Cannot install an OS...please help

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WeezelDS

n00b
Joined
Feb 2, 2008
Messages
11
Hello,
I've been tearing my hair out trying to get an OS up and running after my old hdd crashed. I have brand new copies of vista ultimate and xp pro sp3. I formatted my 320gig hdd w/ the xp install disk, but when i returned, it appeared to have restarted (after finishing the format?) and said 'Disk Read Error Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart'. After restarting, it attempts to boot off the CD and after briefly flashing "Setup is inspecting your hardware configuration" the screen goes black and nothing happens for at least 10 minutes. After formatting, installing, and repairing with Vista, it restarts and gives the same disk error. I've run Memtest 86 on the memory (which i have to downclock to 333Mhz) with no errors. At 400Mhz some errors pop up. This is an old problem which I had fixed just by downclocking. So, either way, after attempting to install either xp or vista, the machine refuses to boot an OS. I've run full scandisk checks and tried this whole process on 2 hdds, both of which have no errors. I've cleared the CMOS several times between attempts. Here is a list of the hardware involved:

Abit KV8, AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Sempron 3400
OCZ PC4000 1gig Gold Edition GX XTC (3-4-3-8) 1024 EL DDR
BFG GeForce 256MB 6800 OC AGP
WD3200 (320gig)
WD1600 (160gig)...I swap this one out w/ the 320 seperatetly and get the same problem
LITE-ON DVD player SHD-16P1
ThermalTake TR2-430NP 430W Power Supply

I guess my best guess at this point is that the mobo is dead...but the chances of it dying at the same time as the old hdd failing is pretty bad...

frankly I'm never buying a desktop (or parts) again...I've had so many problems over the years despite being a computer junkie...and the fact that you can't swap parts much anymore since everything is integrated and a new architecture every few months kinda kills custom building on a reasonable budget...nothing works right and microsoft charges custom builders like me more for an OS...looks like cheapo laptops for me

anyways, if anybody could offer any help it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
WeezelDS
 
sounds like a boot priority setting is whacked....

Make sure the HD you're trying to boot to has the priority....
 
I'd suspect the media itself, to be honest, or... the optical drive. I would directly attribute the issues you're having to either the media or the optical drive. If possible, can you find some other machine, perhaps a friend's box, and make copies of the two discs you currently have? I know it sounds a bit ludicrous, but after installing OSes on 30,000 machines over the years, I've come to know one thing for sure: ya gotta check everything, multiple times, and when you get to a point where you think "It can't be that, it's brand new, it works, it's not defective, etc" that's exactly where the problem lies.

You didn't mention the optical drive once in your post aside from identifying it. Also, the overclocking has to stop, period. Semprons... well... they just ain't made for overclocking no matter what people say. I've seen far more people with issues with Semprons because they overclocked, even for brief periods of time, than most any other processor ever made.

But try a different optical drive if you can acquire one. Perhaps look into a firmware update on that Lite-On if one exists (CDFreaks.com has that kind of info) or even consider installing one of the custom ones for Lite-Ons you can find at that forum. They increase the reliability of the drives and add new features as well.

That's my suggestion...

As for you never building another PC, fat chance of that. Not everything is integrated nowadays, and as long as you have PCI slots on mobos (that'll take another decade to get rid of) you can upgrade to whatever you like. If not PCI then perhaps USB connections as a lot of devices that previously used PCI cards are now available with USB versions and they are functionally identical and work exactly the same way.

Good luck, regardless...
 
Yes, the correct hdd has the correct boot priority...This has been correct for all my tests, cuz I usually clear the cmos and this forces me to edit the boot priority as it always whines about not having a floppy to check on....

I've researched this problem on google for several hours and many ppl have all sorts of problems...dead dvd drives, not resetting cmos, or many times vista/xp sucking...possibly regarding MBRs not being formatting properly (vista and xp handle them differently)...but I've tried fully formatting and repairing w/o luck...currently vista's install disk will boot, but after installing it gives the disk error...xp wont boot off the disk atall after supposedly formatting w/ it...

thanks for the reply
 
Thanks Joe,
Just to clarify, the Sempron isn't overclocked...the video is factory overclocked...the memory just happens to have OC in its name, and its downclocked for stability...

I actually have 3 copies of xp, all on different brands of disks...they all behave the same...

