Solved Problem with Upgrading to Win 7 Ultimate (64 bit)

[Joe Brick]

Have a look at this tutorial at the link below, it's not the same as Greg suggested but it works very well.


USB Windows 7 Installation Key Drive - Create

Many thanks Bare Foot Kid,

will give this a try and return with the results.

 

[1994F7PT]

you are at university and know absolutely no-one with a screen they would be willing to lend you, or even to take your pc round to to check to see if the TV issue is the problem????

i know it sounds like a cop out but it would be far and a way be the simplest method to get you up and running quickly is all i was thinking, surely somebody with a kind heart would help you out?? uni's typically have thousands of students!!!

 

[Joe Brick]

Since you don't have a video card, what is the type of video connection is on you MB ? VGA, DVI, HDMI ? Try connecting a standard VGA computer monitor for the Clean Install

I've got all three connections on the mobo (VGA, HDMI and DVI).

It is currently connected to the TV with the VGA, and has been connected like this all along the installation attempts (HDMI and DVI are disconnected at the moment).

Like I said, I don't have a pc monitor (and can't afford buying one) and can't borrow one cause all my friends use laptops.

 

[DocBrown]

Are there any second hand Thrift shops in the area? I find old VGA monitors there for $ 6.99 to 14.99. I am 99% sure this will solve you blank screen install problem of x64.

 

[Joe Brick]

Are there any second hand Thrift shops in the area? I find old VGA monitors there for $ 6.99 to 14.99. I am 99% sure this will solve you blank screen install problem of x64.

We’ve got charity shops around here but they don’t do computer parts.


I think you make a valid point about using a monitor, and trust me, I’m doing my best to get one, but for now that’s what I’ve got and I thought I might be able get it sorted out without one.

 

[gregrocker]

Those are shorthand instructions to use UltraISO trial version to write the install ISO to flash stick:

On File tab, Open ISO.

On BOotable tab, Write DIsk Image.

Format stick with format button,

Click write button.

Your DVD is likely not bootable because the ISO or DVD burn are bad. Confirm the ISO is intact and burn another DVD at 4x Speed using ImgBurn.

Then set your BIOS to boot DVD correctly: How to Boot your Computer from a Bootable CD or DVD

 

[Joe Brick]

Hi everyone,

Sorry about the slight delay. Preparing the bootable disk-on-key and testing it took some time as I've never done it before. Also, my thanks again to all who responded and made suggestion on how the situation may be resolved.

Unfortunately, the bootable disk-on-key did not yield any results either. The system acts as it always does (which rules-out the possibility that the DVD is causing the problem). When I boot from the disk-on-key, the system goes through bios without a hitch, delays for a little bit as it tries to engage with the bootable device and then moves on to upload the existing OS from the hdd. If I disconnect the existing hdd and connect another blank hdd instead, the system just hangs after the bios stage without giving any beeps or showing anything on screen.

I guess I have no choice but find a pc monitor to test the system with.

Regardless, the fact that the mobo does not beep or gives any other indication when booted with an empty hdd seems to me to indicate that this mobo is faulty in a fundamental way. Am I right? Can anybody tell me more about this kind of situation and what may be causing it?

 

[theog]

The BIOS only boots the MOBO.

 

[gregrocker]

Can you try booting both the DVD and the flash stick on another machine? That's the only way both can be ruled out as problematic: if the same behavior happens on another machine.

If either will boot on the other machine, move your HD to this machine and with all other HD's unplugged, install Win7 64 bit. Then SysPrep the HD before moving it back to the problem machine to remove all drivers, hardware ID, etc. so it will start on other hardware: SysPrep to move HD to another computer

This is what I do when I run up against a wall with a problem install. The only hurdle might still be the TV, or if not slipstreamed into installer using Vlite. Much easier to borrow a VGA monitor.

Does the TV have a installed driver? If so, it could possibly be added to isntaller if you can get to drives selection screen.

 

[Joe Brick]

The BIOS only boots the MOBO.

Hi there Theog,

what does it mean "The BIOS only boots the MOBO"? shouldn't the mobo (or BIOS, or whoever) look for an operating system after POST and if it doesn't find one ask for it or beep that the process has halted?

