PC will not boot into Vista but will in XP

Willieboy · 12th Apr 2008, 05:52 AM

I'm not sure if this the correct section for this, sorry if it is wrong.
Well now, I'm slowly going loopy with this one. I can't figure it out at all.
Here's my story.
I have been using Vista since it was released with not a problem.

My family got me a new mobo 2 weeks ago, an ASUS P5K Pro.
I also got Corsair 2 x 2 gb ram = 4gb. DDR2
P4 3.4gb CPU

I use a hard drive caddy, it does not have a tray, the drives simply slide in then I lock the door. It's guaranteed for 10,000 drive swaps.
One drive is for XP and Vista in the other.
The hard drives are SATA, they are recognised by the BIOS.
It was OK untill Wednesday afternoon just past, Vista would not boot from 2 hard drives. When the first would not boot I restored a True Image V11 in another Drive, same result.
I Phoned the dealer who told me send it back for testing, I sent it off on Thursday.
I re-installed my previous mobo, an ASUS P5AD2-E Premium,.
This one also won't now boot into Vista. I put in a harddrive with XP
already installed in it and it starts up no problem.
All I changed was the mobo and memory, every thing else is the same.
And yes, I was very carefull to ensure the cables are connected correctly.
I use a NVidia 8800GTS graphics card, I kept the previous graphics card, a Radeon 1950XL so I fitted this to eliminate that side of things, the boot problem persisted so it's not the graphics card.
I let the Vista install DVD check the ram with no problems, but I changed the memory anyway in case Vista missed something, it's the same.

The hard drives that would not boot I wiped, formatted and re-installed Vista, but when it came to the part of the installation for the hard drive to boot it would not

Every time ( with Vista ) after the BIOS had kicked in, the boot into safe mode message appeared, it would not go past that. On about 3 boots a blue screen appeared at the top of the screen for less than a second.
My PSU is a Targan 650 watts.
All fans are working.

Surely it cant be drivers because the installation did not get far enough into the installation so I could install them.
If there was a short circuit with the mobo or elsewhere it shouldn't allow XP to run.

The drive that works is a WD Raptor, 10,000 rpm 150gb.
Those that won't are Samsungs, they have not given me any problems. It would be unlikely that 3 would fail.

I'm now getting one beep shortly after the PC starts and before the BIOS kicks in, this is using XP, it's an AMI bios.
One beep indicates = Keyboard controller error, or a Refresh Time error or no master drive detected.
The master drive is detected, and the keyboard is working OK, well, I find no fault with it.
I do not know what the Refresh Time Error is is or where it is or anything about it.

Any help very greatly accepted and thanks in advance.

Mac Daddy · 12th Apr 2008, 06:28 AM

Have you installed the most recent chipset drivers for both boards ?

There are a ton for SATA related updates on my GA-X38-DQ6 on the Gigabite site .. just a thought

Willieboy · 12th Apr 2008, 01:00 PM

Yes I have.

thank you.

Lacus · 12th Apr 2008, 01:55 PM

Ooh yeah, Which copy of Vista are you using? No offence but is it original copy? Cause it actually happen to a friend of mine where Vista is unable to install on certain models of motherboard...U might need a bios update too i think =/. Ooh, maybe u do need to check the jumper setting for your hdd. I assume it's Sata right?

Willieboy · 12th Apr 2008, 05:17 PM

Yep, no offence taken, its an original. I have had it working no problem in my P5AD2-E since it was released.

I'm thinking it might be my PSU, it is the only common denominator in the system. I have swapped all the other items with the same result.

Adrian Wong · 13th Apr 2008, 02:10 AM

Don't think it's the PSU. The OS is not affected by the PSU.

Try booting in Safe Mode. If that works, then it's usually a driver problem.

Oh yeah, you should also update your motherboard BIOS. I myself have experienced odd problems in Windows Vista which were easily fixed with a BIOS update.

generalRage1982hrv · 13th Apr 2008, 03:08 AM

that mostly happens with bios setup and additional hardware you use
remove all aditional hardware that is in regular pci and update bios

Lacus · 13th Apr 2008, 03:04 PM

Glad to hear that. I notice that Vista is sorta sensitive to certain brands of bios and hdd if i'm not mistaken. Maybe you should try flashing the bios to the lastest just like me and Dr Wong just mention. It might be even the jumper setting of the hdd? Since certain brand actually has certain jumper enable for some usage i think.

