- Aug 8, 2014
- 18
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**I know this is really long, but I thought I should include all the steps I've tried and what results I got so that anyone willing to help can get a better picture of what might be happening that I don't understand. Thank you in advance for reading my questions!!!**
I tried installing Win 7 Pro x64 (full but Dell OEM version) on my SSD, and had ENDLESS problems with it not being able to restart just as soon as I installed any drivers or after Win Update completed any updates. Used Startup Repair and it would fail, tried several other fixes, to no avail. The errors varied so much each time I did a fresh install that I just gave up on Win 7.
Bought Win 8 Pro x64 (full retail - not OEM - version) and installed that on my SSD. Now every time the OS is powered off for more than 30-60 minutes, it goes through BIOS POST, goes to ASUS screen with the little circling balls underneath, then goes to a blank screen for an indefinite amount of time. At first I let it just run to see if it would go to the Win8 splash screen, but gave up after 15 minutes. Then I restart (same thing happens whether I use reset button or whether I press power button for 5 seconds and then power back on after 20 seconds) and it goes through POST and then gives an "Overclocking Failed! Press F1 to enter Setup." But F1 does not function on my wireless keyboard when that happens.
(It does work if I switch to a corded keyboard. In that case, I have entered BIOS setup, loaded the "optimized defaults" and then Saved/Exited, which has given me a list of about 15 items which will be reset to defaults -- that *I* didn't change from loading the defaults before OS install -- and then I press OK to save/restart.)
If I don't enter Setup via F1, and if no drivers or updates are on board except my USB Wireless Adapter driver, and I simply press the Reset button or power down and wait 20 secs and then power up again, it will load the OS and go into the Splash screen, at which point I can log on. But if I try to install the chipset drivers ((*either* 1. by recommendation download link provided by OS dialogue AFTER first round of updates but BEFORE the restart suggested by OS after those WinUpdates... *or* 2.from the zip archive of the most recent chipset drivers from the ASUS site)) OR if I successfully complete the first round of "Important" and "Optional" updates of the Win 8 OS from Microsoft, and THEN Restart or Power Off computer via OS selections on the right sidebar (Settings => Power), *then* the next time I restart the computer it gives me the blank screen again after POST.
If I THEN reset/power off via hardware buttons it gives me an error saying the OS couldn't start. If I try to "Refresh" the OS, it tells me that the boot drive is "Locked" and that I need to "Unlock" it. I have tried restarting at that point, and it keeps going back to saying the drive is locked. I have tried setting System Restore points before restarting a clean/fresh install both before and after installing drivers and/or updates, and tried to use System Restore when I get back to this point, but it never loads the list of restore points to choose from, and just hangs. I've tried using System Repair disk to "Upgrade" the install of the OS so I don't have to lose all the files I've downloaded, but it tells me I have to boot into the OS first and then put the disk in and try to upgrade from there. I've tried a "System Reset" a couple of times, and that failed but I'm sorry I don't remember what specific errors I got at those times.
I tried pressing the "Clear CMOS" button on the mobo before my last OS installation, and it puked during POST, can't remember specific error but I was able to hit reset button, enter Setup, load defaults, and restart to begin next clean install, which is the install I'm on now, only 1 driver loaded (the USB Wifi adapter), no Win Updates completed, and no other programs installed except for Firefox (most recent).
It still has the problem that when it is powered down for about an hour or more, it goes to the blank screen I mentioned in paragraph 2 of this post, and I must restart via HW button, go through "Overclocking Failed!" error, restart again via HW button, and then I can log in.
When the computer enters sleep and is not "woken" for more than about an hour, it will not resume from sleep, and won't send a signal to the monitor to wake *it* back up either. At that point, I must restart via hardware, in which it gives the "Overclocking Failed!" error also mentioned in paragraph 2, after which I have to restart via HW button, and then I can log in.
All installs of OS's has been with all other drives disconnected, only connecting the data drives after the OS is successfully installed and restarted, so as to access drivers and other programs for installation. Before each OS installation, I enter BIOS setup and load the "optimized defaults" and then Save/Restart.
