Windows 7 Pro Reinstall Woes - Hardware Suspect - How to Isolate?

This thread is related to
Win7 PC Badly Hosed: Need Ideas Finding Problem(s)
and
How to update ASUS Z87-Pro BIOS to 2.00.02 with EZFlash 2?

This is long, but I really need help. Otherwise I’ll be tossing out >$2K of hardware!

As a result of the first thread referenced above I set about to reinstall Windows 7 Pro from scratch, disconnecting other drives and formatting the boot drive in the process. Here is what I experienced:

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Windows Reinstall Notes.

7 Sep 2014 10:03
After doing 180+ Windows updates, on restart the updates hung at “Stage 5 of 5, Configuring Windows Updates, 32% complete, Do not turn off … Then after what seemed like 10 minutes rebooted and continued.

15:51 Successfully activated Windows

16:00 Removed Homegroup from WE using Noel Carboni MHT in Noel Carboni Speed Up My PC Fix WE

8 Sep 6:30
Installing Logitech update (at its insistence) the install hung and stayed hung while I was having breakfast. I ended the install with Task Manager and got a note from the notification area that the update was successful.

8:15 was about to connect a USB extension cable for installing Epson scanner and printer when the hard drive light came on solid. Decided to reboot. Shutdown took about 30 seconds; much longer than it had been taking.

10:44 BANG on Viktor [computer name] in Printers & Devices: “Network Controller doesn’t have a driver.”

10:48 Tried to install ASUS_AMDA00_ACPI for Windows 7 but have no assurance it installed.

16:01 Spam Bully would not install after Office 2007 install but before configuring Outlook.

16:15 Activated Office 2007
Outlook reports it is not installed properly. In Tools > Account Settings advises of a registry problem. Says to restart Outlook or reinstall. Data file management and Import/Export don’t do anything. I restarted the PC. Still the same.

Kept getting “There is no email program associated to perform the requested action.”

Performed a repair install twice. Nothing.
In Help ran Office Diagnostics twice. Nothing.
In-between the above two actions I ran the latest CCleaner to clean up the registry

Cannot repair Outlook.

17:00 Ran the latest CrystalDiskInfo. All SMART attributes were normal.
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How can I ferret out the culprit hardware?

Gratefully, - Dave

Thanks very much. I will do that ASAP. The drivers on the MB disk have all been updated, but I have the latest on a USB drive.

I’m not clear about “You should be able to get a good boot if you’ve had success before.” This PC build has been buggy since I first loaded Windows on it last October. I’m convinced it’s a hardware problem.

Maybe start the next clean Windows install with just one stick of RAM?

Quality PSU?

If you get a model # we can check if it's a cheapy unit.
Just because it's 80+ Plat, doesn't mean it's good.

EDIT: Appears to be a superflower re-brand

Check each stick of RAM with Memtest86+. Install the program to a CD or a thumb drive. It's self-booting so insert the disc or thumb drive into the PC and it should boot into Memtest86+. Let it run over night. In my experience, these kind of problems start with a bad RAM module.

S-P, the Rosewill model number I have for the PSU is TACHYON-750, Newegg #N82E16817182273. It's been discontinued. Should I toss it out? How about a CORSAIR HX750i (CP-9020072), Newegg #N82E16817139084?

trents, I ran Memtest 86+ V5.01 overnight on the whole bank of RAM when I built the PC last October and again recently with no errors. I will do it stick-by-stick starting today.

Thanks gang

Sounds like you didn't wipe the HDD. Wipe the HDD with zeroes and try again.

RJ, that's true. Do I remove the SSD and wipe it with zeros on another PC with something like Easus? What's the best way to wipe an SSD?

DaveMcKeen said:

S-P, the Rosewill model number I have for the PSU is TACHYON-750, Newegg #N82E16817182273. It's been discontinued. Should I toss it out? How about a CORSAIR HX750i (CP-9020072), Newegg #N82E16817139084?

trents, I ran Memtest 86+ V5.01 overnight on the whole bank of RAM when I built the PC last October and again recently with no errors. I will do it stick-by-stick starting today.

Thanks gang

Click to expand...

How many years old is it?
I wouldn't toss it, based on what I found yesterday it is a rebranded Superflower - Superflower makes amazing PSU's so it's a good unit.

Wiping the hard drive is a good suggestion. Many ways to do this but a "long" (i.e. complete, not "quick") reformat accomplishes the purpose as well in most cases.

Also, have you checked the drive for problems with CrystalDiskInfo? Very helpful free little program but be careful when you install it as it is bundled with some nasty malware called "Conduit Search Protect". Carefully attend the install to uncheck/decline the installation of the malware. Install the program on another computer, connect the drive in question to that computer and check it.

I had this exact same thing happen to me. Exactly the same when I got my new sabertooth. Something gets corrupted on updates and then I just had to redo everything. Had to use one hard drive installed until everything was copasetic and then I was able to install the other hdds. Hopefully it's something some like that for you as well

S_P, the Rosewill PSU is a year old. Thanks for the research info. I'll keep it!

trents, Yes, I checked the drive with CrystalDiskInfo. The SMART data came back all OK. I got the malware too. An install of ArcadeGiant.

bob4933, It's something...

GANG, I got a surprise while working on the recalcitrant PC before noon today. I was ready to use Corsair SSD Toolbox to wipe my boot SSD when a notification popped up saying there were Windows updates ready to install. I thought it would be kind of silly, but I ran the updates, all 45 of them, anyway. Well, I see you are already miles ahead of me.

I noticed that at least one of the updates had to do with Outlook, so I ran Outlook after rebooting from the updates. I could not get Outlook to misbehave. It did everything right it was doing wrong before. I'm going to assume so and if the adage of ***-u-me proves true I'll bite the bullet at that time.

Yes I ran updates after my first reinstall of Windows. I ran updates and ran updates. I had updates set to automatically notify me when they were ready to run and ran them as they accumulated. These 45 popped up out of the blue. I'm resuming my install of applications and utilities. All seems to be going well. Does that mean I have to quit building my list for a new i7-4790K based PC?

If the current build starts to act up again I have valuable tool you all have given me to apply to a Windows Install III. If it doesn't act up I still have valuable tools you all have given me.

Thanks!

So it works fine now?

Pfft. Typical Windows doing dumb stuff again.
Gotta love it.

After installing the magically appearing 45 updates, yes. If this isn't totally crazy it's 99.5% crazy. But I'll take it.

Warning: Don't install the August 12, 2014 update! It's found to be buggy by Microsoft and can make Windows unusable.

DaveMcKeen said:

Does that mean I have to quit building my list for a new i7-4790K based PC?

Click to expand...

No, but it does mean you have more time to plan a new build.....Broadwell and Skylake coming up in 2015......just sayin'

RJ, thanks! On BleepingComputer there's a thread that advises:

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Open the Programs and Features item in Control Panel, and then click View installed updates. Find and then uninstall any of the following update that are currently installed:KB2982791
KB2970228
KB2975719
KB2975331
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The KBs beginning 298 and 297 should be at the top of the list of "Microsoft Windows" installed updates. None of the four are in my list. Maybe MS had already pulled the downloads at the time my PC was checking for updates.

Could I have dodged a bullet?

(The PC I'm currently using [June 2011 build] doesn't have any of those on it either.)

RJARRRPCGP said:

Warning: Don't install the August 12, 2014 update! It's found to be buggy by Microsoft and can make Windows unusable.

Click to expand...

This update??