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    I recently built a system to run WHS. All components are brand new.

    Mobo - GA-MA74GM-S2 (rev 1.x) latest firmware
    CPU - AMD Athalon 7850
    RAM - 2x 1 GB Corsair DDR2 800
    HDD 1 - WD 1 TB Black
    HDD 2 - Hitachi 1 TB OEM
    PSU - 450w (can't recall the brand)
    I've also used other HDD both IDE and SATA for testing.

    Let me preface this by saying I think there's something wrong with my mobo. Trying to use the HDD with any BIOS setting other than Legacy IDE has caused problems and through the course of my testing the BIOS has failed to recognize HDD (both IDE and SATA during POSTS after a BSOD).

    I've probably looked at 20 dumps and the errors are all over the place. I've never once gotten an error that would point me back to a specific device driver. I've tested both sticks of RAM with memtest+. I've ran chkdsk on all drives and looked at S.M.A.R.T. reporting. I feel reasonably confident that it's not memory or HDD. I've tested upwards of 5 HDD and have had problems on all.

    I've installed Server 2008 x64 and Vista 64x and I've had the same problems with these OS. I have the system plugged into a UPS at home with another computer. I thought maybe it was a power issue with my house or UPS so I brought it to my office and plugged it into a dedicated circuit and it BSOD on boot.

    I would love for this to be a memory issue but it seems like it's CPU, mobo, or PSU and I don't know how to troubleshoot any of those. I might just try to return everything and start from scratch.

    Is there anyway to diagnostically test a motherboard, PSU, or CPU? If it is CPU it's not a function of heat or stress because it will BSOD with an idle processor at 35 degrees.
    Monday, June 1, 2009 3:37 PM

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    What happens if you boot the computer, enter the BIOS, and just sit there for an extended period of time (hours to days, probably)? If you're having a CPU issue, you might expect to see the computer freeze eventually.

    Other than that, when you start suspecting CPU, MB, or PSU, without diagnostic tools that most people don't have (because they're expensive and very specialized) you swap parts until the problem goes away. For what it's worth, your description makes me believe it's a motherboard or CPU problem, rather than power supply...
    I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)
    Monday, June 1, 2009 4:05 PM
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    That is an excellent question. I've considered doing the same thing by booting to a LiveCD of some sort but booting to the BIOS takes removes even that. The problem I have is that I have 30 days to return the parts (except for the CPU...I threw the box away) and I'm running out of time on the window so I might exchange the mobo and PSU and start again. Ugh. I'm guessing I can contact AMD and service the processor under warranty but that seems painful. I might just eat the $60 I paid for it.

    I didn't want to spend $500 for the EX875 (plus I've been bitten by the Seagate 7200.11 problem) but I'm wishing now that I had gone that route.
    Monday, June 1, 2009 5:26 PM