Can't Install XP/PC Keeps Rebooting

I've been working a friend of mines computer for the past few days and having tons of trouble... First here's the specs on it.

Soltek SL-75FRN2-RL Motherboard
AMD Athlonxp 2600+ processor
1 GB DDR Ram
64MB Radeon AGP Card
300Watt Power Supply
6 GB Hard Drive (I also have a 40GB and a 20GB but I think they might be dead)

Now here's my problems right now.. Everytime I reboot and try to install Windows XP (with SP2) the install just get's so far and then reboots automatically almost always at a differant step. It's done before I even get to the "I agree Screen", it's done it while copying files at differant steps.. 9% 20% 32% etc etc... just seems random. I was able to install Windows 98 on it once.. that went off with just a few hitches (some Hard Drive File Copying Errors popped up a few times during the install) but it seemed to run 98 fine...

My first thoughts was that it might be just overheating, which at 140+ degrees Fahrenheit is pretty certain... So I brought it into my shop this mornign and put a huge square house fan next to it.. now its running at like 70 degrees... but my first attempt at installing XP.. it still rebooted.... I'm trying it again right now and its copying files at 9% so far... so I'll keep you posted..

Here's a few other things I've tried....

I've tried 4 differant processors... 2 of which I am pretty sure are dead but I have two that work... the 2600+ and a 2400

I've tried differant Power Supplys.. same thing..

I've tried a 512MB DDR stick, and the 1 GB stick

I've tried three differant Hard Drives....

I've tried 2 Differant XP Discs.. both Home edition.. one is service pack 2 included, one not..

I've disabled Caching (i think) in the bios....

I'm not sure if i have covered everything but if someone suggests something that I've tried I'll let you know..

This thing is just frustrating the crap out of me...

 

Open your side panel and see if any of the capasitors is popup (especialy the ones near the CPU).

 

I looked it over pretty good.. they all look flat to me, I checked this once before though as it was an answer I when I googled for help....

The weird thing is Windows 98 SE installs... but XP just won't. I figured out why it was taking SO LONG to install with my Win XP SP2 Disc... is because it was a DVD and I put in a DVD writer to get it to install. It took 5 hrs to get to 44% and then restarted... I put the WINXP upgrade Disc I have in on the CD rom and it was install faster but still shut off before it finished.. I'm thinking bios maybe needs updating but I cannot find a new update for it as Soltek is long gone...

as of this second I'm installing Windows 98 SE on it as it seems to work with no problems... but I'd really like to get XP on it...

 

This does not add up. 140°F = 60°C, which is a little high, but not excessive. And 70°F is not likely either because with conventional cooling (fans) it is impossible for the computer, especially the CPU, to be cooler than the ambient (room) temperature.

I would swap in a known good power supply to make the system is getting fed stable, clean, and adequate power. Then I would look at RAM. You can test RAM using one of the following programs. Both require you to create and boot to a bootable floppy disk or CD to run the diagnostics. Using the floppy method is generally easier (and another reason to include floppy drives in new builds). However, the CD method is just as effective at detecting RAM problems. Allow the diagnostics to run for several passes or even overnight. You should have no reported errors.

Windows Memory Diagnostic - see the easy to follow instructions under Quick Start Information.
or
MemTest86+ (for more advanced users) - an excellent how-to guide is available here.​

 

well thats what the Bios is saying... at 140+ it was still climbing as I watched it.... I know my other computer shuts off at 150 degrees.

and I think you underestimate the power of a huge floor fan... i'm talking bigger than the case itself next to the computer pointed inside it. Plus its kinda cold in here anyway.

I will try switching the power supplys but I think I did that already.. i'll also try testing the memory but like I said.. I already tried two differant sticks..

 

I am just saying that 60°C, while on the high side of normal, should not be causing a problem. It was the 70°F I was referring to that did not add up.

Who me? Not even. Blasting a fan inside an open case is an excellent method I frequently recommend for troubleshooting possible heat related problems. That said, it does not matter how much air you blow at an object, it will NEVER get colder than the temperature of air being blown at it. Wind chill only affects living tissue.

That said, with heat being the bane of all electronics, if a device is failing, and can no longer the handle the current, no fan will be able to remove the heat fast enough.

Oops - sorry I missed that you tried different sticks (and PSU :-o).

This does sound like a bad motherboard - if you are sure the power supply is good. When you enter the BIOS Setup Menu, is everything in there good? Including Date and Time? Have you reset the BIOS or changed the battery?

