Hardware software failure??

[KaosRevolution]

Ok this is my first thread normally i can fix everything that ive come across and had no troubles but this one has stumped me. Where to start ok installed a fresh copy of windows xp due to the previous install was slowing down and my wifi card was corrupting data when downloading, so did the usual, formatted and wiped and started again with my trusty Xp Pro disc. installed almost to the end then got errors thought hmm thats cool had the disk for a while and prob got a few scratches so i downloaded a fresh copy and installed using my own key.still errors. was able to get parts off one xp disk and have it work and boot into windows, installed my driver as usual and then it went all down hill, first i tunes wouldn't install, thinking hmm little suss prob out of date windows updates, checked and installed most updates but some wont install, The .Net framework wont install. cant install any games and programs, IE crashes every couple of minutes, computer does random blue screen of deaths but doesn't give any error message, i thought hell why not ill install Vista Ultimate, but that wont even install on a separate hard drive. get errors half way along, tried doing a "flat" install still not wokring,

Im completley baffled and thought of everything i can, striped to basic no result changed ram around, used different ram sticks.
Current Specs
Windows XP Pro SP2 - most updates installed
Intel P4 800fsb 2.6ghz with Zalman HSF
4 gig of Ram
Radeon 9600xt with Zalman HSF
750 watt PSU
2x 250 gig HDD Sata
2x 320 gigs HDD Sata
2x 160gig HDD IDE
1x 80gig HDD IDE
Pioneer DVD DL combo drive
Antec P180 Case


Please Help
KaosRevolution

 

[Nodsu]

Well, it is a hardware issue for sure if you can't get a clean OS going from a CD.

Instead of blindly shuffling the RAM around, test it with memtest86(+).
Test the hard drive with the manufacturer-provided diagnostics utility.

 

[KaosRevolution]

thanks for the reply Nodsu, i did a mem test with the windows memory tester and said it was all good but ill try memtest86 and give that a go, i scanned all my hdd for errors and there all ok, only hab a 4kb sector on the disk with an issue so i turfed the disk and put it through with warrenty, all the ram is kingston ddr400, not sure if there from the same batch thou i doubt it but ill give it a go tonight after i finish from work. also is ther anyway to test my motherboard southbridge chipset??

 

[Nodsu]

What did you scan the hard drive with? Generic high level diagnostic utilities are not very useful..

As for testing the chipset.. There are utilities out there that test the functionality of some peripherals, but it is not something that would count as a trustworthy measure. The motherboard and chipset makers probably have some low-level utilities, but I don't know of any that are publicly available. Usually you just eliminate all other options and decide that the mobo/chipset is bad.

For example, you may try your hard drive and cable with another motherboard. If you get the same problem, then you can blame the HDD and/or cable.

 

[KaosRevolution]

Testing utilities were done for each hard drive by manufacture, im hoping its just a ram issue, otherwise its a whole new computer then and the girlfried will beat me to death, i just spent 3000 on a new laptop.
please be ram