Can't install windows but linux works?

D

DellAxim

Gawd
Joined
Feb 14, 2003
Messages
999
I have an older Dell D600 laptop that I'm trying to get to work again. I need to reinstall the operating system but I cannot seem to get windows XP to work. It will install just fine, but as soon as it gets to the poing where the installation restarts and windows starts for the first time, I get "the blue screen of death". (genuine windows CD I might add)

I've tried all sorts of things to get around it, but nothing has worked. Then I tried running an Ubuntu live CD in the laptop. Works great! In fact I'm typing this post on it right now.

Why can't I get windows to work?! The hardware seems ok. I ran Memtest for a while, no errors. New hard drive.

Any ideas?
 
Bump, anyone?

I can't find any hardware issues at all with this laptop. It will boot an XP live CD and work just fine. Why won't it install XP?!?!
 
Considering that particular model of Dell laptop, it might have something to do with the chipset drivers. You might have to either slipstream them into the install disc or load them from a USB drive during the install.
 
drive might be dieing, i've had a case with a dieing drive that windows refused to use, but was able to install linux on (it just ignored the bad sectors)
 
W.Feather said:
drive might be dieing, i've had a case with a dieing drive that windows refused to use, but was able to install linux on (it just ignored the bad sectors)
Click to expand...

I've tried 3 different HDs, always the same problem.


I'll try and make my own custom "restore" CD and slipstream all the drivers in....
 
Could be a bad xp disk, I had a disk once with this problem, swapping disks fixed it.
 
I've tried more than one genuine microsoft XP CD, and I just tried using nlite to slipstream the chipset drivers into another XP install, still the same problem.
 
Video drivers, motherboard, cd drive? Seems like those are the only things not ruled out.
 
I'd lean towards the HD or CD too, even though you've tried multiple drives. Doesn't sound like ram, caps or other hardware if it fails at the exact same point everytime. Though I have seen memory create very odd behavior. Download this:

The Ultimate Boot CD

Run one of the HD diag programs, I like Seatools and HDat2, but they are all fine. It couldn't hurt to run memtest overnight either. As a final note, check that the cooling fan is not blocked.
 
I've tried two different IDE drives and 3 different USB hard drives, always the same problem. I've tried more windows cd's than I can remember. Same problem. I've swapped the memory 3 different times from known working machines. Same problem.


GRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!! :mad:

What do you guys think about replacing the entire motherboard if I can get one cheap enough on ebay? They seem to be under $30 or so. I had another Dell laptop die because the memory slots wouldn't work anymore. (apparently a common problem for that model)
 
I would bet on drivers, I am assuming that if you are using multiple XP disks to try to figure it out you do not have the original restore disk that came with the laptop. I had a gateway that was rediculous like this with drivers. One of the several reasons I moved to only building desktops. I would search online and see if anyone has a restore disk set for that model of laptop.

It could also be a bad motherboard if you have truely tried multiple hard drives. The motherboard could have some issue that is causing hard drive errors windows is picking up.
 
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