xp install woes on a NetVista 6579

[Guest]

I have a NetVista 6579 . I have been unsuccessful in installing XP home
with SP 2 onto it.

The machine always freezes at the blue screen "Starting Windows" portion of
the install.

I have run an IBM diagnostic on the machine and all is good. It has a

PIII 1000mhz
Intel 815E chipset and integrated graphics
384 mb RAM
20.4 Quantum fireball HD
Samsung CD-ROM drove

I've updated the bios to an 2003 version. It recognizes the hd and I've
selected the default bios configuration.

I have no other cards added.

I've tried everything I can think of (turned off serial port, integrated
sound, etc.), but nothing's worked and I'm baffled. Can anyone shed some
light on this issue?

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Disconnect all devices except the keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the prompt reply.

I have no other devices connected to the machine; only keyboard, mouse and
monitor.

I have tried an install after turning off in the bios the machine's USB
support, integrated audio, parallel and serial ports. I have made one or two
changes to the machine since I last did this so I will try it again and
re-post.

Disconnect all devices except the keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

I have a NetVista 6579 . I have been unsuccessful in installing XP home
with SP 2 onto it.

The machine always freezes at the blue screen "Starting Windows" portion
of
the install.

I have run an IBM diagnostic on the machine and all is good. It has a

PIII 1000mhz
Intel 815E chipset and integrated graphics
384 mb RAM
20.4 Quantum fireball HD
Samsung CD-ROM drove

I've updated the bios to an 2003 version. It recognizes the hd and I've
selected the default bios configuration.

I have no other cards added.

I've tried everything I can think of (turned off serial port, integrated
sound, etc.), but nothing's worked and I'm baffled. Can anyone shed some
light on this issue?

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

It should not be necessary to disable the items in the BIOS you mention. In
reviewing the software and driver updates available for NetVista 6579 at
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4MVU6G,
it does not appear that there are many updates for XP. You computer
apparently came with ME. If you have the restore cd for the computer, you
might consider restoring ME first to get the computer to the factory state
and then further upgrading the ME drivers to bring the computer up to date.

That done, you can try doing an upgrade to XP. Afterwards, you need to use
the above link to update the system with whatever XP updates are available.

Having said all of that, it does not appear that IBM has certified your
computer for XP and you are proceeding at your own risk.


--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

Thanks for the prompt reply.

I have no other devices connected to the machine; only keyboard, mouse and
monitor.

I have tried an install after turning off in the bios the machine's USB
support, integrated audio, parallel and serial ports. I have made one or
two
changes to the machine since I last did this so I will try it again and
re-post.

Disconnect all devices except the keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

I have a NetVista 6579 . I have been unsuccessful in installing XP
home
with SP 2 onto it.

The machine always freezes at the blue screen "Starting Windows"
portion
of
the install.

I have run an IBM diagnostic on the machine and all is good. It has a

PIII 1000mhz
Intel 815E chipset and integrated graphics
384 mb RAM
20.4 Quantum fireball HD
Samsung CD-ROM drove

I've updated the bios to an 2003 version. It recognizes the hd and
I've
selected the default bios configuration.

I have no other cards added.

I've tried everything I can think of (turned off serial port,
integrated
sound, etc.), but nothing's worked and I'm baffled. Can anyone shed
some
light on this issue?

 

[Guest]

1--I'm afraid that I wasn't accurate in my statement of the problem. The
machine freezes at the "restarting computer" portion of the install at the
very end.

2--I've just tried to reinstall xp with the same results. Thanks for the
clarification regarding the peripherals.

3--This particular machine came with a windows 2000 build. It's a freebee
from work that I was going to configure as my kids computer. As per company
policy, it came with a reformatted HD (fat 32). I was attempting a clean
install .

4--In my earlier troubleshooting, I checked the IBM site. I took the small
number of IBM-sourced drivers to indicate that support was native to xp. I
also saw that it was not xp certified, but assumed that it had more to do
with corporate policy rather than anything about the machine--of course, I
now question that assumption.

5--I appreciate your help and your sensible upgrade path set out below.
Unfortunately, that's not an option.

6--Given the above, are there any other suggestions you would make at this
point?

It should not be necessary to disable the items in the BIOS you mention. In
reviewing the software and driver updates available for NetVista 6579 at
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4MVU6G,
it does not appear that there are many updates for XP. You computer
apparently came with ME. If you have the restore cd for the computer, you
might consider restoring ME first to get the computer to the factory state
and then further upgrading the ME drivers to bring the computer up to date.

