It is time for the mup.sys limbo!

[Build One]

Welp, built my third system. After a day in "noharddriveinstalledXPinstillationonanSATAHD" hell, I had...HAD my system running...for about 30min. Here's my specs...and my story.

Windows XP Media Center
512x2 Corsair
WD Raptor 74G 10,000rpm SATA
SAPPHIRE X600 PRO
GIGABYTE GA-8I915P DUO PRO MB
CPU P4/3.2GHz 800M LGA775
ASUS DVD
NEC DVDRW

And so. I finally got the OS installed after many threads and several A: drives worth of MIS-information. I goofed off with Xp for a few minutes and started installing the drivers and whatnot for my lil parts. First I did the MB. Installed all the software they had on that disk and made sure my drivers were all on the level...it had to restart and it went through that just fine.

Next install disk was the DVD disk...why did I bother since I had XP Media?..I have no freaking clue....ANYway, I installed their crap and then it wanted another restart but I didn't let it. I was mucking around with the dancer lady on the screen and checking out some of the new trinkets with media center. After a couple of minutes I opted to shut down so I could put the wireless card in and hook up the front fan and firewire/USB back of the case bar (came with the case).....and I didn't restart but shutdown.

Now, installed my crap...OH! and installed the second stick of RAM. Powered up and the monitor didn't work..No signal. I took the RAM back out and then it would boot all the way to the windows splash screen. So I shut down and disconnected the firewire/usb bar. Nada, still won't start. I took the 3 or 4 things back off that not more than 5min ago I had JUST put on and still...it hanged at the Windows screen.

After watching the start up sequence I noticed both of the IDE drives had an excessive amount of !!!!!! on them, as well as other odd chacters...I hadn't noticed this before - if it did say that.

I've opted to start in safe mode...nothing extra there....and then did the 'other' option...at XP seems to be hanging at the mup.sys line. MUP.SYS? ***?

*scratching head* What gives? I took everything back off so it looks just like it did when I HAD XP working. The DVD drives still have the !!!! crap happening on startup and in BIOS they have funny shapes on them there as well.

Oh, and I've figured out that second stick of RAM was DOA.

[Build One]

And so....I removed the cable of the drives from the MoBo...Windows started up. I propmtly removed the freaking DVD crap. Shut down the system, plugged back in my 2 dvd drives then cranked windows right up. Problem solved.

To think it was really that simple.