Cant install windows xp or vista pc shuts off

[khuram1991]

Hi, my names khuram and I joined this forum to see if i can get any help.

The problem is with a friend of mines computer which ran xp pro sp2.

Basically the computer was stuck in a restart loop where it gave the option of loading into safe modes or previous working mode but did not load up instead it restarted.

After failing to get the computer back on I attempted to reinstall windows xp however after i get to the initial stages of installation (Blue screen - loading drivers and such) it says windows is starting up then the computer switches off.

I tried the same thing with vista and this time i have the option of formatting the hdd (which i did) then it goes onto copying files and then expanding files but when it starts the install process the computer switches off.

I have tried various things such as loading default bios settings but this doesn't work either.

From what i know the computer has
- asus mobo - A7N266 - VM
- amd 2000+
- maxtor 40gb hdd
- mercury 300w power supply
- 1 dvdrom/cdrw and 1 dvdrw

Also I assume it is not the CPU overheating as this would happen randomly and not at specific points the temp i get of the bios ranges from 39'C to i have seen 50'C.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[ctal]

Welcome to ABX!

That sort of problem can be difficult to isolate. I'd start by using a different computer to prepare a bootable cd or floppy containing Memtest86+:

Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

Running that would not only allow you to test the RAM memory, but would tell you if the computer is capable of booting to something other than the hard drive, which might help point you in the right direction.

Also, you might want to prepare a bootable "UBCD" cd, which contains a number of useful diagnostic utilities (including Memtest86+). One thing you would want to do with it is to use one of the hard drive utilities to check SMART status of the hd:

Ultimate Boot CD - Overview

Good luck!

-- Al

[khuram1991]

hi thanks for the reply i recently did a hdd diagnostic which gave four errors then repaired them also it stated that SMART was enabled i dont know if that makes any diferrence.

ill download and do the tests from the ultimate boot cd.

[ctal]

"SMART was enabled" simply means that the hdd is SMART capable, which pretty much all of them are these days. The corrected errors make me suspicious of the hd, though.

Regards,
-- Al

[khuram1991]

ok i downloaded the ultimate boot cd and completed some of the tests.

The first test was the memtest86+ which surprised me when it reached test 7 and the pc switched off this made me wonder about the ram so i took one of the sticks out and did the test again ( one stick is ddr400 256mb and the other is ddr266 256mb) but the same thing happened i switched the sticks but again the same thing.

i did a few hdd tests but the ones that even recognised the hard drive passed any tests available so i think the hdd problems are out the board and the problem relies with the ram.

[wonderwrench]

I think A7N266-VM motherboards have the bad capacitor problem. Take a look at all the caps and make sure none have bulged or leaky tops. the tops should be flat, leakage is tan in color. If any are found bad its the likely cause for the problems you are having. See attachment. I may have missed some caps so look close at your board.

[khuram1991]

Wonderwrench thank you sooooo much i think you have solved the problem well not solved it but found the cause.

I have found two capacitors that are "leaking" and have brown/tan stuff around them, i uploaded a photo from my phone so its not that good quality but it does show some leakage on one of the capacitors this was the less worse off one but had the best image out of the rest i took.

if someone could confirm this is leakage that would be great.

also i assume this is unrepairable or it is probably out of my hands anyway so thanks to everyone who gave me advice and especially to wonderwrench who found the problem causing it, knowing how old the pc is it probably a number of problems anyway.

thanks again.

h t t p : / / i m g 3 0 1 . i m a g e s h a c k . u s / i m g 3 0 1 / 6 2 4 7 / 2 8 0 7 2 0 0 8 3 0 6 k k 7 . j p g

(cant post images as i have insufficient posts, just copy and paste then take out spaces, sorry)

[wonderwrench]

Originally Posted by khuram1991

Wonderwrench thank you sooooo much i think you have solved the problem well not solved it but found the cause.

I have found two capacitors that are "leaking" and have brown/tan stuff around them, i uploaded a photo from my phone so its not that good quality but it does show some leakage on one of the capacitors this was the less worse off one but had the best image out of the rest i took.

if someone could confirm this is leakage that would be great.

also i assume this is unrepairable or it is probably out of my hands anyway so thanks to everyone who gave me advice and especially to wonderwrench who found the problem causing it, knowing how old the pc is it probably a number of problems anyway.

thanks again.

h t t p : / / i m g 3 0 1 . i m a g e s h a c k . u s / i m g 3 0 1 / 6 2 4 7 / 2 8 0 7 2 0 0 8 3 0 6 k k 7 . j p g

(cant post images as i have insufficient posts, just copy and paste then take out spaces, sorry)

Well I can't tell for sure do to the poor image quality.
http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/6...2008306kk7.jpg
I have a MSI K7T Turbo with bad caps. see pic's below. The caps can be replaced but would it be worth it considering how old the system is. There are places on the net that will replace them for you for $40+ USD. One such place Motherboard Capacitor Replacement and Repair Page - Projector servicing Keep in mind I have no experience with them.

Bad caps can cause many problems, lockups, reboots, blue screens etc.
My K7T Turbo never showed any symptoms. I was going to blow the dust out of it when I found the bad caps. It had run for months folding for folding@home. The bad caps on my board are around the AGP and PCI slots. By looking at the picture you posted the caps you are questioning are related to the CPU and or memory. These are much more critical and would surely cause problems if bad.

[266]

take to manufacturer's repair shop.

check bios.

If bios ok, clear cmos.

buy a restore card.

use restore card protect bios.

Restore when attacked.

Ok!!!!!