My new DS box is dead

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Posted: 19 Dec 2007 at 9:18pm

I would not say you would need to reinstall Windows, do this:

Turn off the machine, go to a non-carpet flooring, and touch a bare metal piece on the case to ground yourself:

1. Reseat the memory sticks (try one stick at a time to see if it's a bad stick causing the blue screen)

2. Unplug and replug your hard drive connections (DATA and POWER) and reconnect the DATA cable(s) going to your motherboard.

3. If you don't have a RAID setup, go into the BIOS and load defaults.

Try those things. Now you did say it was working for a bit, it could be something recent that you installed, perhaps go back a few steps... Try loading into Safe Mode to see if that works (Press F8 a few times after the initial POST screen). If you can get into Safe Mode, use the System Restore option in "Accessories -> System Tools" and go back a few days to when it was working fine.

If all that does not work, use the recovery kit discs and restore your system. Also, just because you spent a good ammount of money on the hardware, won't mean you will never run into Window related issues... that's just part of using a computer.

You can also stress the hardware by booting off our Recovery Tools Kit disc and run the SP2004 test on all four cores (Stress Memory LargeFFTs).

Edited by Alex - 19 Dec 2007 at 9:21pm

commast

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Posted: 19 Dec 2007 at 9:46pm

You can also run chkdsk from the window cd and that will fix most of the errors related to the HDD.

knotslip

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Posted: 20 Dec 2007 at 8:47am

Thanks Alex. I will try re-seating the hard drive connections and the memory sticks, but it appears to be a failed hard drive. It will not boot into safe mode and chkdsk only returns a message that it found unrecoverable errors on the drive. The only thing installed on the box since it was sent is EverQuest II - It is purely a gaming PC and that is the only game I've loaded or played on it so far. My guess is that the hard drive needs to be replaced. Then hopefully there is a way, using the image disk or rerstore disk, that I can avoid having to load the OS and all drivers manually. I'll call in later today to see what I need to do.

One note - the hard drive had an issue that I posted about only days after receiving the PC. I was able to finally boot it and run a chkdsk /R and a defrag and that cleared it up for the time being - but now it has failed completely it seems.

Bill the Cat View Drop Down

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Posted: 20 Dec 2007 at 10:20am

Originally posted by knotslip

My guess is that the hard drive needs to be replaced. Then hopefully there is a way, using the image disk or rerstore disk, that I can avoid having to load the OS and all drivers manually.

I've probably alreay told you my story; my boot drive died suddenly after only a week. I know how you feel. Don't expect to get off so easy. Even if the DSO restore discs work, you're going to have to reinstall a lot of updates. While you are waiting for your new HD to arrive, I'd recommend ordering Acronis Ture Image from NewEgg. True Image takes a snapshot of your entire hard drive(s). This allows you to restore your system in just a few mintues.

3.6 GHz E6850, 4 GB RAM, GTS 250, TJ9, Win 7 64-bit
4.4 GHz i7 3930K, 16 GB RAM, GTX 670, 550D, Win 7 64-bit

knotslip

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Posted: 20 Dec 2007 at 10:50am

Thanks Bill. It definitely sucks! I just lost a hard drive in my 4 year old system a couple months ago and bought this new system because I was starting to see too many things fail in the older system...But, you never know how long these things will last anymore. A hard drive might last 10 years with no issues or like yours and mine, may fail in a week. I hope to get through this with minimal frustration. I especially hope that DS will take care of it in a timely manner so I am not without a machine for very long.

Thanks again.

Bill the Cat View Drop Down

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Posted: 20 Dec 2007 at 3:49pm

DSO's response to my drive failure was swift. I came to view installing XP and the rest of the system twice in one week as a learning experience. I learned I needed "True Image".

I assume you're familiar with the idea of "enfant mortality" in hardware. H/W is far more likely to break when it is brand new (and defective) or when it is old and worn out. If you can get by the first few weeks of operation, you should be good for years.

3.6 GHz E6850, 4 GB RAM, GTS 250, TJ9, Win 7 64-bit
4.4 GHz i7 3930K, 16 GB RAM, GTX 670, 550D, Win 7 64-bit

stefanp

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Posted: 21 Dec 2007 at 8:24pm

Hey, at least yours turned on. I just got mine and it is dead as in NOT TURNING ON WHATSOEVER. I'm so pissed - did I wait a month for this? Time to open my own thread.

Alex