I would just really like to know
A) what I'm doing wrong (on OS install, driver install, etc)
B) what all are the *correct* drivers I should be installing for the P9X79 Pro mobo for my hardware/software setup (detailed below), which order I should install the drivers in, and which drivers/mobo programs I should avoid
C) how to avoid known issues with any Windows Updates if any
D) whether I should flash my BIOS to the most recent version (my current version is the 2nd most recent)
E) whether it would be suggested to partition 60Gb off the end of my SSD to cache my 1TB data drive to increase speed in accessing/searching/moving files around on it... if that would even speed things up (using ASUS SSD Caching)
F) which SATA ports I should be plugging the various drives into, right now I have them at 1-SSD Boot 2-DVD Burner 3-1Tb Data 4&5-the other 2 data drives. I think 1&2 are the Intel ports and 7&8 are the Marvell ports? -- I haven't been able to get the Marvell drivers loaded yet and there is some sort of unknown Marvell device in Device Manager - can't get past restart after installing chipset drivers -- so I've (hopefully correctly) been avoiding using SATA ports 7&8.
G) any settings I need to change after OS install to get it to run securely and stably - in the BIOS, in the Registry, or via Control Panel/Admin Tools
H) any problems with my hardware setup? (e.g., any recommendations on an inexpensive PSU, if I need a more powerful one for any reason? I ordered a new 600W one by Cooler Master, but it didn't come with the 8-pin CPU power plug, only 4+4 and 6+2 ones that wouldn't fit. The PSU calculator said I need at least 400W for my mobo/CPU/graphics.)
I) how do I "unlock" a "locked" hard drive through Windows 8 (or through a rescue disk such as Hiren's Boot Disk 15 or Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10)? What are the best ways to do Startup Repair in Windows 8 with the problems I've been having?
THANK YOU SO MUCH IF YOU READ ALL THE CRUD I JUST MICRO-DETAILED OUT ABOVE!!! Any ideas, links to related forum questions that may hold answers for me (with info on anything I would need to do differently than in the link), links to resources that explain how the combinations of things I'm fooling around with work and how they need to be set up properly... well ANY sort of help would frickin rock! I hope one of you fine fellow forum members will take pity on my plight and offer me a few tidbits of aid in my hour of need.
Thanks!
P.S. - if you have time, can you paste in any links you know of to teach an almost total n00b what each of the different options/combinations needed are and what each of the settings mean in BIOS to consider possibly overclocking my CPU at some point in the future after I have a grasp on how each of the settings/readings play a part and their implications/consequences?
COMPUTER SETUP====================================
Intel i7-3820 4@3.6GHz CPU
ASUS P9X79 Pro Mobo
AMI BIOS Rev 4701
Corsair Vengeance 2@8Gb Dual Channel 1600MHz DDR3 RAM
ASUS GeForce 8400 GS Graphics Card
Full Win 8 Pro x64
Sandisk Ultra+ 256Gb 6Gb SSD Boot
Seagate 3.5" 1Tb 6Gb SSHD Data
Seagate DB35 3.5" 300Gb 1.5Gb SATA Data
Seagate Barracuda 3.5" 320Gb 6Gb SATA Data
LG GH24NSB0 Internal DVDWriter
Thermaltake V2 Plus 450W PSU
Intel Thermal Solution Air CPU Fan (Arctic Silver 5)
Sabrent USB 2.0 Internal Memory Card Reader
NetGear N600 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter
SOFTWARE SETUP====================================
Ideally, I'd like to have the following programs installed when all is said and done:
Kaspersky Internet Security 2014
(Do I need any supplemental malware/PUP protection such as Spybot S&D, Superantispyware, or MalwareBytes, in addition to Kaspersky IS14?)
Chrome
Firefox
Opera
Thunderbird
Evernote
LiveScribe Desktop
LibreOffice and/or MS Office H&O 2013
Foxit Reader
VirusTotal Uploader
VLC
(Possibly CCleaner or some other Registry/OS cleaner/maintainer -- would you recommend I install it or another one, or avoid them altogether?)
(What is the best option for program/s to monitor my hardware and OS conditions - CPU temp/voltage, RAM usage, OS hangups, and anything else I should be keeping an eye on? Are there any good, reliable, all-in-one, visually-oriented, able-to-be-monitored-from-inside-the-OS, solutions to do this that are easy for a n00b to use and understand - or that have easy-to-understand searchable documentation?)
