Help - Vista Ultimate will NOT install

[MPS]

I've spent the last 12 hours trying to install Vista Ultimate and
still do not have it installed. I need some help as I'm totally
stumped here.

I first tried to install it on a brand new virgin Seagate SATA-II hard
drive. Had Windows Install create the partition and format it. It
started installing and got the point where it reboots. PC comes back
up and I get the message saying that it will be a few minutes as
Windows prepares to start for the first time. Then goes back to the
install screen and is at the "Completing Installation" portion. After
about a minute, my monitor goes blank and the PC shuts off. I thought
that was kind of weird so I power it back up and I get to the Windows
Error Recovery menu. I select "start windows normally" figuring that
will go ahead and finish the installation. I then get a dialog box
saying that Windows installation encountered an error and cannot
continue and that I need to restart the installation.

No problem, I figure it's just a glitch. I restart the installation
and the same thing happens again. Attempt number three ends the same
way. I figure maybe it's a hardware problem so I go ahead and
disconnect everything and yank out my video card and use the onboard
display adapter. Same thing happens.

No I'm wondering if it's a problem with my Vista DVD (OEM). I also
have the 64-bit edition and figure I'll try that to see. Same thing
happens.

I've got a copy of RC1 on CD. Same thing happens.

So no I figure it's got to be a hardware problem and possibly this new
drive. Slap my XP drive back in and spend 2 hours running scans and
low-level formatting it.

Give it another shot. Same thing happens.

Try installing it from within XP. Same thing happens.

I then clone an extra drive over onto the new one to give that one a
shot thinking it's got to be something with this drive. Same thing
happens.

So I've used 2 different drives (both Seagate 250GB). I've removed
hardware. I've tried 3 different copies and versions (all legit BTW)
and two different methods and they all end the same way.

I'm more curious as to what the problem is now than any desire to use
Vista.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300
Intel DG965WH Mobo
2 GB DDR2 - OCZ
BFG GeForce 7950
Creative Auidgy 2 ZS
2 x Pioneer DVD-R
PSU - Antec TruBlu 480w


Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Matthew
Getting close to becoming a Mac owner everyday.....

 

[Guest]

Did you try a BIOS reset? Remove battery from mainboard or clear CMOS jumper?

 

[Tim Rogers]

I've spent the last 12 hours trying to install Vista Ultimate and
still do not have it installed. I need some help as I'm totally
stumped here.

I first tried to install it on a brand new virgin Seagate SATA-II hard
drive. Had Windows Install create the partition and format it. It
started installing and got the point where it reboots. PC comes back
up and I get the message saying that it will be a few minutes as
Windows prepares to start for the first time. Then goes back to the
install screen and is at the "Completing Installation" portion. After
about a minute, my monitor goes blank and the PC shuts off. I thought
that was kind of weird so I power it back up and I get to the Windows
Error Recovery menu. I select "start windows normally" figuring that
will go ahead and finish the installation. I then get a dialog box
saying that Windows installation encountered an error and cannot
continue and that I need to restart the installation.

No problem, I figure it's just a glitch. I restart the installation
and the same thing happens again. Attempt number three ends the same
way. I figure maybe it's a hardware problem so I go ahead and
disconnect everything and yank out my video card and use the onboard
display adapter. Same thing happens.

Same thing happened to me although the PC just kept trying to boot Windows
at this point. Sticking to XP for the time being!

Tim

 

[JimR]

I've spent the last 12 hours trying to install Vista Ultimate and
still do not have it installed. I need some help as I'm totally
stumped here.

I first tried to install it on a brand new virgin Seagate SATA-II hard
drive. Had Windows Install create the partition and format it. It
started installing and got the point where it reboots. PC comes back
up and I get the message saying that it will be a few minutes as
Windows prepares to start for the first time. Then goes back to the
install screen and is at the "Completing Installation" portion. After
about a minute, my monitor goes blank and the PC shuts off. I thought
that was kind of weird so I power it back up and I get to the Windows
Error Recovery menu. I select "start windows normally" figuring that
will go ahead and finish the installation. I then get a dialog box
saying that Windows installation encountered an error and cannot
continue and that I need to restart the installation.

No problem, I figure it's just a glitch. I restart the installation
and the same thing happens again. Attempt number three ends the same
way. I figure maybe it's a hardware problem so I go ahead and
disconnect everything and yank out my video card and use the onboard
display adapter. Same thing happens.

No I'm wondering if it's a problem with my Vista DVD (OEM). I also
have the 64-bit edition and figure I'll try that to see. Same thing
happens.

I've got a copy of RC1 on CD. Same thing happens.

So no I figure it's got to be a hardware problem and possibly this new
drive. Slap my XP drive back in and spend 2 hours running scans and
low-level formatting it.

Give it another shot. Same thing happens.

Try installing it from within XP. Same thing happens.

I then clone an extra drive over onto the new one to give that one a
shot thinking it's got to be something with this drive. Same thing
happens.

So I've used 2 different drives (both Seagate 250GB). I've removed
hardware. I've tried 3 different copies and versions (all legit BTW)
and two different methods and they all end the same way.

I'm more curious as to what the problem is now than any desire to use
Vista.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300
Intel DG965WH Mobo
2 GB DDR2 - OCZ
BFG GeForce 7950
Creative Auidgy 2 ZS
2 x Pioneer DVD-R
PSU - Antec TruBlu 480w


Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Matthew
Getting close to becoming a Mac owner everyday.....

Try uninstalling your sound card and disabling on board audio in the BIOS
before installing Vista.

 

[MPS]

Same thing happened to me although the PC just kept trying to boot Windows
at this point. Sticking to XP for the time being!

Tim

Well this morning I checked and updated my BIOS. Guess what....same
thing happens. It almost seems like it wants to reboot but instead
shuts down and doesn't come back up. I even tried booting it into
safe mode and it does to a point where it then tells me that it cannot
complete installation in safe mode!

I installed Virtual PC and Vista installs fine in that but that's not
quite what I was looking for.

I've been searching all over the net for a fix but there just doesn't
seem to be anything out there. Is it that a lot of people haven't
"upgraded" to Vista yet and thus all the problems haven't come to the
forefront yet?

I've spent a lot of money in the past 2 months upgrading my computer
in order to run Vista and it passes all the tests so it should run
it. What gets me now is all that money I spent I could have put
towards that MacBook I've had my eye on instead!!!!

 

[John Barnes]

If you have more than one hard disk and especially if it is a mix of hd
types IDE SATAI SATAII just have one hd hooked up when you install

 

[Joe Guidera]

Suggests that you have a problem with the controller (drive that is). Try
resetting your bios to it's defaults and see how you make out.

J

 

[Don]

...Is it that a lot of people haven't
"upgraded" to Vista yet and thus all the problems haven't come to the
forefront yet?...

That is absolutely true, but hanging out in these Vista groups for
awhile can provide you with a wealth of workarounds.

Read John Barnes' suggestion to remove all hard drives but one during
the install/upgrade. It sounds like nonsense but it has worked for
many people installing to SATA drives.