BSOD when trying to Install Windows

To start, I recognize this is an unorthodox post based on the posting guidelines for this forum, but as I explain I hope you'll understand why.

I finished building my new PC this year toward the end of March and it worked perfectly. That is until late April when it locked up while I was playing a game and then constantly produced Blue-screen errors. After doing some basic trouble shooting including testing the memory I concluded that it was probably an OS problem and decided to wipe the boot disk and start over; a decision that has proven to be ill advised.

The issue now is that no matter what I do, the system produces a Blue-screen error whenever I try to install Windows (or Ubuntu, or anything else for that matter). The only thing I have to go on is the information presented on the Blue-screen and I've see a wide range of the including a Blue-screen with nothing on it.

I don't have any dumps that I can share because I'm not sure of how to retrieve one without an OS. The best I can offer is some screen shots of recent Blue-screens and a couple from some Black-screen Linux Kernel panics (in case those are helpful).

Based on the STOP codes I've seen I'm beginning to strongly suspect the memory. This despite the fact that it has tested clean through a variety of methods.

My system has now been down longer than I had it running and I'm seriously bummed out. So any advice or confirmation will be gratefully accepted.

Thanks Golden, I will give what you suggested a shot, but here are a few more details about how things are currently set up.

In my system specs I should have noted that the Intel 530 is my boot disk. I bought it to replace a second EVO that I suspected of having failed. Which, given that replacing it had no impact on the problem, appears to have been unlikely and a waste of money. The rest of the drives are disconnected and have been so since this saga began.

That said, I can still take the same steps you mentioned with the 530 and see if it behaves differently.

Golden said:

Yes, perform those steps with the 530 please.

Okay, I performed the steps as instructed, but the result was the same. It crashed at the black Windows Loading screen with the regularly seen "IRQL_NOT LESS_OR_EQUAL" and a STOP code of 0x0000000A. Both of which I've seen before after various attempts.

So in one regard that something of a relief because at least it's not giving me new errors to ponder.

Golden said:

Mmmm...can you attempt a CLEAN from the DISKPART command lines tools during installation? Are you familiar with those commands?

No, I'm afraid I'm not currently familiar with this command. Is there a good resource to learn more about it?

I am going to send the RAM back to the manufacturer as a warranty exchange. Fingers crossed that will be what the problem was all along. However without being able to narrow down the issue, apart from the blue-screen errors every time I try to install Windows or just run Ubuntu from the USB, I'm being cautiously optimistic.

The new DRAM had no impact on the issue. After installing I immediately set about testing it for about two hours and there wasn't a single error just as with the old sticks.

So I went ahead with trying to install Windows and sure enough it crashed to blue-screen at the animated Windows logo.

So I got on the phone with ASUS and the fellow there told me that there was a component replaced on the motherboard, but he couldn't tell what it was based on the tech's notes. After I explained what I've done thus far and talking about the possibility of the Processor or Power Supply being faulty he concluded that there must still be an issue with the Motherboard so I'm sending it back in for the second time. I seriously hope they just replace it this time.

The motherboard returned from ASUS after the second trip through their RMA process.

After getting everything reassembled I powered on the system and began setting up the BIOS. Once everything there was in order I proceeded to attempt another Windows install and was greeted with a Blue Screen error within moments of getting the Windows Logo screen.

To say I'm frustrated right now doesn't even begin to describe where I'm at.