Unstable In Windows

[T_T]

First, the cliché apology, as this is a VERY long post (possibly the longest, next to a tutorial):
I'm sorry for the seemingly infinite wall of text.

Specs:

Mobos
Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 (twice RMA)
Asus M5A99FX Pro R2.0

RAM
Patriot Viper PV28G160C9KRD PD00291*GB Kit (2x4GB) DDR3 (9-9-9-24)
Kingston HyperX FURY 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 1866MHz DDR3 CL10 DIMM - White (HX318C10FWK2/16) (10-11-10-30)
*RAM kits used separately

CPUs
AMD FX6300 BE (2 of them - one new, the other from my computer, which works flawlessly OC'd at 4.8Ghz)

GPU
EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1461-KR GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI ...
Nvidia Quadro 2000
Unknown AMD PCI-E x16 card (MS-V506 Ver 3.0)
*all GPUs were installed one at a time - no dual GPU config ever

PSU
OCZ600SXS
PC Power & Cooling ZT Series 650 Watt 80+ Bronze Fully-Modular Active PFC Performance Grade ATX PC Power Supply

Storage
Samsung EVO 850 500 GB SSD
Kingston HyperX 3K 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (Stand-Alone Drive) SH103S3/240G
SanDisk 2.5" 128GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) SDSSDP-128G-G25
WD 5000AAKX
WD 5000AACS
Seagate 500 GB
*all HDDs are 7200 RPM

Problem

I can't get Windows (haven't tried Linux yet) to remain stable.

Story
1st M5A97:
Installed the new 6300 w/ stock heatsink & cooler and Patriot 8GB RAM kit (in blue slots, as recommended by manual). Installed assembled mobo into case, taking precaution not to damage or force into place. Connected CPU1 connector from OCZ. Connected the 24-pin P1. Connect front panel wires, USB, and Audio. Connected SATA (data and power) cables to HP DVD; SanDisk; and WD-AACS, respectively.

Pushed power button to turn on PC. At Asus screen, pressed Del to get to UEFI. Set USB to Fully Initialized and changed boot priority to "General Udisk". Configured Ai Overclock Tuner to Manual and set DRAM specs according to sticker on Patriots. F10 to save and exit. Booted from flash to do fresh install of Win7 Ult x64.

Install completed w/o problem. Popped in mobo DVD and installed everything but Norton. Transferred all user data (from C:\users\[username] on old HDD). At this point, I was ready to being reinstalling software for wifey, but then she comments on a possibility that she may not be allowed to reinstall certain features of her software, as it is legacy version.

Tried a couple of methods to preserve her software installations by doing the following:
1. Booted up old mobo assembly w/ HDD; went to device manager; uninstalled drivers. Connected HDD to new mobo assembly; booted; allowed Windows to detect hardware changes and prompt for new drivers. Installed mobo drivers.

2. Found PickMeApp, which seems to find all installed software, and then creates a mega .exe to reinstall everything, including app/user data/settings.

Here's where the trouble began
While trying to capture all software the first time around, the display suddenly turned off. Moving mouse and hitting keys on keyboard did nothing to bring back the display. The only way to get a response was to flip the switch on the PSU. I tried again, and was relieved that I could simply pick up right where I left off, when I had to turn off the PSU.

The second time around, the display problem happened again. Naturally, I tried again, but this time stuck around to monitor (no pun intended) the problem. Since the display would shut off during large data movement, I tried doing smaller jobs with this PickMeApp program. This helped, or so I thought.

With all of the programs ready to reinstall on the fresh install of W7Ux64, the display problem happened again (mind you, this is new mobo assembly). I tried again a couple more times, but then when I booted up and saw that the SSD was not being recognized in the UEFI, I turned off and tried a different SATA port on the mobo. Rebooted and problem continued. I tried every SATA port on the mobo.

