Ultimate Installation Problems

[DMD31842]

I have a Dell Dimension and the Upgrade Advisor says I can install
Vistal. I purchased the Vista Ultimate CD from a retailer and every
time I try to upgrade it fails at the end. I have tried several times,
disconnecting everything, etc. Would it be different if I purchased
the Dell Vista CD? Is there anything else I can do? Thanks!

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

(If setup becomes non-responsive or does not complete), do a Cold Boot
(reset the machine) > Start the computer, when the Windows Boot Manager is
displayed, select Windows Setup press F8 on your keyboard and setup should
continue.

If you are upgrading/clean install, as noted, disable any external or USB
based devices you might have attached to the computer. Also, disable any
Security software before launching setup and ensure that you meet the
minimum system requirements for Windows Vista.

Turn Off Serial Key Devices: Windows Vista does not support Serial Key
devices. If you are upgrading and you currently use Serial Keys with an
alternative input device, you must turn off Serial Keys and install another
input option before the upgrade. To turn off Serial Keys in Windows XP, open
Accessibility Options in Control Panel. For more information, go to the
Microsoft Accessibility website (http://www.microsoft.com/enable).

 

[R. McCarty]

All Vista DVDs are basically the same, since the install process is now
a Imaging type setup. A Dell branded DVD would only have the OEM
content added. It's likely your setup still has an incompatible program or
driver that is causing Vista upgrade to fail.

Most people would advise you to do a Fresh/Clean install of Vista. This
isn't always practical for OEM owners as they loose the 3rd-Party apps
the OEM provides. Doing an upgrade requires a fair amount of prep
work. The Upgrade Advisor doesn't always indict everything that can
cause an upgrade to fail. Has the Dell been "De-Dell-ified" ?, have all
the non-essential or unwanted programs removed from it. Doing a
Vista upgrade requires that the machine is properly prepared before it
will take the upgrade. Have you checked for a BIOS upgrade for the
dimension and that all primary devices have Vista drivers available ?

 

[DMD31842]

All Vista DVDs are basically the same, since the install process is now
a Imaging type setup. A Dell branded DVD would only have the OEM
content added. It's likely your setup still has an incompatible program or
driver that is causing Vista upgrade to fail.

Most people would advise you to do a Fresh/Clean install of Vista. This
isn't always practical for OEM owners as they loose the 3rd-Party apps
the OEM provides. Doing an upgrade requires a fair amount of prep
work. The Upgrade Advisor doesn't always indict everything that can
cause an upgrade to fail. Has the Dell been "De-Dell-ified" ?, have all
the non-essential or unwanted programs removed from it. Doing a
Vista upgrade requires that the machine is properly prepared before it
will take the upgrade. Have you checked for a BIOS upgrade for the
dimension and that all primary devices have Vista drivers available ?






- Show quoted text -

Thanks for all this good advice. I am not sure what
serial system devices" are. Once I have that information I will follow
your advice and try again. Thanks, David

 

[Richard Urban]

You are going to have to crack the case on your computer.

First, disconnect all hardware attached except for your mouse, keyboard and
monitor.

Second, disconnect any additional hard drives. You want only the hard drive
connected that you plan to install Vista upon.

Third, uninstall any antivirus, anti spyware programs you may have
installed. Uninstall any program known to cause compatibility problems with
Vista including, but not limited to anything from Roxio or Nero. You have to
do research to find out what you have that may be the culprit.

The best way - in my estimation - is to boot from the retail DVD and do a
clean install - with only the above hardware connected.

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

 

[Kerry Brown]

Here's a step by step guide to upgrading from XP to Vista. If the upgrade
still fails it is likely some hardware is not Vista compatible or you still
have some software running that is not Vista compatible.

1) Backup your PC.
2) Back it up again.
3) Test your backups.

If you skip the above steps please don't whine that the upgrade trashed all
your files. Any process that involves this many changes to the file system
is fraught with danger. If you don't have a full backup of your pc before
starting the upgrade you are an idiot and shouldn't really have a pc to
start with This may sound harsh but it is reality.

4) Run the latest version of the Upgrade Advisor and note anything it flags.
5) Uninstall (not disable) all antivirus, antispyware, firewall, disk
utility, and system utility programs even if the upgrade advisor doesn't
mention them. You will need to install Vista compatible versions after the
upgrade is finished.
6) Uninstall (not disable) all programs that the upgrade advisor flags as
possible problems. You will need to install Vista compatible versions after
the upgrade is finished.
7) If possible remove all hardware that the upgrade advisor flags as
incompatible.
8) Make sure you have Vista compatible drivers and software for all your
hardware devices burned to CD. Don't just look for drivers that the upgrade
advisor mentioned. If possible have drivers ready for everything.
9) Physically unplug any external devices like portable hard drives,
printers, card readers, flash drives, cameras, etc..
10) Run a chkdsk on all the partitions on all hard drives still connected.
11) Defrag the system and boot partitions.
12) Start the Vista upgrade process.

 

[NoStop]

Here's a step by step guide to upgrading from XP to Vista. If the upgrade
still fails it is likely some hardware is not Vista compatible or you
still have some software running that is not Vista compatible.

