Testing OS on another internal drive?

[daler]

After weeks of frustration I am now suspecting that my Kingston 60gb SSD may be somehow going bad. After following this forum's instructs I diskparted the SSD and tried reinstalling Windows 7 on it. After numerous attempts, Windows install keeps stalling at the "expanding Window's files" screen, then cancels the install. (Bios checks ok, disk has no scratches, and both DVD writers return the same results.)

To help prove the integrity of the SSD (still under warranty) I would like to now try doing a temp OS install on another internal HDD. There are 2 of those, each with data on them. Each HDD has only one large partition, as in drive D & drive R.

What is the detailed procedure in preparing one of those HDDs in order to accept a temporary OS install, while still preserving the existing data on that physical disk?

I must also be able to identify which disk is which (new partition?) when it comes to finding the "new" disk when loading the Windows 7 install software

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hello mate.


You would have to boot to diskpart and use Method Two of this tutorial at the link below to shrink the Hard Disk Drive of your choosing, 40GB should be more than plenty.

Partition or Volume - Shrink


Then use Step Two #1 of this tutorial to create a Primary partition in the newly created unallocated space and be sure to mark it Active and to give it a nane "Label" all using diskpart.

SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation


Then do the clean install to the partition you create and name.

How to Do a Clean Installation with Windows 7

 

[daler]

Thanks.

There is no OS on the comp anymore. It was on the SSD ..which then failed to reinstall Windows ..so it's now formatted.

What's left are 2 large 1T Seagate HDDs. Of which I wanna then partition one to take the OS. However, the HDDs are indistinguishable from one another in Diskpart. Gee, which one do I click on ..Disk 1 or Disk 2 (0 is the SSD)? -- I do not wanna lose my data :huh:

FYI, SSD (was OS and progs) on Disk C, Backups and some data on Disk D, large data pool on Disk R.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

You could do either one, the shrink will not bother any of the data that's there, that's the reason I suggest to use Windows diskpart, Windows will not allow a 'wrong' command.

 

[Outlander]

Probably a useless thought but I remember my original 7 install had a similar problem. I could not get it to install until I reset the BIOS from ACHI to IDE. Have no idea what that was about but it worked for me.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Here are the commangs after you boot to diskpart follow each by <enter>

diskpart

select disk 1

shrink desired=40960

create partition primary

format fs=ntfs label=”Test”

active

exit

exit
​

It would be best to disconnect the data cable from the SSD after you create the partition and then do the clean install to the created Test partition.

 

[gregrocker]

I remember your earlier thread concerning the reinstall to SSD, where I advised you not to use Diskpart Clean All because it is hard on an SSD.

Since you have a Kingston SSD I suggest you call Kingston Tech Support which is some of the best in the business. Kingston backs all of their products and will RMA if necessary after helping you test the drive to determine with certainty it's status.

As to your test install on one of the HD's, easiest would be to shrink whichever partition has the most free space to do a test install. Once you do the shrink, when you Create the Partition, label it during the create process so you know for sure it is the partition you want to choose during install.
Partition or Volume - Shrink
Partition or Volume - Create New

Unplug all other drives during install: Clean Install Windows 7

 

[theog]

Probably a useless thought but I remember my original 7 install had a similar problem. I could not get it to install until I reset the BIOS from ACHI to IDE. Have no idea what that was about but it worked for me.

Are you sure you went from ACHI to IDE & not IDE to ACHI.

 

[Outlander]

Are you sure you went from ACHI to IDE & not IDE to ACHI.[/QUOTE]


I tried ACHI first and no go. Switched to IDE and all was well. Then had to do the registry trick to get Windows to see AHCI, then rebooted and changed to AHCI in the BIOS. I just Googled the problem and there were a lot of others with the same issue using the same work around. I never learned the why of this problem?

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Thanks.

There is no OS on the comp anymore. It was on the SSD ..which then failed to reinstall Windows ..so it's now formatted.

There seems to be no functioning OS on the machine, that is why I posted the method I did.


One wipe (or several for that matter) would/should not hurt a good SSD.

 

[theog]

Are you sure you went from ACHI to IDE & not IDE to ACHI.

I tried ACHI first and no go. Switched to IDE and all was well. Then had to do the registry trick to get Windows to see AHCI, then rebooted and changed to AHCI in the BIOS. I just Googled the problem and there were a lot of others with the same issue using the same work around. I never learned the why of this problem?[/QUOTE]

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/61869-ahci-enable-windows-7-vista.html?ltr=A

 

[daler]

Thanks for all your help, guys

BFK: The links and instructs to setting up the partition on the spinner worked well. I was able to reassign the drive letter C: to it and boot from it. But now, how do I isolate the 2 OS from one another during Windows bootup (it asks which one to use, even though my main OS copy is labeled C: ) - I wanna keep the partition test OS as a backup ..but inactive.

But, only after removing 3 or the 4 sticks of RAM would Windows install. At 4 sticks, neither the SSD nor the new partition on the HDD spinner would accept the Windows install. In fact, when Windows Installation cancelled with a message "Windows cannot install required files", yada I waited for another 30 secs then the comp crashed with BSOD error 0x0000003B.