Troubleshooting the 1st M5A97
I went back to UEFI and reset to default. I used the CPU from my working computer to rule out CPU.
I used the GPU from my computer to rule out GPU. I moved Patriots around, and used one stick at a time. I tried using both sticks, one at a time, in each slot. Performed the same RAM installations with my 16 GB kit. I tried using the PSU from my computer. The problem seemed only to get worse. There were times, when trying to do a fresh install, the problem would happen when the W7Ux64 installer would fail to load – this display problem would happen about .25 seconds after the W7 orbs form the Windows logo.
At this point, I thought that had a defective mobo, so back to Amazon it went...

2nd M5A97:
With replacement in hand and hope renewed, I assembled mobo with CPU and RAM, and then installed. Configured UEFI for RAM and boot. Fresh install of W7Ux64 again. Installed mobo drivers again. Tried again to reinstall software using the PickMeApp-created .exe. Display problem happened again. You thinking what I'm thinking? (problem must be this PickMeApp).
Well, here's where it gets complicated...
Because the SATA controller (remember now, this is the 2nd M5A97) seemingly lost communication with the connected SSD, I began trying different storage mediums. Same problem happened – the screen would go into power saving mode, but the PC would remain on. After trying different HDD and SSD, I began to suspect that the problem was with the M5A97 in particular.

Troubleshooting the 2nd M5A97
Still, I tried all the troubleshooting steps mentioned earlier (here’s a recap)
• Used known-good-working parts
• Used one DIMM in each slot
• Used two different kits
• Used CPU from my computer (the one from which I’m posting this plea for help)
• Used the new CPU in my computer (it’s still in my computer)
• Tried several different main storage devices
• Swapped GPU – used three different cards
• Swapped PSU – both are enough to boot everything attached, but also tried to boot with just the bare necessities: CPU/HSF, RAM (just one DIMM), SSD/HDD (only one at a time) – sometimes w/o main storage; w/ and w/o front panel wires connected to mobo
• Reset CMOS, twice
At this point, I begin to question myself, thinking that perhaps I don’t know as much as I think I do. All doubts aside, I do some research about my problem. Turns out, nobody else has this problem; but there are quite an abundance of posts w/ people having trouble with the M5A97 LE R2.0, so I think to myself, perhaps it’s just a shitty Asus build. Back to Amazon the 2nd mobo went.

The M5A99FX Pro r2.0
I placed an order for this mobo because I’ve been using it for a couple of years now, and haven’t had a single problem with it. I have successfully overclocked my FX6300 BE to 4.8GHz, so I’m pretty confident in this choice. Received the M5A99FX today and began work.
Assembled and installed mobo. Turned on and configured UEFI to the Patriots. Installed OS and mobo drivers. All seemed to be going well, but then it happened again. The monitor went into power saving mode and the PC Remained on, and nothing would bring the display back on (or turn the keyboard LEDs on again – they illuminate blue, indicating power).
Now I’m thinking “well, shit. WTF is the problem now?” So, I turned to trusty Tom’s with the hopes of finding a solution. I stopped typing after the first paragraph because I realized that someone would suggest the OS installation media could be bad, or the image itself could be corrupt. So you know what I did? Yes, I installed Mint.

I installed Mint alongside W7Ux64 and let the computer site for a little more than an hour. A couple of times, the display turned off, but was able to come back on by moving the mouse. Before I left my office, I shut down the PC, safely to bring it home.
Got home kind of excited because I thought that since Mint was stable for so much longer than W7Ux64 was, that the windows image must be bad. Well, as it turns out, there’s an epilogue to my tale of sadness, for when I turned on the PC at home, the option to boot Mint no longer appears. I tried three or four times, but from cold boot, the SSD will attempt to boot Windows, not even showing the boot options – as if Mint isn’t even installed on the SSD. Hopeless, I decide to try reinstalling Mint from USB (the way I did earlier). Well, now the M5A99FX won’t even boot from the USB with the Mint installer.
This is how I know:
Disconnect SATA power and data cables from everything inside the case. With the Mint USB inserted, I boot into UEFI; select “General UDisk” from the override menu, and about a second after exiting UEFI, monitor goes into power saving mode.

