0x0000007B Error problem

[Clay Aiken]

My computer rebooted in mibble of somthing & then i thought it must be a virus & ofcourse i dnt wanna loose any of my data.........!

So I got a new HD, and when I go to start the computer - more problems. It starts booting, and I start if off the Windows XP CD. Well it says "Starting Windows" - and all of a sudden I get the "blue screen".

Here's what it says:

A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damaging your computer.

If this is the first time you have seen this stop screen restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps.

Check for viruses on our computer. Remove any newly installed hard drives or controllers/ Chek to make sure your hard drive is properly terminated.

Technical info

STOP: 0x0000007B (0xF898963C, 0xC00000034, 0x 00000000, 0x000000000)

Well, I've got a new hard drive installed - so I figure - OK, there's something wrong with the new one. Take and totally disconnect the new HD and re-boot with just the old HD - and have Windows XP CD installed so it boots off it. Guess what, same message.

Now I have no clue what to do next.

[Killen]

Just Follow The Following Steps..........:

Try with just the old HDD connected as the master first the solutions below.

1. Can you boot into safe mode to verify it's not a device driver problem? Hit 'F8' repeatedly during boot and choose 'Safe mode' at the boot menu.

2. Otherwise, make sure you properly boot to the Windows XP CD. (You may need to enter your BIOS setup to change your boot order eg '1st Boot Device' to CD-ROM and make sure the '2nd Boot Device' is Harddisk. Once you see the 'Welcome to Setup' screen, press 'R' to go to the Recovery Console and select your windows installation. Then type "chkdsk /p /f" without the quotes and try to boot into windows after that.

3. If that doesn't work, you may want to do an 'in-place' upgrade. Boot to the windows XP CD, press 'ENTER' and then 'F8' to accept the EULA, and then press 'R' to 'repair' your windows installation. You will need to update windows through windows update after it's done.

4. If the above solutions don't work, connect the 2nd hard disk as master and disconnect the old HDD. Then, try to install windows on the new HDD by booting to the CD. If the install is successful, connect up the old HDD as slave (you may need to make sure the master/slave setting on the drive is correct or use cable select for both) and run the 'Error Checking' tool in windows by right clicking the old HDD in explorer, and select 'Properties' and the Tools' tab.

[Clay Aiken]

Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I did change my BIOS to have it look to the CD-ROM first, even though it was telling me it found a bootable CD in the CD-ROM drive. It still didn't help - I still get the blue screen.

So then I moved my IDE cable to IDE2 (from IDE1) as I thought maybe it was a controller issue - still blue screen.

I don't follow booting in Safe Mode - I never understood it. How do you detect a bad driver?

I did try your #4 suggestion - and still got the blue screen. I originally thought the brand new Seagate drive was bad - but there must be something else going on. How do you determine if it's related to the Mobo?

Very frustrated.....

Please Help.........!
Clay Aiken

[Killen]

maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I did change my BIOS to have it look to the CD-ROM first, even though it was telling me it found a bootable CD in the CD-ROM drive. It still didn't help - I still get the blue screen.

You may already know this, but it is necessary to still press any key or 'enter' when the 'Boot from CD' words appear.

So then I moved my IDE cable to IDE2 (from IDE1) as I thought maybe it was a controller issue - still blue screen

Try with all HDD drives disconnected with only one working cd-rom drive and see if you can boot to the CD. Else, try replacing HDD cables. Note: SATA cables should not be creased as it will damage the cable.

I don't follow booting in Safe Mode - I never understood it. How do you detect a bad driver?

Does 'F8' allow you to go to the boot menu? Are you able to boot into safe mode. Safe mode boots without loading unnecessary device drivers, so can be used to isolate the problem.

I did try your #4 suggestion - and still got the blue screen. I originally thought the brand new Seagate drive was bad - but there must be something else going on. How do you determine if it's related to the Mobo?

Go over your BIOS settings one by one to see if anything is unusual. Recall any new hardware installed prior to the problem. Remove every unnecessary hardware ie leave only the new harddisk, 1 stick of ram (switch around if you have more than one to try), a working cd-rom, graphics card and of course the cpu and psu, and try all of the solutions above again.

If not, with a brand new working harddisk, a working cd-rom, a change of cables and you still can't boot to CD or HDD or install windows, then it's possible the problem lies with the motherboard.

[Clay Aiken]

It will boot in Safe Mode, but I can't install McAffee Virus Scan or connect to the internet.

Is there a way to step through in Safe Mode to see if there is an issue with any driver loading? Do you get an error when you hit a bad driver?

I'm able to log on with another computer. On the first sentence, I do know you have to hit return. I'm going to disconnect all the hard drives and see if it boots. If that works, how do I get a hard drive to connect up? I have a new 160GB, and then the original 80GB. I'd like to use the 160 GB as the new main drive and re-install Windows - but I can't get to that point.

I'll let you know in a few minutes what happens when I disconnect all HD's.

[Killen]

Boot into safe mode and run the Error Checking tool and "chkdsk /f" in the run dialog.

Is there a way to step through in Safe Mode to see if there is an issue with any driver loading? Do you get an error when you hit a bad driver?

Yes, you can get errors with driver issues. I can advise you to go to 'Device Manager' and manually uninstall every removable hardware eg, graphics, sound, network cards, and specific peripherals like gamepads, printers etc that requires drivers other then the ones in XP. Get all the updated drivers off the manufacturer websites and install back one by one, rebooting each time to test.

I'd like to use the 160 GB as the new main drive and re-install Windows - but I can't get to that point.

Set the jumper on the 160gb drive to 'Master' and make sure it's on the end of your IDE cable and not the middle. Better to connect the 80gb to the middle and set to 'Slave' after windows is install on the 160gb.

[Clay Aiken]

What does chkdsk /f do? When I try it, it tells me that the system is tied up - and it asks me if I want to run it during re-boot.

You mention "Error Checking tool" - how do you run it?

[Killen]

'chkdsk /f' checks for and fixes errors on your HDD ie restore readable data on bad sectors etc.

You mention "Error Checking tool" - how do you run it?

Refer to no. 4 of my 1st reply.