 

[theog]

NO, just halt.

 

[Joe Brick]

Hello Gregrocker, boy you guys are fast!

Can you try booting both the DVD and the flash stick on another machine? That's the only way both can be ruled out as problematic: if the same behavior happens on another machine.

Just did a quick check of the DVD and flash stick on my laptop. The DVD worked fine. The flash disk failed for some reason. The error message I got is: “BOOTMGR is missing”. Must have done something wrong when setting it up though I haven’t a clue as to what. I’ve worked closely with the tutorials while setting up the iso file (there was a small snag with the Windows’ software they suggest for making these devices – something to do with the UDF (or DUF?) and not recognizing manually generated iso files, but there was plenty of documentation for this problem and eventually the software accepted the file and confirmed that the process was completed successfully).

If either will boot on the other machine, move your HD to this machine and with all other HD's unplugged, install Win7 64 bit. Then SysPrep the HD before moving it back to the problem machine to remove all drivers, hardware ID, etc. so it will start on other hardware: SysPrep to move HD to another computer.

That sounds like the right thing to do, and I would have tried it if I had another machine. Sadly, I don’t. But I will keep this in mind and if the opportunity comes up, I’ll try it.

This is what I do when I run up against a wall with a problem install. The only hurdle might still be the TV, or if not slipstreamed into installer using Vlite. Much easier to borrow a VGA monitor.

I agree. Seeing as everything else doesn’t work, I’ll do my best to get one.

Does the TV have a installed driver? If so, it could possibly be added to isntaller if you can get to drives selection screen.

I’m not sure if it has an installed driver or not. I tried to search the menu options but couldn’t find anything that looks like a driver. Nevertheless, I’ll try to google the info and see if I can find anything in this direction.

Thanks again. Very much appreciated!

 

[gregrocker]

Try writing Win7 ISO to flash stick using this tool with Win7 in the dropdown window: Universal USB Installer – Easy as 1 2 3 | USB Pen Drive Linux

If the Win7 DVD boots in your laptop then the problem must be the drive.

If you can get either to boot then you'd know better if it is monitor.

 

[theog]

It would best get a monitor.

 

[Joe Brick]

Try writing Win7 ISO to flash stick using this tool with Win7 in the dropdown window: Universal USB Installer – Easy as 1 2 3 | USB Pen Drive Linux

If the Win7 DVD boots in your laptop then the problem must be the drive.

If you can get either to boot then you'd know better if it is monitor.

will do. thanks.

 

[Joe Brick]

It would best get a monitor.

yep. will try to get one and post results after that. thanks.

 

[DocBrown]

Joe, I would send you one of my many $ Thrift shop monitors, but they are way to big & heavy for a USPS $ 10.95 Flat Rate box

 

[gregrocker]

and powered by a flux capacitator.

 

[Joe Brick]

Joe, I would send you one of my many $ Thrift shop monitors, but they are way to big & heavy for a USPS $ 10.95 Flat Rate box

Hey DocBrown,

Thanks for the offer! much appreciated! but monitor no longer needed (or a flux capacitor for that matter ) as I shall explain in the next post in this thread.

 

[Joe Brick]

Problem solved

Hey all,

Sorry for the delay but been very busy with other things so had to set dealing my 64 bit installation/monitor problem aside for a while. Eventually, I found the time to get back to it and actually managed to solve it in a matter of minutes!

To be honest, the solution is rather embarrassing in its simplicity, but considering all the good will and helpful comments I received it would have been rude not to post it here.

Ok, here it is: I simply booted from the installation dvd and when the screen went blank after POST, I randomly hit some keys on the keyboard in the hope that the message to proceed with installation was there but not showing on screen. In fact, this is something I tried a few times before (as noted in one of my previous posts), but for some reason then it didn’t work and now it did. I guess it’s a question of finding the right timing in which to do it. The rest of it was textbook procedure.

That’s it. Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit is now installed.

Many thanks again to everyone who posed in this thread and apologies for taking up your time. On the up side, I learned a lot in the process and for that I’m grateful to all who wrote back.

Joe