To sum it all up
I can’t boot into any OS; can’t boot from USB; have used new and known-good-working parts; used questionable parts in my computer – and they work fine. Right now, I’m very irritated and tired, so this summary may be lacking some vital information.
If anyone out there would like to help me figure this out, please chime in.

 

[elbert]

Microsoft defender rates PickMeApp as a high risk bundler. This means it adds extra stuff thats risk. I would suggest not using it. Try clear your bios and start with a fresh windows install. Next make sure you have upgraded windows 7 to servicepack before doing anthing. Create a restore point. Dont use the motherboard CD. Go to ASUS site to get the latest drivers
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/M5A99FX_PRO_R20/HelpDesk/

You should scan those HD's for viruses.

 

[USAFRet]

Agreed. I wouldn't touch that PickMeApp with a 10 foot pole.

Start with a basic clean OS install.
See what happens.

 

[T_T]

Thank you elbert and USAFRet for your responses. I didn't respond sooner because I had to sacrifice my GPU to get my wife's computer up and running again. It seems, though, there were at least two underlying issues (three if you count the unusual request to not have a fresh install).

Issue 1:
Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 is definitely a bad board. I tried every troubleshooting step you can think of:
breadboarding; clear CMOS, bare build; swapped parts, used questionable parts in known working mobo... everything... on two different M5A97 LE R2.0 boards.

Issue 2:
With the M5A99FX Pro R2.0, I began experiencing the display problem almost immediately after installing drivers from the mobo DVD. When the problem manifested itself, I had come to realize that the only thing I hadn't tried was a different OS. I installed Mint and it was stable for more than an hour, so I thought I had a bad installer.

Since I had the M5A99FX sent to my office (so I could build the PC there), I didn't have my PC to snag parts from for testing. I got up Saturday morning and tried all the basic steps again. As it turns out, the unknown PCI-E x16 video card was inadequate for the M5A99FX. I took my PSU; GPU, and Kingston and did a fresh install (for the 6th time since I started the upgrades).

After the install and with my parts, I let the PC sit for about an hour. Since there were no problems, as they would typically appear in less than five minutes, I shut down and swapped the RAM back to the Patriots. Let PC run for a while and again no problems. Shut down again and swapped back to wife's OCZ PSU. PC ran fine again, even after using P95 (I didn't OC this PC, I just wanted to stress it to ensure stability). PC was fine with the P95 test, so I can definitely rule out temps and voltages. Swapped back to the unknown video card, and BAM! display went out, right on time. So now, I gotta replace my GPU, but I did get wife's PC running again, so she's happy.

Moral of the Story
In case anyone ever finds themselves in the same (seemingly or otherwise) situation, document your observations and if you have the M5A97 LE R2.0, get rid of it. Lastly, as cumbersome as it is (or may be), always perform the basic troubleshooting steps, every time. I would have caught the problem before posting this if I had actually done the troubleshooting steps on the M5A99FX Pro, instead of just assuming that because the problem was still apparent, that there was a solution or step I was missing.

Again, my thanks to elbert and USAFRet for taking time to help me.

 

[T_T]

***UPDATE***

I should have updated this thread long ago, but just in case this helps someone else...

The problem I was having with Windows 7 and the new motherboard may be due to the Secure Boot feature on new mobos. The gist of Secure Boot is to prevent the rewriting of the BIOS/UEFI while in Windows. The problem is that Secure Boot is not compatible with Windows 7, as it was designed for 8 and 10. So far, after disabling Secure Boot, the system has been running quite stable. I'm not 100% convinced yet, but am hopeful that the problem has been solved.

Just as an FYI to others, I did not see in Windows, the message about Secure Boot not being compatible, so I couldn't have known to disable the feature. I had a chat with a very skilled neighbor, and he pointed out the Secure Boot possibility. So, to sum it all up, if you're reading this because you're facing a Windows crashing problem, but with no warning; no error; no BSOD; etc., try disabling Secure Boot.