I yanked out all but one RAM stick and Windows installed on the partition ok. Did the same on the SSD ..ok. Reinstalled another RAM stick (for total of 2) and so far the system appears stable.

Greg: I totally forgot about your previous comments from a while back regarding Clean All command -- damn! ..so much has happened since that thread -- I must reread it
Anyway, after taking Greg's advice, I called Kingston for a 1/2 hour chat. They gave me lotsa good info about my SSD. I referenced our previous thread about using Diskpart Clean All, and they didn't have a problem with its use. They also referred me a bootable SecureErase as an alternative erase utility. As for RMA testing of the SSD, they pointed me to use either ChrystalDiskMark or Seagate's Seatools kit. I'm playing around with those now.

As background on this whole mess, it has been blue-screening almost every day (for the last 3 weeks) upon rebooting the comp after overnight shutdown. It's been back and forth to the comp builder but even though tok with him, when it arrived back here and it was reloaded with software, it either ran unstable during the day or BSOD regularly every morning upon bootup. Memtest and Prime95 tok on the RAM. It was as when something was cold and stress applied to the component, it crashed. All periphs were removed including the UPS ..still crashed after sitting overnight. It's only when I decided to reinstall Windows (so much file corruption to salvage the OS) and it failed to install and then crashed, it started to become evident that it was either the SSD or RAM. With all but 1 RAM still removed and some success, it now seems to point to some RAM incompatibility (even though they all are the same RAM family). -- at least I hope we're on the right track, and not something wrong with the motherboard instead..


Also, it sure would be nice to get back my original Windows Backup Image that I had saved to an internal data drive -- it would same me a pile of time reinstalling and setting up a myriad of software after each massive crash, then OS reinstall. When I try to Restore it (by any Windows means), Windows Restore reports that the Backup cannot be found on this computer. There were 2 Backups taken a different times of program software install.

 

[theog]

Windows Restore looks for Restore Points,not backup images.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/700-system-restore.html?ltr=S

 

[daler]

I understand what system restore is (I set and use the restore points regularly), but what can I use to Restore the Windows Image Backup I saved to another internal disk? For example, I tried booting from the Windows Repair disk and the utility there could not find any backups on my system even though 2 separate images have been saved.

 

[gregrocker]

Have you stress-tested the RAM with memtest86 CD overnight? What were the results? You want to test all sticks and then if problems exist isolate the problem stick and/or slot.

Simultaneously I would post up the bugcheck from the BSOD to our Crashes forum to get a definitive cause:http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/96879-blue-screen-death-bsod-posting-instructions.html

 

[daler]

My builder Memtested the RAM before shipping it to me. His testing docs say it was left for 36 hours. I did my own Memtest (via DOS) for 5 hours and Prime95 for another 5 hours. Nothing showed untowards, all tok. The system had a clean bill of health ..until I loaded it up and rebooted it after leaving it off overnight, and then it started pooping out.

As for the BSOD, I didn't save any -- and there were weeks of assorted error codes, sometimes several a day, with a guaranteed error upon morning bootup -- again maybe 8 different codes. But I'll keep your submission suggestion beside me for when/if the BSOD start up again.

The system is now running "stable" with just 2 (matching) sticks of RAM (4gb). But I have not reloaded much of my major software into the newly reinstalled OS and then restarted it from cold ..I don't wanna do all that work and have it crash again, and reinstall yet again ..and no, doing a Windows Image Backup doesn't seem to work when it comes to Restoring ..at least it didn't before, when I needed it (now gun-shy).

The SSD tok, so my suspicions now run to RAM incompatibility. G.Skill can't tell me exactly what is the best RAM for this motherboard (Asus M4A88TD-V EVO) ..hah.. they suggested "try and see" (this RAM is from a previous faulty mb -- same Asus family only this one newer model).

I am now gonna make sure the RAM pairs are matched in their slots -- they weren't when I got the comp back from repair ..but apparently, that shouldn't matter much as they are the same model at least. Interestingly, the tech had to boost the BIOS voltage on the RAM to "make it work properly" (1.65 vs spec1.50).

 

[daler]

At last I may have a fix

After all these months of problem tracking and builder-run-around, I think I may finally have found the cause of most of my [current] comp troubles: intermittant RAM sync problem. The crashes occurs after a cold boot, and after comp being left off for a lengthy time. The crashes tend corrupt the system data at various points. No sense in submitting the BSOD codes as there are just too many of them happening at various times. Anyway, looks like I'm not the only one with "compatibility" issues with this combo of Asus mb and G.Skill Ram.

I happened upon a solution here at the G.Skill forum. For those of you interested:
Asus motherboards + G.Skill memory: Cold boot issues and possible workaround - GSKILL TECH FORUM ..specifically post #71

Comp is still under builder's warranty so I will try for satisfaction there first.

Thanks all for your previous suggestions of help, guys

 

[theog]

Good luck with the warranty.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Thanks for the update.