Computer constantly restarts after windows logo, cannot fix

[atermagus312]

hello, i am new to this forum.
anyways, what happen was:
i came home, i turned on my pc, and it keeps on rebooting after the windows logo has come up. this has happened to me previously on another computer, but i managed to fix it some how, and i do not remember how.

specs:
core 2 duo 2.4 ghz
2gig of RAM
8600 GTS

plz help >_<

 

[atermagus312]

ok, i tried to back up my data, but to no avail

so now i'm trying to reformat my HDD, and i might run into some snags..

all i can do is pray that this will all work out =(

 

[atermagus312]

wtf..now i cant even partion my HDD
says that it cant connect to it or something

but, all the cables are hooked up and secured,

bet another corrupted HDD

this has happened to me 3 times already, =(

 

[mailpup]

What kind of hard drive are you using? SATA?

 

[atermagus312]

yes, a Maxtor SATA HDD 160 GB

 

[kirock]

It sound like a serious hardware issue, but if it's not the HDD and you try to reformat you'll never complete it before the real prob pops up and destroys everything you've done to that point.
What kind of PSU and Wattage do you have?

 

[atermagus312]

turbolink switching power supply
420 watts

came with my X-DISCOVERY-AL/420 APEVIA X-Discovery Metal Case

 

[kirock]

WAY under powered for your beasty! Your probably killing the psu, let me guess it has 20amps on the 12V rail. See psu label on side of unit. see my sig below for picture of label.

So have you started to reformat or can you save your installation? Pretty sure your prob is that cheap *** psu.

 

[atermagus312]

i tried to reformat it, but the windows installation says

"setup was unable to format partition. The disk may be damaged. Make sure the drive is switched on and properly connected to your computer. If the disk is a SCSI disk, make sure your SCSI devices are properly terminated. Consult your computer manual or SCSI adapter documentation for more information.

You must select a different partition for Windows XP
To continue, press ENTER"

also, my computer never ever never crashed since i built it, until yesterday =(

i doubt it is a PSU problem, but if it is, what PSU would you recommend me?

 

[kirock]

A good brand name like Thermaltake, OCZ, Silvetone, or Enermax, at least 600Watts and 30 amps or more on the 12V rail.

Taken from my article "How to build your own Gaming Rig":

Step 6. Power Supply Selection:


We have finally reached the last component you really need to buy for your new gaming rig. This component is not listed last because it is the least important, but rather listed last as in writing an Essay where you open with your strongest argument and finish with your second strongest argument.

After spending maybe over a thousand dollars so far you can completely ruin your new gaming rig by installing a cheap or under power rated PSU.

A newer CPU like an Athlon 64/FX and the C2Duo series uses in excess of 100Watts from the 12Volt rail alone from the PSU. A good GFX card can use 50Watts or more from the 5Volt rail.

Go here to check your PSU requirements:
PSUCalculator


ALL PSU are rated by maximum watts and this is NOT what they were intended to operate at continuously. This is a PEAK power rating and operating continuously at its maximum will kill any PSU in a very short time. You must take 30% off this even for a good Brand Name PSU . Also what the above link calculated you should add another 20-30% for safe operating and expansion headroom.

An Example calculation: Say the PSUcalculator gave you a wattage need of 250Watts. You buy a good Brand name Enermax or OCZ or Silverstone. So you would buy a wattage of: 250X1.3= 325W minimum. That’s so the PSU isn’t trying to operate at full capacity 100% of the time.

Now add 30% for headroom and expansion (new stuff for the PC). 325X1.3=422.5, so you need 425W unit.

See how easy it is to under rate your PSU? Look for a PSU with lots of amps on the 12Volt output. This is what runs the CPU, motors (HDD, DVD/CD/FF) and fans. An AMD64 series or a 3.0+GHZ PD or C2D will use 10 amps off the 12Volt rail alone.

 

[atermagus312]

ok, thx for your help

ill just buy a new HDD cuz it's really corrupted and probably physically dmged

ill probably get another PSU later lol XD