PC freezing at start up

VelcroGhost

I have a strange problem that hopefully someone will be able to identify.

My self built PC freezes at the Windows 8.1 boot screen, the spinning circles. Same with the Windows 8 DVD/USB, the Windows 7 DVD etc.

However I was able to run the Memtest boot CD, and also another one that had an XP install on it which ran fine. I was also able to install XP to the hard drive without it freezing, and it's been running fine on XP since September.

I tried all the unplug/plug back in, different hard drive/video card variations that Googling suggested but nothing made any difference. Does anyone know why modern Windows freezes, but old Windows works fine?

IrlMonk

Try booting to safemode and check that all drivers are the latest.

Alanstrainor

I wonder if it's the SATA driver...you should be able to load drivers when installing. That being said, I haven't seen that since the XP days.

VelcroGhost

I'm not able to boot into safe mode or get as far as loading drivers unfortunately as it won't go past the spinning circles. (There was one time it got as far as the desktop and then froze, but this was 1 in 100s of tries).

I also tried a Ubuntu disc and that froze at loading too.

IrlMonk

I wonder if it is doing a chkdsk on startup?
Try pressing the space bar repeatedly when you switch the pc on.
That will pass the chkdsk
Or
Hit SHIFT+F8 repeatedly before the logo appears.

VelcroGhost

Yes I was able to start the Windows 7 install DVD with the space bar trick and have it half installed now. I found some instructions to install in safe mode and I'll have to disable most of the hardware which I'll try tomorrow.

Thanks for the help

IrlMonk

Disable chkdsk at startup. Otherwise it will keep doing it.
–> Run –> cmd.
If you want to disable check disk on C: drive, use the following command on command prompt.
chkntfs /X C:
If you want to disable check disk on two or more drives, just keep on adding the drives:
chkntfs /X C: E:
This will disable check disk on C, D and E drives.
If you want to restore what you have done, that is, enable automatic disk checking on all the drives again, just run the following command:
chkntfs /D

VelcroGhost

That did... something. Now it freezes at "Setup is starting services" which is just after the Windows start screen.

IrlMonk

Did you get to disable chkdsk at startup?
Try and enter safe mode.

IrlMonk

You might want to try this:
If you have two ram modules take one of them out. Then install windows as usual. Once the pc is running normally then turn off and reinstall ram module.

VelcroGhost

IrlMonk wrote: »

You might want to try this:
If you have two ram modules take one of them out. Then install windows as usual. Once the pc is running normally then turn off and reinstall ram module.

I gave that a go earlier, no change.

A few other things I tried earlier were using an old video card, unplugging all other hard drives etc inside the pc, changing settings in the BIOS.

I can get to safe mode in Windows 7, but it only has a dialog box that says installation can't be completed in safe mode, restart. I can get to the command prompt and launch things like Device Manager

IrlMonk

Using cmd with admin rights:
Run sfc/scannow
and
chkdsk/r
To check and repair any damaged files.

IrlMonk

If you can enter safe mode with networking and can open the device manager as you said, then check and see if you have the latest drivers installed.

rebeve

I wonder is your GPT partition corrupted

VelcroGhost

rebeve wrote: »

I wonder is your GPT partition corrupted

Will reformatting fix this?


I made a list of all the drivers which Windows 7 doesn't have, a mixture of yellow triangles and white question marks. The drivers don't seem to install (code 1), but disabling them and re-enabling them allows them, or gives the appearance of being installed but with a white question mark.

This is the list of missing drivers in Windows 7

Other Devices
Yellow Triangle
Ethernet Controller
SM Bus Controller
USB Controller
Unknown Device (Direct memory access controller)
Unknown Device (System speaker)
Unknown Device (Numeric data processor)
Unknown Device (High Definition Audio Device) x 2
Unknown Device (Programmable interrupt controller)
Unknown Device (System timer)
Unknown Device (High precision event timer)
Video Controller

White Question Mark
PCI HOST Bridge (x7)
Unknown Device (HID-compliant consumer control device)
Unknown Device (System CMOS/real time clock)
Unknown Device (HID-compliant device) x3
Unknown Device (Microsoft Virtual Drive Enumerator Driver)
Unknown Device (ACPI Fixed Feature Button)

I reinstalled XP to compare and these are the drivers missing. I can install all of these except for SM Bus because the AMD program won't load, and one audio driver for some unknown reason but the sound works fine.

Standard VGA Graphics Adapter
Ethernet Controller
SM Bus Controller
USB Controller
Microsoft UAA Bus Driver for High Definition Audio (x2)