Comp wont boot and says "AMD Data Change...Update New Data to DMI!"

[ttoonnyy]

Hey there,

Basically, I get that message "AMD Data Change...Update New Data to DMI!" then it just hangs there no matter how long I leave it.

I've been reading this post as it's the only thing I could find on the net about my problem.

http://forums.techguy.org/hardware/783748-dmi-pool-data-always-changing.html

Unfortunately some smartypants decided to close the thread (or set automatic thread closing) so no reply notifications can go directly to the people originally dealing with the problem, leaving us with no choice but to have a duplicate thread and a restart on the expertise involved in solving it

So here it goes.
I appreciate any time you put in to helping me here. Also, it is quite urgent as I'm the lead modeller on Cypherium and am falling behind schedule.. so if you want to play it sooner you'l help me get this working faster



What's changed since the last successful boot:

Windows Firewall enabled.

Powerquest Partition Magic and their Diskkeeper software that comes with it: PM said it has compatibility issues, opened it but did nothing with it.
Diskkeeper wanted to just back up my system to a floppy drive.. Don't have a floppy drive. Closed it.
About 10 hours later it was still working perfectly, I turned off the computer and went to sleep.

Hardware has not changed at all.



Other recent history:

Installed several programs of the Adobe CS5 Creative Suite.
Had a major virus outbreak on another computer using AVG (this one uses Norton), and have copied files between them despite reappearances of the viruses.



System Specs

1TB SATA HDD (Partitioned to 100gb (C for Windows XP SP3 x32, the first OS installation, and 900gb (E for data.
40GB IDE HDD for Windows 7 Pro x64, second OS installation
ATI Radeon HD5670
Gigabyte Motherboard
8GB PC3 RAM
AMD Quad Core x64 2300mhz
(Will look for more detailed names if anyone thinks it necessary; just say so)



What I've tried:

Testing each RAM chip on it's own:
"AMD Data Change...Update New Data to DMI! Update Success" but still does nothing more than sit there.

Booting from boot menu on both disks:
Same as above.

Disconnecting both HDDs:
Original error is still there and of-course the NTLDR error which I fix by reconnecting them in the right order.

Rebooting 50 times:
Same error.

Loading Fail-Safe Defaults in BIOS:
Same error.

Loading Optimized Defaults in BIOS:
Same error.

Searching Google for solutions/Technical Support:
Seems nobody wrote one yet. And screw Gigabyte's technical support. Any company will take days to reply and probably just tell me to try something I already tell them I tried followed by a load of advertising.



Tips from the thread linked at the top that I don't understand/couldn't try/can anyone explain how?

"You can make sure you are running the latest BIOS version" - How..????

"I've seen this issue mentioned in other places and some people have said that it's nothing to worry about" - So perhaps computers with this error normally boot into their OS then? Cus I'm worrying..

"How about clearing the CMOS with the jumper on the board?" - What the bajeezus? Sounds like heart surgery to me.

That's all I can think of that you need to know.. any ideas plz?


Thanks for your time =),
Tony

 

[heky]

Try clearing the CMOS, and maybe try a different system disk(reformat).

 

[95Viper]

Just wondering?
Did you try reading the manual (motherboard or system(for a pre-built) on how to Flash(update) the bios and\or clear the CMOS(bios).

Fill out the System Specs in the User CP(control panel) asnd click the show box. It will probably be helpful to the people that wish to help.

Oh, and, Welcome to TPU the best tech site on the Web!

 

[ttoonnyy]

Try clearing the CMOS, and maybe try a different system disk(reformat).

Whats CMOS? And I have a lot of valuable data on the HDDs in this computer.. but HDDs seem unrelated to the problem.

Just wondering?
Did you try reading the manual (motherboard or system(for a pre-built) on how to Flash(update) the bios and\or clear the CMOS(bios).


Fill out the System Specs in the User CP(control panel) asnd click the show box. It will probably be helpful to the people that wish to help.

Oh, and, Welcome to TPU the best tech site on the Web!

I don't have a floppy drive and sorry, I feel like i've been poked in the eye when someone tells me updating it will fix it when it worked without an update haha. Anyhow it's a new system so I probably have the latest version.

