Win7 installation stalls at second reboot

Hi

I have a problem in reinstalling Win7 in that I just can't. I have started with a disk which has nothing whatsoever on it. I have then started installing Win7

The installation goes pretty well up to the point of its SECOND reboot prior to which it is Completing Installation. On rebooting for the SECOND time it comes up with the Win7 logo and the hard drive led is flickering quite well. Then the Win7 logo vanishes leaving me with a black screen and the hard drive LED continues flickering for a while and then stops and that is as far as it will goand it has now been in that state for the last 30-45 minutes and no-one will convince me that it hasn't just stopped. So far I have tried reinstalling four times, twice with an SSD and twice with a hard drive and each time it has stopped at exactly the same point.

I should also add that I am using an Upgrade Family version of Win7 and have used the disk on two other PCs to a clean install using the double install method. However, this install I can't do for the first time.

The system (my husbands) comprises the following main items:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Mobo: MSI MS-7514
RAM: 4GB
Graphic Card: NVidia (can't remember the model but its no slouch with 1GB memory)
Monitor: Iiyama E2407HDS
Keyboard & Mouse: Medion wireless
PSU: Arctic 700W (I think)
Hard Drives: 1 x Seagate 500GB - the main drive; 1 x Seagate 1TB; 1 x Samsung 1TB; 128GB Crucial M4 SSD recently acquired

Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can please? All suggestions welcome.

Tracey

I'm not familiar with "Upgrade Family" version of Windows 7. I'm guessing there is a limit on how many installs you can do? Maybe 3?

Are you getting any specific error messages?

Have you disconnected all possible external devices--external drives, printers, etc?

Have you tried to install with only 1 stick of RAM?

What was on this hard drive previously? Vista? A single partition? Linux?

You are permitted to install onto three different PCs but as long as they are the same three PCs you can install/reinstall as necessary. I've already installed at least three times on our spare PC and three, possibly four, times on my own PC. No, I don't think that is the problem. Apart from this you would only get to find out whether it is permitted or not when you get to the activation stage and I ain't gettin' that far! The previous OS was Win7. If push comes to shove I'll just have to reinstall the old hard drive (with all partitions, data and programs etc. still intact) which was replaced due to it only having 40% health. All being well that would at least get my husband up and running. Incidentally, all I get is a black screen with absolutely nothing on it at all.

Have you checked the Windows DVD for physical damage?

In particular, check the centre of the disc for any hairline cracks as anything like that will render the disc unusable.

If you can't get this disc to install Windows, check this tutorial, which explains how to download an ISO to do so, using your own product key to activate.

Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7

Have you disconnected all possible external devices--external drives, printers, etc?

Have you tried to install with only 1 stick of RAM?

Hi all

Thanks for your responses. It would seem that all I had to do was to reboot. Without realising it, the boot sequence had changed and it booted straight up into Win7 and continued where it left off. I seem to remember that earlier OS install routines came up with a dialogue saying something to this effect but I had no messages of any description. Anyway, suffice it to say that once I'd installed it on a hard disk I disconnected the HDD, reconnected the SSD and had a go at installing it on the SSD and would you believe it, it behave perfectly during the whole double install. So panic over. I've now got the problem of setting up Win7 for him and installed all the many programs he wants installed.

Thanks again fellas for all your responses but it turned out in the end to be a very simple fix.

Tracey

You're very welcome Tracey.

Thanks for the update.

Hi again, Tracey, and glad to see you got it reinstalled OK.

BTW you can migrate any Win7 retail copy to new hardware - it doesn't have to only be reinstalled to the same three machines on Family Pack. Just be sure to delete the old Win7 first and be prepared if necessary to do the telephone robocall activation to update the new hardware signature.

Since it's Upgrade version there would still need to be a qualifying XP/Vista which came with the target machine, or any retail copy - whether this is installed or not: Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

If any problems come up then here's How To Activate Windows 7 by Phone Step-by-Step Guide

Hi Gregrocker

With the benefit of hindsight I've now worked out what was happening. I forgot about it at the time but we also had our TV connected to the PC and it must have been putting the next screen on the TV (which wasn't switched on) - NOT on the monitor. I've had a similar thing happen before but it had slipped my mind. I personally use a two monitor setup and Win7 automatically chose to put data on the second monitor which wasn't on and fooled me that time. The rule therefore must be that when installing Win7 on such a system that you MUST make sure all monitors (including TVs) MUST be on when installing Win7. In this case it was only when I was advised to remove all external devices and then reconnected them one at a time to find out what it didn't like that I realised what had been happening.

Again, thanks to all for your help and I'll try not to be so darned thick next time.

Tracey