I originally started doing this w/ a different dvd drive that would read some of the disks, but not others, and die half way sometimes...this new drive reads most of the disks...not others...every burned disk is like a roll of the dice with one die being the burning software, another for the burned media, another for the burning drive, and one more for the reading drive...then add age and scratches and burning disks is pretty much a waste of time...I only use external hdds or networks for data transfers...that being said, perhaps I should try yet another dvd drive

Yes, I could build wutever I like, but there's pci and pci express, and agp 2, 4, 8 or pci express, and memory architectures are always so different now, sometimes they need the exact same timings and are finicky about different speeds or even capacities....cpu socket architectures are different every couple months...that used to not change for many years at a time...the point is that I can't just buy a small component part every few months and keep moving along w/ all the old stuff...its like you have to buy a whole new rig every so often, only hdds transfer (and dont forget sata vs ide)

Edit: If it were the optical drive or the media, why would vista supposedly install correctly and then die when trying to boot off the hdd?

Thanks again
 
It's Windows. :)

After decades of working with this stuff, I came to the conclusion that sometimes, just sometimes, shit just won't work like we think it should, period. I've had situations like the one you're in: the OS would install but never boot on the next reboot at all, or it installed and wouldn't complete the first reboot into the OS completely, or some variation on those themes.

I wish I could say there's a concrete solution for the issues you're having, but unfortunately there isn't. It's almost always hit or miss, perhaps this time the combination of hardware you've got is just going to miss each and every time.

One last suggestion: have you made the attempt to strip down the machine to the most barest of essentials meaning the power supply, the mobo, the CPU/HSF, 1 stick of RAM (I don't care how much you have altogether, just use 1 single stick for the present time), onboard video if your mobo supports it otherwise use the video card, the optical drive, and the hard drive, and that's it. Not one other piece of hardware...

Then attempt the installation of either OS and see where it gets you.

I'm still suspecting the optical drive as I've known and seen issues with some optical drives, particular brands of media, and certain mobos especially with Vista. I know there were some big issues with Asus mobos, optical drives and Vista when Vista first came out but I think a BIOS update resolved it from the mobo's perspective. That could have something to do with your situation, although I can't offer any more information about that right now. I refuse to buy Asus products anymore, I've never had any luck with them personally so I simply won't touch 'em.

As for burning media, I never ever use the max speed, and I own a Plextor too. :) And I always do verifies as well. My philosophy is if it's worth acquiring, it's worth burning and if that's true then it's worth verifying the burns as well. I have a big stack of 52x TDK CDR media here and it never gets burned over 16x; I've got a second stack of 16x TDK DVD+R (TY media, actually) and I never burn it over 12x, always with the verification afterwards. That's just me, however, I'm not suggesting everyone do it. :)

I hope something favorable happens in your attempts, like one of those "AHA!" moments and things fall into place.
 
Yeah, its stripped down as it is...I think i'm gonna borrow the dvd drive out of my friend's brand new machine...i know that one works...I'll give it a shot tomorrow...

its just a non-stop battle to make computers work...like I don't upgrade or touch anything while its working, cuz every little change could mean its out of operation for weeks, and/or I have to drop a bunch of money...i even went to school for this garbage, I've overclocked and custom built/upgraded dozens of machines and helped others countless times, but there are still always problems...you need an entire computer lab full of interchangeable parts in order diagnose/repair any one machine...the frustration over the years has pushed me out of this line of work...not to mention turning into a robot, more familiar w/ a computer screen than a conversation and a walk down the street...and despite all that, things still don't work!

...sorry for the rant...thanks again
 
Been working with these bastiges since 1975 so I know the feeling. :) It's when you start taking that "I hate these things" that "they" get the better of you/us, so... walk it off, take a break from 'em, do whatever you find necessary.

Sometimes, when faced with some issue for a client (I work from home now, on a flat rate basis and not having to look at the clock anymore) that is frustrating me to no end I'll just turn the crap off, throw it (sometimes I literally do throw it - computers are tougher than most people realize) up on the desk and walk away from it for hours, if not days. Almost without fail when I make the conscious decision (not a choice, it's a decision, big difference between the two) to just drop it... sure enough while I'm on my "break" something occurs to me and wham... the job gets done, each and every time.

