Pentium D 950 Windows 7 Install Help

[ianhaney]

Hi

I am having a bit of a nightmare trying to install Windows 7 on a Pentium D 950 computer, it's a NEC Powermate ML450. From what I have seen on Google etc. it can take Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 as it's got 3GB RAM, a 500GB HDD. It don't seem to boot from the disc on startup when I press F8 and select to boot from the disc, it just keeps looping. I currently have XP on it as that's all I can install on it so far. I have tried a USB stick to install Windows 7 but does the same thing and just loops on startup when press F8 and select USB.

I am currently trying to install Windows 7 from Windows itself and at the mo it is copying the Windows files but when it reboots it just keeps rebooting/looping

I installed Windows 7 upgrade tool and says Windows 7 can be installed so don't get it.

Has anyone had the same issue or can help please?

Thank you in advance

 

[Megahertz07]

How did you get the Win 7 installation disk? Is it a original M$ disk or you burned a iso file on a DVD?

 

[ianhaney]

It's a ISO file burned onto a DVD, I have used it loads of times in other PC's and it works

 

[Megahertz07]

On BIOS, set the main boot disk to the ODD.
Detach all other disks but the target disk (very important).
Boot from the Win 7 installation disk and do a clean install Clean Install Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums
Make sure you delete ALL partitions on the target disk than create new partition.
Install on the big NTFS created.

 

[ianhaney]

Done that and still no joy, it just loops after I press enter to boot from the cd or dvd when the messages appears on startup

 

[Megahertz07]

May be your Win 7 installation disk is damaged.
Burn another DVD.

 

[ianhaney]

I have tried others and still no joy, I have noticed the XP discs that it does boot up and install are CD's but the optical drive does support DVD's as it has the DVD and RW logo's on the front but seems odd that it can boot and install XP and nothing else, surely the PC can support Windows 7

 

[ianhaney]

I have given up on it as am out of ideas, I tried to even install a second hard drive and install Windows 7 on the second one and keep XP on the first one and started installing from the setup.exe file I clicked on within Windows XP and got to 30% on expanding files and it reboots but the issue happens where it just loops on startup and does not get no further than the splash screen where to press F2 for BIOS and just keeps looping that screen so gave up with it, for some reason it don't like to install anything properly apart from XP

 

[mrjimphelps]

As a test, try to install something like Linux Mint 32-bit on the computer. This will cause any hardware issues to show up. If successful, then there isn't likely any hardware issue with the computer.

 

[ianhaney]

OK will try that, what one is best to download from the following link?

Download - Linux Mint

 

[ianhaney]

I have downloaded Linux Mint Cinnamon 18.3 and put it on dvd disc and is booting at the moment as selected cd/dvd as the first boot option and pressed F8 to boot from the dvd disc

 

[mrjimphelps]

Run it from the DVD for a bit, as a test. Then, after running it a bit, click on the install icon to install it to your hard drive. Be sure to choose the option to erase the drive and put only Mint Cinnamon on the drive. I have also found that it is better to tell it you want to log in with a password than without.

 

[ianhaney]

Sorry just got a email saying "xfce 32-bit will be the most lightweight, so I suggest you go with that one."

I will download that one now and not use cinnamon version

 

[ianhaney]

How do I run it from the disc for abit, do you mean when it boots from the disc and it gets to the desktop where it has the 3 icons and the one is install Linux Mint, shall I leave it running in desktop for a bit with the disc and then install?

I am downloading the xfce edition iso file, should be done in a hour or less, will post a update once done and running from the disc for abit then installing and doing what you said about the logging with a password then without

 

[mrjimphelps]

When you boot with the DVD, it will put you into a working copy of Linux Mint. At that point you are running Linux from the DVD.

You will find that there is an "Install Linux Mint" icon. If you click on it, Linux Mint will be installed on your hard drive.

 

[ianhaney]

ok no probs, I'll run it off the disc for 5 mins then click on install Linux Mint icon, once done, I will post a update

 

[ianhaney]

I am not having much luck with Linux Mint, first I could not install Linux Mint xfce, it froze on starting up so installing cinnamon and it first said about a file not matched during the install slideshow bit so clicked retry and was going up on the progress bar and now it has came up with the installer encountered an error copying files to the hard disk

[errno 5] input/output

this is often due to a faulty cd/dvd disc drive or a faulty hard disk

It goes onto to say clean the disc or burn at a lower speed

I feel like giving up with it

 

[AddRAM]

Always burn dvd`s at the slowest possible speed given by the program

Try this.

Free ISO Burner

I would just go out and buy a couple 4 or 8GB flash drives, instead of wasting time with dvd`s, cd`s etc.

 

[ianhaney]

I got a 16GB USB stick that I don't use, I can use that and burn the iso onto it. i use poweriso, that's ok to use isn't it and burn it at the lowest speed given by it

 

[AddRAM]

Yes, I use Power Iso too, it`s a great program.

And another fine program for usb sticks is Rufus.

Rufus - Create bootable USB drives the easy way