That done, you can try doing an upgrade to XP. Afterwards, you need to use
the above link to update the system with whatever XP updates are available.

Having said all of that, it does not appear that IBM has certified your
computer for XP and you are proceeding at your own risk.


--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

Thanks for the prompt reply.

I have no other devices connected to the machine; only keyboard, mouse and
monitor.

I have tried an install after turning off in the bios the machine's USB
support, integrated audio, parallel and serial ports. I have made one or
two
changes to the machine since I last did this so I will try it again and
re-post.

Disconnect all devices except the keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
I have a NetVista 6579 . I have been unsuccessful in installing XP
home
with SP 2 onto it.

The machine always freezes at the blue screen "Starting Windows"
portion
of
the install.

I have run an IBM diagnostic on the machine and all is good. It has a

PIII 1000mhz
Intel 815E chipset and integrated graphics
384 mb RAM
20.4 Quantum fireball HD
Samsung CD-ROM drove

I've updated the bios to an 2003 version. It recognizes the hd and
I've
selected the default bios configuration.

I have no other cards added.

I've tried everything I can think of (turned off serial port,
integrated
sound, etc.), but nothing's worked and I'm baffled. Can anyone shed
some
light on this issue?

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

I'm going to wait for a couple of other regulars to chime in. Hopefully one
with NetVista background.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

1--I'm afraid that I wasn't accurate in my statement of the problem. The
machine freezes at the "restarting computer" portion of the install at the
very end.

2--I've just tried to reinstall xp with the same results. Thanks for the
clarification regarding the peripherals.

3--This particular machine came with a windows 2000 build. It's a freebee
from work that I was going to configure as my kids computer. As per
company
policy, it came with a reformatted HD (fat 32). I was attempting a clean
install .

4--In my earlier troubleshooting, I checked the IBM site. I took the
small
number of IBM-sourced drivers to indicate that support was native to xp.
I
also saw that it was not xp certified, but assumed that it had more to do
with corporate policy rather than anything about the machine--of course, I
now question that assumption.

5--I appreciate your help and your sensible upgrade path set out below.
Unfortunately, that's not an option.

6--Given the above, are there any other suggestions you would make at this
point?

It should not be necessary to disable the items in the BIOS you mention.
In
reviewing the software and driver updates available for NetVista 6579 at
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4MVU6G,
it does not appear that there are many updates for XP. You computer
apparently came with ME. If you have the restore cd for the computer,
you
might consider restoring ME first to get the computer to the factory
state
and then further upgrading the ME drivers to bring the computer up to
date.

That done, you can try doing an upgrade to XP. Afterwards, you need to
use
the above link to update the system with whatever XP updates are
available.

Having said all of that, it does not appear that IBM has certified your
computer for XP and you are proceeding at your own risk.


--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

Thanks for the prompt reply.

I have no other devices connected to the machine; only keyboard, mouse
and
monitor.

I have tried an install after turning off in the bios the machine's USB
support, integrated audio, parallel and serial ports. I have made one
or
two
changes to the machine since I last did this so I will try it again and
re-post.

:

Disconnect all devices except the keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
I have a NetVista 6579 . I have been unsuccessful in installing XP
home
with SP 2 onto it.

The machine always freezes at the blue screen "Starting Windows"
portion
of
the install.

I have run an IBM diagnostic on the machine and all is good. It has
a

PIII 1000mhz
Intel 815E chipset and integrated graphics
384 mb RAM
20.4 Quantum fireball HD
Samsung CD-ROM drove

I've updated the bios to an 2003 version. It recognizes the hd and
I've
selected the default bios configuration.

I have no other cards added.

I've tried everything I can think of (turned off serial port,
integrated
sound, etc.), but nothing's worked and I'm baffled. Can anyone shed
some
light on this issue?

 

[Guest]

Thanks very much--I appreciate the help.

I'm going to wait for a couple of other regulars to chime in. Hopefully one
with NetVista background.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

1--I'm afraid that I wasn't accurate in my statement of the problem. The
machine freezes at the "restarting computer" portion of the install at the
very end.

2--I've just tried to reinstall xp with the same results. Thanks for the
clarification regarding the peripherals.

3--This particular machine came with a windows 2000 build. It's a freebee
from work that I was going to configure as my kids computer. As per
company
policy, it came with a reformatted HD (fat 32). I was attempting a clean
install .