You said W98 installed "once" - W98 runs with a FAT32 Files System, XP works better with NTFS. Did you reformat using NTFS?

 

Well I thought I had tried a differant CPU but maybe not... trying that now..

I didn't think about the differance between Fat32 and NTFS... I have been choosing NTFS formatting.. both the quick format and regular... guess I could try a fat32 Winxp install wouldn't hurt right.

I have a differant power supply hooked up to it now.. so we'll see how this goes.

Also... it's like colder than 70 degrees in my shop actually.. something like 55-65... brick building with hardly no heat.. come in this morning and was froze to death from leaving the fan on all night.. the good news was that the computer stayed on all night under windows 98 OS...

 

Well apparently the Power Supply was the problem.. though it might hav ejsut been the last of the problems I'd fixed.. I changed that out and then installed the XP upgrade from windows 98... it worked... I got everything installed....

new problem though

Now that I had it working.. i wanted to put in a working 2400 chip I had instead of the 2600.. (since the 2600 was mine). I took out the 2600 and then put in the 2400 and tried to boot.. nothing... the fans were whirring and I could hear the hard drive spinning.. but the monitor says no sync input... Ok.. fine.. I put the 2600 back in.. same thing... NOW WHAT!!

 

Use clear cmos.

 

Yeah. After changing drives, RAM, or CPUs, you should always boot directly into the BIOS Setup Menu first, make sure the new device is properly identified, then Save and Exit to boot with the new settings/checksum.

I hope you used NTFS with XP. If not, you should convert it as soon as your problems are straightened out. It is easy.

 

I'm clearing the CMOS... and it still won't post...

 

Ok... whats the best way to clear the CMOS... I don't have the manual for this board because the manufacturer wen tout of business.... SOltek...

I've unplugged it... and taken the battery out for awhile and still nothing. I've tried setting the jumper to 2,3 instead of 1,2 and then according to the manual for the FRN3L (I have the 2L), it says to hold down the insert key while powering up...

still nothing... this board just won't post now... I refuse to believe it's dead.. I have 2 other boards sitting here that I THINK are dead.. and 2 other chips.. a 2800 and a 2400.. I can't get none of these things to post...

It's frustrating because it was working perfectly fine... til I tried to switch chips again.

Can someone tell me asure fire way to make sure the CMOS has been reset.. or something else to try..

 

Pulling the battery for about 1 minute should do the trick. Then remember to boot directly into the BIOS Setup Menu once reset, set the date and time, and ensure the drives are properly identified. Save and Exit to reboot.

 

Ok.. thats what I was doing but after doing that.. it still won't post... I'm letting the board sit all night with the battery out and unplugged... last ditch effort...

Anyone know where I can get a cheap Socket A board at that uses DDR memory.. I kinda wonder if my other chips are bad or what...

 

Not good.

Well, note a key, unchangeable characteristic of CMOS memory devices is they reset, or "forget" everything almost instantly when power is removed. Hence a battery is used to hold the date and time value, and custom BIOS settings needed to initiate the boot for that specific computer. Understand, if motherboard designers didn't want a memory device that looses all its stored data when the power is removed, they would not have used CMOS devices. So the BIOS/CMOS circuits are designed to bleed off any charged capacitors quickly, any ensuring all holding power is removed from the CMOS quickly too. So I would not put much hope that all will be well in the morning.

For motherboard's with a reset jumper, all that does is momentarily connect the CMOS to ground (Earth), removing its holding voltage - it forgets everything.

 

I have pretty much given up on the board... I'm thinking about buying a new Socket 7 board but then that would be $40 and then if none of my CPU's work.. I have to find another CPU for the board. so another $40 we'll say... when I could just get a new AM2 board and a cheap Am2 processor for around 90....

It bugs me that I have three boards and maybe three chips that all went bad in just a few days time.

Thanks for the help everyone in trying to solve the problem, I did actually have it running once.. thanks to you.

 

Don't forget compatible RAM, and an adequate power supply.

 

I didn't.. I found Kingston 1gb DDR2 for 10.99.. Power Supplys I have a few of those already.

Yeah I know I should get 2gb... but my friend this is for is running an old pentium celeron 600.. I'm sure 1gb will make him very happy... he doesn't wanna spend any more than he has too

 

1Gb is plenty for single core CPUs and XP - often considered the "sweet spot".