It’s possible you’ve got some garbage running, like malware, a virus, or a bot... A failing drive is a possibility, but I doubt that's it. It's taking too long and freezing the OS/computer... Or maybe an update is hogging resources in the background. I still don't get why people trust Apple enough to let them run constant updates. I never use them and everything works fine. You buy a new car and you drive it. Why would it need an update? You buy a toothbrush and you brush your teeth. What kind of update? The only things that ever actually need updating are Java and that sort of nonsense. They shouldn't even be inventing this constant stream of new crap just to screw us over.
What are you even talking about? You want to install Windows 7 on a new 2 TB Seagate BarraCuda 2 TB? That isn't the issue. The real problem is if you don't know how to configure the BIOS. If it fails once, it won't work even if you install it on another computer and move the drive back. Jesus. Sometimes you need to switch to IDE mode or something else depending on the BIOS settings. AHCI, or whatever else it offers... I don't recall every single option off the top of my head. You have to check. If you don't know, find someone who does. Stop messing with the Hard Drives; you might actually break one by moving it around. One wrong bump and it's trash.
It’s the power supply. 99% chance. Try a different unit or take the motherboard to a repair shop to test it against another PSU. Use a friend's setup if you have one. Did you actually unplug the PC after hitting CMOS clear? Or did you just turn it off? Are the fans spinning? That means you have 12V. Can you even measure the voltage? It shouldn't drop below 11.40V. If the PSU is weak, you can measure the voltage. If it's dead, there's nothing left to measure. Even a new power supply can fail; you never know. Yours is running hot and acting erratic because you have two GPUs inside that absolutely gorge on power. They are killing your PSU. I know those cards well. Never forget: PSUs, HDDs, and SSDs wear out just like brakes on a car. It's inevitable. The only solution is to buy a higher-wattage unit than you technically need. If it isn't running at full capacity, it has headroom and will last much longer—maybe even 15 years. Buy one that is 25-35% more powerful than required and you won't have to worry about it.
Mahun, I already told you. Your power supply probably gave out. It’s the obvious answer. Since the PSU is a component that handles constant load (including your HDDs and SSDs), you should just buy one with more headroom right away—maybe 25-30% more wattage than you actually need. That's how you make it last for years. That is how it should be done. If you just buy the bare minimum, you'll be replacing it in a couple of years. It depends. Or maybe it’s something else entirely. Who knows? My crystal ball is looking pretty cloudy.
Clearing the CMOS via the jumper was the right move, but you did it without power! And make sure all four sticks are actually seated when you perform that reset. Once the jumper is back in place and the power is on, boot straight into the BIOS and select "Load Defaults." Save and exit, then jump back into the BIOS to configure things properly—for instance, disabling any unnecessary turbo settings. With older BIOS versions and RAM, you often have to manually tune the memory settings; not every BIOS plays nice with every module. Some settings can stay on Auto, while others require manual input. It’s just a headache. It's possible everything was set correctly before, but now those settings are gone. You likely lost them due to a dying battery or a loose connection from when you moved the build to a different case.
For future reference, it’s usually better to stick with two sticks. Even if you install four, performance often drops because the chipset has to work harder managing four modules instead of two. It’s a lot like dealing with women... Two sticks are perfect for Dual-channel mode—much faster than a single stick, though on modern chipsets, the difference isn't nearly as significant.
You aren't the only one facing this. There are probably 500 million people dealing with the same thing...
There are several possibilities...
I will give you two main reasons...
1. Windows updates. They run constantly. Some users end up with 50GB or more just from that. Look in the folder c:\Windows\winsxs\ Turn off automatic updates and this nonsense stops. I have used Windows for years and never allow automatic updates... I only perform manual ones when necessary for things like Adobe Flash Player, Java, or similar junk for Mozilla Firefox...
2. Junk accumulates in the Temp/Tmp folders and nobody ever clears it out. It adds up quickly. You need to empty it manually. It isn't difficult if you know where to look. Put a shortcut on the Desktop and check it at least once a week. Alternatively, get CCleaner; it handles the cleanup automatically for anything older than two days... For example: c:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Temp\ or, if you aren't an Admin, check whichever user folder applies to you. And c:\Windows\Temp\
Take my Windows 7, for instance. I once created a 27GB Partition and I still have 11.6GB free. I don't keep any junk, aside from that 4GB mess in c:\Windows\winsxs\ I haven't tried deleting that yet. Some files in there are necessary, and Microsoft claims you shouldn't touch them—though some people do. Could it cause problems? Microsoft says so. I doubt it. It seems more like Spy tactics to me. Since it isn't taking up much space on my machine, I haven't touched it, but if I had 10GB or more tied up there, I wouldn't wait. I might tackle it eventually. For many people, that folder hits 25GB or more...
Anything that consumes space, like photos or music, goes straight to the D: drive. That keeps the C: drive small, allowing for a fast Backup and Recovery (it takes about 10 minutes), using an external program rather than the built-in Windows tool.
Could faulty drivers be the issue? I’d suggest heading straight to the manufacturer's site to download everything compatible with your version of Windows. It's likely you're missing the actual Chipset driver. Maybe turning off the Wi-Fi/Ethernet would help.
Don't go insulting Gigabyte! They are one of the top manufacturers out there regarding quality. I will give you some pointers. If you still can't manage it, then find a professional. Though normally, you shouldn't have to.