4--In my earlier troubleshooting, I checked the IBM site. I took the
small
number of IBM-sourced drivers to indicate that support was native to xp.
I
also saw that it was not xp certified, but assumed that it had more to do
with corporate policy rather than anything about the machine--of course, I
now question that assumption.

5--I appreciate your help and your sensible upgrade path set out below.
Unfortunately, that's not an option.

6--Given the above, are there any other suggestions you would make at this
point?

It should not be necessary to disable the items in the BIOS you mention.
In
reviewing the software and driver updates available for NetVista 6579 at
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4MVU6G,
it does not appear that there are many updates for XP. You computer
apparently came with ME. If you have the restore cd for the computer,
you
might consider restoring ME first to get the computer to the factory
state
and then further upgrading the ME drivers to bring the computer up to
date.

That done, you can try doing an upgrade to XP. Afterwards, you need to
use
the above link to update the system with whatever XP updates are
available.

Having said all of that, it does not appear that IBM has certified your
computer for XP and you are proceeding at your own risk.


--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
Thanks for the prompt reply.

I have no other devices connected to the machine; only keyboard, mouse
and
monitor.

I have tried an install after turning off in the bios the machine's USB
support, integrated audio, parallel and serial ports. I have made one
or
two
changes to the machine since I last did this so I will try it again and
re-post.

:

Disconnect all devices except the keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
I have a NetVista 6579 . I have been unsuccessful in installing XP
home
with SP 2 onto it.

The machine always freezes at the blue screen "Starting Windows"
portion
of
the install.

I have run an IBM diagnostic on the machine and all is good. It has
a

PIII 1000mhz
Intel 815E chipset and integrated graphics
384 mb RAM
20.4 Quantum fireball HD
Samsung CD-ROM drove

I've updated the bios to an 2003 version. It recognizes the hd and
I've
selected the default bios configuration.

I have no other cards added.

I've tried everything I can think of (turned off serial port,
integrated
sound, etc.), but nothing's worked and I'm baffled. Can anyone shed
some
light on this issue?

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

If IBM do not offer OS support for a particular model, there is no way in
hell that you will get it running.. each IBM model has a specific recovery
CD assigned to it.. any deviation from the path will lead nowhere.. even if
you were to try to install a generic Win 98, there would be problems getting
the machine to run anything like well..

Your best hope is to obtain the original W2K recovery cd and work with it..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/user

Thanks very much--I appreciate the help.

I'm going to wait for a couple of other regulars to chime in. Hopefully
one
with NetVista background.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

1--I'm afraid that I wasn't accurate in my statement of the problem.
The
machine freezes at the "restarting computer" portion of the install at
the
very end.

2--I've just tried to reinstall xp with the same results. Thanks for
the
clarification regarding the peripherals.

3--This particular machine came with a windows 2000 build. It's a
freebee
from work that I was going to configure as my kids computer. As per
company
policy, it came with a reformatted HD (fat 32). I was attempting a
clean
install .

4--In my earlier troubleshooting, I checked the IBM site. I took the
small
number of IBM-sourced drivers to indicate that support was native to
xp.
I
also saw that it was not xp certified, but assumed that it had more to
do
with corporate policy rather than anything about the machine--of
course, I
now question that assumption.

5--I appreciate your help and your sensible upgrade path set out
below.
Unfortunately, that's not an option.

6--Given the above, are there any other suggestions you would make at
this
point?


:

It should not be necessary to disable the items in the BIOS you
mention.
In
reviewing the software and driver updates available for NetVista 6579
at
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4MVU6G,
it does not appear that there are many updates for XP. You computer
apparently came with ME. If you have the restore cd for the computer,
you
might consider restoring ME first to get the computer to the factory
state
and then further upgrading the ME drivers to bring the computer up to
date.

That done, you can try doing an upgrade to XP. Afterwards, you need
to
use
the above link to update the system with whatever XP updates are
available.

Having said all of that, it does not appear that IBM has certified
your
computer for XP and you are proceeding at your own risk.


--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
Thanks for the prompt reply.

I have no other devices connected to the machine; only keyboard,
mouse
and
monitor.

I have tried an install after turning off in the bios the machine's
USB
support, integrated audio, parallel and serial ports. I have made
one
or
two
changes to the machine since I last did this so I will try it again
and
re-post.

:

Disconnect all devices except the keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
message
I have a NetVista 6579 . I have been unsuccessful in installing
XP
home
with SP 2 onto it.

The machine always freezes at the blue screen "Starting Windows"
portion
of
the install.

