Hardware or Software?

[aliastasia]

Hi 🙂

I am having a bit of a bizarre problem I am looking for help with. I am not sure whether this is a software or hardware issue, so I am putting it in Motherboard/Memory - someone please move if another location is more appropriate

I have built a new system, consisting of the following:

ASUS Maximus IV GENE-Z, Socket-1155, Z68
Intel Core i7 2700K Quad Core 3,5Ghz
EVGA GeForce GTX 570 HD 2560MB PhysX
Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz 16GB CL8
Corsair TX V2 850W PSU
Seagate Barracuda® 2TB(SATA)
Western Digitial Caviar® Green 2TB(SATA)

Here is my issue:
After putting the system together, going component - boot/post-component, I installed Windows 7 64x U on the system yesterday, on the Caviar drive - a known good drive, as I took it out of my old computer. After installing win7 (on one 4Gb stick of RAM), I started installing the drivers for the motherboard, then the GPU. Nothing else was installed, as I planned to hook up a few more drives and set them up for gaming/rendering work.
On disk access, I kept getting either Memory Management BSODs or IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL ones
Figuring I'd messed something inadvertently up, and it still being a clean system, i figured maybe a half hr of reinstalling would be quicker than troubleshooting driver by driver.
I formatted the brandnew Seagate drive "proper" the slow way, planning to use it as main drive, and off to the races it was. Or so I thought.

Here's the thing:

I am now completely unable to install Win7. The CD is in good shape, i have used it twice before, last time yesterday. When I install now, even on formatted drives, I get "files are corrupt" when windows is expanding during install, anywhere between 30 and 80%
If I set the HDDs to IDE, I don't get that issue, but upon reboot, i get told various files are corrupt, and windows cant boot.
The BIOS is updated with the latest (030912) and I have taken out the 12 Gb of RAM I added.
Memtest shows no issues.

Anyone have any input as to what could be causing this?
The CPU ticks along somewhere between 26 and 35 Celsius- I have a Noctua NH-U9B SE2 as cooler, as I was figuring a lot of rendering would generate a lot of heat.

Thanks ever so much for any insight 🙂

~s

 

[rolli59]

Really sounds like ram issues how many passes of memtest? http://www.memtest.org/

 

[aliastasia]

Let me recheck - I wrote it down, cant find the note - but I left it on for ab 3 hrs.

I am trying something else:I threw in a fairly new i5 and a 2 Gb RAM stick, and unplugged the Caviar.
Took out the CMOS, waiting ab an hr before I put it back in, will then try to reinstall

i did have issues with the mobo not posting, initially, but I learned later I wasn't the only one w this issue

~s

 

[jaquith]

As I am reading this it seems that you 'transplanted' a Windows 7 install (HDD) from one PC to another. In that case you can have all sorts of oddball issues if the incorrect driver(s) are installed and/or missing. The IDE screams a registry corruption (driver) problem especially if changing back and forth IDE <=> AHCI.

The simplest fix is to run 'Fix It' or manually change the registry so the correct drivers load ; AHCI (Start = 0) & IDE (Start = 3) ; see -> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976

affected registry entries (all 3 or all 0)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Msahci
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\IastorV

Next, you must re-install ALL of the appropriate drivers:
Maximus IV GENE-Z - http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/Maximus_IV_GENEZ/#download
Maximus IV GENE-Z/GEN3 - http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/Maximus_IV_GENEZGEN3/#download
Example for Maximus IV GENE-Z/GEN3:
Chipset - Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility V9.2.0.1030
Audio - Realtek Audio Driver V5.10.0.6363
VGA - Intel(R) Graphics Accelerator Driver V8.15.10.2405
LAN - Intel(R) Gigabit Ethernet Driver V16.6.0.0
USB - Asmedia USB3.0 Controller Driver V1.14.1.0 and optional USB 3.0 Boost Full Package Version V1.00.05
SATA - Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver software V10.6.2.1001
SATA - JMicron JMB36X(JMB362) Controller Driver V1.17.58.2

After above then see what happens. Make sure the RAM is a Matched Set and use the Red DIMM slots.

 

[aliastasia]

My apologies for being unclear :-( - I did not transplant a Windows HDD onto a completely new system, I'm sorry for wasting your time on that, even though I do appreciate the registry tips 🙂
I took the drive, and put a clean install of Windows on it, yesterday. It was on this specific install I had the BSODs w Memory Management and IRQL etc issues.
I had all drivers installed from the CD
During teh Win7 install, I was asked about the old Win7 install, and I kept the windows.old folder only for salvage purposes, and once I was done with those, SHIFT+DEL they went.


Moving on, I am now on a clean Windows install on the i5 with a mere 4 Gb RAM - I am stresstesting the stuff that went haywire - disk access, by taking a fairly hefty chunk (200 Gb) of data and moving it about the system- plenty of folders and files needing diskwrites imbedded in those

The only driver installed so far is the intel chipset driver (and yes, rebooted)

IF I get stable behaviour, its not the mobo, and I can add driver-test -add driver-test.. I will try the Vengeance sticks again in a bit -if I get BSODs then, it's the RAM, and I can put the i7 back in. If everything behaves w the RAM, it was a dodgy CPU.


Now, if only Windows stopped insisting I was a victim of piracy....(I had to call for activation, not sure how many calls you get, hence waiting until I think its safe to register the install - it's annoying always having to reregister after HW changes...)

~s

 

[aliastasia]

// also thank you for listing all the current drivers 🙂

~s

 

[jaquith]

IRQL errors are driver related most of the time or other components. Memory errors can happen from a bad stick, improper DIMM placement/seating or improper BIOS settings. If you're getting memory errors from (F5) Defaults then obviously verify DIMM (RED) slots, and seating then run Memtest. For a single Matched Set in most cases AI Overclock Tuner -> XMP then verify Profile #1 is used below that setting.

MOBO's with iGPU then make certain the following are set correctly:
BIOS for d-Mode
Initiate Graphic Adapter -> PCIE/PCI ; otherwise BSOD
iGPU Memory 64MB ; or more
iGPU Multi-Monitor -> Enabled ; required

BIOS use only the latest version, and then only EZ Flash 2 to update - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/289507-30-what-flash also it wouldn't hurt to 'properly' do a Clear CMOS procedure - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdHH9KrceR0

Use the latest Intel drivers (run Intel Driver Update Utility) - http://downloadcenter.intel.com/default.aspx?lang=eng

Look for any {? or !} listed in the Device Manager, and update or re-install problematic Drivers.

 

[aliastasia]

I've already EZ Flashed it 🙂
I also took out the CMOS yesterday for a few hrs before throwing in the i7 and Corsair sticks - I'd used the i5 to test the mobo with, as I'd had POST issues.

I've run the test setup through a round of kicking the *** out of a set of husks and Cerberus troops in ME3, so I did verify it was a HW issue - I've not had a BSOD since I swapped components, everything runs ok. I also did a lot of file moving during the install, and replicated a few of the things causing the BSODs in the first place (playing music whilst installing stuff, being online, and moving files around)

Tomorrow I am going to try two corsair sticks in the red slots.
If they behave, two sticks in the black slots
Graphic adapter is set to PCIE/PCI
I've not touched the other settings, I was concerned any tinkering was causing the BSODs - When I was having install issues, I was reading until my eyes hurt about BIOS settings, what to enable or disable, and I didn't dare touch anything unfamiliar, played it safe, so the only thing I did was to adjust RAM from Auto to 1600 (and 1333 in the current case) set time, and test SATA vs IDE.
The disks are now set back to default SATA.

If nothing BSODs, then I will try the CPU.



¨~s