1) Backup your PC.
2) Back it up again.
3) Test your backups.

If you skip the above steps please don't whine that the upgrade trashed
all your files. Any process that involves this many changes to the file
system is fraught with danger. If you don't have a full backup of your pc
before starting the upgrade you are an idiot and shouldn't really have a
pc to start with This may sound harsh but it is reality.

4) Run the latest version of the Upgrade Advisor and note anything it
flags. 5) Uninstall (not disable) all antivirus, antispyware, firewall,
disk utility, and system utility programs even if the upgrade advisor
doesn't mention them. You will need to install Vista compatible versions
after the upgrade is finished.
6) Uninstall (not disable) all programs that the upgrade advisor flags as
possible problems. You will need to install Vista compatible versions
after the upgrade is finished.
7) If possible remove all hardware that the upgrade advisor flags as
incompatible.
8) Make sure you have Vista compatible drivers and software for all your
hardware devices burned to CD. Don't just look for drivers that the
upgrade advisor mentioned. If possible have drivers ready for everything.
9) Physically unplug any external devices like portable hard drives,
printers, card readers, flash drives, cameras, etc..
10) Run a chkdsk on all the partitions on all hard drives still connected.
11) Defrag the system and boot partitions.
12) Start the Vista upgrade process.

So, how many days does it take to do all this? And could that turn into
weeks if along the way ... say, the tested restore of the backup fscked up
the system? Now, I see why Vista is such an easy operating system to
install, even for a newbie. At least that is what Frank and the Windoze fan
boys around here keep telling us.

Cheers.

--
Remove Vista Activation Completely ...
http://tinyurl.com/2w8qqo

Frank - seek help immediately! Visit ...
http://www.binsa.org/

 

[NoStop]

You are going to have to crack the case on your computer.

Will a sledge hammer do?

First, disconnect all hardware attached except for your mouse, keyboard
and monitor.

Why? Is Vista incapable of ascertaining all hardware attached? If so, how
come Microsoft couldn't figure out how to overcome that? They've been at
this os bullshit long enuf, one would think they'd be able to move beyond
this silliness.

Second, disconnect any additional hard drives. You want only the hard
drive connected that you plan to install Vista upon.

See above.

Third, uninstall any antivirus, anti spyware programs you may have
installed. Uninstall any program known to cause compatibility problems
with Vista including, but not limited to anything from Roxio or Nero. You
have to do research to find out what you have that may be the culprit.

And how long will it take a newbie to do all this research? That could take
months.

The best way - in my estimation - is to boot from the retail DVD and do a
clean install - with only the above hardware connected.

Defeats the ability to do an upgrade, no? Man, is Vista ever pathetic.

Cheers.


--
Remove Vista Activation Completely ...
http://tinyurl.com/2w8qqo

Frank - seek help immediately! Visit ...
http://www.binsa.org/

 

[Frank]

Richard Urban wrote:



Will a sledge hammer do?



Why? Is Vista incapable of ascertaining all hardware attached? If so, how
come Microsoft couldn't figure out how to overcome that? They've been at
this os bullshit long enuf, one would think they'd be able to move beyond
this silliness.



See above.



And how long will it take a newbie to do all this research? That could take
months.



Defeats the ability to do an upgrade, no? Man, is Vista ever pathetic.

Cheers.

How would you know you cross-dressing POS FUD spreading as*hole?
Well?
Frank

 

[Frank]

Kerry Brown wrote:



So, how many days does it take to do all this? And could that turn into
weeks if along the way ... say, the tested restore of the backup fscked up
the system? Now, I see why Vista is such an easy operating system to
install, even for a newbie. At least that is what Frank and the Windoze fan
boys around here keep telling us.

Cheers.

Why are you doris? RS's keeps calling for you come and kiss his hairy
arse...so get along now...don't keep him waiting.
Frank

 

[JYW]

I had problem last week when I tried to upgrade my HP PC from Home Premium to
Ultimate...After 5 tries (with removing different programs, etc.), I finally
contacted Microsoft Tech Support and the problem fixed and upgrade was
successful...Following is part of the instruction. I don't know whether it
will help you since you upgrade from XP...
-------------------------------
From the problem description I understand that when upgrading Vista Home
Premium to Ultimate, the error message was received stating "Windows could
not configure one or more system components. To install Windows, restart the
computer and then restart the installation. The Upgrade was not successful.
Your previous version of Windows is being restored." After installing SP1,
the update was gray-out, so you uninstalled it and got the same error. If
there has been any misunderstanding, please let me know.



I understand the inconvenience you have experienced. Please be assured that
I will do my best to help you.



This behavior may occur if some specific Windows features are turned on. To
troubleshoot this issue, I suggest we perform these steps:



Disable Windows features

=================

1. Click Start button, click Control Panel, select "Classic View" on the
left panel and click Programs and Features.

2. On the left panel, click Turn Windows Features on or off.

3. Wait for a while. Then, please uncheck the following items:



"Internet Information Services"

"XPS viewer" in Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0

"Remote Differential Compression"

"Windows DFS Replication Services"



Now, please try the upgrade again.