Adrian Wong · 14th Apr 2008, 01:27 AM

OT : Generally, new HDDs do not require you to set any jumpers. The jumper settings I've seen are usually to limit them to 1.5Gb/s operation or to enable some power-saving or noise-reduction feature.

Lacus · 14th Apr 2008, 07:18 PM

well, thats what i mean i think. I though the jumper setting may be the culprit. Thanks for the Information, Dr Wong

Any updates from so far?

12th Apr 2008, 05:52 AM	#1 (permalink)
Willieboy Newbie Join Date: 22 Mar 2008 Location: UK Posts: 12 Reputation: 0 Rep Power: 0	PC will not boot into Vista but will in XP I'm not sure if this the correct section for this, sorry if it is wrong. Well now, I'm slowly going loopy with this one. I can't figure it out at all. Here's my story. I have been using Vista since it was released with not a problem. My family got me a new mobo 2 weeks ago, an ASUS P5K Pro. I also got Corsair 2 x 2 gb ram = 4gb. DDR2 P4 3.4gb CPU I use a hard drive caddy, it does not have a tray, the drives simply slide in then I lock the door. It's guaranteed for 10,000 drive swaps. One drive is for XP and Vista in the other. The hard drives are SATA, they are recognised by the BIOS. It was OK untill Wednesday afternoon just past, Vista would not boot from 2 hard drives. When the first would not boot I restored a True Image V11 in another Drive, same result. I Phoned the dealer who told me send it back for testing, I sent it off on Thursday. I re-installed my previous mobo, an ASUS P5AD2-E Premium,. This one also won't now boot into Vista. I put in a harddrive with XP already installed in it and it starts up no problem. All I changed was the mobo and memory, every thing else is the same. And yes, I was very carefull to ensure the cables are connected correctly. I use a NVidia 8800GTS graphics card, I kept the previous graphics card, a Radeon 1950XL so I fitted this to eliminate that side of things, the boot problem persisted so it's not the graphics card. I let the Vista install DVD check the ram with no problems, but I changed the memory anyway in case Vista missed something, it's the same. The hard drives that would not boot I wiped, formatted and re-installed Vista, but when it came to the part of the installation for the hard drive to boot it would not Every time ( with Vista ) after the BIOS had kicked in, the boot into safe mode message appeared, it would not go past that. On about 3 boots a blue screen appeared at the top of the screen for less than a second. My PSU is a Targan 650 watts. All fans are working. Surely it cant be drivers because the installation did not get far enough into the installation so I could install them. If there was a short circuit with the mobo or elsewhere it shouldn't allow XP to run. The drive that works is a WD Raptor, 10,000 rpm 150gb. Those that won't are Samsungs, they have not given me any problems. It would be unlikely that 3 would fail. I'm now getting one beep shortly after the PC starts and before the BIOS kicks in, this is using XP, it's an AMI bios. One beep indicates = Keyboard controller error, or a Refresh Time error or no master drive detected. The master drive is detected, and the keyboard is working OK, well, I find no fault with it. I do not know what the Refresh Time Error is is or where it is or anything about it. Any help very greatly accepted and thanks in advance. Last edited by Willieboy : 12th Apr 2008 at 06:14 AM.

12th Apr 2008, 06:28 AM	#2 (permalink)
Mac Daddy Pickin' Da Gitfiddle Join Date: 19 Nov 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 2,048 Reputation: 802 Rep Power: 11	Have you installed the most recent chipset drivers for both boards ? There are a ton for SATA related updates on my GA-X38-DQ6 on the Gigabite site .. just a thought __________________

