Windows Install problems

[M21MFS]

Just wondeirng if anyone can help!

Finally got round to picking up a new HDD for my old Dell desktop, which has sat idle for months. It's a 500gb SATA drive, have swapped it over with the old one and begun windows install. The format of the drive completes fine, but setup seems to crash when installing files over. I get a blue screen of death, whereby the characters look like their written in Araibic or something!

It's a dell Optiplex GX280 - any ideas welcome, cos this be driving me nuts now

 

[Eklipze3k]

What version of Windows are you installing and at what stage does it BSOD?

Assuming it's getting past the Copying Files stage and allowing you to choose which drive you want to install to, and it's crashing during the actual installation phase it sounds to me like it could be a hardware issue.

I know it's mostly gobbledygook, but if it BSOD's again can you make a note of anything that might help ie. if it shows an error like DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

 

[muppet42]

Hmm, that is a weird one

If the drive's completely clean and formatted, it should just go through the normal install process, partitioning, etc. Don't know why you'd get a BSOD. Only reason I can think of is if there's something else interfering with the install, but can't think what it could be.

I know with my original install of XP, I ended up getting BSODs more and more frequently and it was driver related. Ended up going to Vista, which failed due to a dodgy copy and then Ubuntu, which I just didn't get on with. Back on XP now and not had any BSODs, just the usual freeze ups if I over tax the machine which I sometimes do

Anyway though, not entirely sure what you can do. If you can, you could try and take a pic on the mobile or something of the BSOD and post it on here. Someone of a more technically minded disposition could maybe offer advise. I could certainly tell if it were driver related on one look of it.

Also, you could give the MS help centre type place a go. Sometimes they can offer solutions to BSODs, but sometimes not

Hope it's sorted out soon for you though.

 

[muppet42]

What version of Windows are you installing and at what stage does it BSOD?

Assuming it's getting past the Copying Files stage and allowing you to choose which drive you want to install to, and it's crashing during the actual installation phase it sounds to me like it could be a hardware issue.

I know it's mostly gobbledygook, but if it BSOD's again can you make a note of anything that might help ie. if it shows an error like DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Yup, that was the dreaded message I kept getting with my last issues

 

[M21MFS]

At one point, on reboot, i got ntldr is missing. Hit ctrl alt and del to restart. Im nae getin past the copy/setup at initial stage. Think it may be a setting rather than hardware. Have a pic, will upload when bk fae the pub!

 

[Gregry254]

You sure the disk is ok? I am sure that happened to me once and it was just a dodgy burn of the disk. I am off next weekend if you fancy meeting up for that vista?

 

[M21MFS]

You sure the disk is ok? I am sure that happened to me once and it was just a dodgy burn of the disk. I am off next weekend if you fancy meeting up for that vista?

Right, took it past a mates tonight on the way home. It's now working, less half a gig of RAM. There was a pair of chips, and an odd one. Removing that seems to remove the obstacle to installing XP.

It's up and running now, but just needs a LOT of updating. Simple things like the dell sound/graphics/network drivers updated. Fingers crossed it'll be sorted soon - but Greg, might be worth trying Vista just to see if it works

 

[Eklipze3k]

If you're running on reduced RAM I wouldn't bother with Vista tbh - it'll just gobble it all up, try 7 while it's (legitimately) free

 

[M21MFS]

If you're running on reduced RAM I wouldn't bother with Vista tbh - it'll just gobble it all up, try 7 while it's (legitimately) free

You got a link to the download/spec list?

Didnt think it'd run on just a gig of ram?

 

[Eklipze3k]

You got a link to the download/spec list?

Didnt think it'd run on just a gig of ram?

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/

Vista sure as hell won't but my bro is running 7 on his laptop no bother and I'm sure that only has 1GB

 

[M21MFS]

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/

Vista sure as hell won't but my bro is running 7 on his laptop no bother and I'm sure that only has 1GB

Cheers - look like the evalutation period is over tho

Must say Im tempted to actually go out and BUY windows 7 if its any cop :nutter:

 

[imported_Voodoo]

Martyn, I'm sure I can get you some spare mem, how many slots does it have as I have 512mb chips coming out my ears lol