Windows 7 freezes turn into inability to boot into anything

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  1. Posts : 26,861
    Windows 11 Pro
       #71

    To explain. You have no software on the computer. The OS is nuked and therefore all software and drivers are gone. I'm not an expert, but as I see it, you have a hardware problem, which we have suspected from the beginning.
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  2. Posts : 11,269
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #72

    Mind if I make a suggestion? I am not sure if this has been tried, but it can sometimes resolve install and boot issues.

    1. Go into your BIOS and load default settings to clear the CMOS memory.
    2. Save Settings and exit the BIOS.
    3. Shut down and turn off the computer.
    4. Unplug the computer from the wall or surge protector.
    5. Hold down the power button for 30 seconds to clear the software connections between the BIOS and hardware and clear any corruption in the temporary memory. This closes the circuit and ensures all power from components is drained.
    6. Plug the computer back into the wall.
    7. Turn it on to reinitialize the software connections between the BIOS and hardware, and post back whether you are able to install Windows.
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  3. Posts : 35
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #73

    Completely removed - ate lunch and feel a little better.
    Last edited by cnauta; 20 Jan 2012 at 14:43.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 35
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #74

    Update:

    Booted up and went into the BIOS to check temps.

    CPU temp would climb as high as 27C/80F and then go back down to 25/77.
    System temp would get as high as 30/86 but would fluctuate between that and 29/84.

    I then followed writhziden's suggestion and it almost worked!

    It got through the EWF, booted up and then almost completed "Finishing Installation" (the green bar was about 90-95% done!)

    That might have been worse than it freezing during EWF (I really thought it was going to work this time).

    So what is the recommendation now?

    I think I'll try installation one more time, but after that I don't know.

    Should I still get a new HDD, or is the prevailing thought that the problem is something/somewhere else?

    UPDATE 3:13 PM EST
    ~sigh~

    Tried the installation again and again got the "clock interrupt" BSOD.

    So, does that mean it's the CPU?

    If so, how do I diagnose that to make sure?

    Also, if so, can I fix it or do I simply buy a new chip?

    Oh, and if it is the CPU, would that explain our previous problems or do I ALSO have a faulty HDD?
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 11,269
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #75

    The fact that my suggestion helped leads me to believe you have one of two possible problems:
    1. Memory is bad/incompatible...
    2. Hardware is faulting or something is not seated properly...

    Your temperatures look good, so I doubt they are to blame for the installation issue. You could follow steps 3-5 (for your safety this time and the safety of the components) and this time take off your case and remove all cards, modules, peripherals, etc. and then re-seat them in the slots to make sure they are seated properly.

    Edit: Also, make double sure all power lines are plugged in properly and in the right place. I had a NB fan plugged into a CPU fan plug once, and my computer kept thinking it was overheating because the NB fan could not spin fast enough, but the CPU was actually not getting above 40C.
    Last edited by writhziden; 20 Jan 2012 at 15:17. Reason: Power lines...
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 35
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #76

    writhziden said:
    The fact that my suggestion helped leads me to believe you have one of two possible problems:
    1. Memory is bad/incompatible...
    2. Hardware is faulting or something is not seated properly...
    I ran Memtest last night (7 passes (almost 8)) and there were no errors.

    I would assume this removes the first option (then again, I've been wrong almost this entire time).


    Your temperatures look good, so I doubt they are to blame for the installation issue. You could follow steps 3-5 (for your safety this time and the safety of the components) and this time take off your case and remove all cards, modules, peripherals, etc. and then re-seat them in the slots to make sure they are seated properly.
    I will get right to this.

    BTW - did you see the update to my previous post. Does that change anything?
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 11,269
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #77

    cnauta said:
    writhziden said:
    The fact that my suggestion helped leads me to believe you have one of two possible problems:
    1. Memory is bad/incompatible...
    2. Hardware is faulting or something is not seated properly...
    I ran Memtest last night (7 passes (almost 8)) and there were no errors.

    I would assume this removes the first option (then again, I've been wrong almost this entire time).


    Your temperatures look good, so I doubt they are to blame for the installation issue. You could follow steps 3-5 (for your safety this time and the safety of the components) and this time take off your case and remove all cards, modules, peripherals, etc. and then re-seat them in the slots to make sure they are seated properly.
    I will get right to this.

    BTW - did you see the update to my previous post. Does that change anything?
    Any possibility the CPU is not seated properly? That could account for the problems, though I would find it unlikely since the cooling fan usually applies enough pressure to push it into place if it is not seated properly to begin with. If you reseat it, be careful removing and re-seating it as it may be hot, and make sure to apply the coolant paste again. I will look into other possible causes of that error code, as well.

    As to the RAM, Memtest86+ is not 100% accurate. I'd say it is probably 95% accurate. I usually recommend the Windows Memory Diagnostic as a secondary check to make sure Memtest86+ did not miss anything. Even both together can miss incompatibilities or bad RAM. Sometimes diagnosing memory problems can come down to removing modules and just seeing if the system behaves in a more stable manner.

    I'll need to re-read this thread to see what the hard disk errors are. I'm not up to speed on that, but someone else who has been helping you might be able to make a suggestion to the hard disk problems.

    This information may be relevant: Asrock Z68 extreme 4 : BSOD A clock interrupt was not received --- which points to a possible CPU Vcore calibration issue. It's a different board, but it may be worth looking into. You may also want to contact the Motherboard manufacturer, MSI, and ask for assistance. Maybe this is a known problem with the board. CPU problems are very rare (though I have seen one bad CPU in my two+ months on these forums), so I would blame the motherboard before the CPU.
    Last edited by writhziden; 20 Jan 2012 at 15:36. Reason: Motherboard suspect?
      My Computer

  8.    #78

    These are pretty good vid for those who haven't done it before:



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  9. Posts : 11,269
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #79

    Also, further information about the blue screen crash done by usasma, who is very good with hardware problems: STOP 0x101: CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT troubleshtg
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 11,269
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #80

    Okay, I'm a little more up to speed. Your Western Digital diagnostics came up clean, meaning the drive may be fine. You were unable to run disk check initially. Have you run since? You can do so through Windows Installation by pressing Shift + f10 to access the command prompt, see Command Prompt at Startup. chkdsk /r (driveletter): You may have to determine the drive letter by typing letters and Dir commands in the prompt. I also note a virus was on your system. You will want to do a clean all using Diskpart to make sure the virus cannot be in the rootkits.
    Command prompt example.
    C:
    dir
    D:
    dir
    E:
    dir
    chkdsk /r C:
    chkdsk /r D:
    chkdsk /r E:
    Run the chkdsk on the disk/volume you are installing to.
    For diskpart clean all, see Disk - Clean and Clean All with Diskpart Command which is also run in the command prompt.
      My Computer


 
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