Windows installation gets stuck on 87% HELP!

[Togsy]

hi guys, i am no computer wiz so can help please be simple and not in too technical words
basically i have purchased windows 7 home premium and when i install it, it starts working until it gets stuck on 87% of "gathering files" in setup. i have tried installing this on another pc and it works so it is not a faulty disk, also i have tried another disk and i have the same problem.

what do i do. both times when installing on my alienware m9750 (the laptop i am talking about) i have tried doing an update coz i don't really want to lose microsoft word and other files, but will do a complete installation if people think that's the answer.

Please help!

p.s. i have tested my pc with the microsoft windows 7 compatability check it says it should work

 

[Jonathan_King]

How long are you waiting? Try leaving it overnight, if you haven't already. Also try unplugging all unnecessary hardware before trying to install.

 

[Togsy]

How long are you waiting? Try leaving it overnight, if you haven't already. Also try unplugging all unnecessary hardware before trying to install.

i have tried leaving it over night it it just wont move any more.
i don't know if this will have any affect but i am not installing it from a disk coz my laptop wouldn't recognize it so i went through the process of being able to boot it from a usb drive

thanks for quick response but what do i do?

 

[Jonathan_King]

Try searching the forums for similar threads.

 

[Dave76]

Welcome to Seven Forums.

When your doing an upgrade install it can take a very long time depending on the files and programs you had installed on Vista.

It can take up to 20 hours in some cases.

Disconnect all peripherals (hardware), just leave the power cord plugged in to the laptop and the internet connected.

If waiting it out doesn't work and you decide to do a clean install you can check this Seven Forums tutorial.
Clean Installation with Windows 7

If you have any questions, reply here.

Let us know how it is going.

 

[Togsy]

Welcome to Seven Forums.

When your doing an upgrade install it can take a very long time depending on the files and programs you had installed on Vista.

It can take up to 20 hours in some cases.

Disconnect all peripherals (hardware), just leave the power cord plugged in to the laptop and the internet connected.

If waiting it out doesn't work and you decide to do a clean install you can check this Seven Forums tutorial.
Clean Installation with Windows 7

If you have any questions, reply here.

Let us know how it is going.

thanks for the sincerity so maybe i will try lwaving it fo more than 20hrs, however you said to disconnect all peripherals, but i an't do that i don't think because i am loading windows 7 from my external harddrive so if i disconnect it will it not stop the update.

 

[Dave76]

Just leave the external connected.

Is it USB or eSATA?

 

[Togsy]

Just leave the external connected.

Is it USB or eSATA?

umm usb but then i don't know what esata is. ys USBb i think because it is a normal external that plugs into the usb port in my laptop

and if i want to do a complete update don't i just click "custom". (if one can choose between "upgrade" or "custom" on the cheaper windows 7 update, why would people buy the more expensive full update?)

 

[Dave76]

Yes you can do a custom install.

Check this Seven Forums tutorial.

Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

Let us know how it goes.

eSATA is an external HD connection that has the same speed as an internal HD connection, it's actually the same connection only the connector is a little different.
You can actually install an OS on an eSATA external hd and it will work as if it's on an internal HD.

 

[gregrocker]

How long are you waiting? Try leaving it overnight, if you haven't already. Also try unplugging all unnecessary hardware before trying to install.

i have tried leaving it over night it it just wont move any more.
i don't know if this will have any affect but i am not installing it from a disk coz my laptop wouldn't recognize it so i went through the process of being able to boot it from a usb drive

thanks for quick response but what do i do?

Your post is about how long an in-place Upgrade is taking.

Then you say above that you found a way to boot USB drive installer.

If you are booting, there is no way to do an in place Upgrade. You must do a Custom clean install.

Back up your files and try using advanced tools to delete all, create a new partition to format and install. You will need to reinstall programs.

What is the reason your DVD will not boot? Did you burn it yourself?

 

[Frostmourne]

Why are you using USB? My new install took less than 30min. What about your cd drive?