Havn't read the manual, I don't even know what these technical terms even mean.. >.<
My specs are listed in the post above but will fill them out in the CP now. Cheers dude =)

P.S. Update: I can't even boot from a Windows install disk.. I feel so screwed.

 

[slyfox2151]

make sure your bootup options are set correctly in the bios.... definetly sounds like thats the problem.


are your HDDs Sata or IDE?.... if there IDE... maybe there both set to master or some such and the bios cant work out what to boot from.

 

[streetfighter 2]

Clear the CMOS (like Hecky said) and clear the ESCD as well. The ESCD may need to be flushed from within the BIOS because clearing the CMOS does not always wipe ESCD data.

Clearing the CMOS is absurdly easy. You pull a jumper and place it on neighboring pins for about 4 seconds, then put it back. The process is the same for 99% of mobos. Please check your mobo manual to find the CMOS jumper and instructions on how to do it.

If that doesn't work update the BIOS.

You can check your BIOS version by pressing the Pause|Break key (assuming a standard keyboard) when your BIOS first posts. There should be a line that has the BIOS release date and version when you pause it. Copy them both down then check on your mobo manufacturers site for updates. Pressing Pause|Break again will resume the POST operation.

Whats CMOS? And I have a lot of valuable data on the HDDs in this computer.. but HDDs seem unrelated to the problem.

The CMOS, which is a bit of a misnomer, is essentially the chip which holds your BIOS settings. My definition is not technically accurate but it is functionally accurate.

I would agree, the HD should be unrelated to the problem, but it's impossible to know for sure. If you're very worried about your HDs I suggest disconnecting all but your primary HD until the problem is resolved.

I don't have a floppy drive and sorry, I feel like i've been poked in the eye when someone tells me updating it will fix it when it worked without an update haha.

You can use a jump drive as a boot device and flash your BIOS. It's very easy to do. Tutorial here.

EDIT: Welcome to TPU!

 

[ttoonnyy]

make sure your bootup options are set correctly in the bios.... definetly sounds like thats the problem.


are your HDDs Sata or IDE?

What's "set correctly?"
How they came as (probably Optimized Defaults right?) worked fine.
Have tried optimized and fail-safe defaults of BIOS settings, and have one each of IDE and SATA drives.

Clear the CMOS (like Hecky said) and clear the ESCD as well. The ESCD may need to be flushed from within the BIOS because clearing the CMOS does not always wipe ESCD data.

Clearing the CMOS is absurdly easy. You pull a jumper and place it on neighboring pins for about 4 seconds, then put it back. The process is the same for 99% of mobos. Please check your mobo manual to find the CMOS jumper and instructions on how to do it.

If that doesn't work update the BIOS.

You can check your BIOS version by pressing the Pause|Break key (assuming a standard keyboard) when your BIOS first posts. There should be a line that has the BIOS release date and version when you pause it. Copy them both down then check on your mobo manufacturers site for updates. Pressing Pause|Break again will resume the POST operation.

Ok I'll assume a jumper is one of those 2-pin motherboard plug thingys that come all random colours rite? N like you put on an HDD to set it's master/slave status?

Assuming that's correct, which one do I pull, neighboring pins of what, which side, how vital is it exactly 4 seconds, what happens if I mess it up, and what happens if I succeed?

Also I've had a look through the entire BIOS settings and can't find one mention of "ESCD", though someone did mention in another post to "Disable ESCD Updates" in BIOS, which I also couldn't find.

Exhausting >.<

Cheers

 

[francis511]

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=e...ogle+Search&meta=&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

Did you look through all these already ?

 

[streetfighter 2]

What's "set correctly?"
How they came as (probably Optimized Defaults right?) worked fine.
Have tried optimized and fail-safe defaults of BIOS settings, and have one each of IDE and SATA drives.

I think slyfox2151 was being a little vague but he's still technically correct. "Optimized Defaults" or even plain old "Default" should be acceptable.

Ok I'll assume a jumper is one of those 2-pin motherboard plug thingys that come all random colours rite? N like you put on an HDD to set it's master/slave status?

You are correct sir. Though SATA HDs aren't as likely as IDE drives to have jumpers, and they serve different purposes.

Assuming that's correct, which one do I pull, neighboring pins of what, which side, how vital is it exactly 4 seconds, what happens if I mess it up, and what happens if I succeed?

