Need help installing Windows 7 on old HDD in new build. Keeps freezing

Wriggs · 09 Oct 2015

Ok, not sure what's going on here but I have one idea left. I am trying to boot up my new build. Every part is brand new except my graphics card and my hard drive. The card is older, but still PCIE. It's a GeForce GTS450 and I've never had any issues with it. The HDD is much older, about 8 years old at least but is still a SATA hard drive. Probably SATA 1? Everything else is top notch: EVGA X99 Classified; 16GB DDR4 ram; Intel I7 5820K; EVGA 850 PSU and an ASUS 24x DVD Burner.

I'm not trying to load the old windows and drivers, because I know that won't likely work. I'm trying to clean install Windows from a full retail version disc that I have with a full license. Sometimes I can get into windows install, but when it reboots itself the first time (part of the install) it freezes during the windows spinning logo thing everytime. Other times I can't even get into the install part as it freezes during the logo thing before then. I've tried from the actual windows cd and from a bootable usb drive I created with a program from microsoft. I'm guessing that it is the hard drive, being it is so old. I'm hoping it's not one of the new hardware pieces I have.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

>Edit<

I went and bought a SSD drive in the hopes that it was the HDD giving me the issue. But still does the same thing on the SSD drive. I left the old drive unconnected so it wouldn't interfere, but obviously the drive isn't the issue. I guess it could be the graphic card, but I don't have any extra $300 right now to get a new one. Seems weird when the day before I was using the card and HDD with no issues on my old build. I really hope it's not a new component, but it very well could be.

I did manage to get into setup repair which doesn't solve anything, but here is the error report in case it helps any of you diagnose this for me:

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: StartupRepairOffline
Problem Signature 01: 6.1.7600.16385
Problem Signature 02: 6.1.7600.16385
Problem Signature 03: unkown
Problem Signature 04: 2279
Problem Signature 05: ExternalMedia
Problem Signature 06: 1
Problem Signature 07: FailureDuringSetup
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 1033

ThrashZone · 10 Oct 2015

Hi and welcome to SevenForums,
Nice build :)
No onboard graphic's makes it kind of impossible to trouble shoot gpu's doesn't it

Review this
Windows 7 Installation Failure - Overcome

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Show Us Your Rig [8]

Wriggs · 10 Oct 2015

I ended up taking it to a repair shop. When they turned it on it went further into the installation but seemed to freeze during it. However it was further it ever went at my place, so it seemed promising. The tech said it might be the wireless peripherals I was using or could even be a bad power cable. So since I was already late for work, I decided to give it another go at home later and took it with me. After work I bought a cheap wired keyboard and mouse, took it all back home and tried again. It froze in the exact same spot as normal. It never went as far as it had at the shop and I tried so many times. I tried without Ethernet hooked up, used dvi instead of hdmi, tried a new power cable and I even tried directly into the wall outlet. Still freezes. I'm completely frustrated. When I'm home later, I will try the things in the link you suggested, but if it still doesn't work, I'll be taking it back to the repair shop in the morning.

ThrashZone · 10 Oct 2015

Hi,
Pretty wild,
Are you using the sata cables that came with the board ?
Which sata ports are you using have you tried switching them for the disk drive and ssd to a different port ?

On that board all of them are the same :/
On my x99 sabertooth some are different did you read the manual for the correct ones to use ?
External media sounds like the disk drive or the disk to me ?

Code:

Problem Signature 05:                ExternalMedia

Not sure which evga 850 you got is it the P2 ? if so make sure ECO switch is off ?

Wriggs · 10 Oct 2015

It's the 850 G. Eco switch is off. Mobo manual says bottom two sets of sata ports are for AHCI and the rest are for RAID. From my understanding of RAID, which is low knowledge, it shouldn't make a difference. Either way, I originally had the sata cords plugged into RAID, but switched to the lower ones. The sata cables came with the board, but I haven't tried switching those yet. The disc drive is brand new, but just in case I did try using a bootable USB that I made with a program from Microsoft. Still freezes with the USB sometimes but it gives me an error before installing the os. I don't remember the error, but it had something to do with partitions. I'll be home in an hour or two and will try some things again. But thank you for talking to me about it. Makes me feel a lot better, lol. It'll be the best computer I've ever owned if I can get it to work.

Wriggs · 10 Oct 2015

So, got home and figured I'd try it right away. And it has gone to the 'completing installation' part that it got to at the shop. Weird. But seems to have frozen again like it did at the shop. The little ... That is animated isn't moving and I can't move the cursor. Going to leave it for a while and see what happens, I guess.

Wriggs · 10 Oct 2015

Here's a couple of pics

Wriggs · 10 Oct 2015

And one of my rig

Layback Bear · 10 Oct 2015

I think what took so long is that you got all the needed updates in the post W-10 time. Now days Updates take a long time.

Wriggs · 10 Oct 2015

And..... It shut itself off after about 10 mins. I think I'll just let the techs figure it out. I'm out of patience for now.