Don't worry about the ranting... if you were doing it alone in a room with no one around, that would be a problem, but here in the company of many like-minded peeps with the same exact situation(s), you'll be fine. :p Rant on...
 
That sounds like an issue with the optical drive. I've been using LITE-ON for a while in different rigs, and they always ship with issues. They are good drives, but you need to get the latest firmware. Without it they will have issues reading some disks, won't burn right, etc. If you never updated the firmware then chances are it may be contributing to the issue. That would be the first thing I would check. Also, it could be a mobo/cable issue. Try switching the IDE/SATA cables around, use different cables, try with only the boot drive (ie don't have 3 other HDDs connected), if its IDE drive put it on "master" or "cable select", all that stuff could help.
 
I swapped in a brand new SATA dvd drive that has been confirmed as working on another machine. It displays the disk read error for the Vista CD, and all the XP CDs boot into a black screen. Also, I've tested all 4 copies of Microsoft's OS's on other machines, they work fine. I've swapped IDE cables and tried each OS again. Same results. Granted it all worked fine a week ago, but at this point it seems like the mobo is dead, possibly its bus or some obscure memory timing incompatibility that i lost when i reset the cmos. I've given up on custom building computers. I intend to sell all the parts and get a laptop if/when I can afford it. This time and frustration is not worth it.

Anyways, thanks for all the advice. Hopefully I'll never need to bother anybody for it again.
 
Well, I took a rest and masochistically decided to give it one more crack...at some point while googling somebody mentioned something about a program from a hdd manufacturer that would return the disk to factory settings....I found western digital's lifeguard program for doing diagnostics on hdds...anyways, it pleasantly reminded me that xp cannot be installed on drives bigger than 137 gigs even w/ xp sp3 despite the fact that that size is nearly standard these days...and of course microsoft's feedback while installing is to just give an eternal black screen...vista not installing is still a mystery...but anyways i've reformatted to smaller partitions and things are back on track...so i suppose this problem ends the way most computer problems end...

FUCK YOU MICROSOFT

thanks again guys
 
WeezelDS said:
it pleasantly reminded me that xp cannot be installed on drives bigger than 137 gigs even w/ xp sp3
Click to expand...
Sure you can. SP1 fixed this. I have XP installed on several systems with a larger than 137 GB C partition.
 
WeezelDS said:
Hello,
I've been tearing my hair out trying to get an OS up and running after my old hdd crashed. I have brand new copies of vista ultimate and xp pro sp3. I formatted my 320gig hdd w/ the xp install disk, but when i returned, it appeared to have restarted (after finishing the format?) and said 'Disk Read Error Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart'. After restarting, it attempts to boot off the CD and after briefly flashing "Setup is inspecting your hardware configuration" the screen goes black and nothing happens for at least 10 minutes. After formatting, installing, and repairing with Vista, it restarts and gives the same disk error. I've run Memtest 86 on the memory (which i have to downclock to 333Mhz) with no errors. At 400Mhz some errors pop up. This is an old problem which I had fixed just by downclocking. So, either way, after attempting to install either xp or vista, the machine refuses to boot an OS. I've run full scandisk checks and tried this whole process on 2 hdds, both of which have no errors. I've cleared the CMOS several times between attempts. Here is a list of the hardware involved:

Abit KV8, AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Sempron 3400
OCZ PC4000 1gig Gold Edition GX XTC (3-4-3-8) 1024 EL DDR
BFG GeForce 256MB 6800 OC AGP
WD3200 (320gig)
WD1600 (160gig)...I swap this one out w/ the 320 seperatetly and get the same problem
LITE-ON DVD player SHD-16P1
ThermalTake TR2-430NP 430W Power Supply

I guess my best guess at this point is that the mobo is dead...but the chances of it dying at the same time as the old hdd failing is pretty bad...

frankly I'm never buying a desktop (or parts) again...I've had so many problems over the years despite being a computer junkie...and the fact that you can't swap parts much anymore since everything is integrated and a new architecture every few months kinda kills custom building on a reasonable budget...nothing works right and microsoft charges custom builders like me more for an OS...looks like cheapo laptops for me

anyways, if anybody could offer any help it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
WeezelDS
Click to expand...

First off,

I used to get that error when I installed a brand new 400 gig HD. Windows would install, but then I would get that message. It turned out I had to switch the IDE read mode from auto to block level.
 
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