windows 7 professional install failure

[davidgibbons111]

I have just received an alienware m17x, and for my school network we need windows 7 pro installed. I used my action pack dvd and tried upgrading. It failed. I then wiped my main drive my booting into the dvd, and fresh re installing windows. I've done this multiple times, and everytime it comes up saying it needs to restart, then upon restart says 'completing installation' - but then it comes up saying 'windows setup could not configure windows to run on this computer's hardware' then restarts and says 'windows could not complete the installation. To install windows on this computer, restart the installation' - then restarts, shows me a boot option of four windows 7's and a windows setup rewind or mething, then shows the windows could not complete message again. I need this computer! Any help or ideas much appreciated...

 

[ignatzatsonic]

What OS and version came with the Alienware PC on the day you got it?

What is an "action pack dvd"?

Do you have an ordinary Windows 7 Pro installation disc?

I assume you are trying upgrade installs rather than clean installs?

You say you "wiped my main drive". Do you have non-main drives? How did you do this "wiping"?

A screen shot of Windows Disk Management would help.

 

[davidgibbons111]

I got the laptop today, and it came with 7 home premium. Its a dvd from a microsoft action pack subscription, just a normal windows 7 disk tbh. No, only home premium disk which came with the laptop, and even a fresh install from that repeatedly fails. I'm now trying clean install, where I boot into the windows dvd, and in the install menu it says clean install or something, and shows my main hdd and a 9gb recovery hdd - I wipe my main hdd then continue with the install. All goes smoothly until the end. How do I get to disk management?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Type disk management into the start button search box.

More clarification needed on "wipe my main hdd". I assume you mean C, but "wipe" is not Windows terminology. What specific menu choices did you make?

Post the screen shot.

 

[davidgibbons111]

What I perhaps haven't made clear is I have erased my main hdd, and thus have no operating system installed on it - that is what I am attempting to do now. And when I was in the install windows menu, I selected my harddrive, and clicked the button underneath saying wipe or erase - I forget which. I am on my blackberry so don't think I can upload photos?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I assume you did not receive "recovery" disks with this PC?

It's difficult to tell what type of a mess you have made of things without the screen shot.

You say you are attempting a clean install. With the Windows 7 Premium disc you said you had in post 3? Or are you using some special Alien-branded disc?

How many physical hard drives in this PC? If you have more than 1, you should disconnect any discs other than the one you want to put Windows on before you begin.

 

[seavixen32]

I'd never heard of a Microsoft Action Pack, but it appears to be a subscription-based service for IT specialists, teachers and students.

Microsoft Action Pack Subscription

The subscription comes with what is termed internal-use licences including Windows 7 Professional.

https://mspartner.microsoft.com/en/uk/Pages/Membership/action-pack-subscriptions.aspx

I think David, you need to be getting support from your school IT Admin by the sound of it.

 

[davidgibbons111]

No, only the alienware branded home premium disk and some resource disks. And I have tried with both the normal pro disk, and the alien branded home premium disk. And just 1 hdd, a 750gb hdd.

 

[davidgibbons111]

Okay, but still, surely the windows disk should be the same?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

No, only the alienware branded home premium disk and some resource disks. And I have tried with both the normal pro disk, and the alien branded home premium disk. And just 1 hdd, a 750gb hdd.

I'm guessing you had a System Reserved partition, C, and 1 or more other partitions.

If you have deleted or otherwise mangled C, you may still be able to do a repair install from your Alienware-branded home premium disc.

Or you may still be able to access and use a recovery partition if the PC originally had one.

Any useful titles on these "resource disks"? Tjey may have a recovery mechanism, but I know nothing about Alienware.

I'd at least try to get into Diskpart and find out what partitions the thing has if you have no bootable C drive.

I'd also go to Alienware support site and see what they say about recovery.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Okay, but still, surely the windows disk should be the same?

I wouldn't bet on it. Might be true. Might not.

If nothing else, you should be able to download a legit Windows ISO, burn it, and install. But that would leave you without any special wonderfulness that Alienware may have included.

As Seavixen says, maybe you should contact your school IT dept and hope they don't snicker at you.

 

[F5ing]

Also might want to check the BIOS to make sure the HD is still set to use AHCI rather than IDE.

 

[davidgibbons111]

How do I get to diskpart? And the disks are- m17x r4 resource dvd, dell webcam resource media, cyberlink power dvd, and windows 7 HP service pack 1. How do I access the recovery partition?

 

[seavixen32]

I still think you should spill the beans and hope your school IT Amin will get you out of trouble.

However, if you are adamant you want to get into Diskpart you need either Windows 7 DVD or a Windows 7 repair disc and a read through this tutorial.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/119713-diskpart-pc-startup.html

 

[davidgibbons111]

Okay thanks. And fyi, I'm now running the alienware ePSA preboot system assessment (diagnostics) to see if everythings fine internallt

 

[davidgibbons111]

Okay thanks, and fyi I'm running the alienware preboot diagnostics to see if everythings ok inside

 

[gregrocker]

You obviously didn't wipe your HD if after install it came up with multiple boot selections of previous Win7 installations and attempts. The correct way to wipe your HD is to boot the DVD, press Shift + F10 at first screen, then type in Diskpart Clean Command.

Then follow these steps exactly to Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.

If you have a Professional license key, you could have simply inputted it into Anytime Upgrade and would have had the extra features unlocked in minutes. Too bad you didn't ask until it was too late. Windows Anytime Upgrade - How to - Windows 7 Forums

But now you'll be getting a superior Clean Reinstall anyway, and if you follow the steps in the blue link above for getting and maintaining the install it will be perfect.

 

[davidgibbons111]

Thank you so much gregrocker, ill try that now. Will report back on progress

 

[davidgibbons111]

Hmm, when I did the diskpart clean command into the terminal box thing, it came up DiskPart was unable to process the parameters. Use 'diskpart /?' For more information. Wwhat do I do now?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Make sure you are doing this exactly:

Boot from Windows disk

Hit shift F10 at the language screen

Type diskpart at the prompt that appears

then enter these commands, in order

list disk, which should return a list of disks in your PC, probably "disc 0".

select disk 0, if that is what list disk returned.

clean

Clean should then clean the disk of ALL partitions and info. IF that is what you want to do.

I'm not sure I'd do it rather than contact your IT department. The clean command should enable you to install from your Alienware Home Premium disk, but you won't have a recovery partition or any special software Alienware may have included. The clean command will wipe that out.