![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
So, wtf is wrong here? My system specs are in my signature. I've been running a 830 128gb ssd for over a year and it has been great but I needed more space so I ordered a 840 EVO 250gb from amazon. I pull out my 830, plug in the 840, change the bios to AHCI (previously had been set to raid as I had a few hdds in raid 0 but no longer) and install windows 7 ultimate 64 bit. Everything is fine until I try to upgrade to SP1. Upgrading to SP1 results in my system getting stuck at the " Starting Windows" screen forever when I try to turn on my computer. System repair doesn't work. System restore to before SP1 doesn't work.
I do several fresh installs but still have the same problem.
I download an ISO from digitalriver with SP1 and put it on a bootable flash drive. I install it on the 840. As soon as I run windows update I get a BSOD. I restart, run windows update again, it installs a few dozen updates, restarts, stuck at "Starting Windows" again. System repair is no help, restoring to before the updates doesn't help.
Fresh install again. Friend recommends the windows update repair tool. This seems to help in that I am able to install updates without a BSOD and without getting stuck at the "Starting Windoes" screen. However, many many updates fail or windows update would get stuck on a particular update until I restarted and tried again. Also, I start getting BSOD at random times.
At this point friends are telling me that I have a bad SSD, so I request a new one from Amazon. I get it today. When I try to install windows it takes forever at the "Starting Windows" screen before it let's me select which drive to install on, etc. By forever I mean probably 30 minutes. I restart, this time it still takes like 10 minutes at the "Windows Starting" screen but eventually it gets to the install menu. I select the 840, it copies files, expands files, etc. It restarts, continues installing, but then it gets stuck at the part where it is finishing installing. I mean, after an hour it had made no progress at that part. So I shut down, yank it out, plug in my 830, change bios back to IDE as RAID, and everything works.
Troubleshooting I've done so far:
Tried installing with just one stick of ram.
Memtest on each individual stick of ram.
Intel Burn Test to check CPU.
Reset CPU OC to stock.
Stress tests on GPUs.
Remove GPUs and test individually.
Windows update repair tool (as stated above, sort of worked but system was unstable and windows update would frequently fail).
Install Windows on 840 with bios set to configure IDE as RAID instead of AHCI.
Check for BIOS updates (I'm already on the newest one for my MB, but it's still a few years old).
Use samsung software to check for firmware updates (no update)
Check SATA and Power connectors.
Install windows with all HDDs disconnected.
Other observations that might be helpful:
When I have either 840 (I still need to return the first one to amazon) in and start my system, the BIOS hangs for a few seconds when it is detecting devices and gets to the SATA port that the 840 is plugged into. When the 830 is plugged into that slot the BIOS gets past that part in a second or so, but with the 840 plugged in it takes 6 seconds or so.
If I plug in my 830 and my 840 my system will refuse to boot from the 830 even if I disable the 840 from boot devices in the BIOS.
The both 840 ssds are much lighter than my 830. Probably not related to my problems, but it surprised me.
My MB only has SATA 3gb/s.
I found at least one forum post where someone with the same M/B is using the same 840 EVO 250gb, but his question was just about speeds and he apparently had none of these problems.
Hopefully someone has some suggestions as this is really starting to piss me off. I mean, I've reinstalled windows 7 like 10 times in the last few days.
TLDR:
Replaced 830 128gb with 840 EVO 250GB because I needed more space.
Windows update kills windows.
Same problem with newer windows ISO.
Windows update repair tool allows me to install some updates, but many updates fail and I get random BSOD.
Replacement 840 EVO from amazon won't fails to even finish installing windows.
Rage reaching Hulk levels.
I do several fresh installs but still have the same problem.
I download an ISO from digitalriver with SP1 and put it on a bootable flash drive. I install it on the 840. As soon as I run windows update I get a BSOD. I restart, run windows update again, it installs a few dozen updates, restarts, stuck at "Starting Windows" again. System repair is no help, restoring to before the updates doesn't help.
Fresh install again. Friend recommends the windows update repair tool. This seems to help in that I am able to install updates without a BSOD and without getting stuck at the "Starting Windoes" screen. However, many many updates fail or windows update would get stuck on a particular update until I restarted and tried again. Also, I start getting BSOD at random times.
At this point friends are telling me that I have a bad SSD, so I request a new one from Amazon. I get it today. When I try to install windows it takes forever at the "Starting Windows" screen before it let's me select which drive to install on, etc. By forever I mean probably 30 minutes. I restart, this time it still takes like 10 minutes at the "Windows Starting" screen but eventually it gets to the install menu. I select the 840, it copies files, expands files, etc. It restarts, continues installing, but then it gets stuck at the part where it is finishing installing. I mean, after an hour it had made no progress at that part. So I shut down, yank it out, plug in my 830, change bios back to IDE as RAID, and everything works.
Troubleshooting I've done so far:
Tried installing with just one stick of ram.
Memtest on each individual stick of ram.
Intel Burn Test to check CPU.
Reset CPU OC to stock.
Stress tests on GPUs.
Remove GPUs and test individually.
Windows update repair tool (as stated above, sort of worked but system was unstable and windows update would frequently fail).
Install Windows on 840 with bios set to configure IDE as RAID instead of AHCI.
Check for BIOS updates (I'm already on the newest one for my MB, but it's still a few years old).
Use samsung software to check for firmware updates (no update)
Check SATA and Power connectors.
Install windows with all HDDs disconnected.
Other observations that might be helpful:
When I have either 840 (I still need to return the first one to amazon) in and start my system, the BIOS hangs for a few seconds when it is detecting devices and gets to the SATA port that the 840 is plugged into. When the 830 is plugged into that slot the BIOS gets past that part in a second or so, but with the 840 plugged in it takes 6 seconds or so.
If I plug in my 830 and my 840 my system will refuse to boot from the 830 even if I disable the 840 from boot devices in the BIOS.
The both 840 ssds are much lighter than my 830. Probably not related to my problems, but it surprised me.
My MB only has SATA 3gb/s.
I found at least one forum post where someone with the same M/B is using the same 840 EVO 250gb, but his question was just about speeds and he apparently had none of these problems.
Hopefully someone has some suggestions as this is really starting to piss me off. I mean, I've reinstalled windows 7 like 10 times in the last few days.
TLDR:
Replaced 830 128gb with 840 EVO 250GB because I needed more space.
Windows update kills windows.
Same problem with newer windows ISO.
Windows update repair tool allows me to install some updates, but many updates fail and I get random BSOD.
Replacement 840 EVO from amazon won't fails to even finish installing windows.
Rage reaching Hulk levels.
Last edited:
