XP/VISTA Installation headaches.

ITDEFX

ITDEFX

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Ok, the new system I built is up and running to bios.

Now I have been trying to install VISTA/XP for the past 24 hours and have been getting extremely weird problems.

When I try to install VISTA, all it does is lock up my machine :(

So I decided to install XP home, then VISTA over it.

XP Home cannot recognize my 640gb and 1tb drives but instead sees them as 137 gb drives and FORCES me to format them at 137gb drives.

I even tried another IDE drive that was 160 but XP kept on saying will format to 137gb (NTFS). The copy of XP Home CD is pre-service pack 1 version. I later figured out that Service Pack 1 and higher corrects the problem. :doh:
I don't have a Service pack 1 XP Home CD.

However I DO have XP Pro Service Pack 1 CD and THAT version picked up the correct sizes for the drives and formated them as such (took 3 hours to format the 640gb drive! :O )

I managed to get xp pro installing to this point.
105_8592.jpg



Then this happens shortly after.
105_8594.jpg

In a VISTA install I get this.
105_8591.jpg

I have tried everything I could think of from switching SATA DVD Drives and my IDE DVD Drive to installing on a simple IDE Drive yet get the same problem.

Now I am thinking I should try to install the sata drivers on a floppy to see if that helps when I install xp for the first time.

This is my configuration.
ASUS p5q deluxe
Q9300 Quad @ 2.5ghz (NOT OVERCLOCKED)
EVGA 260 card
WD 640gb
Samsung 1tb
LG DVD-R
LG BR/HD/DVD Drive
2 gigs of OCZ memory.
SB Xi-fi gamer card

The hard drives are NOT in raid mode.

I am really concern about the VISTA install CD. I bought this last year from the COMPUSA Close out and was going to wait til price drops to install it (wasn't dare going to install it on my xp system).
Anyways what could be the problem? I have also downloaded Ultimate Boot CD and tried some of the utilities but that was confusing. Also downloaded the hard drive tools for both hard drives. I got the WD utility program to work but not the samsung. The WD wants to force format the drives to 137 gb because it thinks my bios doesn't support 40/48 bit something (I forgot).


Suggestions please?
 
I had similar problems when I attempted to install Vista onto my machine just recently. It turned out that one of the sticks of memory I had went bad. Perhaps, the same has happened to you?

I tried to install Vista with 1 GB of memory, since my other had gone bad and finally got it to work. As far as HD's are concerned, I'm assuming your trying to install the OS on the smaller of the two? Did you get a program CD that came with the HD? Have you tried to format the cd with that, then install your OS?
 
[quote name='MrDubbs']I had similar problems when I attempted to install Vista onto my machine just recently. It turned out that one of the sticks of memory I had went bad. Perhaps, the same has happened to you?

I tried to install Vista with 1 GB of memory, since my other had gone bad and finally got it to work. As far as HD's are concerned, I'm assuming your trying to install the OS on the smaller of the two? Did you get a program CD that came with the HD? Have you tried to format the cd with that, then install your OS?[/quote]

The OCZ Cross fire 2 gb (1gb each), had a memory stick that was defective causing the machine to NOT boot. I went and picked up another OCZ non cross fire 2gb (Nvidia SLI) and they boot fine. I could pull 1 out and see what happens.

The drive I am trying to install it on is the WD 640gb one (SATA).
Both Hard drives were OEM.
I am having a very hard time getting a boot cd to work just so I can start up the dvd drive so I can format the drive(s). I have to use UBCD to drop me into dos so I can fire it up but the WD Utilities are FORCING ME to format to 137gb (to prevent damage).
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']The OCZ Cross fire 2 gb (1gb each), had a memory stick that was defective causing the machine to NOT boot. I went and picked up another OCZ non cross fire 2gb (Nvidia SLI) and they boot fine. I could pull 1 out and see what happens.

The drive I am trying to install it on is the WD 640gb one (SATA).
Both Hard drives were OEM.
I am having a very hard time getting a boot cd to work just so I can start up the dvd drive so I can format the drive(s). I have to use UBCD to drop me into dos so I can fire it up but the WD Utilities are FORCING ME to format to 137gb (to prevent damage).[/quote]

Well, I'm not sure to be honest on the hard drive. I know that with XP, there was an update that had to be downloaded for the it to read the rest of the HD's. I had to do it for my second HD, but never what I installed the OS on, so I'm not entirely sure on that.

As far as your install goes, It does appear to be hardware related as mentioned. I would unhook any un-necessary things to see if it will work. Just try and install with what you need, and nothing more
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']I'm not entirely sure, sounds hardware related. But in other news... WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR DESK!? =O[/quote]

it's a 2 year remodeling project that I am still working on lol :p




[quote name='MrDubbs']Well, I'm not sure to be honest on the hard drive. I know that with XP, there was an update that had to be downloaded for the it to read the rest of the HD's. I had to do it for my second HD, but never what I installed the OS on, so I'm not entirely sure on that.

As far as your install goes, It does appear to be hardware related as mentioned. I would unhook any un-necessary things to see if it will work. Just try and install with what you need, and nothing more[/quote]

The only 3 things attached to the system are the USB Keyboard, Logitech Mouse and the Ethernet Cable. That's it.

oh btw when VISTA install crashes, my system sends out a weird click beep sound I have never heard before.

Is there a way to get Windows XP Home Service Pack 1 or higher attached to my Windows XP Home CD if I make another copy of that cd and some how get the service pack on the new cd?
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']it's a 2 year remodeling project that I am still working on lol :p






The only 3 things attached to the system are the USB Keyboard, Logitech Mouse and the Ethernet Cable. That's it.

oh btw when VISTA install crashes, my system sends out a weird click beep sound I have never heard before.

Is there a way to get Windows XP Home Service Pack 1 or higher attached to my Windows XP Home CD if I make another copy of that cd and some how get the service pack on the new cd?[/quote]

I didn't mean things like that, I meant your hardware. For Example, only have the one hard drive hooked up. Only use the CD Rom drive that's needed for the CD/DVD install. Try the Ram.
 
[quote name='MrDubbs']I didn't mean things like that, I meant your hardware. For Example, only have the one hard drive hooked up. Only use the CD Rom drive that's needed for the CD/DVD install. Try the Ram.[/quote]


Oh oops

Yes I did try this method

640gb (SATA)
1 DVD Drive (SATA)

I have cycled thru 3 Drives, (2 SATA and one IDE) just to be sure, but still have the same problems.
 
I'm thinking it could be:

#1) Get RAM tested, one stick at a time, one slot at a time.
#2) Bad SATA ports or bad SATA cables. So for your case, try new cable, same port.
*so seems you've tested multiple drives - on the same cable, on the same port I presume?*
Yes? There's 0% chance that all your HDs are bad, so the blame is on the port or the cable. Though, I've seen the bad cable issue only once and yet to see a bad ATA/SATA port in my 5 years of experience, so my first guess is bad RAM above all else.


And just as an example, it took me 3.75hrs to "full" format my 1TB Seagate. Something is definitely wrong there.

The IRQ_LESS_THAN_EQUAL is something I've only seen during overclocking, so my first guess is RAM above all else. A bad SATA cable, otoh, would BSOD out of Windows install (but usually with different message).
 
[quote name='mav451']I'm thinking it could be:

#1) Get RAM tested, one stick at a time, one slot at a time.
#2) Bad SATA ports or bad SATA cables. So for your case, try new cable, same port.
*so seems you've tested multiple drives - on the same cable, on the same port I presume?*
Yes? There's 0% chance that all your HDs are bad, so the blame is on the port or the cable. Though, I've seen the bad cable issue only once and yet to see a bad ATA/SATA port in my 5 years of experience, so my first guess is bad RAM above all else.


And just as an example, it took me 3.75hrs to "full" format my 1TB Seagate. Something is definitely wrong there.

The IRQ_LESS_THAN_EQUAL is something I've only seen during overclocking, so my first guess is RAM above all else. A bad SATA cable, otoh, would BSOD out of Windows install (but usually with different message).[/quote]

Ack.
Bad SATA Port?

Hmm..

I could try switching to port SATA 1 instead of 0 and install from there. It's going to be a bitch to move everything over as the EVGA 260 is right on top of one of the ports blocking it!

I have not overclocked the CPU yet. Temp readings are fine.

I am really starting to think I need to install the 3rd party RAID driver it request (hit f3) just before it starts installing. I had a similar issue years ago when I tried to install the SATA 300 gb drive and kept on getting blue screens on boot, however I have been told the newer motherboards don't need the drivers.

There is an update for my motherboard that I am considering once I explored the SATA port possibility.
 
I mention overclocking b/c it's usually the RAM or NB that is causing the BSODs. Since you're overclocking neither, that means that even at stock settings it's giving errors (which points to bad RAM or bad slots).

I've never seen any situation where you need to install RAID for non-RAID applications. It doesn't make sense. If you can borrow a friend's set of DDR2, I'd suggest that first.
 
[quote name='mav451']I mention overclocking b/c it's usually the RAM or NB that is causing the BSODs. Since you're overclocking neither, that means that even at stock settings it's giving errors (which points to bad RAM or bad slots).