Thank you to everyone who bothered to read/skim/respond!
Venus
I tried installing Win 7 Pro x64 (full but Dell OEM version) on my SSD, and had ENDLESS problems with it not being able to restart just as soon as I installed any drivers or after Win Update completed any updates. Used Startup Repair and it would fail, tried several other fixes, to no avail. The errors varied so much each time I did a fresh install that I just gave up on Win 7.
Bought Win 8 Pro x64 (full retail - not OEM - version) and installed that on my SSD. Now every time the OS is powered off for more than 30-60 minutes, it goes through BIOS POST, goes to ASUS screen with the little circling balls underneath, then goes to a blank screen for an indefinite amount of time. At first I let it just run to see if it would go to the Win8 splash screen, but gave up after 15 minutes. Then I restart (same thing happens whether I use reset button or whether I press power button for 5 seconds and then power back on after 20 seconds) and it goes through POST and then gives an "Overclocking Failed! Press F1 to enter Setup." But F1 does not function on my wireless keyboard when that happens.
(It does work if I switch to a corded keyboard. In that case, I have entered BIOS setup, loaded the "optimized defaults" and then Saved/Exited, which has given me a list of about 15 items which will be reset to defaults -- that *I* didn't change from loading the defaults before OS install -- and then I press OK to save/restart.)
If I don't enter Setup via F1, and if no drivers or updates are on board except my USB Wireless Adapter driver, and I simply press the Reset button or power down and wait 20 secs and then power up again, it will load the OS and go into the Splash screen, at which point I can log on. But if I try to install the chipset drivers ((*either* 1. by recommendation download link provided by OS dialogue AFTER first round of updates but BEFORE the restart suggested by OS after those WinUpdates... *or* 2.from the zip archive of the most recent chipset drivers from the ASUS site)) OR if I successfully complete the first round of "Important" and "Optional" updates of the Win 8 OS from Microsoft, and THEN Restart or Power Off computer via OS selections on the right sidebar (Settings => Power), *then* the next time I restart the computer it gives me the blank screen again after POST.
If I THEN reset/power off via hardware buttons it gives me an error saying the OS couldn't start. If I try to "Refresh" the OS, it tells me that the boot drive is "Locked" and that I need to "Unlock" it. I have tried restarting at that point, and it keeps going back to saying the drive is locked. I have tried setting System Restore points before restarting a clean/fresh install both before and after installing drivers and/or updates, and tried to use System Restore when I get back to this point, but it never loads the list of restore points to choose from, and just hangs. I've tried using System Repair disk to "Upgrade" the install of the OS so I don't have to lose all the files I've downloaded, but it tells me I have to boot into the OS first and then put the disk in and try to upgrade from there. I've tried a "System Reset" a couple of times, and that failed but I'm sorry I don't remember what specific errors I got at those times.
I tried pressing the "Clear CMOS" button on the mobo before my last OS installation, and it puked during POST, can't remember specific error but I was able to hit reset button, enter Setup, load defaults, and restart to begin next clean install, which is the install I'm on now, only 1 driver loaded (the USB Wifi adapter), no Win Updates completed, and no other programs installed except for Firefox (most recent).
It still has the problem that when it is powered down for about an hour or more, it goes to the blank screen I mentioned in paragraph 2 of this post, and I must restart via HW button, go through "Overclocking Failed!" error, restart again via HW button, and then I can log in.
When the computer enters sleep and is not "woken" for more than about an hour, it will not resume from sleep, and won't send a signal to the monitor to wake *it* back up either. At that point, I must restart via hardware, in which it gives the "Overclocking Failed!" error also mentioned in paragraph 2, after which I have to restart via HW button, and then I can log in.
All installs of OS's has been with all other drives disconnected, only connecting the data drives after the OS is successfully installed and restarted, so as to access drivers and other programs for installation. Before each OS installation, I enter BIOS setup and load the "optimized defaults" and then Save/Restart.
