Clean Install crashes at 34 Minutes Remaining

[Guest]

I forgot to mention that I had this OS on my previous HD and the new one is
the same... Would that warrant the need for a BIOS update since it worked
with the current BIOS?

 

[S. Taylor]

I'm sorry, i don't know of any dos based motherboard utilities.
The WD cd will only find problems with the hdd, and it won't necessarily
cause the same lockup as the XP install cd.

I know it's a longshot....but do you still have the previous motherboard
around?

 

[S. Taylor]

Normally, no, but your having problems, now....

I forgot to mention that I had this OS on my previous HD and the new one is
the same... Would that warrant the need for a BIOS update since it worked
with the current BIOS?

 

[Guest]

I do not have the previous motherboard.

When I thought that my previous HD had failed, I did try reformatting and
partitioning it. Windows XP did the same thing when installing which is why
I thought the old drive was a goner (the HD crashed and wouldn't load the OS
before I reformatted and tried to reinstall the OS).

I tried the IDE cable from the previous HD, but same deal.

Another interesting thing is going on... Setup stalls at the drivers.cab
file at 17% complete - Then when the OS is trying to install, it crashes at
34 minutes - I am not math wizard, but I do know that 17+17=34...
Coincidence? I can't find much on the www regarding the driver.cab file.

 

[Guest]

Neil - Kind of interesting...

Setup stalls at the drivers.cab file at 17% complete - Then when the OS is
trying to install, it crashes at 34 minutes - I am not math wizard, but I do
know that 17+17=34. I imagine the install is at about 17% after the reboot
and during the attemp to install. Coincidence? I can't find much on the www
regarding the driver.cab file.

 

[neil]

Hmm, not sure now. Are you sure the CD is ok, there aren't any scratches or
marks on the disk are there. Then again I bet that was the first thing you
thought of.
I'll have a look around the web myself..............

Neil

 

[S. Taylor]

lol, your math is adding percentile to get minutes
It's just a coincidence, but have you examined your xp cd for scrathes or
cracks or other flaws?

I still think it's the motherboard.
If you have a friend (locally) thats willing to help, try putting your hdd
in his comp (with no other hdds attached) and see if you can install xp onto
it.
If it succeeds, the installation won't be useable on your system, but it
would prove that hdd
is innocent, which would leave only your video card, cd drive & motherboard.
If you have or can borrow a cd/dvd drive & video card to substitute for
yours .......

 

[Guest]

I know that I am goofy, but it came to me last night when I was trying to go
to sleep! This OS thing is keeping me up at night scratching my head! Even
the goofiest ideas are starting to sound like possibilities!

All of my friends (all meaning one) have a laptop, so I don't think that
they can help me out. You don't know anyone in the Portland, Oregon area
that enjoys saving damsels in distress do you? Just kidding!

 

[S. Taylor]

Sorry, noone i know is crazy enough to live there,
Hurricane Magnet USA ... yes
Near the Great Lakes where 10ft+ snowfalls is the norm ...yes
On top of the single most dangerous fault lines in the hemisphere ....yes
In regions that have more "Inbreeding" jokes about it per capita ...yes

But in Oregon? ... that's asking a bit much


But seriously ....
Your problem has been narrowed down to 2 things,
it's caused by either an inability of XP to read a specific location of the
cd ( damaged/dirty cd )
or it's trying write data to a specific location of the hdd.

If the install fails at the same exact point of the install process on both
of your hdd's,
then it's not likely caused by a problem with the drives themselves,
unless Murphy has a crush on you and has cursed you with colosally bad luck.
It's more likely a problem with the motherboard or chipset.
It is either failing or it isn't quit xp compatible.

Out of curiosity, what is the install proccess doing when the lockup
occures?
Is it still in the "copying files ..." proccess?
I'm gonna bet it's beyond that when it crashes, and is actually setting up
the os
or it's at the "Configuring your system ..." phase.

Have you tried to see if XP would try to recover and continue the install
proccess, by
changing the boot sequence to hdd0 1st and cd-rom 2nd, after such a crash?