As I said earlier, consult your manual. It'll should have a very evident section on "Resetting CMOS" or "Clearing CMOS" or something of that nature.

In answer to your questions: You have to be within 6ms of 4 seconds, I'm selling bridges too if you're interested. If you succeed nothing happens, but it might fix the problem. If you fail nothing happens and it won't fix the problem.

Just remember to power off the computer and unplug the power cable.

Also I've had a look through the entire BIOS settings and can't find one mention of "ESCD", though someone did mention in another post to "Disable ESCD Updates" in BIOS, which I also couldn't find.

Well then I wouldn't worry about it.

Exhausting >.<

Now who is being melodramatic. . . Help me help you.

Also, what francis511 said. 99% of problem posts here could be resolved by someone saying, "LMGTFY". If you don't know what that means, google it.

 

[ttoonnyy]

doublepost

 

[ttoonnyy]

I think slyfox2151 was being a little vague but he's still technically correct. "Optimized Defaults" or even plain old "Default" should be acceptable.



You are correct sir. Though SATA HDs aren't as likely as IDE drives to have jumpers, and they serve different purposes.

Awesome

As I said earlier, consult your manual. It'll should have a very evident section on "Resetting CMOS" or "Clearing CMOS" or something of that nature.

In answer to your questions: You have to be within 6ms of 4 seconds, I'm selling bridges too if you're interested. If you succeed nothing happens, but it might fix the problem. If you fail nothing happens and it won't fix the problem.

Just remember to power off the computer and unplug the power cable.

Ok, I tried that a few times.. Btw, just an act of stupidity, but if u tap the CMOS reset while computer is on, it actually does it..

I've been trying this for ages now, and it turns out that when I do successfully reset CMOS, if I press Del for BIOS then a screen comes up saying CMOS had a Checksum Error and that I can load Profile 1 or last known good settings. Neither work. They are the only options there.
However, if I don't press Del when I reset it, I hang at "Verifying DMI Pool Data ............."
One more reboot puts it back to normal.
Edit: Now only Profile 1 is ever there but I also noticed the button at the bottom telling me I can press F1 to continue with boot. Which should I choose? I've tried both many times to no avail.


I flashed the update thingy with the interface for doing so as directed in the manual, however it didn't go as per the instructions.. Like it told me I'd have to press a key to continue where I didn't, afterwards there was no confirmation, the box just disappeared, all just subtle differences.
There's also a Quick Flash function which also didn't fix it. That should be enough flashing right? Well anyhow, I tried to flash it from the USB Boot disk, no luck either.


As a side thought, there are extra functions in DOS for me:
I DIR to see the files on the disk as instructed to put there.
AUTOEXEC.BAT (autoruns the EXE with the FB8 and flashes when I boot from the drive)
M770TUD3.F8B (the flash's data that the Flash ultility wanted)
FLASHSPI.EXE

Running FLASHSPI.EXE brings up a list of commands
/C - Clear DMI Data after Bios Update
/D - Load CMOS Defaults after BIOS Update
/E - Clear CMOS after BIOS Update
/R - Reboot System after BIOS Update
/S - Save Original BIOS to Disk

So I go like this:
FLASHSPI.EXE/M770TUD3.FB8
And it says it can't read the BIOS File.
I do the same again with the above commands after it and it that Flashes again and performs the extra function.
Should I try these one at a time, in a certain order, or not at all?
Edit: FLASHSPI.EXE/M770TUD3.F8B/C/E/D didn't help.

Well then I wouldn't worry about it.



Now who is being melodramatic. . . Help me help you.

Also, what francis511 said. 99% of problem posts here could be resolved by someone saying, "LMGTFY". If you don't know what that means, google it.

Lol xD ah I solve 9/10 problems like this that way, but the problem is you can't have a discussion with Google when a problem is too complicated and nobody seems to have solved it yet. Every thread or mention I can find about this has a solution I've already tried or went inactive

Thanks for your time guys, I really do appreciate it. I know how frustrating this stuff is and it's not like I'm paying for your assistance.

Edit: One thing to note is that the mobo brags it's "DualBios"... Sais it has a backup BIOS or something. I'm totally new to anything to with with motherboards so I don't know what this implies on my situation. Is is possible this means that somehow my backup BIOS is fucked and thats something that can't be fixed plus it being broken means no BIOS can work? Lol I seen no settings whatsoever about a second BIOS.

