Unable to install XP Pro - Hangs up partway through

[Lee]

I have an older Dell Optiplex 650 that was hanging up
constantly under ME. However, when I try to install XP,
the installation hangs up, at different points each time I
try.

- Same thing with XP Home and reinstall of ME. Only OS I
can successfully install is Windows 98.

- Tried a low-level disk format to ensure a perfectly
clean install; same result.

- Thought about removing all superfluous hardware but
everything in this PC is on the motherboard - there are no
additional cards at all.

- I occasionally get errors during the part of the install
before the hangup, e.g., unable to copy OEMBIOS or other
files. Can't figure out why these occur.

Suggestions would be appreciated, as the PC is now
useless. Thanks in advance.

 

[John Ski]

Subject: Unable to install XP Pro - Hangs up partway through

From: "Lee" (e-mail address removed)
Date: 12/21/2003 10:23 AM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id: <[email protected]>

I have an older Dell Optiplex 650 that was hanging up
constantly under ME. However, when I try to install XP,
the installation hangs up, at different points each time I
try.

- Same thing with XP Home and reinstall of ME. Only OS I
can successfully install is Windows 98.

- Tried a low-level disk format to ensure a perfectly
clean install; same result.

- Thought about removing all superfluous hardware but
everything in this PC is on the motherboard - there are no
additional cards at all.

- I occasionally get errors during the part of the install
before the hangup, e.g., unable to copy OEMBIOS or other
files. Can't figure out why these occur.

Suggestions would be appreciated, as the PC is now
useless. Thanks in advance.

If the box is still worth the trouble, I would test/replace the RAM. My
experience has been that bad RAM is the most frequent cause of the problems you
describe.

HTH,
John
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"
***Arthur C. Clarke***

 

[Ka Kit Yick]

I suggest the same thing, replace the RAM. It happens to
me few times on customer's PC.

Windows got blue screen and was working well since many
months.

Change the RAM et everything came back.

Hope this helps.

Ka Kit

 

[Lee]

Good suggestion on possible memory problems, so I ran two
sets of extensive tests and no problems were disclosed.

As for second reply: There were no blue screen problems,
just hangups on installation of Windows Me and XP