New PC build running Win8 hanging on startup

deerhooves

Honorable
Jul 9, 2013
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10,510
I recently built a new PC using an i7 4770K 3.5 GHz, Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H mobo, and an NZXT case and Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler, all brand new. I did salvage some parts from my previous build, including an HD 6850, a 500W Topower PSU, Corsair Vengeance 8GB @ 1600 MHz, and my 256GB OCZ Vector.

I was able to successfully install Win8 64-bit. POST breezes by without a hitch every time, and I even get to log in and navigate the desktop for a while. After a few minutes, though, the cursor just stops moving, and any keyboard or mouse input just doesn't seem to register. Reset button doesn't work, so I'm forced to do a hard power-off.

I've run memtest86 and scanned my CPU and RAM to find that there were no errors after three passes. The Vector is almost brand new - I just bought it a few months ago. I was thinking that maybe it was a problem with that, so I tried to format it and reinstall the firmware via the OCZ Toolbox, but when I try to load it from a bootable usb, it hangs on a particular line.

Scanning for hard disk partitions and creating /etc/fstab

I remember when I updated the SSD's firmware previously, it never got stuck on this line. As a result, the Linux environment never loads up and I can't reinstall the firmware on my Vector.

I'm not quite sure what else to do. I need this rig up and running for graphics work ASAP and I've tried everything I could think of. I've tried re-seating components, checking my SATA connections, swapping hard drives... nothing is working.

Are there any suggestions on what to do next? Any other information I should provide?
 
Solution


Thank you very much for the reply! 😀

Uhm, yeah, I suspected that I had a bad drive, but I've been running it with Win8 on my previous build for a few months without any issues, and then all of a sudden, things egan to screw up when I stuck it in this new rig. Are there any other methods I can implement to test whether my Vector is functioning properly or not? Because I'm not entirely sure if I can RMA it (I need to find my receipt) and I don't know if I can afford a new drive.
 


Understandable, somehow I had the impression that you just bought the SSD and it was brand new. but I reread your first post, and it appears that I"m just bad at reading...

anyway, if it ran before, then yeah, it should still be fine, but sometimes weird things can happen when changing builds. first things first. does your system BIOS register the SSD properly (displays as OCZ vector, 256GB and whatnot). if not you definitely have firmware damage etc etc.

perhaps you can also boot into a linux distro directly from a USB drive, and check your SSD within that OS.

people have also recommended this tool in the past. but to be honest I've never used it:
http://ssd-life.com/ (get the free version).
 


Huehuehue, that's alright.

And yes! My BIOS does recognize the drive as "OCZ-VECTOR (256.0GB)." So that's a good sign!

Regarding the SSD Life thing - I can't get it to run a diagnostic on my drive. I've tried three different SATA to USB enclosures/adaptors to get the drive to connect to my laptop, and the computer does sometimes notify me that an OCZ device has been connected, but it never shows up in My Computer. So I guess it's still recognized as an OCZ drive, but the data cells on it seem inaccessible for some reason... I don't know.

 


Data is generally inaccessible because you have an OS on it, and if you had a password login there will be general encryption to protect that etc. do you have any critical data on it that hasn't been backed up? maybe a wipe and re-format would solve the problems
 
Solution


Hmmmm. Perhaps? I've been able to successfully boot into OCZ's Linux environment for updatig the firmware. The drive shows up ad if identified correctly in the BIOS and sometimes in the boot menu, but once I try to install windows, it doesn't show up. It also shows up when I try to update the firmware, but when I try to Secure Erase it, it says the device is not supported. D: I've flashed he BIOS to the latest version, so...
 
maybe just try to roll-back to older firmware? new firmware is always nice, but it's one of those things where you really don't need to have the newest update every time. in fact, I generally only do a firmware update when I buy a drive, afterwords I never touch it unless I run into a critical error
 


Actually, I was just about to update the current situation!

So I got the SSD to work. I got the OCZ toolbox to open up and I did access the Vector. Secure Erased everything, then I went ahead and tried to install Windows 8. It installed properly, so now all I have to do is address the ext big issue:

Hanging on startup

I get to the screen taht prompts me to initially personalize my computer's colour scheme and whatnot, and as I go through the options and fill out the relevant details, the cursor locks and no HID input is recognized. Just like before! I've tried re-seating the RAM, I've tried different SATA cables... What could be causing it to hang like this?