I have run an IBM diagnostic on the machine and all is good. It
has
a

PIII 1000mhz
Intel 815E chipset and integrated graphics
384 mb RAM
20.4 Quantum fireball HD
Samsung CD-ROM drove

I've updated the bios to an 2003 version. It recognizes the hd
and
I've
selected the default bios configuration.

I have no other cards added.

I've tried everything I can think of (turned off serial port,
integrated
sound, etc.), but nothing's worked and I'm baffled. Can anyone
shed
some
light on this issue?

 

[Guest]

Thanks very much for that sobering bit of news. I guess a "free" machine is
not without cost.

If IBM do not offer OS support for a particular model, there is no way in
hell that you will get it running.. each IBM model has a specific recovery
CD assigned to it.. any deviation from the path will lead nowhere.. even if
you were to try to install a generic Win 98, there would be problems getting
the machine to run anything like well..

Your best hope is to obtain the original W2K recovery cd and work with it..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/user

Thanks very much--I appreciate the help.

I'm going to wait for a couple of other regulars to chime in. Hopefully
one
with NetVista background.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
1--I'm afraid that I wasn't accurate in my statement of the problem.
The
machine freezes at the "restarting computer" portion of the install at
the
very end.

2--I've just tried to reinstall xp with the same results. Thanks for
the
clarification regarding the peripherals.

3--This particular machine came with a windows 2000 build. It's a
freebee
from work that I was going to configure as my kids computer. As per
company
policy, it came with a reformatted HD (fat 32). I was attempting a
clean
install .

4--In my earlier troubleshooting, I checked the IBM site. I took the
small
number of IBM-sourced drivers to indicate that support was native to
xp.
I
also saw that it was not xp certified, but assumed that it had more to
do
with corporate policy rather than anything about the machine--of
course, I
now question that assumption.

5--I appreciate your help and your sensible upgrade path set out
below.
Unfortunately, that's not an option.

6--Given the above, are there any other suggestions you would make at
this
point?


:

It should not be necessary to disable the items in the BIOS you
mention.
In
reviewing the software and driver updates available for NetVista 6579
at
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4MVU6G,
it does not appear that there are many updates for XP. You computer
apparently came with ME. If you have the restore cd for the computer,
you
might consider restoring ME first to get the computer to the factory
state
and then further upgrading the ME drivers to bring the computer up to
date.

That done, you can try doing an upgrade to XP. Afterwards, you need
to
use
the above link to update the system with whatever XP updates are
available.

Having said all of that, it does not appear that IBM has certified
your
computer for XP and you are proceeding at your own risk.


--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
Thanks for the prompt reply.

I have no other devices connected to the machine; only keyboard,
mouse
and
monitor.

I have tried an install after turning off in the bios the machine's
USB
support, integrated audio, parallel and serial ports. I have made
one
or
two
changes to the machine since I last did this so I will try it again
and
re-post.

:

Disconnect all devices except the keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
message
I have a NetVista 6579 . I have been unsuccessful in installing
XP
home
with SP 2 onto it.

The machine always freezes at the blue screen "Starting Windows"
portion
of
the install.

I have run an IBM diagnostic on the machine and all is good. It
has
a

PIII 1000mhz
Intel 815E chipset and integrated graphics
384 mb RAM
20.4 Quantum fireball HD
Samsung CD-ROM drove

I've updated the bios to an 2003 version. It recognizes the hd
and
I've
selected the default bios configuration.

I have no other cards added.

I've tried everything I can think of (turned off serial port,
integrated
sound, etc.), but nothing's worked and I'm baffled. Can anyone
shed
some
light on this issue?

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

In the good old days, the IBM PS/2 was the 'king' of desktops.. they were
solid machines, well constructed, the type that you could drop from a height
and they would still work.. they were also laws unto themselves..

Architecture was MCA, memory was 72pin and they were supplied with OS/2..
clones of the day were ISA, 30 pin memory and DOS/Windows 3, cheap but very
passé..

MCA was way ahead of its time.. it enabled the PS/2 to be plug 'n play.. you
could install a card and the machine would instantly recognise it, but the
cards were only available from IBM at huge cost and wouldn't work in
anything else.. Intel's PCI killed it off, bringing affordable and universal
plug 'n play to clones..

Memory was 72 pin, but IBM 72 pin.. the last two contacts of IBM memory told
the PS/2 what had been installed.. of course, it was twice the price of
regular 72 pin memory which wouldn't work because of the PS/2 pinout..

