Windows 7 Installation

TVeblen said:

dustywoodworker said:

TVeblen said:

Hi Dusty. Sorry if these questions are redundant, but this is a very long thread.....

1. Could you tell me how many physical hard disk drives are installed inside the case of this computer?

2. If I read your specs correctly you have 2 optical drives connected-

• The HP DVD 1140d
• and a Sony CD-RW CRX320EE

Is this correct?

3. In your BIOS Settings > On the MAIN Tab > Under "Storage Configuration" > what does it say?

There are 4 HDs however, one has been disconnected. I started with a RAID5 on four HDs. I experienced a crash and rebuilt with three individual drives. Right now I have two of those disconnected to isolate them from what I have been doing. So, I guess the short answer to your questions is ONE.

Yes, those are the the two optical drives.

There is no category titled "Storage"

This is an image of "Main" Attachment 171986

Looks like my system time needs to be reset.

I'd like you to do a simple test.

First, Disconnect the Sony CD-RW. Either remove the power connector, the data connector, or both. (Tip: leave this optical drive disconnected for now - you do not need it to install W7. It is best to install the OS on a "simple system" - just the minimal devices need to run)

Done

Second, Disconnect the one hard disk (zero hard disks connected)

Done

Boot the computer. Note what you get for messages. You will get either a black screen with just a blinking cursor, or a "no operating system found" message, or something similar. Let us know what it says.

"Disk Boot Failure, Insert System Disk and Press Enter".

While the computer is still on, put the W7 installation DVD disk in the HP DVD drive and then reboot the computer using the reset button on the front of your case.

Done

You should get the "press any key..." message. Press any key and see if the installer will start. It won't go far if it can't find a hard drive, but that's OK.

I did not get the "Press any key" message. With no action from me - I am in the Windows 7 Installation dialog (the scripted diagog). It is waiting for me to press the Install key on the "Language Selected" screen.

In other words, it has "Booted from disk".

Shut down, reconnect the hard drive, and post back anything that happened, including any messages.

I received the "Press any Key" message but failed to do so in a timely manner. It then went to the "Windows Boot Manager" screen where it sits now.

I did that again but this time it went to a B/W screen with a scroll bar on the bottom stating "Windows is loading files". After a moment, it went into the W& installation dialog where it again sets at the "Language Selection" screen.

I don't have time right now to stick with an installation so I am going to leave it where it is until I hear from you again.

I am so tempted.

Please explain your conclusions from what has just occurred.

I have no patience what so ever and I am weak. I clicked "Next". It advanced to the next scripted page "Install Now" and waits.

As shall I.

OK. So we have determined that the HP DVD works and the W7 installation disk works also. We can cross that possible cause off the list and move on.

You might want to perform the same test with the Sony optical drive too. Only the Sony - on the Primary controller connection.

As TheOG says, you need to watch for that "Press any key" message in a timely manner. It sounds like it is all OK and you are just missing it, but let's check to be sure you can get into the installation with the hard drive connected.

One thing that makes this difficult for folks is the BIOS is set to do a "Quick Boot" or similar. Normally this is fine. But when installing an OS, and particularly if you are having issues with installation, it is best to be able to see everything going on during the boot process. You want to go slow and see all the BIOS screens as it goes through it's routine.

Yes. It it under the BOOT tab.
Quick Boot skips certain BIOS tests, like RAM count-up. It is not really necessary to see these tests. You could just leave Quick Boot enabled. Or experiment - can't hurt, might help.

But some BIOS settings have something similar, like "Silent Boot", that skips all the BIOS screens entirely. That is the one you are checking for. My AMI BIOS does not have it. Yours might.

dustywoodworker said:

Dave,

Those temperatures were taken almost immediately after the memory test which ran for about 9-10 hours.

The CPU temp right now is 43-44°C and the M/B is 39-40°C.

I have the sides off of the case and did have during the memory test. I wonder if that might be a bad practice. It would certainly alter the directed air flow.

What temperatures are considered ideal?

PS I put the sides on to see if there was a change. Room temperature where the computer is located is about 74° F.

After running any stressful program the CPU should cool down quickly.
AMD CPUs normally run cool, if your room temp is 74°F= 23°C, then those temps are still a bit high. Better than 49-50°C.
Should be in the 25-30°C range.

Under stress, full load, your CPU temps might be going too high and throttling your CPU, causing your installation issues.

I still recommend to re-apply the CPU thermal paste.

TVeblen said:

Yes. It it under the BOOT tab.
Quick Boot skips certain BIOS tests, like RAM count-up. It is not really necessary to see these tests. You could just leave Quick Boot enabled. Or experiment - can't hurt, might help.

But some BIOS settings have something similar, like "Silent Boot", that skips all the BIOS screens entirely. That is the one you are checking for. My AMI BIOS does not have it. Yours might.

Thanks

I took it out of the "Quick Boot" mode.

Dave76 said:

dustywoodworker said:

Dave,

Those temperatures were taken almost immediately after the memory test which ran for about 9-10 hours.

The CPU temp right now is 43-44°C and the M/B is 39-40°C.

I have the sides off of the case and did have during the memory test. I wonder if that might be a bad practice. It would certainly alter the directed air flow.

What temperatures are considered ideal?

PS I put the sides on to see if there was a change. Room temperature where the computer is located is about 74° F.

After running any stressful program the CPU should cool down quickly.
AMD CPUs normally run cool, if your room temp is 74°F= 23°C, then those temps are still a bit high. Better than 49-50°C.
Should be in the 25-30°C range.

Under stress, full load, your CPU temps might be going too high and throttling your CPU, causing your installation issues.

I still recommend to re-apply the CPU thermal paste.

I will do that. All I need to do is locate my tube of paste. Found it, right where I put it.

Right now I have an extra fan on the MOBO and I am wiping the HD partition where W7 will be.