Vista install blue screens repeatedly

[Volund]

-I have done 4 clean installs (format and re-install)

-Using Vista-64 Home basic on a XFX nVidia 780i mobo with 8gb of OCZ paired
ram (4x2gb), a intel Q6600 quad core, and 2x MSI 8800GTS in SLI...

-What would be really nice is if someone could tell me how to sign up for
OEM support as an individual, as I build systems for fun, not for a company.
I don't feel like paying a support tech nearly 60$ for a piece of software
that is supposed to come with free support.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

It sounds like you can stop installing Vista until you find out what the
hardware issue is.

Because it is a common problem these days, I suspect the ram configuration.
A mobo that supports 8GB of ram and supports, say 1333, does not necessarily
support 8Gb running at 1333. It may be that it supports 2 dimms at 1333 or
4 dimms at 800. That's true even if it posts with all 4 dimm slots filled.

Mobos are a bundle of compromises, especially those tailored to the gaming
community. Commonly a very high speed is supported for 2 dimms because
that's the usual gaming configuration but using all four dimms requires
clocking down or slower ram. The problem is that the memory controller
can't maintain stability over the greater electrical distance to the
furthest slots at the higher frequency. This is especially true when using
a 64bit OS.

 

[Volund]

So it's your opinion that it's the ram... ok, I'll look into that.

also, I just found out that OEM support is only for COMPANIES, not system
builders, as it states... great, not I get to go out and buy a retail copy of
the software I already paid for just to be guaranteed support...

-found one error that it is actually clear on, "HAL is missing or corrupt",
I'm assuming it is refering to the Hardware abstraction layer, but I'm not
sure what to do to fix it...

any more help is appreciated.

 

[Nonny]

So it's your opinion that it's the ram... ok, I'll look into that.

also, I just found out that OEM support is only for COMPANIES, not system
builders, as it states... great, not I get to go out and buy a retail copy of
the software I already paid for just to be guaranteed support...

That "support" comes at a very high price. Still, your retail copy
will be transferrable and sellable, whereas your OEM copy isn't.

 

[Mick Murphy]

If you try and install with more than 2g of RAM installed, it causes problems.
Install vista, then add more RAM later.
And there is a hotfix for installing more RAM later.

Re OEM: We buy cheap OEM disks on the understanding that there is NO MS
support.
Buyer beware!!!!!!

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

The OEM system builder license is restricted in its use to system builders
who are building computers for sale to customers. The OEM sb license is not
an end user license. The purchaser of an OEM pack is not authorized to use
the software, only install it on a computer for sale.

A person who builds his own system is not a system builder under the terms
of the license since he intends to use the system himself and not sell it to
a customer. Since you cannot be your own customer, there is no way you can
purchase support. The purchaser of the OEM pack is obligated to provide
support to his customer.

The computer and the installed software are covered by the end user license
(consumer_oem EULA) installed on the hard drive and computer and software
are one indivisible product when the software is pre-installed on a system.
The consumer_oem EULA can be read on your Vista computer at
c:\windows\system32\license.

The OEM (System Builder) License can be read here if you do not still have
the OEM pack wrapper:
http://www.microsoft.com/oem/sblicense/default.mspx

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Mick, as it turns out, it is not the amount of ram but the number of dimm
slots filled. Something I call the "fouth damn dimm" problem. It doesn't
matter if the modules used are 4x2GB or 4x1GB so it is not the amount of
ram.

The hotfix does not help all systems, by the way. The issue is the dram
voltage or speed or both and whether the mobo is engineered for the memory
contoller to handle all four dimms at the desired dram speed. Many can't.

 

[Volund]

Thanks in regards to the RAM clerification

in regards to the OEM, microsoft should really regulate their distributors
more on that note, and require a bit more information, as it is very easy to
make the mistake I did, looking at several websites that sell OEM microsoft
software.

but hey, most people learn from their mistakes, and this is one I learned
from.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Funny you should mention that because that is in fact what MS does. For an
example, see the following disclaimer for an example. It is from NewEgg.
It is printed on the Specifications tab of the product description page for
each OEM pack they sell.

"Disclaimer
Use of this OEM System Builder Channel software is subject to the terms of
the Microsoft OEM System Builder License. This software is intended for
pre-installation on a new personal computer for resale. This OEM System
Builder Channel software requires the assembler to provide end user support
for the Windows software and cannot be transferred to another computer once
it is installed. To acquire Windows software with support provided by
Microsoft please see our full package "Retail" product offerings."