Perplexing hardware trouble with a Dell inspiron

[wgbser109]

Hi there,

was currently working on a laptop (Dell Inspiron B130) that was bluescreening regularly prior to loading into windows....about 1 out of every 20 times I could eventually boot into windows, it eventually blue screened after no longer than about 20 minutes anyways

upon attempt to install a fresh copy of windows, it bluescreened yet again...

I ran some diagnostics, and the harddrive came back as failed, so, as simply as it sounds I replaced the harddrive and attempted yet again to install windows (XP Home, by the way)

it got a little farther this time, (it started to load some initial drivers) but went no further and yet again, bluescreened with the same error code before, leaving me to believe it was no longer the harddrive (Blue screen error code posted at end of post)

At this point, I ran a full hardware diagnostic test (twice with two different programs) and re-ran specific harddrive diagnostic tests, all coming up with 0 problems (the harddrive problem seemed to had been fixed)...but I was still getting this blue screen

After first replacing the harddrive, when I tried installing windows for the first time, it gave me a different error code : "Ntkrnlmp.exe Could Not Be Loaded. The Error Code Is 7"
....upon Microsoft's suggestion, I reset my bios and did the above diagnostics tests....the bios resetting seemed to have let me get farther in the installation but as I have stated I was still bluescreening....and as previously stated the Ram, along with the other hardware was apparently clean

So alas, I am completely puzzled....it isn't the operating system....it supposedly isn't the harddrive...nor is it the Ram....the only other thing I could think of is perhaps it's the connection between the harddrive and the motherboard (for the record, the harddrive is IDE)....


Anyone have any other ideas or suggestions? I can't really figure out any other way to go with this one....
-thanks



BSOD:

A computer has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your computer....(Blah blah blah)
...
......
....


Technical Information:
***STOP: 0x0000007E (0xC0000005, 0xF85480BF, 0xF8993F08)

*** pci.sys - Address F85480BF base at F8541000, DateStamp 3b75d1ac

 

[raybay]

This is a serious error, but is usually a driver error. Your computer is about three to four years old, so it can be as simple as a dirty CPU fan or cooling channels, a defective memory module, but the driver error is most common, and the video graphics driver is the most common with that Dell model.
You need to test several things. Remove one memory module, and see what happens with the other. Then change modules and try again.
Clean your cooling channels with a can of dust off or other canned, treated cleaner air.
Go to Start->Control Panel->System-> Device Manager, and look for yellow or red flags on any and all of the devices listed. If there is a "mark" of some kind, you can assume that is the correct driver to replace.

Go to the Dell site, and enter your Service Tag off the label on the computer.
When you get to that side, have Dell Scan your computer so you know what to download, or download all the drivers.
Then put them on disk or flash driver where you can install them as needed.
Obviously, you will need another computer to do this. You might also want to print the instructions for each driver if you have not done this before.
First, update the BIOS
Second, install the Chipset drivers.
Third, install the Video Graphics driver...
Then install all other drivers that have a date more recent than your purchase date... or install them all.
Keep notes on what you do and what happens.
Get back to us if not successful.

 

[wgbser109]

thanks for the response!

here's the problem, i really can't even boot into windows to deal with the drivers, whether it's safe mode or not, I'm getting this error with a brand new clean harddrive without even having the choice or opportunity to install a new copy of windows....

i did a diagnostic on the ram and it came up clean, but il try removing each and try again....as well as clean it out and get back to ya

 

[raybay]

You have just about narrowed it down to bad video graphics card, or bad motherboard, since you have ruled out everything else...
That is IF you ran MemTest86 for four hours or seven passes, which ever was longer.
My first guess remains the memory unless you have acutally run the long memory test.

Since the problem is there before you install Windows, your system board is likely a failure. Don't know how you would know, though, based on what you describe. You need the Chipset, memory, video graphics driver, and other driver to makes some of those evaluations.

But the B130 is a pretty reliable computer. We have many many in the hands of a raucus sales force.

A new board will cost you between $75 and $175 depending on whether new or used.

 

[wgbser109]

hmmm...yeah I was thinking the board too....im thinking it's somewhere near the connection with the harddrive because although it no longer does this, i would get an error every once in a while claiming that nothing was connected in that bay when clearly there was (checked multiple times)....


yeah...i've run full diagnostics on the whole thing, including several extensive ram tests that came up negative :-/....it's what leads me to think motherboard...


as far as the board goes, whereabouts would i go to find such specific hardware, aside through dell (i assume dell's prices are simply unrealistic)

 

[raybay]

Huge numbers of the B130 were sold. We still have three of them as loaners... Most were celerons...

You can get the motherboards on eBay for as low as $74, but the going rate is really $94 + shipping for used, and $150 to $175 plus shipping for new ones.