Toshiba Laptop A300 restarts during installation - it installs only XP

Hello everybody,
I have a weird problem.The story is like that
1.Laptop with vista cannot load Windows it RESTARTS at windows logo splash.

2.Checked the disk with HDSentinel and found only 1 bad sector.

3.Checked the Ram with memtest86+ (hirens's boot CD) and found no errors, all tests passed

4.I bought a new hard drive scorpio black 500gb and I can only install windows XP....
(i have also checked this drive with HDsentinel its 100% healthy)
i cannot install win 7, vista, or win 8,
When i try to install windows vista,7,or 8 the laptop restarts a couple of seconds after windows logo

also from hiren' boot cd I can only boot to miniXP not Win7

5. I have tried all the possible combinations with Ram resitting, i also putted new memory still the same.
i have changed the Sata Controller Mode to AHCI and Compatibility Mode.

6. I have cleaned ram dimms with isopropyl and also the motherboard.

So what should i do now???any other solution??
I have tried install with USB and DVD, it just restarts and i am sure the media is working properly cause they install to other pc normally. The model is satellite A300-20w and is toshiba has drivers for it for xp,vista and 7, so it can run win 7!

any idea would be very helpful thanks in advance guys!

both the dvd i have and the usb contains multi versions of windows, the machine supports 32-64bit its a dual core anyway i ll try to post system info from hirens with minixp

unfortunately systeminfo cannot run from hirens.

this is the laptop specs as toshiba provides them to their site i hope it helps

Technology type : Intel® Centrino® processor technology featuring Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T6600, Intel® GM45 Express chipset and Intel® WiFi Link 5100
clock speed : 2.20 GHz
Front Side Bus : 800 MHz
2nd level cache : 2 MB
Operating System / Platform Windows Vista® Home Premium 32-bit Edition (pre-installed, Toshiba-HDD recovery)

System memory standard : 4,096 (2,048 + 2,048) MB
maximum expandability : 8,192 MB
technology : DDR2 RAM (800 MHz)
Hard disk capacity : 400 GB
certification : S.M.A.R.T.
drive rotation : 5,400 rpm
DVD Super Multi drive (Double Layer) compatibility : CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-R(DL), DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+R(DL), DVD+RW, DVD-RAM
maximum speed : Read: 24x CD-ROM, 8x DVD-ROM/ Write: 24x CD-R, 4x CD-RW, 10x HS CD-RW, 16x US CD-RW, 8x DVD-R, 6x DVD-R (Double Layer), 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+R, 6x DVD+R (Double Layer), 8x DVD+RW, 5x DVD-RAM
type : DVD Super Multi (Double Layer) drive
Display size : 15.4 "
type : Toshiba TruBrite® WXGA+ TFT High Brightness display
internal resolution : 1,400 x 900
Graphics adapter type : ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3470 supporting HyperMemory™ technology
memory amount : 256 MB dedicated VRAM (up to 2,046 MB total available graphics memory using HyperMemory™ technology with 4 GB system memory)
memory type : GDDR2 (500 MHz) Video RAM (resp. Video RAM and system memory combined)
connected bus : 16x PCI Express
Internal video modes The following internal video modes are supported: :
resolution : 1,440 x 900
Max. external video modes max. resolution : 2,048 x 1,536
max. refresh rate : 85 Hz
non-interlaced resolution with max. refresh rate : 1,600 x 1,200
Interfaces 1 × DC-in
1 × external monitor
1 × RJ-11
1 × RJ-45
1 × TV-out (S-video)
1 × i.LINK® (IEEE 1394)
1 × external microphone
1 × headphone (stereo)
1 × S/PDIF (optical) shared with headphone socket
1 × integrated 1.3 Megapixels Web Camera with built-in microphone
1 × 5-in-1 Bridge Media slot (supports SD™ Cards up to 16 GB, Memory Stick® up to 256 MB, Memory Stick Pro™ up to 2 GB, MultiMedia Card™ up to 2 GB and xD-Picture Card™ up to 2 GB)
1 × HDMI-CEC (REGZA-Link) supporting 1080p signal format
1 (shared with one USB port) × eSATA
4 (Left 2, Right 2) × USB 2.0 (supporting USB Sleep-and-Charge)
Expansion 2 × memory slots
1 × Express Card™ slot
Wireless communication Wireless Technology : Bluetooth®
Version : 2.1 + EDR
Compliancy : Wi-Fi™
Network Support : 802.11a/g/Draft-N
Manufacturer : Intel®
Wireless Technology : Wireless LAN (802.11a/g/Draft-N)
Version : Intel® WiFi Link 5100
Wired communication topology : Fast Ethernet LAN
speed : 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX
topology : international V.90 modem (V.92 ready)
speed : 56 Kbps data and 14.4 Kbps fax
Sound system supported audio format : 24-bit stereo
speakers : built-in Harman Kardon® stereo speakers
manufacturer : Toshiba Bass Enhanced Sound System with Dolby® Sound Room™
Keyboard Keys : 87
Windows® keys : Yes
Pointing device type : Touch Pad
Battery technology : lithium-ion
maximum life : currently no official Windows Vista® battery benchmark result available
AC adapter input voltage : autosensing AC adapter (100/240 V) for worldwide usage
output voltage : 19 V
output current : 4.74 A
Physical dimensions W x L x H : 362 x 267 x 34.5 (front) / 38.5 (rear) mm
weight : starting at 2.72 kg
Warranty 1-year international warranty. Upgrade your standard warranty with Toshiba warranty extension and uplift packs. Contact your nearest Toshiba Authorised Reseller for details.
Bundled hardware AC adapter
Bundled software Connectivity Doctor
Dolby® Control Center
Google Pack (Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer, Google Desktop, Picasa)
HDMI Control Manager
McAfee® Internet Security Suite - Toshiba Edition (includes free Internet updates for 30 days)
Microsoft® Works, Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 (free 60-day trial)
Toshiba Assist
Toshiba Bluetooth® Monitor
Toshiba Bluetooth® Stack
Toshiba Camera Assistant Software
Toshiba ConfigFree™
Toshiba DVD Player
Toshiba Disc Creator
Toshiba Face Recognition
Toshiba Recovery Disc Creator
Toshiba Supervisor Password Utility
Toshiba User's Manual
Toshiba Value Added Package (Toshiba Power Saver, Toshiba Zooming Utility, Toshiba PC Diagnostic Tool, Toshiba Flash Cards, Toshiba Components Common Driver, Toshiba Accessibility, Toshiba Button Support)
Toshiba utilities and drivers
Ulead® DVD MovieFactory® for TOSHIBA
Toshiba EasyMedia Bluetooth® 2.1 with EDR
Built-in Web Camera & microphone
Diversity Antenna
Dolby® Sound Room™
Easy Keys
Google Pack (Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer, Google Desktop, Picasa)
HDMI-CEC (REGZA-Link)
Harman Kardon® Stereo Speakers
Integrated Bridge Media Adapter
Internal HD 720p support
McAfee® Internet Security Suite - Toshiba Edition
S/PDIF
Smart Display Support
Toshiba ConfigFree™
Toshiba Face Recognition
Toshiba Flash Cards
Toshiba TEMPRO Performance Tuning Service
USB & USB/eSATA Sleep-and-Charge
Wireless LAN (802.11a/b/g/ Draft-N)
Security features HDD password on request
Wireless LAN switch
main battery pack (by sliding latch)
main hard disk (by screw)
main memory (by screw)
slot for Kensington Cable Lock
supervisor password
user password
Special features ENERGY STAR qualified computer
Enhanced Intel® SpeedStep® Technology
HD Audio supporting
Multimedia Bar with 6 feather-touch Easy Keys (on/off function of white LED illuminated Touch Pad, Satellite logo and Easy Keys plus Rewind, Play, Stop, Forward, CD/DVD launcher)
SM BIOS compliant
integrated 1.3 Megapixels Web Camera for Video over IP
integrated microphone for Voice over IP


