After many experiences installing windows 7 on multiple computers and having multiple problems with the installs wanting to take 24 hours. I have created a list of everything I have done in the past so Windows 7 doesn't put me in install Hell anymore. Everything on this list I have ran into at leased once where it caused issues.
If there is something you have encountered that isn't on this list, post it. This may be a good sticky post With my luck, more often than not, windows 7 installs are a bitch on pc's that weren't initially windows 7.
- Remove all USB devices except your keyboard. (INCLUDING internal card readers, you could keep your mouse if you can't use tab)
- Remove all PCI devices except your video card.
- Disable the Floppy Disk drive in bios (Even if you have one!)
- Remove all of your memory except one stick. (If it's 2 256 or 6 2gb sticks, still remove all but ONE)
- Update your bios. (If possible)
- Enable memory rewrite in bios. (A lot of modern bios have this option and it is generally disabled)
- Disable the sound card in bios.
- Enable AHCI in bios if installing to a SSD. (Not only have I had this put me in a slow install situation, it robs your SSD of performance if AHCI is off)
- Check your install media. If downloading from msdn, you CAN get corrupt iso's. Either on the way to your pc, or on the way to the disk from a bad disk/burner. If you bought an OEM or Boxed copy, I highly doubt the disk is bad, but it is possible. I ran into a bad oem XP disk before.
- Try a different DVD drive if you pc doesn't support usb boot or if you don't have a spare usb drive around. (Just because cds work fine on the drive doesn't mean dvds will, I have had MULTIPLE drives die on the cd side while dvds still worked fine, and on the dvd side while cd's still worked fine)
- Try booting off of a usb drive with the install files on it. (Great tool here http://store.microsoft.com/Help/ISO-Tool there is a sticky on this as well if you should need more help)
- Check to make sure your memory and hdd isn't bad. (I put this one last because it will take forever to check these fully)
- A faulty motherboard could be the culprit as well, but that is harder to check. If this was a new PC and I was at wit's end, I would just rma the Motherboard and Power Supply. I have seen both cause weird issues installing windows 7.
If there is something you have encountered that isn't on this list, post it. This may be a good sticky post With my luck, more often than not, windows 7 installs are a bitch on pc's that weren't initially windows 7.