Vista Ultimate Signature Edition - Install failed

[Guest]

The system meets or exceeds all the stated requirements as well as passes the
upgrade advisor. Set the install to install a clean copy on the machine, on
a new, clean HD. The machine currently has XP Home on it. The install seems
to run fine - copies the files, starts doing it's reboot cycle, etc. Step
away and come back to find the machine sitting at the XP login prompt and a
dialog box saying the installation failed -- but no details on why and
nothning in the event viewer to give a clue (wouldn't expect it, but was
hoping). Also looked on the target HD and all the install files were gone.
During the install, it asked for the SIIG SATA driver, found it and installed
the SATA card w/no error (copied the files to it, etc.)

Here's the config:
- HP Pavilion Pentium 4, 3.2GHz
- 2GB RAM
- Windows XP Home Edition, Version 2002 Service Pack 2
- (XP is on the existing 160GB non-SATA drive)
- SIIG SATA Card
- Seagate SATA 300 500GB drive (clean, nothing on it)
- ATI Radion 1650 Pro 512MB DDR2 AGP 8X/4X Video card
- Dual monitors (Dell 1501FP, Dell 1700FP)

 

[Guest]

I should add that this is the upgrade edition. I booted XP and ran the
upgrade/install from there -- wouldn't let me run it by booting the disk.

 

[Guest]

In you 1st post you say you are trying to do a dodgy clean install on a new
hard drive with an upgrade disk!

 

[Guest]

The install gives you the option of upgrading your existing copy, or,
installing a clean copy that doesn't try to use anything from an existing
installation.

Over the years, I've always had massive headaches trying to do an integrated
upgrade of a pre-existing version of Windows. Seems like it has never been
pretty. So, I almost always choose the alternate method of starting-over
with a clean copy and then using the dual boot for a while, while I gradualy
transition and re-install apps.

After the 'clean' install failed, I tried the primary method -- upgrading an
existing Windows installation. The install similarly failed, with no
apparent error log to explain why it seems to fail at or near the end of the
install process.