Installation failure

[JHurwitz]

I recently tried upgrading my 2nd older XP computer to 7. The first upgrade went very smoothly. This machine was insane. Did a clean format after booting from the DVD. Installation was totally smooth. Once rebooted in 7 all I initially installed were the drivers for my wireless card to get on the internet. Then proceeded to try to run windows updates. Any attempt to install multiple updates led to the machine not booting and going to system repair. Unable to boot into safe mode. Some updates would install individually, but ultimately I would end up at the same failure. System restore was also useless. I could usually restore from a system image, but ultimately always ended up in the same dysfunctional state. I did do a full memory test as well as chkdsk /f /r. I don't understand how the OS can corrupt itself running nothing but its own updates. I have since restored my backup image from XP and everything is working fine. Has anyone seen this behavior before?

Supermicro P4SDA+, P4 2.6
2 GB RAM
WD IDE HD x2, primary master and slave
NVidia 6800GS AGP

 

[theog]

Check your ram.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/715-memory-diagnostics-tool.html?ltr=M
Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

Check the hard drive with the manufacturer's diagnostic tools.
Hard Drive Diagnostics Tools and Utilities (Storage) - TACKtech Corp.
HD Diagnostic

 

[gregrocker]

I would want to pay close attention to getting a perfect install of Win7, adapting these steps: Reinstalling Windows 7

Then I'd want to monitor the logs and System Resources using these troubleshooting steps. What you describe is dysfunction that should likely show up somewhere in the logs or other troubleshooting.

Were there missing drivers? You may need newer (Vista?) ones for chipset.

 

[JHurwitz]

I may have forgotten to install 845 chipset drivers for the MB. I will likely try a fresh install and then the Intel autodetect site for drivers.

 

[gregrocker]

It isn't necessary to reinstall, just import the Intel chipset to see if things change.

You may need to install it and run setup.exe in XP SP2 or earlier Compatibility Mode.

Set a restore point so you can easily roll back to the installer's drivers if necessary. System Restore Point - Create

 

[JHurwitz]

Seems to be working. Installed Intel 845 chipset drivers in XP mode. No more crashes.