USB devices losing connectivity?

I was unsure how to title this post, so sorry if it's a bad title.

I have a problem with my computer were recently I've had a few blue screens of death that have been pointing towards the memory and hard drive but could of been because of two drivers but I need to format my PC anyway so the drivers aren't an issue right now.

I am trying to install windows but just after it loads all the files it either randomly freezes up and the lights on the mouse and keyboard go out or they are already missing and I can't use the mouse... (can't be a driver issue it's worked fine for the past 6 years every time I try and install Windows)

I've got 4GBP of RAM being tested right now with memtest86+ but I think it might be the motherboard...

Anyone got any ideas what to do or test or?

Memory came out fine, but yet on installing Windows it still goes wrong and freezes up, I've tried both usb and DVD installers

Yeah memory did come out clean, any way to test the motherboard?

Is the USB issue related to the fact it doesn't even get to language selection screen on the installation wizard for Windows 7?

There is no operating system on it and I can't install one at the moment as it won't let me...

If it is the board (P5Q Pro) then I'm a little stuck because I can't find anywhere selling the same board, what alternatives would there be when I'm using:
6x 3GB SATA (4x HDD, 2x SSD)
1X IDE (DVD drive)
Intel Quad 2 Core Q9550 Intel® Core?2 Quad Processor Q9550 (12M Cache, 2.83 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB)
1x PCI Express (2.1?) My graphics card is 2.1 but board us 2.0 (can't remember how this actually works) HIS 6850 Fan 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI/2xDVI/DP < HD 6800 Series < Desktop Graphics < Products | HIS Graphic Cards
4x DIMM slots filled with XMS2 ? 2GB DDR2 Memory (CM2X2048-6400C5)

More info would help us.

How old is the system?
Is it overclocked?
Where did you get the dvd media? You don't list a dvd drive.
How long did you test the ram? Four to six hours minimum is my call on that.

pscowboy said:

More info would help us.

How old is the system?
Is it overclocked?
Where did you get the dvd media? You don't list a dvd drive.
How long did you test the ram? Four to six hours minimum is my call on that.

Motherboard is about 7 years old
Harddrives are 5-7 years old, they all pass health checks.
SSDs are under two years old again they both pass the health checks.
Graphics card is about 2 years old
RAM is 7 years (4gb) and 4 years old (other 4gb)
Processor is 7 years old.

It is NOT overclocked and the dvd is a disk that I purchased from ebuyer.com, I've also burnt my own disk using the iso from digital river or something and have it also flashed to a sub stick (loads fine on other computers)


I tested 4GB for 4 hours and then other 4GB for another four hours both returned errors. It's currently doing 8gb at once and its been going for nearly two hours with zero errors so far

You say the ram was tested in two sets of 4g each, and they both returned errors? Is that right?

#1) The cpu may be overheating because the thermal paste (after 7 years) has failed (I redo all my cared-for units yearly). Can you break down your rig to do this job? This would cause a freeze. Alcohol cleanup, and a light coating of Arctic Silver is the way to go.

#2) I would also suspect the dvd media as faulty. I only use JVC (Taiyo Yuden) and Verbatim (Mitsubishi) and have never had issues. Purchase only from established houses like Amazon, Newegg, or SuperMediaStore. Otherwise, you're likely to get inferior knockoffs from the discount shops. Burn the Digital River iso at 4x speed using ImgBurn. Faulty media can cause a freeze when a file can't be accessed during install.

#3) See if you can borrow a friends' somewhat equivalent power supply and swap yours out. I would suspect any PS that is 7 years old. Sporadic rail voltages can cause freezes, and screw up the ram test as well.

Address those three ideas, and get back to us.

Sorry no the 4GB sets both returned no errors, everything was okay.

The cpu had fresh paste about 3 months ago and funny enough I know the CPU temp when Windows was loaded that was 25c.

The DVDs and USB all load fine on other computers, and yeah I only purchase Verbatim discs normally and I only them from Amazon.

I've got two discs being burnt atm using other computers one at 4x and one at 1x but neither will make a difference.

Forgot to mention the PSU is only a year old, Corsair 750watt, only half the cables are used.

How much power do I need to be able to test one (need a 24 pin a 4pin (not Molex) and a 6 pin then only one sata to able to test essentials