New build PC - Prob booting up?

[Lagavulin]

Hi to all,

After seemingly resolving my previous prob [see: PSU/MSI D.O.T. Motherboard HELP PLEASE (-5V pin???) topic] I booted up my brand new built PC.

With my MoBo [MSI K8N SLI Platinum] I got what they call a 'D2 Bracket' that has 4 diagnostic LED built in (along with a couple of USB 2 slots).

Well, as the PC boots up, it VERY quickly flashes combinations of these LED's (each representing a different boot up function), but it's hanging at the 'Memory Initialisation Test'.

This, apprently signifies that my memory is either damaged or not installed correctly.

However, I know for a fact that the memory is fine (Samsung PC3200 DDR400 2x512mb & 2x256mb), but to double check I took out a 512mb stick of exactly the same stuff that happens to be in my wifes PC and put that in, and it is still coming up with he same thing

Could there be another explanation for this, or is it that Samsung RAM is basically incompatible with this MoBo?

Any ideas?

Any help graefully received

LAGAVULIN

 

[waynejkruse10]

try with different combos in different slots. For some reason my computer wont boot with my 512mb 400mhz and 256mb 333mhz Stick next to each other.

 

[Lagavulin]

try with different combos in different slots. For some reason my computer wont boot with my 512mb 400mhz and 256mb 333mhz Stick next to each other.

Cheers Wayne,

Odd thing this. I tried all sortsa different combos and nada, zilch, NOTHING. Just the hang at 'Memory detection'.

So I went and had a bite to eat, chewed my wifes ear off (a bit) and went and tried again. However, on the MoBo, there's a CMOS Reset switch, so I thought it might help to use it [so I did] and put in the 2x512mb sticks and hey presto, straight into the fresh bios set-up:shocked:

Anyway, at BIOS hardware detection (I think?) at the bottom of the screen I'm getting the message "NTLDR not found [or detected]. Press CTRL, ALT, DEL to restart"

Now I've seen this message once before on a previous PC about a month or so ago and if I remember rightly, I had to do a fresh Windows install.

Is this right, or does it mean something else?

Best wishes,

LAGAVULIN

 

[waynejkruse10]

try changing the access mode of the hard drive to LBA or some of hte other modes. I got that message in Windows 2000 and changing the access mode fixed it.

 

[timmer]

wow that weird it may be ur board

 

[waynejkruse10]

he fixed the prob with the board. The other prob is not motherboard related (i doubt)

 

[Lagavulin]

Cheers guys for the replies.

Yes, the NTLDR issue was related to the Primary Boot Drive (by default it was A:/Floppy), but Windows boots from my primary Hard Drive, so I set this in bios and it worked fine.

BUT I'm having a really odd problem with the "Memory detection" thing.

Just to recap, my MoBo [MSI K8N SLi Platinum] came with a "D-Bracket2" which is basically a front style PCI slot that cables into the MoBo, but it has the additional feature of combining 4 LED's that also attach to the MoBo and act as a 'diagnostic' tool. Simply, the LED's light up in different combos to highlight any particular issues with the system.

Well, after the above related issues, I got my new system up and running last night, and with it being booted on a new MoBo Windows detected 'new hardware' and I had to restart a few times with NO problems whatsoever.

When done, I turned off the PC for around and hour, and then went back to it to do a little more work, and it now refuses to boot again, hanging at the D-Bracket LED indication of "memory detection", which the manual describes as meaing that either the RAM is damaged or not installed correctly.

Now this is weird due to the fact that the system - on very first boot-up - hung at this supposedly "memory detect" problem several times and I got nowhere, but somehow it decided to kick-in at a later attempt, and then after turning off the PC, the problem has returned

Also, the RAM (Samsung DDR400 PC3200 Single-Side 512mb and 256mb respectively), although NOT listed in MSI test reports, works fine in my other shop bought PC with a MSI MoBo, and it DID work for a short period in this new MoBo (after a few probs with it refusing to be detected).

So what do you think this problems is caused by? Is it the RAM that is simply incompatible and just works haphazardly, or do you think this is a prob with the MoBo?

Please advise as this is really starting to send me insane

Best regards to all,

LAGAVULIN

 

[Lagavulin]

Sorted!

Firstly, a very big thanks for all the replies you guys have posted.

As said in the title, I got it sorted!

Well, it seems there WAS some sort of 'short' between either the case & MoBo or the PSU (to be fair I have no idea).

After reading a post on Friday afternoon from a different forum about the probability of a 'short' causing the system to refuse to boot correctly, on Sat a.m. I took out the PSU, the MoBo, the RAM & GPU.

As was advised in the aforementioned post, I tried booting up the MoBo OUT of the case and it worked fine, so I then tried it fitted to the MoBo slide out panel (but not in the case) and again, spot-on.

Well, I put it all back together bit by bit, trying boot ups as I went along to determine what might have caused my prob, but I have had NO repeat of the prob whatsoever.

The only real indication as to what might have been the cause was due to the fact that I noted (on my original build) when I switched on the power to the PSU (via the PSU rocker switch) the PC actually started up (which it had never done before). However, I now get perfectly normal operation. When turning on the PSU switch, it doesn't 'start up' until I press the Power Switch on the front of the PC.

Anyway, thanks again. I would have never have even considered in a month-a-Sundays that it might have been a 'short'. I was leaning toward the simple notion of either the RAM or the MoBo and it was neither. One to bear in mind for the future

All the best,

LAGAVULIN

 

[waynejkruse10]

what i do if something is not working for me is i just rebuild everything from scratch.