I've never seen any situation where you need to install RAID for non-RAID applications. It doesn't make sense. If you can borrow a friend's set of DDR2, I'd suggest that first.[/quote]

Well like I said before the first set of ram I got from New Egg had one that was defective and caused the system not to POST beep/go to bios. The second set I got from microcenter is working fine, but I can always pull out one chip to see what happens.
 
Hmm the Vista screen is particularly concerning. It's showing GPU artifacting, but you aren't exactly putting a load on it during OS install. Maybe try a PCI-based GPU?

I've yet to see a GPU affect an OS install, but then that's also the first time I've seen artifacting on a BSOD. That's two firsts, at the same time.
 
I meant to post this about 6 hours ago but my internet connection failed me...

1. When building a new computer, it's ESSENTIAL that you update the BIOS on the motherboard. It also doesn't help that - from the looks of it - you're installing an older version of an operating system.

2. It's also imperative that you test the RAM.
2a. A good way to do that - and get the updates you need - is our over-exposed friend LINUX, specifically the KNOPPIX distro. Honestly, I don't know a thing about Linux but the KNOPPIX distro is a tremendous boon for system builders. It's a LIVE CD Operating system (the only one I know of, but again, I know almost nothing about linux) meaning that it's a full-featured operating system that runs without a hard drive. It exists solely in RAM and you can do anything you can do with a normal operating system. The only difference being that a system restart totally starts you from scratch as far as the system goes. You CAN save things to your hard drives, however. They're just not the primary boot locations.

The advantages of this are as follows:
- You can do a wonderful job of testing your RAM here. There's an integrated Memory Test that tests both your RAM and Hard Disks.
- The operating system being able to function is in itself a good test of your systems RAM
- You can get your necessary ASUS updates and install them with the Linux installer. (I heard recently the ASUS Motherboards have embedded linux now... Not sure if yours fall in that category or not)
- You can browse the internet while on this computer and troubleshoot it at the same time.
I had errors like that a couple years back with my ASUS Motherboard.
- KNOPPIX itself is very Windows-like in appearance. (Again, I don't know if this is the same for other Linux distributions or not)

3. Make sure ALL of your connections are in. Double check.

This list is in priority order. My problem was fixed by updating the bios. I've heard some people saying that those "Vista-Ready" motherboards you used to see advertised had some wonky things happen with Vista SP1. The problems usually follow an update to an existing Vista install. If you have one of these motherboards, you can see how there would be issues if this screwed up update is your FRESH install.

http://www.overclock.net/software-news/308960-dailytech-vista-sp1-problems-bug-some.html

http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206904946

"The affected chipset is Intel's 945G Express series, which is used in computers from virtually all major system vendors. It's also found on standalone motherboards sold by Asus. The 945G Express chipset driver versions between numbers 7.14.10.1322 and 7.14.10.1403 won't work with Vista SP1, according to Microsoft. "

Again, I feel your problem will be fixed in step on. I believe you have a motherboard BIOS that's too new for XP SP1 and too old for Vista SP1, putting your system in technological limbo.

Good luck with everything, I hope my post helps. Sounds like you'll have an awesome system once you have it up and running. Don't deluge yourself with too much porn - I mean why else would you need 1.6 TB of hard drive space? haha
 
One thing about the memory is that the BIOS often defaults to the incorrect voltage. I just put a new machine together myself and the BIOS defaulted the memory voltage to 1.85v. However, the OCZ memory I bought is spec'd at 2.1v so I had to manually up the voltage. Running the memory at the wrong voltage can cause crashes.

ratedpeej gives good advice, get your BIOS to the latest version first. Then you need to make sure all your BIOS settings are correct for your CPU, memory, drives, etc. before you even attempt to install your OS. Good luck!
 
You guys do realize he's using P45 chipset? Updating the BIOS is not the best advice to give a novice, especially when his board is from a June 2008 chipset. Talking about the 945 chipset has absolutely no revelance here. You also need to consider the install base for the P5Q - I have never heard of a BIOS update being required to install an OS. We're no longer in the dark ages of Via chipsets anymore.

Redline makes a good point that I glossed over - RAM voltage. I would think, however, if it defaulted to 1.8, that the BIOS would have also loosened the timings to the default 5-5-5-18 as well (in which the 2.1 for cas 4 is not necessary).
 
[quote name='mav451']You guys do realize he's using P45 chipset? Updating the BIOS is not the best advice to give a novice, especially when his board is from a June 2008 chipset. Talking about the 945 chipset has absolutely no revelance here. You also need to consider the install base for the P5Q - I have never heard of a BIOS update being required to install an OS. We're no longer in the dark ages of Via chipsets anymore.