Just to be safe, First, simply plug the SSD into SATA 0. No other HDDs or CD drives... nothing.
Perform a proper CMOS Clear using the jumper while the power is off. Check your manual. The CMOS remembers far more than just what you see in the BIOS. Put the jumper back in its original position.
Apply power, boot up, and go straight into the BIOS. Just to be certain, select Load default setup. Press F10 to save and exit, then enter the BIOS again. Follow those steps exactly. This isn't a toy. You have to sync the hardware and the software (BIOS)... step by step.
The BIOS offers many options. Since I don't have an SSD myself, I can't tell you exactly how to configure the rest... but there are a hundred different ways to set the boot sequence and such.
Look for Hard disk boot priority. Your SSD should be there. It might not show up immediately because you may need to enable AHCI mode first. You might have to adjust that, save, and come back to this menu.
There is also a second boot device option, but that's only after you reconnect your HDDs and CD/DVD drives. ...
Make sure SATA AHCI Mode is enabled!
Is SATA 0 Native enabled or disabled? I am not sure; try both.
It has to work. If RAID works, the SSD will work. An old HDD would cause issues long before an SSD would.
You also have the Onboard SATA/IDE setting. I wouldn't choose IDE; you'd only use that for an HDD. But again, I don't have an SSD on hand to be certain. What I do know is that Gigabyte doesn't pull stunts like that.
There is absolutely no reason to switch to a different motherboard. It shouldn't be necessary.
Integrated graphics consume system memory, depending on your settings... which means you can't just expect to have 4GB left over. If you're talking about per-frame processing... lowering the priority of background software might help, though it won't affect games. But it isn't a silver bullet. It might be useful if you simply close every unnecessary application before gaming to keep only the essentials running. Good luck.
Check your BIOS settings. What is the 12V rail reading? Alternatively, grab a multimeter and test the yellow and black wires on the power supply connector. Under load, that voltage shouldn't dip below 11.4V. Since the BIOS only shows a light load, if you see 11.6V there, I'd say your PSU is failing. Don't just assume it's the power supply. Test it first.
... Just leave HWMonitor running, then go play a game until you hit a BSOD. Once it crashes, check those temperatures. Take a photo and post it here. You need to see what happens at peak temps. From what I can tell, the CPU Fan is spinning at 3000 RPM, which means your CPU Cooler is small and weak. Your case is likely overheating, and while your power supply might be helping slightly by pulling some hot air out, it's not enough. You definitely need a high-end CPU Cooler. Every serious gamer uses a large one because no other software pulls as much power from the CPU and Graphics Card as heavy gaming does. A decent cooler will also be quieter since they usually run at around 1000 RPM. You should also install a case fan behind the CPU Cooler to exhaust the air immediately. Otherwise, the power supply has to struggle to suck in all that hot air, causing it to overheat during gameplay. The larger the fan, the better. Even if you have an old case with 8cm, 10cm, or 12cm slots... a larger fan can spin at lower speeds and still keep the PC quiet. Your Graphics Card will be the only component making noise. There are other solutions for that too, but they are complicated and not really meant for regular people who aren't electrical engineers.
The standard approach is to have one primary partition, typically your C: drive, while all others should be set up as Logical partitions... like D:, E:, or F:.
Sometimes, a tiny bit of unallocated space ends up between the primary and logical partitions. It’s small, stays invisible in Windows, and won't cause any issues. Since it's there, you can't actually turn it into a usable partition. If that unallocated gap is under 1GB, why bother? Just leave it alone.
Multiple primary partitions are only necessary if you plan on installing different versions of Windows—say, Windows XP followed by Windows 7 as an add-on. But that requires covering the first one while creating the second. That's a completely different conversation.
If you have errors on the Hard Disk, run a scan on the C: drive via This PC for a full repair. It takes some time; the more errors there are, the longer it will take. Maybe you should just upgrade to an SSD. You won't hear anything except the fan. Hard Disks haven't been loud for years, but if the noise bothers you, get an SSD. It's like a thumb drive—total silence.
Hard Drives in laptops fail incredibly fast because people carry them everywhere. They set them down on desks and bang them around; you’d think they’d just put a coaster or something on the table first. Hard Drives are extremely sensitive to impact. Even minor shocks can instantly ruin the internal platters. You have to understand that those tiny, delicate read/write heads have almost zero clearance from the platters. If they touch—especially while powered on—the platters get scratched. If I were in the computer business, I wouldn't sell laptops with a Hard Drive. I'd only deal in SSDs. SSDs aren't sensitive to physical shock. You'll crack the laptop chassis or shatter the screen long before you kill an SSD. I'd include a contract requiring a cleaning service every six months for a small fee, $17 or something similar. Are laptop manufacturers insane? And who actually buys this fragile junk? Even big-box retailers like Walmart sell them. There is nothing more delicate than a laptop. The world is crazy. I don't know what people are thinking. I have a laptop here at home that is about six years old. It runs twelve hours a day and works like new. It stays on its own little desk, it's treated well, nobody moves it around, and nobody bangs on the desk. You can't even accidentally bump a cable. You just have to take care of things. Then there are people who can't even look after a desktop. I know one guy who would kick his computer every time a problem came up, as if that would help.