Cant get windows XP setup to load

Deamon32

Alright heres my hardware:
DFI LanParty nF4 SLI-DR Expert
2X 1gig dual channel Titanium OCZ 2-3-2-5 Ram
300 gig Seagate Baracuda Hard Drive
AMD 64 x2 4400+
2x eVGA Geforce 7900GT CO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16
Sony DVD RW
Panasonic DVD RW
Antec TruePower 2.0 SLI Powersupply

Heres my problem:
The problem isnt consistent but here are the main things, I can boot up into bios and everything checks out find, no problems there. When I try to install windows xp it will do one out of a few things.

Ill press any key to load from a cd rom, and then when the blue screen for windows xp setup is supposed to come up nothing comes up. I just have a black screen. I have tried two different windows xp cds and used them in both dvd drives. At first I though this was a SLI issue so I took out the 2nd video card and made the correct bios changes.

Every now and then I will get the blue screen for the windows xp setup, but it will tell me that setup cannot load kernel debugger filea few minutes later. The same file fails even using a different windows xp cd and the other dvd drive.

My best guess is the ram is bad. I have tried forcing all the ram timings to default, I have tried relaxing the ram timings slightly and I have also tried to increase the dram voltage to 2.66 and 2.71 and 2.8 with no success. *edit*I borrowed my friends ram, which did not solve the issue, and my ram works fine in his machine. so the ram is not the problem *edit*

Every now and then I will get past that kernel debugger file but the setup will randomly display crazy characters on the screen and freeze shortly after.

I tried using just one stick of ram but I get similar problems as described above with either stick of ram.

Any other suggestions before I send back my ram? I went through the bios settings at least 3 or 4 times to make sure everything is 100% correct. I have forced the ram and cpu settings to defaults too with no success.

*edit*
I have also tried running the memtest-86 built into the motherboard, but most of the time the program freezes right as it loads.
I did get it to run a few times, and it will either come back with all errors and no passes or it will come back with all passes. *edit*

tmh88

try clearing the cmos. I dont know much about sli so I cant really say anything about that.

Deamon32

tmh88 wrote:

try clearing the cmos. I dont know much about sli so I cant really say anything about that.

tried clearing cmos a few times and running it with default settings.
I have also cleared cmos and redone the settings 3-4 times

profdlp

Try running Memtest-86. It runs from either a floppy or a bootable CD, so you should be able to get it going. If it gives you any errors at all switch to trying one stick at a time and see if it's just one of them.

What PSU do you have?

Deamon32

Im at work right now so im not 100% sure on the powersupply name, but its Antec TruePower 2.0? 550watts

I edited my original post about my memtest 86 results

Deamon32

i edited my original post, ram is not the issue here, used my ram in my friends computer and it ran fine, but his ram in my computer did not solve the issue.

any other suggestions on what the problem could be?

profdlp

You've covered the bases pretty well. The typical things to try in a case like this is a different Windows disc, a different drive, relax the timings, test the RAM, etc. You've done them all. The one exception is the cdrom/DVD drive cable. It's worth a shot.

If I had to guess, I'd say that the memory controller on the board is bad. As a last-gasp effort you might try the following:

Lower every setting in the BIOS to it's slowest level. If you have a choice like Slow, Fast, or Turbo, pick Slow. Turn off all shadowing and caching that you can find. Disable Bus Mastering. In other words, cripple every performance settings you can find.

I had a computer a few years back (with Win2K) which acted much like yours is now. I tried what I just mentioned and managed to get Windows loaded. (This was after literally staying up all night trying it the "normal" way.) After I had Windows installed I started bumping the settings up to higher and higher levels (one by one). Lo, and behold - after a bunch of reboots it ran fine at top speed in everything.

Good luck!

Deamon32

I searched on the dfi forums for any solutions and someone suggested to just use one stick of ram in slot2 which worked for me. Im in the process of installing XP right now, ill just fight with the system through the night to try and get the right settings. If I cant get it to work with both sticks of ram Im gonna send back the motherboard and get a Asus one instead.

Thanks for the help everyone

profdlp

It sounds like you're making some progress. Many of the people I've talked with who have DFI boards tell me that they are a bear to set up and tweak, but once you get there it's worth the trouble. I hope it works out for you.