Redline makes a good point that I glossed over - RAM voltage. I would think, however, if it defaulted to 1.8, that the BIOS would have also loosened the timings to the default 5-5-5-18 as well (in which the 2.1 for cas 4 is not necessary).[/quote]

Ok,

I followed the BIOS update advice. My bios was 1004 and the update was like at 1604 I think. Without a doubt that was the fix! I truely can't believe that company's like ASUS do NOT test their mb with a windows install before releasing it :bomb: and then later patching it like that.
I haven't checked my votage but I am sure you guys are right about lower than it suppose to be. Anyways I updated to SP 2 on XP pro, installed the latest EVGA drivers for my card and the SB card. I have not reconnected the other two drives yet (the 1tb drive and the BR drive). Probably going to do that tomorrow after I test this machine out slowly.
Have NOT installed VISTA yet.

So far so good. no system crashes or lock ups. It's nice to have a quite machine once again vs that loud jet engine I had before!

Anyways Thanks so much guys for your help. Can't wait to play some high end games now :) This is a good b-day present after all :bouncy:
 
[quote name='mav451']You guys do realize he's using P45 chipset? Updating the BIOS is not the best advice to give a novice, especially when his board is from a June 2008 chipset. Talking about the 945 chipset has absolutely no revelance here. You also need to consider the install base for the P5Q - I have never heard of a BIOS update being required to install an OS. We're no longer in the dark ages of Via chipsets anymore.
QUOTE]

Just to clarify, I've used ASUS motherboards in roughly 10 machines I've built for commercial purposes. While their motherboards are almost always the most feature-rich compared to mobos in a similar price range, their software/BIOS configuration is rarely fine out-of-the-box. There are CONSTANT updates being made. With that said, I brought up the link because the site states that the 945 chipset was found in standalone ASUS motherboards, and - surprise - found to be problematic for Windows without the updated BIOS.

Also, a BIOS update isn't REQUIRED to install an OS. Though if you'd like for it to run correctly, it's highly recommended.

And to the original poster, congrats on getting your system running!
 
Wow...i underestimated Asus's QA/QC - yet again. Sorry if I doubted you ratepeej . My last board was the A7N8X, and if anyone remembers, they fumbled the 400FSB support off the bat (compare to Abit NF7-S's excellent support). Kind of why I've been 100% DFI since that point - I had ENOUGH of the "users = guinea pig" mentality.

But great to hear it's running.

I'm still in shock at how Asus quality continues to slip.
 
haha I actually had the A7N8X as well! Yeah... that was a mess. Stupidly though I continued with ASUS for quite a while after that. I mean they're GREAT once you get them to where you need them... just takes a while to get to that point haha. Their web site was a nightmare at that point too... I think I downloaded updates from their site at like 3k/s...

I actually just put a DFI Lan Party (I forget the exact model number) in my brother's PC. Talk about smooth operation... I had zero problems out of the box with that, so I'm totally with you there.

I rarely post on here anymore but it's awesome to see that this community is still one of the most helpful around. Pats on the backs of all for being good samaritans! haha
 
hehe

Hmm, the 1TB drive is now Drive is now Drive F.

The 640gb is C
the DVD-R is D
the BR Burner is E
I am going to recheck this as the TB drive should be on SATA port 1 with the 640gb on Port 0.

I haven't installed anything on F yet. Also is it really recommended that I put it to a full format or a quick? Who knows how long it will take a TB drive.
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']
I haven't installed anything on F yet. Also is it really recommended that I put it to a full format or a quick? Who knows how long it will take a TB drive.[/QUOTE]

I used an open source app called GParted to do my partitions and formatting:

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/

They have an ISO you can burn to CD and boot from. It's got a graphical interface too, so it's pretty easy to use. It formatted my 1 TB drive with the NTFS in about a second or two.
 
[quote name='redline']I used an open source app called GParted to do my partitions and formatting:

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/

They have an ISO you can burn to CD and boot from. It's got a graphical interface too, so it's pretty easy to use. It formatted my 1 TB drive with the NTFS in about a second or two.[/quote]


I am going to leave it alone for now since VISTA is now on that drive.

I wonder what is going to happen when I hoolk up my IDE drives from my old machine into this machine to dump the old data from it. How will vista/xp pro assign it as?
 
Probably just as E:\ drive or some other alphabets. If you set a log in name and password in your old Windows partition, Vista might ask you to retype your log in and password right after you double click on the IDE drive partition in order to allow you access to files in that IDE drive.
 
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