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XP will not add any software or Updates

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9 replies

by kentward

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I have built a PC and installed XP Pro (build 2600). Everything is ok. The problem is if I add or change anything the system freezes. For example I tried to install the vidoe drivers, upan reboot the system would hang. I had to reinstall the machine. Next I tried the Motherboard drivers same thing after that I tried Roxio 5 same thing. Finally I have gone to the Windows Update site ran the critical updates (not SP1) and it is doing the same thing. Any change to the system and the system hangs. It occurs on the "Welcome" screen to the "Desktop". I can run in safe mode at all times without a problem before the reinstall. I have spent hours in XP without adding anything and it worked. I have run the HCL that came on a disk I received form Microsoft and it shows no errors. My hardware is a follows
Gigabyte 7ZXE
Athalon T-Bird 1.4/266
PC133 512MB (specific to the KT133a chipset)
Chaintech/NVidia MX440 64MB video
DLink 10/100 NIC
Motorolla 56k modem ( I have tried a couple of them)
IBM 80gig HDD
Samsung 40x12x40 CD-RW
All temps are good in the case and RAM has been swapped. What I am wondering is why XP works fine alone but if anything is in the Run, RunOnce commands of the registry it freezes.

9 replies

by dmiles

Check the Manufacturers web site for any updated drivers for hardware,download the drivers and then install,their may be a difference in the drivers that Microsoft has listed than ones on manufacturers web site.

Make sure that you have the correct drivers to support W2K or Windows XP

by kentward

Unfortunatly I already did that on all parts from the motherboard to the modem. Any attempt to install any driver or software program causes the lockup. By the way soft restarts do work.

by ann777

Run Event Viewer and check and see if you have any errors at all that can explain this.

You are using an 80 GB hdd -- how much free spaces does it have? Do you heard any kind of noise from it when your system hangs? Can it be developing badsectors and when you try to add more software, the hdd tries to write on top of a failing sector?

Make sure that your hdd is XP compatible and try IBM's website to see if the hdd controllers bios is the correct verion for xp. See if you somehow enabled write-protection on your hdd. Make sure permissions are correct when trying to install software. etc.

by kentward

There is 76+ GB free space (I only have XP) installed. No noise at all. The drive worked fine when removed and installed with win2k on a seperate CPU. Scandisk (thorough) revealed nothing.
THE HDD is a IBM DeskStar 120GXP and is XP compatable. There are no settings for read only and permissions are administrator.
I took a chance and had scandisk run after reboot sure enough the system ran scandisk then hung while opening the desktop. I rebooted again but had to come back to work because lunch time was over.

by Member 25371377

Have you gone into Services and disabled anything? Found in Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Services. If you did, reset what you disabled to Manual, rather than disable. There are some Services that are to be kept running, if disabled, it'll keep the system from installing Windows updates. HTH

by kentward

Nothing has been disabled. After each of the 7 reinstall I have had to do I have done nothing to XP. I have even set the BIOS to the factory state (Safe Defaults) as well as tried some of the basic tweaks. All again only lead to a lockup ONLY when something is added or changed that affects the boot process (Run, RUNONCE et al).

by thechas

My first thought is an Athlon problem.

I have had many problems with Athlon CPUs on motherboards with the KT133 series chipsets.

First, make sure that you have the latest BIOS from Giga-byte. (F9)

Then, double-check your CPU speed settings.
The clock (FSB) should be 133MHz.
The multiplier should be 10.5.
The memory clock needs to be set for 133MHz, or CPU FSB depending on the BIOS option.

Many BIOS's for this chipset set the FSB at 133, but set the multiplier at 5.25.
This results in the CPU being under-clocked.
For whatever reason, Socket A CPUs do not work well if under-clocked.

The CPU can be properly identified on the POST screen, but still be set wrong.

Finally, many users have reported problems with various motherboards setting the CPU core voltage too low.
Try raising the CPU core voltage in SMALL increments, and see if the performance improves.

Chas

by kentward

These are great ideas. Unfortunatly I already did all of the above. As a matter of fact this is proably the last AMD I will build because I have run into exactly what you are refering too here. I can build an Intel system and be up and running, tweaked, optimized the whole works in 7-8 hours. An AMD takes three times that.

Here is what I did end up doing and getting the unit to work over the weekend. Reformatted and installed XP pro, went to MS and downloaded the Nvidia drivers from them (note they had ver. ...87 while Nvidia have ver. ...82) installed the update, removed Nvidia program from the RunOnce and it worked. Correct video and no lockup. A couple of hours of Solitaire and the such without problems. Next I installed one at a time and tested the system in between other software (Roxio et al). No more problems.

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