I would just really like to know
A) what I'm doing wrong (on OS install, driver install, etc)
B) what all are the *correct* drivers I should be installing for the P9X79 Pro mobo for my hardware/software setup (detailed below), which order I should install the drivers in, and which drivers/mobo programs I should avoid
C) how to avoid known issues with any Windows Updates if any
D) whether I should flash my BIOS to the most recent version (my current version is the 2nd most recent)
E) whether it would be suggested to partition 60Gb off the end of my SSD to cache my 1TB data drive to increase speed in accessing/searching/moving files around on it... if that would even speed things up (using ASUS SSD Caching)
F) which SATA ports I should be plugging the various drives into, right now I have them at 1-SSD Boot 2-DVD Burner 3-1Tb Data 4&5-the other 2 data drives. I think 1&2 are the Intel ports and 7&8 are the Marvell ports? -- I haven't been able to get the Marvell drivers loaded yet and there is some sort of unknown Marvell device in Device Manager - can't get past restart after installing chipset drivers -- so I've (hopefully correctly) been avoiding using SATA ports 7&8.
G) any settings I need to change after OS install to get it to run securely and stably - in the BIOS, in the Registry, or via Control Panel/Admin Tools
H) any problems with my hardware setup? (e.g., any recommendations on an inexpensive PSU, if I need a more powerful one for any reason? I ordered a new 600W one by Cooler Master, but it didn't come with the 8-pin CPU power plug, only 4+4 and 6+2 ones that wouldn't fit. The PSU calculator said I need at least 400W for my mobo/CPU/graphics.)
I) how do I "unlock" a "locked" hard drive through Windows 8 (or through a rescue disk such as Hiren's Boot Disk 15 or Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10)? What are the best ways to do Startup Repair in Windows 8 with the problems I've been having?
THANK YOU SO MUCH IF YOU READ ALL THE CRUD I JUST MICRO-DETAILED OUT ABOVE!!! Any ideas, links to related forum questions that may hold answers for me (with info on anything I would need to do differently than in the link), links to resources that explain how the combinations of things I'm fooling around with work and how they need to be set up properly... well ANY sort of help would frickin rock! I hope one of you fine fellow forum members will take pity on my plight and offer me a few tidbits of aid in my hour of need.
Thanks!P.S. - if you have time, can you paste in any links you know of to teach an almost total n00b what each of the different options/combinations needed are and what each of the settings mean in BIOS to consider possibly overclocking my CPU at some point in the future after I have a grasp on how each of the settings/readings play a part and their implications/consequences?
COMPUTER SETUP====================================
Intel i7-3820 4@3.6GHz CPU
ASUS P9X79 Pro Mobo
AMI BIOS Rev 4701
Corsair Vengeance 2@8Gb Dual Channel 1600MHz DDR3 RAM
ASUS GeForce 8400 GS Graphics Card
Full Win 8 Pro x64
Sandisk Ultra+ 256Gb 6Gb SSD Boot
Seagate 3.5" 1Tb 6Gb SSHD Data
Seagate DB35 3.5" 300Gb 1.5Gb SATA Data
Seagate Barracuda 3.5" 320Gb 6Gb SATA Data
LG GH24NSB0 Internal DVDWriter
Thermaltake V2 Plus 450W PSU
Intel Thermal Solution Air CPU Fan (Arctic Silver 5)
Sabrent USB 2.0 Internal Memory Card Reader
NetGear N600 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter
SOFTWARE SETUP====================================
Ideally, I'd like to have the following programs installed when all is said and done:
Kaspersky Internet Security 2014
(Do I need any supplemental malware/PUP protection such as Spybot S&D, Superantispyware, or MalwareBytes, in addition to Kaspersky IS14?)
Chrome
Firefox
Opera
Thunderbird
Evernote
LiveScribe Desktop
LibreOffice and/or MS Office H&O 2013
Foxit Reader
VirusTotal Uploader
VLC
(Possibly CCleaner or some other Registry/OS cleaner/maintainer -- would you recommend I install it or another one, or avoid them altogether?)
(What is the best option for program/s to monitor my hardware and OS conditions - CPU temp/voltage, RAM usage, OS hangups, and anything else I should be keeping an eye on? Are there any good, reliable, all-in-one, visually-oriented, able-to-be-monitored-from-inside-the-OS, solutions to do this that are easy for a n00b to use and understand - or that have easy-to-understand searchable documentation?)
Thank you to everyone who bothered to read/skim/respond!
Venus
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