 

[streetfighter 2]

From what you wrote I'd say it's safe to abandon the idea of clearing the CMOS.

When you flashed using the method in the manual did you check to see if the BIOS version now shows the updated F8B?

. . .
AUTOEXEC.BAT (autoruns the EXE with the FB8 and flashes when I boot from the drive)
. . .
So I go like this:
FLASHSPI.EXE/M770TUD3.FB8
And it says it can't read the BIOS File.
I do the same again with the above commands after it and it that Flashes again and performs the extra function.
Should I try these one at a time, in a certain order, or not at all?
Edit: FLASHSPI.EXE/M770TUD3.F8B/C/E/D didn't help.

AUTOEXEC.BAT sets up the DOS environment. It should not be attempting to flash your BIOS.

According to what you wrote you were using an illegal switch so it won't work. The command should be:
FLASHSPI.EXE /C M770TUD3.F8B
(Don't mix up the 'B' and the '8' at the end.)

That will clear the DMI data and flash the bios. Wait for it to finish and then tell you it's done or you'll brick your mobo. When it says it's safe to restart you can restart, but not a moment sooner.

ASIDE: I take it you have a GA-MA770T-UD3 mobo. You know that BIOS is beta right? You could reflash F7 instead (which was the original) and in the process clear the DMI data.

Thanks for your time guys, I really do appreciate it. I know how frustrating this stuff is and it's not like I'm paying for your assistance.

No need to pay, there's a little button that says "thanks".

 

[erocker]

I would say flash to the latest bios and disable CPU microcode updatation.

 

[ttoonnyy]

From what you wrote I'd say it's safe to abandon the idea of clearing the CMOS.

When you flashed using the method in the manual did you check to see if the BIOS version now shows the updated F8B?

Didn't check then, it certainly does now though. I think it did what it was supposed to.. It went back to the folder view thing after the light-show of words in a box for a minute thing and there was nothing else after waiting 10 seconds plus it took as long as the other one does.

AUTOEXEC.BAT sets up the DOS environment. It should not be attempting to flash your BIOS.

Ah ok well it flashes when I boot from the disk.. You should have asked me what I think a mobo is when I woke up this morning xD

According to what you wrote you were using an illegal switch so it won't work. The command should be:
FLASHSPI.EXE /C M770TUD3.F8B
(Don't mix up the 'B' and the '8' at the end.)

Ah I was just guessing.. that method seemed to do what it said though I can't confirm that for the DMI data

That will clear the DMI data and flash the bios. Wait for it to finish and then tell you it's done or you'll brick your mobo. When it says it's safe to restart you can restart, but not a moment sooner.

Still no luck =(
Should I reset BIOS defaults like right away after doing this, on the next boot otherwise it fails or something? I was doing that for the other attempts but I'm getting lazy now so wondering if thats necessary or can I do it a few reboots later or just leave it after resetting it the once?

ASIDE: I take it you have a GA-MA770T-UD3 mobo. You know that BIOS is beta right? You could reflash F7 instead (which was the original) and in the process clear the DMI data.

Ok, I'm on F7 now but still it's all the same.

No need to pay, there's a little button that says "thanks".

Will do =)

I would say flash to the latest bios and disable CPU microcode updatation.

There's no such option there, n already done.. can't say I've flashed this many times in a day before!

Ok so far things I've tried for those who don't wanna read so much:

Testing each RAM chip on it's own
Booting from boot menu on both disks
Disconnecting both HDDs
Booting Windows installers
Loading Fail-Safe Defaults in BIOS
Loading Optimized Defaults in BIOS
Clearing the CMOS
Flashing the BIOS with the latest version
Rebooting 200 times
Flashing from a USB Boot Disk
FLASHSPI.EXE/M770TUD3.F8B/C/E/D
FLASHSPI.EXE /C M770TUD3.F8B
Booting from Xpress Recovery 2 (Only two options, no use)
FLASHSPI.EXE /C M770TUD3.F7

The only thing that gets past "AMD Data Change...Update New Data to DMI!" is DOS.

 

[francis511]

On the "resolved" thread the guy changed his sata leads around ? Any use ?

