take to the i386 dir,
then type in winnt press enter. A blue window should popup asking for
smartdrive inorder to install window xp, choose install window without
smartdrive support, then just keep enters to install windows. Hope this
works, but if it does, installing window this way is extremely slow.

 

[JAD]

RAY the KB is dead...so pressing the 'del' key accomplishes nothing...