Can't get windows to install, PFN error

[DanG]

OK, brand new everything.
Specs:
Gigabyte 8IK1100 875P motherboard
Bios F6 which is the newest one, and the one the board came with
4x512MB sticks of DDR400
1x36GB western digital raptor sata drive
2x120GB western digital SE drives
Gainward GF4Ti4800SE 128MB
Antec Smart Blue 350 watt power supply
LG DVD-R drive
LG CDRW/DVD player
Linksys PCI 802.11g nic

I've tried loading both Windows 2000Pro and Windows XP Pro(both legit copies) and each time I get going, it will go part way through and then BSOD to some error. I've had inaccessable boot device, and the most common one seems to be PFN List corrupt. I try restarting and resuming setup and only to have it die around the same spot.
I'm was trying to get windows on the 36GB drive, and kept getting all kinds of errors, so I switched all the cables inside the system, and got the same thing. Then I tried a different hard drive, a western digital 80GB drive, and was greeted with the same BSOD. Then I did some digging in the MS knowledge base and got nothing. Google lead me to a msdn.microsoft.com (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/ddtools/hh/ddtools/bccodes_97l3.asp) page stating that it is usually caused by bad ram, so I pulled out all 4 and tried with just one. Didn't work, so I rotated through all 4 sticks, and now I'm stuck. Could it be bad ram on the video card? Or something else that I'm missing. I doubt it's the sata drive, the cables or the other hard drives.

Any ideas?

[Black Hawk]

Ok searching a bit in some site with something like the same question most didn't even get it fixed. One got it fixed by changing the board and another by changing the ram cause the board identified it correctly but it didn't work well. You could try a memory diagnostic program like DocMem. Or if you have a DDR system around then try the ram in another rig.

[primesuspect]

First thing first - test the memory with memtest86

www.memtest86.com

makes a boot floppy. Boot off floppy, test the ram.

[Black Hawk]

Just curious but is there any special diffrence between memtest and docmem?

[DanG]

Ok, I think I have everything working, just with one stick of ram. Bad part is I could NOT get 2000pro installed, and had to run with xp, but either way it works.
I stole some ram from my girlfriends system(shhh, don't tell her) and I'm going to rma the 4 sticks tomorrow and hopefully be back @ 2 gigs by the end of the week.


Thanks for the help!

[primesuspect]

I dunno, I've just always used memtest and it's always worked very well, and it's small, lite, and free.... Never tried docmem...

[Shorty]

Have you tried installing Windows without the SATA controller and drive plugged in???

[TheLostSwede]

How is the divider setup on that board? 5:4?

[Dexter]

You did not mention what processor you were using on the system. I don't know if you saw this in your motherboard's User Manual:

Due to chipset (Intel 875P) architecture limitation, DDR 400 memory module is only supported when using FSB 800 Pentium 4 processor. A FSB 533 Pentium 4 processor will support DDR333 and DDR266 memory module. A FSB 400 Pentium 4 processor will only support DDR 266 memory module.

So, if you do not have a P4 at 800 Mhz FSB, your DDR400 is probably not going to work. What kind of RAM did you yoink from your girlfriend's computer? Was it DDR400 as well, or something lower?

Just a random stab at it....

Dexter...

[Al_Capown]

Shorty said
Have you tried installing Windows without the SATA controller and drive plugged in???

This is what i was initially thinking. I remember people reporting issues about trying to get windows to install on a raptor. That system looks killer tho man. Good luck.

[DanG]

I tried it with and without the raptor, the board even lets you change sata0 to ide0 to simplify installs on some systems and I tried that too.
As for the chip, it is an 800MHz fsb, 2.4 with hyperthreading, and it's pretty damn fast so far, even without the extra 1500mb of ram.
Mackanz, the divider and all other settings were all left @ stock speeds.

[TheLostSwede]

On those memorys, what chip is it on them? Winbond CH5?

[DanG]

I know they are all infineon(sp?) chips, all matching, DDR400.