Otherwise you have 2 choices:
take it into a tech shop (could get expensive)
replace the motherboard (which would probably require a new cpu and new
memory type, if local shops don't still carry boards compatable with your
cpu/memory)

 

[Guest]

I am actually from Detroit, MI. Moved here to get away from the 10ft
snowfalls!

It crashes at installing drivers. It also hangs a bit in the beginning
during setup at drivers.cab, but it does keep going from that point up to the
place that I am now.

I am going to try and update the BIOS this weekend. Wish me luck!

 

[S. Taylor]

G'Luck

I am actually from Detroit, MI. Moved here to get away from the 10ft
snowfalls!

It crashes at installing drivers. It also hangs a bit in the beginning
during setup at drivers.cab, but it does keep going from that point up to
the
place that I am now.

I am going to try and update the BIOS this weekend. Wish me luck!

 

[Guest]

I double and triple checked everything all weekend... No changes. I am
stumped!

 

[Guest]

No changes! Ugh!

G'Luck

 

[neil]

I had a check over the weekend and could only find references to
poor/mis-matched memory or a faulty CD.

"Stumped" you and me both. I suppose the only thing is replacing the memory
with new modules, although if it isn't that it's an expensive option to try.

Sorry
Neil.

 

[S. Taylor]

Neil has a point you need to rule out your memory chips as
the culprit.
Read over http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp about using
Windows Memory Diagnostic tool.
You'll need to down load it on a good comp and run the installation
program to have it create is startup disk.
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp explains how to use it.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/GoldMemory_d325.html is a shareware(30day trial)
memory tester that is supposed to detect motherboard vs memory
incompatabilities
and incorrect settings.

You also need to clear the cd drive and video card as the culprit, and you
can only do so
by using different ones when installing XP.

I'm sorry, i just read down, and saw that you cleared the dvd drive.
When you used the older cd drive, did you connect it as Master on the 2nd
IDE channel
and the hdd as Master on the primary ide channel?
I doubt it would've made a difference.

I'm also assuming that you used the Western Digital diagnostic tools to
check for
errors and physical damage on the hdd?

Abd did you check the XP CD for physical damage, scratches, cracks, smudges,
dirt, etc. ?

 

[Guest]

I checked my memory over the weekend with memtest86 and it indicated no
problems. I will try the GoldMemory test since that also checks out
conflicts involving the motherboard and memory.

The disk is clean as a whistle. No scratches and I cleaned it thoroughly.

I am trying to get my paws on an old version of Windows thinking that
perhaps I can upgrade to XP Pro if that installs ok. Nobody seems to have
one laying around.

 

[S. Taylor]

That leaves only the video card and the motherboard.
Do you have a spare? or know someone you can borrow one from?

 

[Guest]

Unfortunately for me, the people I know all have laptops.

I will let you know if I can get the GoldMemory test to shed any light on
this.

 

[Guest]

GoldMemory did not find any problems when I ran it.

I guess that this is a lost cause and I will have to give up on XP Pro and
purchase another OS. At least that way I can narrow it down to the OS vs.
everything else!

Thanks for all of your help.

 

[S. Taylor]

It's not the OS.
No OS should crash during installation on a clean system, unless there are
hardware problems.
I'm certain it's the motherboard and buying another OS won't fix the
problem,
and your only other OS choices either ain't for novices(Unix, etc.) or
require a specialized
computer (I.E. a Mac ).
You can take the motherboard into to a repair shop and ask them to test it,
if you want
to make sure it's the culprit (I believe it is).
Call around to the various computer stores and get quotes on a new
motherboard that is
compatable with the memory chips and P4 that you already have (should cost
less then $100).
If anyone has any, I'd personally suggest you stay away from motherboards
with an ALI or VIA chipset, and it'll probably cost less then buying a new
OS and getting stuck with the XP OS and
never using it.

If they have one compatable with your proccessor, then you save alot of
money
by switching to an AMD processor.
Most computer stores also offer barebones systems for a low price, and
include
a tower case, power supply, motherboard, memory, and cpu.
In my area I could get a barebones system for $180 - $250
Or I could get a separate motherboard, AMD cpu & 512mb ram for about $230.
And since I live in a state with a higher cost of living then Oregon, you
could probably
find slightly better prices locally