 

[Crazy Buddhist]

Check out this post if your install is returning the exception 0x80070570 can't find files

http://www.sevenforums.com/installa...570-error-code-install-one-easy-solution.html

Crazy B

 

[Mirrorboy]

maybe there's a smudge on the disc? it sounds stupid, but when i tried installing 7 RC on my dad's laptop, it wouldn't load past a certain point because it turned out there was a huge thumbprint on the disc that was preventing the laser from reading it properly. after i cleaned it, it worked fine.

/edit:
that error code looks familiar. i think it's the same one i got during the above scenario.

 

[DocBrown]

Microsoft error page:

You receive a "0x800A01AE" error message or a "0x080070570" error message when you try to connect to the Windows Update Web page or to the Microsoft Update Web page in Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP

 

[DocBrown]

Just leave the external connected.

Is it USB or eSATA?

umm usb but then i don't know what esata is. ys USBb i think because it is a normal external that plugs into the usb port in my laptop

and if i want to do a complete update don't i just click "custom". (if one can choose between "upgrade" or "custom" on the cheaper windows 7 update, why would people buy the more expensive full update?)

Is the USB drive a DVD drive ? If so what make & model.

Or are you trying to install from a USB Bootable Win7 Flash drive ?

 

[Dave76]

Hi guys,

He's installing from a USB external hard drive.

i am loading windows 7 from my external harddrive

How long are you waiting? Try leaving it overnight, if you haven't already. Also try unplugging all unnecessary hardware before trying to install.

i have tried leaving it over night it it just wont move any more.
i don't know if this will have any affect but i am not installing it from a disk coz my laptop wouldn't recognize it so i went through the process of being able to boot it from a usb drive

thanks for quick response but what do i do?

Your post is about how long an in-place Upgrade is taking.

Then you say above that you found a way to boot USB drive installer.

If you are booting, there is no way to do an in place Upgrade. You must do a Custom clean install.

Back up your files and try using advanced tools to delete all, create a new partition to format and install. You will need to reinstall programs.

What is the reason your DVD will not boot? Did you burn it yourself?

Just leave the external connected.

Is it USB or eSATA?

umm usb but then i don't know what esata is. ys USBb i think because it is a normal external that plugs into the usb port in my laptop

and if i want to do a complete update don't i just click "custom". (if one can choose between "upgrade" or "custom" on the cheaper windows 7 update, why would people buy the more expensive full update?)

Is the USB drive a DVD drive ? If so what make & model.

Or are you trying to install from a USB Bootable Win7 Flash drive ?

 

[Dave76]

Why are you using USB? My new install took less than 30min. What about your cd drive?

USB memory key will install WIN7 much faster than a DVD, a lot of people are getting bad burns when they put an ISO file on a DVD.

I installed Win7 in 15 minutes with a USB memory key.

You can also expand the ISO file to a non-target partition and install from there, it's very fast.

 

[Togsy]

ok guys thanks for all the discussion, after leaving it for 3 days trying to do an upgrade, nothing happened so i partitioned my hard driver and custom installed it. it worked, i am doing this through windows 7 home premium.

however i was wondering, i need to get windows 7 for my home pc and i was considering windows 7 ultimate, is there any point, it is really just a social pc, not a company pc or anything?

also been seeing lots of stuff about installing on raid whatever that is, but i think my computer has raid. what's this all about? (sorry if this is a retarted question but i don't know very much about computers?)

 

[Dave76]

Congrats on the install.
Glad you got it working.

The ultimate version has a few extra features like BitLocker, Windows XP Mode, Domain Join and the language of your choice.
If you don't need any of these then Home Premium is the best choice.

Check the MS site Compare Features, will show you the additional features.

RAID is a hard drive controller feature that allows you to use two or more HDs to act as one. One method splits your files between two HDs and is suppose to be faster, another method makes an exact copy to another drive, it writes to two HDs at the same time.

I wouldn't recommend it unless you absolutely need 100% backup at all times.
If you use a backup image program and backup every one or two weeks you will be safe.

 

[wallyinnc]

Togsy, pls take a look at this thread, Brink's post explains how to install with a RAID array. You will need to find out more about your computer before installing and download the correct drivers etc.

If I were you, I would get help fromm somebodymore experienced that coudl be there during the install. We can try to help, but it is always more difficult remotely