Member Avatar for Solvolne

I got this mother board a few months ago and it's been working pretty well except when I try to install XP or 2000. It freezes about 10 minutes before the installation is suppose to be done. Sometimes it freezes even before that but the majority of the time it's at the end.

It's a P4VTB-A02 Biostar Board.

Bios Type:Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Bios Date:07/25/03
Bios ID:07/25/2003-PT800-8237-6A6LXB0FC-00
OEM Sign On: VTB0725 BS
Chipset:VIA 82C3168 rev 128
CPU:Intel Pentium(R) 4
Speed:2400
Memory:kingston DDR

Everything else im using is onboard the motherboard, except my 3D Card
Chaintech GeForce FX 5500 256 DDR

any help or information would be appreciated, thank you

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Member Avatar for Catweazle

Are you sure that motherboard supports the budget Kingston RAM you have? I've never heard of compatibility problems with Kingston before, but I aware aware that Windows XP is quite 'picky' with RAM quality, and is known to freeze like theat diring installation when suspect RAM is in place.

Member Avatar for Nobleware

Yo. I tried responding to you the other day.

My run down almost the same as your's

I have:

Biostar p4vtb "says it supports 800fsb and DDR400"
Intel Pentium 3.0Ghz CPU 800 FSB
Kingston Value ram 512 MB of it. 2 Dimms of 256MB of DDR400
Chaintech Geforce 5200FX Graphics
Soundblaster Soundcard. Something or other.
1: C:\120GB Hitachi/IBM Desktar HD
1: D:\80GB Hitachi/IBM Desktar HD
Floppy
Samsung DVD-CR-RW Combo drive.


I froze up loads of times trying to load XP.
So I tried to install Win2K Pro.


Win2KPro worked eventually.
After loads of CMOS Jumper resettings.

Finally got all my ish hooked up. And had it running off the 120GB Desktar for like 8 months. It would freeze once in a blue moon. On the 120 GB HD

Finally I got loads of viruses. LIKE 44!. So I just wiped the 120GB HD and Switched it with the 80GB HD I was using for storage.

It started crashing all the damn time because it was a new install and I was still updating drivers and shit and it was all on a new smaller HD.

Finally, for some damn reason. After loads of windows updates I went to Control Panel and clicked on the link for Windows Updates. And for some damn reason just within the past 2 days they must have had an update on their updates. Because there was an update for WIN2K that helped the puter from "hanging" on start up and in session. I DLed that Update. And haven't Frozen up since. I am talkin freezin up like you pal. Just boom... cursor doesn't move. Mouse LED and Keyboard LEDs go out and Boom nothing. I was getting that all the time it was pretty frequent at first when I had my shit set up on the 80GB when I did the first build and had so many errors I switched to the 120GB HD.


Notes: I found Hitachi/IBM Desktars were released with e 17% Failure rate. So that could account for my puter being more stable with a larger drive because it takes longer to go through the motions.

Windows 2K could have been also having issues with BIOSTAR P4VTB MOBOs or even the Dekstar HDS.

Whatever that update was. It worked for me so far. I haven't frozen up or "Windows hasn't hung" for like days now.


I guess Microsoft refers to freezing up as hanging.

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