 

[ttoonnyy]

Nope, doesn't matter if HDDs are connected or not, the problem persists >.<

Edit: You're gonna love this update.
So problem was as is, gave up for a while, left it alone..
Tried it again and now we're hangin at "Verifying DMI Pool Data ................." every time instead. Is that a step backwards or forwards? xD

Edit2: What's even stranger is that now when I clear CMOS, not only does that box pop up almost instantly off boot rather than only if I press Del, but the "Last Known Good" choice is back under the "Default" CMOS Profile option.
Even stranger is that now suddenly "Default" and "Continue with Boot" both now give the original error message rather than the update successful one that hardware changes (and that did) usually cause, and the "Last Known Good" option leaves us at Verifying DMI Pool Data.
Last Known Good and Default both cause another reboot but leaving it for the 13 second timer or hitting F1 to continue does try to carry on.. If I hit Del on this screen it still goes into BIOS and resetting Defaults will give me back the old error again (Update New Data to DMI)

How vital is it that I unplug before clearing CMOS? I'm getting lazy, surely turning it off is enough?

 

[ttoonnyy]

I've found a few more things to try.. specific sequences of doing the things we've been discussing, e.g. boot+BIOS Optimized+QFlash+Clear DMI, reboot+enter QFlash+reset CMOS to Default.
Well my version of QFlash (loaded from F8 on boot, or from BIOS) doesn't have a clear DMI data option like the version loaded from the USB boot drive does so I had to try this a little differently but got the process the same.. as far as I can tell anyway.

My attempt involved loading BIOS+Optimized Defaults, reboot+Flash from USB disk+clear DMI, reboot+Optimized Defaults again+CMOS Default Profile (turns out I can just do that from BIOS by hitting F12 to bring up that screen), save and exit.

Well, I still can't boot up, but I think this is going somewhere.. The result is that I get the Update Successful message, and then the NTLDIR is missing message.

I also tried the above combination including switching the boot order of my disks before the last reboot, both have the same results the first time, however any further reboots with the boot order changed result in the original error message, but without doing so I have NTLDIR is missing.

So I'm writing everything here that happens in the hope that someone will know what it all means to help me or themself in future.. I have no clue. I guess if nobody else does, I'll just blog the progress here for people with this problem in future.

 

[m4gicfour]

You're going to hate me for this, but: On my old motherboard, I was having the exact same problem; I can't remember for the life of me what I did to fix it. I distinctly remember being very frustrated and playing with bios options a lot

The only thing I remember doing (and this was on an unrelated issue, but it may help) was updating the "auto boost profile" and "auto upgrade profile". I don't know if your motherboard has anything like either of those, but my old motherboard got stuck in a loop asking to restore from profile, and then failing to boot when I tried to load from profile. That problem showed up after a bios update. Its probably completely unrelated, but if your motherboard has similar features it may be worth a try.

The auto boost profile was a factory-set group of pre-overclocked profiles to choose from and I don't rightly remember what the other was about.



The only other thing I can think of is: someone mentioned changing around the sata drive. Did you try that? Did you plug the drive into a different SATA port on the motherboard or just change boot order?

If not, try plugging the drive into a different port (probably try and remember where it was originally plugged in. Shouldn't matter, but some boards can be picky about where the boot drive is physically plugged in, and to complicate things, sometimes it only shows up as a problem after a setting change or bios update.)


I have to go to work now but I'll keep thinking on what it was I did when I had the problem, and if I think of anything I'll let you know.

 

[digibucc]

NTLDR is missing message.

if NT Loader is missing that is not (as) bad - it is looking on your hard drives for your OS.

hook up only the one you want to boot from, for now. if you can't do that, make sure it is first in bios.

if that is the only hard-drive it could be looking for NTLDR on(and can't find it), then your installation has gone corrupt. you can repair it with your version of windows disc - through automated repair or by copying ntldr (assuming that is the only issue)

otherwise a reinstall should work now. can you boot a windows disk?

sorry if im a bit off - I wasn't paying attention before but NTLDR missing is common and something I have dealt with MANY times...

 

[ttoonnyy]

Well, I've had a breakthrough.. I can actually boot windows install disks! I'm just putting my XP back on it now though in order to retrieve my backup of Windows 7 since the original got "borrowed" without return.. People love to take your Windows 7 disks dont they? Seconf time this has happened to me

Anyhow, I'll see what happens once the installs complete.