OS/2?.. bless them.. they couldn't give it away in the end.. each program
you started essentially ran in a virtual machine.. if one program crashed
out, the others stayed up.. that was the theory.. in practice, if one
program crashed, you had to reboot.. for sure you could still see the
others, but they wouldn't do anything because the crash would always be
related to a common procedure to all of the open programs.. however, the
server version was actually very good

Each model was just ever so slightly different to others.. a specific
start-up diskette was required.. try to use any start-up diskette, and it
didn't..

Make no mistake though.. IBM is not the only manufacturer that attempts to
tie its users to the company.. HP, Compaq, AST, Dell, Packard Bell all
had/have their little quirks.. while MCA, dedicated memory and OS/2 have all
been committed, each 'manufacturer' ensures that specs of boards are
customised to a corporate image.. the changes from one to another may only
be small, but as far as OS software installations are concerned, chalk and
cheese rules.. this is exemplified by the use of different keys to access
BIOS, and the fact that corporate splash screens replace the 'clone' style
initialization screen..

An example:

Recovery CDs may contain sound drivers for an ESS integrated sound card, BUT
one model will be ESS xxxx-xxx, another xxxx-xxy, xxxx-xyy.. will xxxx-xxx
drivers work on the xxxx-xxy/xyy card?.. what do you think?..

So XP is released, and guess what?.. the manufacturers release new 'made for
XP' machines, but they don't use ESS xxxx-xxx/xxy/xyy sound cards.. they are
now xxxy-xxx/xxy/xyy cards.. essentially the same sound card but different
enough to require their own drivers..

You want to upgrade your older machine to XP.. 'scuse me, Mr IBM/HP etc,
where are the XP drivers for my machine?.. sorry Mr Sucker, we don't support
XP on the older stuff.. would you like to buy a new one? it has the new
improved ESS xxxy-xxx sound card.. very nice for realistic gaming sounds and
surround sound music if you take advantage of our custom 100 speaker, 1000
watt 7.1 enabled sound system..

I believe this is where you came in..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/user

Thanks very much for that sobering bit of news. I guess a "free" machine
is
not without cost.

If IBM do not offer OS support for a particular model, there is no way in
hell that you will get it running.. each IBM model has a specific
recovery
CD assigned to it.. any deviation from the path will lead nowhere.. even
if
you were to try to install a generic Win 98, there would be problems
getting
the machine to run anything like well..

Your best hope is to obtain the original W2K recovery cd and work with
it..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/user

Thanks very much--I appreciate the help.

:

I'm going to wait for a couple of other regulars to chime in.
Hopefully
one
with NetVista background.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
1--I'm afraid that I wasn't accurate in my statement of the problem.
The
machine freezes at the "restarting computer" portion of the install
at
the
very end.

2--I've just tried to reinstall xp with the same results. Thanks
for
the
clarification regarding the peripherals.

3--This particular machine came with a windows 2000 build. It's a
freebee
from work that I was going to configure as my kids computer. As per
company
policy, it came with a reformatted HD (fat 32). I was attempting a
clean
install .

4--In my earlier troubleshooting, I checked the IBM site. I took
the
small
number of IBM-sourced drivers to indicate that support was native to
xp.
I
also saw that it was not xp certified, but assumed that it had more
to
do
with corporate policy rather than anything about the machine--of
course, I
now question that assumption.

5--I appreciate your help and your sensible upgrade path set out
below.
Unfortunately, that's not an option.

6--Given the above, are there any other suggestions you would make
at
this
point?


:

It should not be necessary to disable the items in the BIOS you
mention.
In
reviewing the software and driver updates available for NetVista
6579
at
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4MVU6G,
it does not appear that there are many updates for XP. You
computer
apparently came with ME. If you have the restore cd for the
computer,
you
might consider restoring ME first to get the computer to the
factory
state
and then further upgrading the ME drivers to bring the computer up
to
date.

That done, you can try doing an upgrade to XP. Afterwards, you
need
to
use
the above link to update the system with whatever XP updates are
available.

Having said all of that, it does not appear that IBM has certified
your
computer for XP and you are proceeding at your own risk.


--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
message
Thanks for the prompt reply.

I have no other devices connected to the machine; only keyboard,
mouse
and
monitor.

I have tried an install after turning off in the bios the
machine's
USB
support, integrated audio, parallel and serial ports. I have
made
one
or
two
changes to the machine since I last did this so I will try it
again
and
re-post.

:

Disconnect all devices except the keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
message
I have a NetVista 6579 . I have been unsuccessful in
installing
XP
home
with SP 2 onto it.

