Media Center Won't Boot

[gerald182]

I installed a Creative X-Fi Fatality1 and Media Center 2002 would not boot after. I removed the hardware and tried again...same problem. I then went into the Bios and disabled the onboard sound...nada. It says to insert the system disk. I did this and ran Chkdsk. It says that there is more than one unrecoverable errors. My system is:

Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe
AMD Athlon XP 3000+ Barton
2 x 1 GB Mushkin PC 3200
XFX 7600GT Video Card
D-Link Wireless
Thermaltake 430W PSU
2 ea NEC DVD/CD RW
and maybe a Creative X-Fi Fatality1

Any ideas? I really, really don't want to format a disk.

[kev7555]

Sounds like a candidate for a repair install. Insert your XP disk, start the computer and when prompted, select to boot from CD.


When the options screen appears, select to install XP. Another screen will eventually appear asking if you want to repair XP using the recovery console. Choose to continue installing XP. Another screen will appear asking if you wish to repair a previous version of XP. choose to do so.

This should replace all system files without destroying any of your existing text files, picture files, music files, etc.

You will have to go back and do Windows updates again when complete.

-Kev

[chuck4456]

That doesn't normally happen with the installation of a simple PCI device. Before you go thru all of that Repair Install, open the system back up and check to make sure that everything is plugged back in and that the connections are all secure. Then, try it again.

[gerald182]

I have several other computers that I have built. Probably 10. I don't know why but this computer has always been a "problem child". Extremely "twitchy". It doesn't like the RAM in Dual Channel, but runs fine with the same two sticks of RAM in the other slots and recognizes 2 Gig. I recently installed the D-link Wireless and got the same reaction. Since I had very little on the HDD at that time I just formatted it and replaced the programs. Anyway, could it be this version of windows that is @#%$#@#@ with me or has someone known this hardware configuration to react this way?

[Panama Red]

You may have a hardware problem. I have the same mobo and I tried running 1Gb (2 x 512)of Kingston VR some time back. Shortly after I started getting BSOD's. Tested the memory with Memtest86+ and got tons of errors. Contacted Kingston support for an RMA. They informed my that my mobo was not supported. My cpu is also a 3000+, 400fsb.

I've also read in the past that Geil and some other memory brands need the vdimm (or rdram voltage) increased to run stable. Many boards default at 2.5 or 2.6 volts for the memory but the tight timing memory modules like 2.7 - 2.9 volts.

Just a couple possibilities to check out. HTH

[gerald182]

Thanks Panama Red. I will try that. I have done the repair install and all is well with the world. By the way the sound is really good.