You're going to hate me for this, but: On my old motherboard, I was having the exact same problem; I can't remember for the life of me what I did to fix it. I distinctly remember being very frustrated and playing with bios options a lot

The only thing I remember doing (and this was on an unrelated issue, but it may help) was updating the "auto boost profile" and "auto upgrade profile". I don't know if your motherboard has anything like either of those, but my old motherboard got stuck in a loop asking to restore from profile, and then failing to boot when I tried to load from profile. That problem showed up after a bios update. Its probably completely unrelated, but if your motherboard has similar features it may be worth a try.

The auto boost profile was a factory-set group of pre-overclocked profiles to choose from and I don't rightly remember what the other was about.

I don't remember seeing those settings, but I'll have a look for them when this installs done if I still need to. Cheers =)

The only other thing I can think of is: someone mentioned changing around the sata drive. Did you try that? Did you plug the drive into a different SATA port on the motherboard or just change boot order?



If not, try plugging the drive into a different port (probably try and remember where it was originally plugged in. Shouldn't matter, but some boards can be picky about where the boot drive is physically plugged in, and to complicate things, sometimes it only shows up as a problem after a setting change or bios update.)

I have to go to work now but I'll keep thinking on what it was I did when I had the problem, and if I think of anything I'll let you know.

One more thing to try then if this doesn't work. It's a relief to suddenly have more options, thought it was doomed lol, thanks dude.

if NT Loader is missing that is not (as) bad - it is looking on your hard drives for your OS.

Ah yeah I've had the NTLDR problem before on XP and just having the install disk in for a few months on boot worked.. then one day I took it out and it still worked.

hook up only the one you want to boot from, for now. if you can't do that, make sure it is first in bios.

Not sure I can boot from either on their own.. the 1TB SATA Drive was the original drive, had XP installed, then I added an old 40GB IDE drive and installed 7 on that.. so I'm not sure what order I should even have them boot in, just assuming the boot sector for both is gonna be on the SATA right?

if that is the only hard-drive it could be looking for NTLDR on(and can't find it), then your installation has gone corrupt. you can repair it with your version of windows disc - through automated repair or by copying ntldr (assuming that is the only issue)

otherwise a reinstall should work now. can you boot a windows disk?

Indeed it does. Finalizing installation, 4 minutes to go. If it boots, I'm burning 7 before I dare turn it off again lol.

sorry if im a bit off - I wasn't paying attention before but NTLDR missing is common and something I have dealt with MANY times...

Nah mate, u've been very helpful, especially considering the gargantuan amount of text to go over here; I have a habit of writing thats kinda cluttered the thread.. problem is I don't know what information is relevant plus Aspergers just makes that even worse haha so i tend to write essays sometimes.. OMG as I type this, it just loaded, and I'm actually looking at XP's desktop.. never thought I'd be so happy to see it!!!!
Ok, I'll write back when I find out how a reboot goes in about 20 mins!
[/quote]

 

[francis511]

That`s gr8. BTW this works if you want to just fix the ntldr problem

http://tinyempire.com/notes/ntldrismissing.htm

 

[wiak]

try update bios and put the right harddrive as boot device
a good rule is to NOT install windows when more than one harddrive is connected as the bootsector can be writed on the other drive

 

[WarEagleAU]

If you are getting that NTLDR you can try what DIG says, or you can insert your OS disc (for the life of me I am not sure if you are using Windows XP 32 SP3 or Win 7 32 as your primary OS). I have had to deal with a lot of the NTLDR issues because optimzed defaults or bios updates always resets the order my HDDs are in (instead of my 1TB being the boot, it makes my 160GB the boot and there is no OS on there) so I have to go into boot options, boot priority, boot devices (whichever you have) and select my OS boot drive (which is my WD 1TB Green drive). If setting those around in the BIOS doesn't work, and setting the primary drive as the only one hooked up doesn't work, you could try using the OS install disc to repair the bootmgr file or MBR record. MBR is the Master Boot Record and has the settings for how your system should boot from RAM (timings, sppeds, etc) to HDD priority, code, etc.