The machine always freezes at the blue screen "Starting
Windows"
portion
of
the install.

I have run an IBM diagnostic on the machine and all is good.
It
has
a

PIII 1000mhz
Intel 815E chipset and integrated graphics
384 mb RAM
20.4 Quantum fireball HD
Samsung CD-ROM drove

I've updated the bios to an 2003 version. It recognizes the
hd
and
I've
selected the default bios configuration.

I have no other cards added.

I've tried everything I can think of (turned off serial port,
integrated
sound, etc.), but nothing's worked and I'm baffled. Can
anyone
shed
some
light on this issue?

 

[Guest]

Mike:

Thanks for the instructive history. It seems that "ISA" is more of a
fiction than I originally understood.

Thanks again for your help.

In the good old days, the IBM PS/2 was the 'king' of desktops.. they were
solid machines, well constructed, the type that you could drop from a height
and they would still work.. they were also laws unto themselves..

Architecture was MCA, memory was 72pin and they were supplied with OS/2..
clones of the day were ISA, 30 pin memory and DOS/Windows 3, cheap but very
passé..

MCA was way ahead of its time.. it enabled the PS/2 to be plug 'n play.. you
could install a card and the machine would instantly recognise it, but the
cards were only available from IBM at huge cost and wouldn't work in
anything else.. Intel's PCI killed it off, bringing affordable and universal
plug 'n play to clones..

Memory was 72 pin, but IBM 72 pin.. the last two contacts of IBM memory told
the PS/2 what had been installed.. of course, it was twice the price of
regular 72 pin memory which wouldn't work because of the PS/2 pinout..

OS/2?.. bless them.. they couldn't give it away in the end.. each program
you started essentially ran in a virtual machine.. if one program crashed
out, the others stayed up.. that was the theory.. in practice, if one
program crashed, you had to reboot.. for sure you could still see the
others, but they wouldn't do anything because the crash would always be
related to a common procedure to all of the open programs.. however, the
server version was actually very good

Each model was just ever so slightly different to others.. a specific
start-up diskette was required.. try to use any start-up diskette, and it
didn't..

Make no mistake though.. IBM is not the only manufacturer that attempts to
tie its users to the company.. HP, Compaq, AST, Dell, Packard Bell all
had/have their little quirks.. while MCA, dedicated memory and OS/2 have all
been committed, each 'manufacturer' ensures that specs of boards are
customised to a corporate image.. the changes from one to another may only
be small, but as far as OS software installations are concerned, chalk and
cheese rules.. this is exemplified by the use of different keys to access
BIOS, and the fact that corporate splash screens replace the 'clone' style
initialization screen..

An example:

Recovery CDs may contain sound drivers for an ESS integrated sound card, BUT
one model will be ESS xxxx-xxx, another xxxx-xxy, xxxx-xyy.. will xxxx-xxx
drivers work on the xxxx-xxy/xyy card?.. what do you think?..

So XP is released, and guess what?.. the manufacturers release new 'made for
XP' machines, but they don't use ESS xxxx-xxx/xxy/xyy sound cards.. they are
now xxxy-xxx/xxy/xyy cards.. essentially the same sound card but different
enough to require their own drivers..

You want to upgrade your older machine to XP.. 'scuse me, Mr IBM/HP etc,
where are the XP drivers for my machine?.. sorry Mr Sucker, we don't support
XP on the older stuff.. would you like to buy a new one? it has the new
improved ESS xxxy-xxx sound card.. very nice for realistic gaming sounds and
surround sound music if you take advantage of our custom 100 speaker, 1000
watt 7.1 enabled sound system..

I believe this is where you came in..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/user

Thanks very much for that sobering bit of news. I guess a "free" machine
is
not without cost.

If IBM do not offer OS support for a particular model, there is no way in
hell that you will get it running.. each IBM model has a specific
recovery
CD assigned to it.. any deviation from the path will lead nowhere.. even
if
you were to try to install a generic Win 98, there would be problems
getting
the machine to run anything like well..

Your best hope is to obtain the original W2K recovery cd and work with
it..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/user







Thanks very much--I appreciate the help.

:

I'm going to wait for a couple of other regulars to chime in.
Hopefully
one
with NetVista background.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
1--I'm afraid that I wasn't accurate in my statement of the problem.
The
machine freezes at the "restarting computer" portion of the install
at
the
very end.

2--I've just tried to reinstall xp with the same results. Thanks
for
the
clarification regarding the peripherals.

