Strange problem building my PC

[Willx96]

Hello everyone,

Sorry for this long post, im just trying to put as much info as I can to help solve my problem.

I have a very strange problem with my new PC build that I can't seem to find the answer to. Ill try to explain as best as I can.

Ive built computers before, but for some reason this new PC build just wont work out for me. First time I got all my parts in, I couldnt get a POST no matter what I tried. I thought it was my motherboard, since its an old board ive used before, so I got another one.

I tried to put all the parts together again, still no luck. So I decided to buy a new mobo and CPU, and it finally POST.

Now im thinking its all smooth sailing from here, but it wasn't. I tried to install Windows 10 using my Flash drive, but it kept giving me a Startup Repair bluescreen, with errors pointing towards Windows Kernel. I dont understand how that could happen when Windows 10 isnt even installed yet, and my HDD and SSD are both brand new.

So I tried installing Windows 10 on the SSD from my currently built and working PC, and it installed no problem. When I tried putting it back into the new build, it gave me the same error message again, no matter what I tried.

Ive tried installing Linux (freezes and wont install), installing through my HDD, creating a new Windows 10 iso on the flash drive, nothing works. I simply cannot install an operating system.

The only thing I could think of is the RAM. Its the only thing that isnt brand new, although it worked perfectly in my old build. I cannot get this computer to work, and if anyone can help me identify what could be stopping me from installing an OS, it would be greatly appreciated.

Specs:
Mobo: MSI A6HM-E33 V2 FM2+
CPU: AMD A8-7650K
RAM: PNY 1x8Gb DDR3
GPU: Sapphire Radeon R7 260X
PSU: EVGA 500W Bronze
HDD: WD 1Tb Blue
SSD: Samsung 250Gb 860 EVO

 

[gondo]

Make sure you have the latest firmware on the motherboard to eliminate bugs with the CPU and RAM. Remove the quick boot option in the BIOS and this will cause the numbers to roll during POST which is doing a basic test of the memory. That can sometimes find a RAM problem. Once your up and running you can put it back to the quick boot.

Get the latest firmware for the SSD. Sometimes new to people, SSDs do have and require firmware updates whereas older mechanical hard drives never did. I had a computer that kept crashing and I have enough experience that I suspected hard drive. It was indeed an error where a counter on the hard drive cause it to crap out after so many hours of use and I just reached that limit. A firmware update fixed the hard drive and it's working great 3 years later.

Now this probably won't fix a thing but its good things to do. Why not take the memory and test it in the other computer using something like memtest86. I don't think I've ever seen a CPU fail but I guess it's possible. Start from there and post some results so we can continue the troubleshooting.

 

[Willx96]

Make sure you have the latest firmware on the motherboard to eliminate bugs with the CPU and RAM. Remove the quick boot option in the BIOS and this will cause the numbers to roll during POST which is doing a basic test of the memory. That can sometimes find a RAM problem. Once your up and running you can put it back to the quick boot.

Get the latest firmware for the SSD. Sometimes new to people, SSDs do have and require firmware updates whereas older mechanical hard drives never did. I had a computer that kept crashing and I have enough experience that I suspected hard drive. It was indeed an error where a counter on the hard drive cause it to crap out after so many hours of use and I just reached that limit. A firmware update fixed the hard drive and it's working great 3 years later.

Now this probably won't fix a thing but its good things to do. Why not take the memory and test it in the other computer using something like memtest86. I don't think I've ever seen a CPU fail but I guess it's possible. Start from there and post some results so we can continue the troubleshooting.

Thanks for the quick response gondo,

After checking my parts, I see that I do have the latest firmware, and fast boot appears to be disabled, but still no luck. I cant really test my RAM stick on my working PC because the working PC mobo is DDR4 memory, while the RAM stick in question is DDR3, so no luck there.

I did get something interesting though. After trying to start up with Ubuntu on the non working PC, it froze in the purple screen after clicking the option to load Ubuntu. When I shut it down and tried turning it on again, I got weird beep codes. It was 4 quick, short beeps, followed by 1 long beep, and then 2 more short beeps. I cant seem to figure out what these codes point to. It could even be more than one problem. I hope this helps as to finding a solution.

 

[gondo]

Those beeps are timer related indicating a bad motherboard. I would be trying a different power supply as I've seen power related issues with motherboards. Certain working power supplies just wouldn't operate the motherboard whereas a different power supply would. I'm guessing the tolerances of the voltage was just a bit off to allow the lesser quality power supply not to operate the motherboard properly.

I've also seen an entire batch of the same model of motherboard not work with cheaper power supplies but perfectly with the better quality power supplies and stricter voltage outputs. The motherboards were very strict with the voltages and power they received. Many customers had issues and the computer shop couldn't understand the problem until I pointed it out to them.

Since using only top tier power supplies, and top tier motherboards I've never encountered an issue. And when I was selling systems I only sold top tier power supplies to customers and never had a problem or return on a system. I'd be trying the power supply from the other system and if that doesn't work I suspect a new motherboard may be required.