As for what erocker said, it may not exactly say CPU microcode update but you should or may have something similar to a CPU code update or prefetch code or something as such.

If all else fails, you can either try a new processor (seems like maybe that could be an issue) or reformatting the drive (after backing up your files you need) and reinstalling the OS

EDIT: in response to WIAK he is right and has happened to me. Ideally, if you are dual booting a system or setting up a dual boot (even if not on the same hard drive) you want to run Vista/Win 7 installed first, then install XP on the other drive (but disconnect as WIAK said). I Do believe that with Win 7, it is actually nice and will allow it to be the second boot to a different OS as opposed to SHUG Vista (Shug Knight reference there).

 

[ttoonnyy]

It's fixed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So that's it then. For people Googling their problems: If it happens like this, see back a few posts, that certain combination of trying those things i stated.. that will get the system to a state where it can boot off from a CD to install Windows, then away you go!

Well, thanks for your help everybody, my computers up and running now thanks to all of you for your explanations and tolerance of my noobness =) Woooooo!!!!

AFPLOT
(Any Further Posts are Likely Off Topic)

That`s gr8. BTW this works if you want to just fix the ntldr problem

http://tinyempire.com/notes/ntldrismissing.htm

Cheers =)

try update bios and put the right harddrive as boot device
a good rule is to NOT install windows when more than one harddrive is connected as the bootsector can be writed on the other drive

Good point! Disconnected it and put 7 on the SATA.

If you are getting that NTLDR you can try what DIG says, or you can insert your OS disc (for the life of me I am not sure if you are using Windows XP 32 SP3 or Win 7 32 as your primary OS).

im not =P Win 7 x64 is my primary for some of Autodesk's products and the Adobe CS5 suite, and the famously temperamental XP x64 is my backup/testing/old apps system

I have had to deal with a lot of the NTLDR issues because optimzed defaults or bios updates always resets the order my HDDs are in (instead of my 1TB being the boot, it makes my 160GB the boot and there is no OS on there) so I have to go into boot options, boot priority, boot devices (whichever you have) and select my OS boot drive (which is my WD 1TB Green drive). If setting those around in the BIOS doesn't work, and setting the primary drive as the only one hooked up doesn't work, you could try using the OS install disc to repair the bootmgr file or MBR record. MBR is the Master Boot Record and has the settings for how your system should boot from RAM (timings, sppeds, etc) to HDD priority, code, etc.

As for what erocker said, it may not exactly say CPU microcode update but you should or may have something similar to a CPU code update or prefetch code or something as such.

If all else fails, you can either try a new processor (seems like maybe that could be an issue) or reformatting the drive (after backing up your files you need) and reinstalling the OS

Thanks man, though my problems already solved, it's useful to know this stuff and it may fix someone else's problem in future =)

EDIT: in response to WIAK he is right and has happened to me. Ideally, if you are dual booting a system or setting up a dual boot (even if not on the same hard drive) you want to run Vista/Win 7 installed first, then install XP on the other drive (but disconnect as WIAK said). I Do believe that with Win 7, it is actually nice and will allow it to be the second boot to a different OS as opposed to SHUG Vista (Shug Knight reference there).

Ah right.. what if you have partitioned a drive? Is there a way to disable partitions so it doesn't go to the wrong one? Though surely it would make more sense to just be able to choose which one it does go to haha, trust Microsoft xD

Well I've always had good luck with dual boot before.. I installed the Beta alongside Vista on this laptop which was fine, and also after a complete format and having to switch to AHCI to get around Toshiba's "we only want you to use Vista" security protocol, installed XP first, got Windows 7 some months later and it works like a charm. On the boot selection screen I get this:

Older Operating System
Windows 7
Windows 7

I set it to default to the middle Windows 7 since the second one doesn't exist any more, and older OS is XP x32, all works fine.. well except that it has a tendency to power itself off if it gets too hot. It started doing that in Vista if it got really hot, but while booting took about a 1/4 of the heat b4 it would do that.
XP wasn't much better than that for it which is why I'm using 7 which has something near the tolerance Vista had.
I think that's a hardware issue though.. a few times in bed I didn't notice the quilt covering the fan until I smelt burning.. Lol.

 

[chelsFTW]

i'm having this problem now, and i cant make out what it was that actually fixed your problem