13th Apr 2008, 02:10 AM	#6 (permalink)
Adrian Wong Da Boss Join Date: 10 Oct 2002 Location: In front of my BenQ Joybook 7000 notebook! Posts: 29,390 Reputation: 2830 Rep Power: 63	Don't think it's the PSU. The OS is not affected by the PSU. Try booting in Safe Mode. If that works, then it's usually a driver problem. Oh yeah, you should also update your motherboard BIOS. I myself have experienced odd problems in Windows Vista which were easily fixed with a BIOS update. __________________ Dr. Adrian Wong Tech ARP \| Blog @ Tech ARP \| The Free Trade Zone DYKT : The only offshore account I have is at the sand bank? Keep Tech ARP free! Visit our sponsors! We need PROGRAMMERS and TECHNICAL WRITERS! Contact us if you are a hot shot programmer or technical writer! My items for sale : 50x SD Card \| Memory Stick PRO \| Cyclone Energy Saver \| Seiko SS watch \| Tiger/Carlsberg beer jugs \| Travel Speakers \| Motorola V600 \| Nokia N90 SOLD! \| New Lowepro Mini Trekker AW Other items for sale @ the FTZ : Zalman CNPS9500 LED @ $20 \| Zalman CNPS7700 Cu @ $20 \| Zalman CNPS7000 Cu @ $20 \| Swarovski bracelet watches \| Dell 17" LCD \| Hi-Fi speakers \| English DIVX movies \| HP LaserJet toners! \| Office chairs

14th Apr 2008, 01:27 AM	#9 (permalink)
Adrian Wong Da Boss Join Date: 10 Oct 2002 Location: In front of my BenQ Joybook 7000 notebook! Posts: 29,390 Reputation: 2830 Rep Power: 63	OT : Generally, new HDDs do not require you to set any jumpers. The jumper settings I've seen are usually to limit them to 1.5Gb/s operation or to enable some power-saving or noise-reduction feature. __________________ Dr. Adrian Wong Tech ARP \| Blog @ Tech ARP \| The Free Trade Zone DYKT : The only offshore account I have is at the sand bank? Keep Tech ARP free! Visit our sponsors! We need PROGRAMMERS and TECHNICAL WRITERS! Contact us if you are a hot shot programmer or technical writer! My items for sale : 50x SD Card \| Memory Stick PRO \| Cyclone Energy Saver \| Seiko SS watch \| Tiger/Carlsberg beer jugs \| Travel Speakers \| Motorola V600 \| Nokia N90 SOLD! \| New Lowepro Mini Trekker AW Other items for sale @ the FTZ : Zalman CNPS9500 LED @ $20 \| Zalman CNPS7700 Cu @ $20 \| Zalman CNPS7000 Cu @ $20 \| Swarovski bracelet watches \| Dell 17" LCD \| Hi-Fi speakers \| English DIVX movies \| HP LaserJet toners! \| Office chairs

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12th Apr 2008, 01:00 PM	#3 (permalink)
Willieboy Newbie Join Date: 22 Mar 2008 Location: UK Posts: 12 Reputation: 0 Rep Power: 0	Yes I have. thank you.

12th Apr 2008, 01:55 PM	#4 (permalink)
Lacus Active Join Date: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 661 Reputation: 128 Rep Power: 2	Ooh yeah, Which copy of Vista are you using? No offence but is it original copy? Cause it actually happen to a friend of mine where Vista is unable to install on certain models of motherboard...U might need a bios update too i think =/. Ooh, maybe u do need to check the jumper setting for your hdd. I assume it's Sata right?

12th Apr 2008, 05:17 PM	#5 (permalink)
Willieboy Newbie Join Date: 22 Mar 2008 Location: UK Posts: 12 Reputation: 0 Rep Power: 0	Yep, no offence taken, its an original. I have had it working no problem in my P5AD2-E since it was released. I'm thinking it might be my PSU, it is the only common denominator in the system. I have swapped all the other items with the same result.

13th Apr 2008, 03:08 AM	#7 (permalink)
generalRage1982hrv ARP Reviewer Join Date: 13 Apr 2008 Location: Vukovar, Croatia Posts: 380 Reputation: 111 Rep Power: 2	that mostly happens with bios setup and additional hardware you use remove all aditional hardware that is in regular pci and update bios

13th Apr 2008, 03:04 PM	#8 (permalink)
Lacus Active Join Date: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 661 Reputation: 128 Rep Power: 2	Glad to hear that. I notice that Vista is sorta sensitive to certain brands of bios and hdd if i'm not mistaken. Maybe you should try flashing the bios to the lastest just like me and Dr Wong just mention. It might be even the jumper setting of the hdd? Since certain brand actually has certain jumper enable for some usage i think.

14th Apr 2008, 07:18 PM	#10 (permalink)
Lacus Active Join Date: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 661 Reputation: 128 Rep Power: 2	well, thats what i mean i think. I though the jumper setting may be the culprit. Thanks for the Information, Dr Wong Any updates from so far?