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A Windows Install Odyssey, help ><

A

adamsrobw

n00b
Joined
Sep 9, 2005
Messages
7
I purchased about 2k+ in computer components to build my machine. Its turned into the biggest headache ever. Before I start, here is my hardware.

Swifttech APEX Extreme Duty Watercooling kit
ABIT AN8-SLI
AMD 64 3800+ X2 (/w Storm Waterblock)
Corsair 3200C2 1024x2 XMS
WD Raptor 72GB
x1 7800 GTX (/w DangerDen Maze4 Waterblock)
CoolerMaster Real Power 550W PSU
Generic CD/DVD drive
Windows XP Home Edition

Here is my story over the last 52 hours.

Normal setup process. Windows XP CD in drive, boot off of it. Finds the SATA drive just fine. Create a 72gb partition. This is where the wierd stuff starts happening.

The following are the different things that would happen along the process of windows installs. Never once did I finish the install of windows on this sata drive.

1.) Locking up when doing a quick format of the partition
2.) Getting to the windows install screen (after reboot) and minutes never lowering from 39 minutes left. No cd activity, progress bar keeps pulsing, info screens flash by until eventually the whole thing just freezes ~5 minutes later.
3.) Getting to where the windows install screen should be (after first reboot) and just having a black screen.
4.) Actually getting into the windows install, enter windows key, regional info, gets to detecting network and freezes.

I have a long history with computers. So here are the things I've done to try and diagnose this:


1.) I flased the bios from 13 to 17(latest). cleared cmos. no fix.
2.) I flashed back to 16 after finding an article from someone saying that fixed it. cleared cmos. no fix.
3.) I went into CMOS and disabled everything that I didnt need. Including USB, SATA i wasnt using, IDE i wasnt using, 1394, etc.
4.) Tried using different sticks of RAM, ram that is in my current machine and has worked fine for a year. no fix
5.) The no CD activity when I got as far as windows install made me wonder. So I unhooked the dvd/cd drive and hooked up a 52x cd drive. no fix.
6.) I tried changing sata ports from 1 to 2. no fix.
7.) I tried changing sata cables. no fix.
8.) I tried a different windows xp CD, no fix.
9.) I'm now using my existing machine to power my hard drive and the water pump to take any stress off the PSU. no fix. (My PSU states its never drawn more than 120w)
10.) Processor is running at 40 degrees, MB is even lower

At this point I'm thinking ok, maybe its the raptor. So, I unplug the raptor and put in a EIDE maxtor 80gb drive that was in my roomates old replay tv box. I install windows just fine. I'm thinking wow, its the raptor.

I hook the raptor up as secondary and get into windows. Lets me write files to it just fine. I download the western digital diagnostics, run them all on the raptor, and they all pass! I was hoping they would fail, because it just makes it all the more confusing.

The WD diagnostics lets you make a copy of your boot drive onto the raptor and make it bootable. So I do it, it copies my maxtor boot sector and all files onto the raptor. Machine turns off, I unhook the maxtor, start the machine, it boots into windows on the raptor. At this point I'm thinking cool, maybe its a quirk with installing.

I go to windows update to fix the critical bugs, and windows freezes on one of the installations.

I hook up the maxtor again and apparently the WD tool destroys its boot sector when moving it to the other drive. So, I start the windows install process on the maxtor again.

Once windows is installed on the maxtor again, I figure ill try to run the windows update on it. Just to see. I download all critical bugs, even service pack 2. no lockups. Install drivers, everything.

I had to come into work today, so I left prime95 running before I left. I have yet to run memtest86 as well. However, I know this was all happening with other ram as well.

It all appears to be the raptor, yet it passes all western digital diagnostics. I'm not 100% that the right move is getting another raptor atm, but I appear to have no other options.

If any of you gurus want to try and tackle this one, it would be greatly appreciated. I don't want a $2k paper wieght.

Thanks in advance,
-Rob
 
is rma'ing the raptor an option? You should also get another hd because the 72-74 gb the raptor gives won't be enough anyway...
 
when i say getting another one, I mean RMA. 72gb is plenty for me. I only ever need ~2 mmporgs installed and the latest fps or rts.
 
Just an update incase anyone cares.

It appears that its the raptor drive.

I have now successfuly installed, patched, and played some games on 2 different hard drives. one an EIDE and another sata drive. If I go back to my raptor I have all the same problems again when trying to install and patch windows.

It really bugs me though that the raptor passes diagnostics. I'm going to RMA and try it all over again with the new drive. I've found people that have had similar issues with this drive, one that had it even after 3 RMA's.

Well see what happens.
 
Western Digital support is telling me that I need a sata controller card for my raptor. that a 'enterprise raptor drive' will not work in a desktop.

Can anyone confirm or deny this?
 
If you REALLY want to know what's going on with the Raptor, then buy SpinRite 6.0 from www.grc.com and run that. It costs $90, but it is by far the best Hard Drive diagnostic I have ever seen. Trust me on this one, I use it for my business.

Lyquist
 
Well, the thing is, if infact a person needs a secondary sata controller card, in order to use the raptor, I would put the $90 towards that.

Can anyone reading this, that has a raptor 72gb, mention whether or not they had to / are using a secondary sata controller card?
 
WD is throwing you a bunch of crap when they tell you to buy a controller card. If they weren't still using that awful PATA-SATA bridge chip, most of the Raptor's interface problems would go away. Your WD740GD should work fine on the NF4 SATA host, but it doesn't. RMA time.
 
A bit out of topic, but if I recall correctly, XP Home doesn't supports more than one processor. So are both the X2's core recognized in Home ?
 
XP Home supports dual core processors, as well as Hyperthreading. The single processor limitation is purely a licensing function - XP Home ships with a multiprocessor kernel and HAL just like Pro. Windows XP Home is licensed for only one CPU socket, regardless of what is in that socket - dual core/HT/etc.
 
Thanks a bunch guys for your responses. I've posted to my WD ticket. We will see what they say now.

Its no coincidence that WD has articles on its site about partnerships with controller card vendors ;)
 
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