Several issues with a new computer build

ingeborgdot

Posts: 448   +5
I have built many computers but am having a little bit of a problem with some things and my new one. My new install went great. All programs installed without a hitch. Fast and furious is the way it went to get everything installed. Now, after a week or so I have started having a couple glitches. When I go to install a new program or update it the program just sits there for 4 or 5 minutes before doing anything and then finally starts to do its thing. What could be causing this.
The other issue is that I am trying to do a backup and image clone to get my new system backed up. The problem there is that the windows backup won't see my hard drives. I then tried Norton Ghost and the same thing happened. What is causing this? Thanks.
 
Could be many things, but let's start with Windows Explorer. Does it show your 'other' hard drives at all? How long does it take before you can see any particular file in your 'other' hard drives ?
This will tell us if you have some basic problem like incorrect drivers. Also it is hard to diagnose without much more information. What OS have you installed, what hard drives do you actually have, I.e. how many and what sort of drives are they?
 
Management shows the discs are running normal. I can see them in windows explorer. Sometimes when I do open a hdd it takes a little while to see everything. Most of the time it is instant though. Windows 7 Pro. I have my os C drive which is a Samsung SSD 256GB, Drive D,E,F are a 2TB, 2TB, and a 1.5TB I have my C & D drives on the intel Sata 3, my other two are on the Sata 2 ports.
My computer seems to be running fine and fast. It just has a couple of quirky things going on right now. I still can't get W 7 backup to work. Some programs install within seconds where others like a small windows update of 2 mb took almost 20 minutes last night to update. Java updated the other day and it took over 40 minutes. But then another install I did 2 days ago took 20 seconds and it was larger than the others. :eek: Can windows installer be corrupt? I did have to do a FIX IT last night to get windows update to work because it would not update and gave an error. I went to the error in Microsoft and it gave me the Fix It. That made it able to install but did nothing for how fast it was installed. How many years of building computers and never had anything like this before.
 
I seem to remember a recent posts or articles bewailing how very, very bad java is about updates and general utility. So the best approach to a java update is often to find out whose java you have installed, MS or Sun, make sure only one version is installed, uninstall the whole thing before installing the latest afresh. There used to be applications on one of the java source websites to completely clear your registry of all java entries, I.e. clean out the dust bunnies of older versions.

But your problem seems not entirely confined to java. I'm sure you know about possible conflicts with anti-virus software during installs, how you must be an administrator very often, and your suspicion of having an MS installer problem could be well-founded. Not forgetting that there are other people's installers as well as MS !! e.g. installshield
 
I use Microsoft Security Essentials and have never had any problems with it for anything like this. I may have found a solution that I will try tonight. Every time I do an install it tries to create a restore point. There are only a couple of restore points in my restore box and I have been reading that some have had this problem. I will shut down system restore and see if that works.
 
I got the installation problem fixed. I shut down system restore. Everything installs and uninstalls as fast as ever. I don't know what caused it to happen but it did and it is now fixed. I still don't have the windows 7 backup resolved though as I will keep on looking I guess.
 
Have you check to make sure your services are running for windows back. If they are at least set to manual . Windows back up will not run.
 
Is the driver for SATA AHCI installed?
did you try to use other spare sata cables?
 
I have since figured out my problem. It is a usb 3.0 card reader that is plugged into the motherboard. I unplugged it and it reads it like a charm now. I plugged it back in and it worked still (for awhile) then it would not let me do a system image or backup again. Anyone care to suggest what I should do? Get a different card reader? Will it do the same thing or is it this card reader I wonder? I am out money for this one I am sure but it is only $29 but I guess that is still money. I may check the website for a new driver. __________________
 
Maybe there is a usb 3.0 chipset driver update from your motherboard.
can you post the brand/model of your motherboard and your usb 3.0 media card reader?
 
Thanks. I already had it but tried the one you sent me but it was the same result. I guess I just need to unplug it when I ever need to do a system image or a backup or a system restore and then just plug it back in when I am done. I guess I will be looking for another brand and see if another one does the same thing. Crazy stuff that's for sure.
 
So install problems disappear if you shut down and restart, USB3 problems disappear if you unplug and re-plug. Both cases seem to imply a memory buffering problem. Maybe you should run extended memory disgnostics, looking for weak memory chips ? One at a time.
 
It looks like I did not state it clearly enough. I have that problem sometimes. I had the card reader unplugged after I shut down and then restarted. With it unplugged it continually worked great as long as it was unplugged. I then plugged it in and it worked again (I thought). It only worked for awhile with it plugged in. After a couple of minutes of being plugged in, it then will not go into being able to make a system image or backup. I guess I could do a memory diagnostics but why would it work with it unplugged if it were a memory issue?
 
There is only 1 usb 3.0 header on this board. We are talking about the 20 pin header and most of the boards I have seen only have one.
 
I guess I could do a memory diagnostics but why would it work with it unplugged if it were a memory issue?
All devices are buffered in main memory. Nothing reads directly into the processor. With a memory problem somewhat high up your total memory, then as you put more and more data through the system, the more memory you use. Eventually you hit the area of weak memory, which begins to try and retry the built-in memory error correction, which slows everything down suddenly, until either (a) there is a hard error - shown by a crash of any sort at all, or (b) the memory eventually succeeds or (c) bad memory is mapped into a fresh area of memory.

MS has historically not been very good at this sort of thing, as witness current server problems, where for certain reasons concerning file transfers across very long and slow links, they changed file sharing algorithms from SMB1 to SMB2 around 2005. This 'new' cache method in Windows server 2008 is so prone to data failure for older data sharing programs that SMB2 has to be disabled and SMB1 resurrected in it's place. Vista and upwards have a certain method of disk caching to match SMB2, which as you have probably guessed, is faster, but a lot less robust.

Here is a very typical scenario http://social.technet.microsoft.com.../thread/46c082ad-2455-4120-beea-c69ff2219ed9/
 
I tried doing memtest but it would not run. It would open the screen but would not do anything. It would not show any errors or anything.
 
Oh, I got it to work. I just needed to update my disc. I did not realize it was an old disc. I ran it now for almost 30 hours and no errors at all.
 
Well, at least you are certain the memory is fine. Always good to know. The next likely problem comes down to driver problems, and you just have to keep checking for newer releases. I gather you can happily run with only minor inconveniences....that's life at the cutting edge !!
 
Back