GA-P55-USB3: Windows 7 Will Not Install

[jamesbird]

I'm having the same problem as a number of other users of the forum - I'm trying to load W7 64 bit onto an i7 chipped GA-P55-USB3 board and having a frustrating time.
I get to a 'file failed to load - check media bla bla' message at the 'extracting files stage' - which is after the copying files stage, so seems unlikely to be faulty media, but so far I've tried:
1. Upgrading BIOS to F8 - I think the newest I can go on this V1 board?
2. Using the same HD, W7 media and optical drive on another (socket 775) system and it'll load W7 64 bit OK
3. Tried two different (new) SATA drive - same problem
4. Loaded XP 3 times on both drives on the P55 board and it's fine every time
5. Tried the drives in both the GSATA and SATA0 connectors - same problem
6. Tried W7 32 bit - same problem
7. Tried Vista and it blows out as well!
So the only luck I've had is with XP -My moment of brilliance was to load XP, upgrade to Vista, upgrade to W7, but it blows out loading vista this way as well!
I've not been able to swap RAM (using 2x2gig DDR3) or the CPU as I've only got the one set.
Any other ideas?
From the other posts here it looks like the GA-P55 is a bit flaky - Have a made a bad choice?
Be glad of any input and help.
Thanks

[Dark Mantis]

Hi and welcome to the Gigabyte Forum, James.

Firstly it would help if you could list all your hardware including PSU please.

You seem to have done some throrough testing and as I see it we are now down to the board, memory or CPU.

[jamesbird]

Hi DM
2 x 2Gig UNB DDR3-1333 CL6 RAM
i7-870 2.93GHz 8MB cache
650W Storm PSU
GA-P55 USB3 Rev 1.0 MB
Samsung HD2HJ 500GB SATA HD

Can someone drop me a note of a definative set of BIOS setings they've used to get W7 64bit working on the P55 MB please - may be something in the 'safe settings' I've applied is not right.

All the best
James

[Dark Mantis]

Hi James
You neglected to say what GPU you are using.
How did you update the BIOS, QFlash or @BIOS?
If you have loaded optimised BIOS defaults they should be fine.
Is your memory on the QVL of Gigabyte or the board on the memory manufacturer's QVL?

[jamesbird]

Can you point me at the QVL - I cant find it on the Gigabyte site - Thanks

[absic]

Hi,

if your motherboard is rev 1.0 you can find the QVL here: http://download.gigabyte.eu/FileList/Memory/mb_memory_ga-p55-usb3.pdf

[jamesbird]

Thanks Absic
DM I've looked, and the memory is on the Gigabyte QVL
The graphics card is an Nvidia Quadro FX580 512meg - I'd not thought to change that, I'm giving it a go now - though I'm confused as to how XP can be happy but Vista and W7 not.
Thanks for your help
James

[Dark Mantis]

Well the main difference is memory requirements between XP and Win7 so maybe even though you have enough memory in theory it is faulty so I would advise you to download and run Memtest86+ on the modules one at a time for at least 10 loops. If you get any errors then you have a faulty module. XP will happily run on 2GB but Win7 really needs 4 GB.

Memtest86+   http://www.memtest.org/

[jamesbird]

Agggghhhhh - I'll give the memory test a go BUT it looks like it might be the graphics card!!
Just trying another PCI express unit and it looks like XP is upgrading to Vista. Not where I wany to be in the end, but progress.
I'll keep you posted.
Ta
James

[Dark Mantis]

OK James at least you seem to be moving forward.

[jamesbird]

Now I'm confused - Graphics card was a red herring - I can use either of two cards interchangably BUT it looks like a memory/ mem slot problem.
I've 2 sticks of 2gig ddr3
Both run though memtest86 as individual cards in slot 1 and then as individual cards in slot 3 - OK
BUT with both cards installed at once, memtest86 fails - the MB reboots - at about 4% of test 1.
Tried the modules in the other order and same result!
So cards individually - OK
Slots individually - OK
2 slots and 2 modules together - fail (irrespective of which way round the modules are)
I need either 1. A good idea  2. A 2nd GA-P55 board   3. a 2nd pair of memory modules   4. Someone to tell me what to try next!
Anyone any ideas?
Ta
James

[Dark Mantis]

Dont forget that it could now be a CPU problem also as the memory controller is built into the chip.
However if it was me I would RMA the memory and start from there as that is the quickest and easiest solution also probably the most likely.

[Lsdmeasap]

Are you setting the memory voltage?   If not please do, and set QPI/Vtt 1.15-1.25 and see if that helps.

Is that memory made for P55/X58, and rated at 1.65V or less?