desperately need help!

[boondock613]

This is my first Computer build from scratch and I am encountering some issues that I could use some advice on.

Here are my parts:
Asus Rampage II Extreme
i7 920
3GB Tri-channel DDR3 1600 (corsair)
Seagate 640gb Hard drive (Sata II)
HIS 4850 iceQ 4 Turbo
600 watt Power supply
Samsung DVDRW


I've installed Windows Xp, the system boots up, but shortly after windows loads (anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes) the system restarts. When it restarts, the system won't load windows. Instead a screen comes up asking me to select/insert appropriate boot media device.......or something of that nature. Also during these restarts it doesn't sound like the hard drive actually restarts or is active.


I thought that it was the bios, so I updated it to the newest version...it didn't resolve the issue. Also I have noticed that at times the Harddrive in the bios isn't always detected in when I look at the screen that lists the Sata port and what's connected.
Also, my ram doesn't seem to be detectable at 1600....in the bios it reads as my target frequency at 1333. I figure this has to do with the board listing 1600 and above as O.C..

Anyways...any help would be greatly appreciated. I have a feeling it might have something to do with the hard drive, as I have noticed a sound, that could be described as "scratching" when the drive boots up.

Again I'm confused at this point and I just want this thing to work.

[CanadaRox]

Sounds like it could be a faulty cable or port on the motherboard. I'd swap out the cable and try a different port and see if that helps. If it doesn't, try the HDD in another computer and see if the problem continues.

[Babrbarossa]

In your boot heading go to the hard drive drop down and make sure that the right hard drive is selected as primary.

Go into your boot priority and make sure that it's in there too as your primary boot device.

Also double and triple check your cables- make sure your hard drive isn't plugged into the orange SAS ports

[boondock613]

thanks for the help. I got everything up and running now. I decided to throw in an IDe drive as my main drive and did a complete (long) reformat of my Sata drive. Not only does the system run with no problems now, but the sata drive doesn't make any of those scratching noises anymore.

I think what had happened before was when the system was originally put together my brother plugged the sata drive into the black port on the mobo that's actually meant for adding additional E-sata ports. while plugged into that port, the drive was formatted and windows was installed onto it and that might explain why when I plugged it into one of the proper 6 sata ports that i (and the drive) was having so many issues.

Anyways, thanks again, now all I have to do is to get the system to acknowledge the proper frequency of my ram.