3--This particular machine came with a windows 2000 build. It's a
freebee
from work that I was going to configure as my kids computer. As per
company
policy, it came with a reformatted HD (fat 32). I was attempting a
clean
install .

4--In my earlier troubleshooting, I checked the IBM site. I took
the
small
number of IBM-sourced drivers to indicate that support was native to
xp.
I
also saw that it was not xp certified, but assumed that it had more
to
do
with corporate policy rather than anything about the machine--of
course, I
now question that assumption.

5--I appreciate your help and your sensible upgrade path set out
below.
Unfortunately, that's not an option.

6--Given the above, are there any other suggestions you would make
at
this
point?


:

It should not be necessary to disable the items in the BIOS you
mention.
In
reviewing the software and driver updates available for NetVista
6579
at
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4MVU6G,
it does not appear that there are many updates for XP. You
computer
apparently came with ME. If you have the restore cd for the
computer,
you
might consider restoring ME first to get the computer to the
factory
state
and then further upgrading the ME drivers to bring the computer up
to
date.

That done, you can try doing an upgrade to XP. Afterwards, you
need
to
use
the above link to update the system with whatever XP updates are
available.

Having said all of that, it does not appear that IBM has certified
your
computer for XP and you are proceeding at your own risk.


--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
message
Thanks for the prompt reply.

I have no other devices connected to the machine; only keyboard,
mouse
and
monitor.

I have tried an install after turning off in the bios the
machine's
USB
support, integrated audio, parallel and serial ports. I have
made
one
or
two
changes to the machine since I last did this so I will try it
again
and
re-post.

:

Disconnect all devices except the keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
message
I have a NetVista 6579 . I have been unsuccessful in
installing
XP
home
with SP 2 onto it.

The machine always freezes at the blue screen "Starting
Windows"
portion
of
the install.

I have run an IBM diagnostic on the machine and all is good.
It
has
a

PIII 1000mhz
Intel 815E chipset and integrated graphics
384 mb RAM
20.4 Quantum fireball HD
Samsung CD-ROM drove

I've updated the bios to an 2003 version. It recognizes the
hd
and
I've
selected the default bios configuration.

I have no other cards added.

I've tried everything I can think of (turned off serial port,
integrated
sound, etc.), but nothing's worked and I'm baffled. Can
anyone
shed
some
light on this issue?

M

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

A little more history for you..

http://members.tripod.com/~newwave_2/

This site is a little weird but it shows the 'roots' of what we use today..

Some you may not have heard about or encountered.. PCI is still mainstream,
but AGP took over for graphics, and the new kid on the block is PCI-Express,
neither of which are covered in this article..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/user

Mike:

Thanks for the instructive history. It seems that "ISA" is more of a
fiction than I originally understood.

Thanks again for your help.

In the good old days, the IBM PS/2 was the 'king' of desktops.. they were
solid machines, well constructed, the type that you could drop from a
height
and they would still work.. they were also laws unto themselves..

Architecture was MCA, memory was 72pin and they were supplied with OS/2..
clones of the day were ISA, 30 pin memory and DOS/Windows 3, cheap but
very
passé..

MCA was way ahead of its time.. it enabled the PS/2 to be plug 'n play..
you
could install a card and the machine would instantly recognise it, but
the
cards were only available from IBM at huge cost and wouldn't work in
anything else.. Intel's PCI killed it off, bringing affordable and
universal
plug 'n play to clones..

Memory was 72 pin, but IBM 72 pin.. the last two contacts of IBM memory
told
the PS/2 what had been installed.. of course, it was twice the price of
regular 72 pin memory which wouldn't work because of the PS/2 pinout..

OS/2?.. bless them.. they couldn't give it away in the end.. each program
you started essentially ran in a virtual machine.. if one program crashed
out, the others stayed up.. that was the theory.. in practice, if one
program crashed, you had to reboot.. for sure you could still see the
others, but they wouldn't do anything because the crash would always be
related to a common procedure to all of the open programs.. however, the
server version was actually very good

Each model was just ever so slightly different to others.. a specific
start-up diskette was required.. try to use any start-up diskette, and it
didn't..

Make no mistake though.. IBM is not the only manufacturer that attempts
to
tie its users to the company.. HP, Compaq, AST, Dell, Packard Bell all
had/have their little quirks.. while MCA, dedicated memory and OS/2 have
all
been committed, each 'manufacturer' ensures that specs of boards are
customised to a corporate image.. the changes from one to another may
only
be small, but as far as OS software installations are concerned, chalk
and
cheese rules.. this is exemplified by the use of different keys to access
BIOS, and the fact that corporate splash screens replace the 'clone'
style
initialization screen..

