Bandman1955

Please Help! My computer has gone crazy and it is driving me mad! It began with the computer randomly rebooting and stange clicking noises. I thought it was the power supply (It was a VT-300TATX). I replaced it with a suggested VT-400ATX). Everything seemed to be fine for several weeks. My daughter installed THE SIMS game on it and suddenly it started freezing up when it got to a certain point in the game, and then it started rebooting. I thought it was a problem with the OS so I wiped c:\ and reformated it and tried to reinstalled Windows 2000 Professional, which is what I was running on it. Now nothing works right. Sometimes when I turn the computer on, the fan runs bu the computer doesn't boot. After flipping the off/on switch a couple of times it will boot. I can usually get it to the C: prompt, but sometimes when I try to run commands it freezes up. When ever I try to install Windows I get errors. WIndows 2000 Professional: OE, 06 and OD errors. WIndows 98: file XXX.XX corrupted, error 14, etc., always with a different file or else the system freezes up during installation of files. Same with 2000: freezes during file installation. Windows 95 (I even tried that) won't even start up. Sometimes, the system won't recognize the CD ROM drive. I am at wits end. Most of the diagnostics I have will only run under windows, and I can't even install it. Most of Microsofts DB articles don't apply or you need windows installed to complete their suggested fixes. I ran MEMTEST86 and the memory is ok. I even swapped out the memory card so that's not the problem. I tried reinstalling the MBR but nothing there. And all the registry diagnostics I have need windows to run. I am at wits end! Help! Anyone have any idea before I commit hari-kari?

PC-AT(X), ISA + PCI + AGP 2x
AMD Duron, 1200MHz, Real Mode, 2/6/41/18
Internal Co, 1200 MHz, 3/3/100/28
AMI, American Megatrend, PnP, 05/16/02
S3 VGA 31 MB Vesa VBE 3.0
96 MB, 640 KB, 65535 KB, XMS (3.0,65471 KB), No EMS
A: FDD C:HDD
Windows 2000 Professional

Lorand

Could be a faulty hard disk? The formatting was smooth?

Praetor

Could it be overheating? But given the slow clock speed I wouldnt think so...

Might be toasted memory

Highly indicitive of RAM/HDD problems

This suggests that perhaps the IDE controller is messed (which would also explain the "HDD suspiscion" i had earlier. Have a look to see if the mobo is functioning properly (swap parts if you can)

__________________
ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, Q6600@3.7 / ASUS P5ND, E6400@3.8
4GB OCz Platinum XTC 8500 / 4GB CorsairXMS2 6400
5x500GB Seagate 7200.10 / 2x500 Seagate 7200.10
OCz 8800GTX 768MB @ 630/800 / 2x Galaxy 8800GT SLI

Lorand

It could be. I had once some problems with a motherboard. Try connect the hard disk to the secondary IDE channel.

kb1ghc

Go into your BIOS settings, make sure the boot order is OK.

If you need a DOS boot disk, i recommend http://www.putergeek.com/downloads/win95b_boot_disk.exe (run it, and it will format your floppy and install the correct files) for a boot disk, it will recognize your CD-ROM drive as "X:" so you can atleast start the windows reinstall