I also made a bios update...still nothing
the question i have is why i can install win XP but not Vista, 7 or 8???

i just fund out that neither xp can be installed it reboots at 35min left while installing windows

I see a very long list that lacks the most important spec for a Toshba laptop, which is the model number! Hello?

Why are you trying to install a bunch of different OS's on that PC? Do you own all of them?

If it came with Vista then unless you own a Win7 license you should reinstall the OS version you already own on that PC: Vista ISO - Download and Create Installation DVD or USB

If you own a copy of Win7 then follow Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 to do a perfect install and keep it that way.

Use the fresh ISO's and tool to write to stick or DVD in tutorials for your licensed version only. During the booted install delete all partitions to create a new one for install.

If it still fails install, work through these steps for Overcoming Windows 7 Installation Failures - Windows 7 Help Forums

2.Checked the disk with HDSentinel and found only 1 bad sector.

Only one bad sector is more than enough to cause hang,freez,BSOD issues. The restart you experience might be probably caused by another hardware issue. I remember an issue with the motherboard of Satalite L 300 series laptops which cause exact similar issues explained by you.

as i told before before i am trying to install to a new hard drive i just bought (scorpio black 500gb)
may i ask what kind of of motherboard problem it was?

also the laptop is compatible with windows 7, since toshiba has drivers for win 7 for it online

may i ask what kind of of motherboard problem it was?

I don't do chip level repair of motherboards so i am not sure what exact part might be faulty. We usually outsource chiplevel repair works to another firm which solely specialized on laptop repair works. If i recall correctly, reballing chipset with a BGA workstation was the fix. I have seen quiet a few Toshiba laptops with this exact issue ( random restarts when Windows working, restart in the middle of install etc ). The chiplevel repair experts was able to fix all of them.

Your issue may not be the same. The issue i am talking about won't cause any blue screens usually - restarts will be almost spontaneous.