An example:

Recovery CDs may contain sound drivers for an ESS integrated sound card,
BUT
one model will be ESS xxxx-xxx, another xxxx-xxy, xxxx-xyy.. will
xxxx-xxx
drivers work on the xxxx-xxy/xyy card?.. what do you think?..

So XP is released, and guess what?.. the manufacturers release new 'made
for
XP' machines, but they don't use ESS xxxx-xxx/xxy/xyy sound cards.. they
are
now xxxy-xxx/xxy/xyy cards.. essentially the same sound card but
different
enough to require their own drivers..

You want to upgrade your older machine to XP.. 'scuse me, Mr IBM/HP etc,
where are the XP drivers for my machine?.. sorry Mr Sucker, we don't
support
XP on the older stuff.. would you like to buy a new one? it has the new
improved ESS xxxy-xxx sound card.. very nice for realistic gaming sounds
and
surround sound music if you take advantage of our custom 100 speaker,
1000
watt 7.1 enabled sound system..

I believe this is where you came in..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/user

Thanks very much for that sobering bit of news. I guess a "free"
machine
is
not without cost.

:

If IBM do not offer OS support for a particular model, there is no way
in
hell that you will get it running.. each IBM model has a specific
recovery
CD assigned to it.. any deviation from the path will lead nowhere..
even
if
you were to try to install a generic Win 98, there would be problems
getting
the machine to run anything like well..

Your best hope is to obtain the original W2K recovery cd and work with
it..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/user







Thanks very much--I appreciate the help.

:

I'm going to wait for a couple of other regulars to chime in.
Hopefully
one
with NetVista background.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
message
1--I'm afraid that I wasn't accurate in my statement of the
problem.
The
machine freezes at the "restarting computer" portion of the
install
at
the
very end.

2--I've just tried to reinstall xp with the same results. Thanks
for
the
clarification regarding the peripherals.

3--This particular machine came with a windows 2000 build. It's
a
freebee
from work that I was going to configure as my kids computer. As
per
company
policy, it came with a reformatted HD (fat 32). I was attempting
a
clean
install .

4--In my earlier troubleshooting, I checked the IBM site. I took
the
small
number of IBM-sourced drivers to indicate that support was native
to
xp.
I
also saw that it was not xp certified, but assumed that it had
more
to
do
with corporate policy rather than anything about the machine--of
course, I
now question that assumption.

5--I appreciate your help and your sensible upgrade path set out
below.
Unfortunately, that's not an option.

6--Given the above, are there any other suggestions you would
make
at
this
point?


:

It should not be necessary to disable the items in the BIOS you
mention.
In
reviewing the software and driver updates available for NetVista
6579
at
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4MVU6G,
it does not appear that there are many updates for XP. You
computer
apparently came with ME. If you have the restore cd for the
computer,
you
might consider restoring ME first to get the computer to the
factory
state
and then further upgrading the ME drivers to bring the computer
up
to
date.

That done, you can try doing an upgrade to XP. Afterwards, you
need
to
use
the above link to update the system with whatever XP updates are
available.

Having said all of that, it does not appear that IBM has
certified
your
computer for XP and you are proceeding at your own risk.


--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
message
Thanks for the prompt reply.

I have no other devices connected to the machine; only
keyboard,
mouse
and
monitor.

I have tried an install after turning off in the bios the
machine's
USB
support, integrated audio, parallel and serial ports. I have
made
one
or
two
changes to the machine since I last did this so I will try it
again
and
re-post.

:

Disconnect all devices except the keyboard, mouse, and
monitor.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
in
message
I have a NetVista 6579 . I have been unsuccessful in
installing
XP
home
with SP 2 onto it.

The machine always freezes at the blue screen "Starting
Windows"
portion
of
the install.

I have run an IBM diagnostic on the machine and all is
good.
It
has
a

PIII 1000mhz
Intel 815E chipset and integrated graphics
384 mb RAM
20.4 Quantum fireball HD
Samsung CD-ROM drove

I've updated the bios to an 2003 version. It recognizes
the
hd
and
I've
selected the default bios configuration.

I have no other cards added.

I've tried everything I can think of (turned off serial
port,
integrated
sound, etc.), but nothing's worked and I'm baffled. Can
anyone
shed
some
light on this issue?

M