Simviation Forums

Hello All again-


It's me, with another problem-of-the-day.

In short: My computer wont install Windows XP. I have a fresh XP Pro DVD, with COA, etc. There are many things going wrong. Usually, if I can get far off of booting from the DVD, it gets stuck in "loading windows" screen after installation. I have also gotten to the point where I get a few blue-screen-of-deaths.

I think one of my problems is that I have an older BIOS on my motherboard. I'm trying to update it, but to no avail. I have the files, but I'm having little success creating a bootable CD that the computer will run and use to update it's bios. The second problem I'm having is that I think windows only half installed. When it went through a lot of hte installation, many files could not be copied for whatever reason and I had to use the "ESC" option to skip over that file. When the computer said "rebooting in 15 seconds... install will resume on reboot... remove all floppy disks from their drives" it rebooted, but then froze on a blank screen after the bios load up and did nothing.


Again, I'm kind of at a loss right now because I'm trying 100 things to try to fix this problem. I guess updating the BIOS is my first priority, and the second is figuring out how the heck to either start the windows install over again, or get this one to finish. Anyone know where to start?

Well unfortunately I don't have that option yet, as I only has this one drive.

I believe this DVD drive works because I'm watching it copy items. I just seem to get different errors all the time:

"terminal servce driver made incorrect memory reference"
"IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL"
"Page fault in nonpaged area"

"The file fastfat.sys is corrupted. Press any key to continue" LOL this is getting ridiculous.

I'd like to reformat the hard drive and start over.... is there any easy way to do this without an operating system? Unfortunately I don't really have any backup computers around to reformat items. This computer i'm using now is a laptop.

ALCON-

LATEST UPDATE:

I took a 200gb IDE HD I had sitting around in an external hard drive and took it out and installed it internally on my new rig. It shoes up fine in the bios, and when windows DVD runs up, it either just restarts during the loading of all the drivers, or it sits at loading windows, or I get an error:

"fatfile.sys is corrupted"

I've received this error with the SATA hard drive as well. I'm thinking this computer keeps trying to install windows at the midway point. It's not doing the original install it did the first time where it copied a lot of files (*.ddl's, etc) This is strictly loading drives (ATX's, IDE Support, USB support, x64, etc). But again, what do I know.....  :-?

Well unfortunately I don't have that option yet, as I only has this one drive.

I believe this DVD drive works because I'm watching it copy items. I just seem to get different errors all the time:

"terminal servce driver made incorrect memory reference"
"IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL"
"Page fault in nonpaged area"

"The file fastfat.sys is corrupted. Press any key to continue" LOL this is getting ridiculous.

I'd like to reformat the hard drive and start over.... is there any easy way to do this without an operating system? Unfortunately I don't really have any backup computers around to reformat items. This computer i'm using now is a laptop.

OK Dan lets start at the top

There can be many reasons for the errors you are seeing, not just one, or a combination of reasons

1. CPU is overheating during the install
2. One or both sticks of memory are defective, or in the WRONG slots
3. Improper memory or CPU settings in the BIOS (Some motherboards do not read the memory SPD correctly) or the BIOS has set the wrong VOLTAGE for the sticks. Check with Corsair, verify the voltage and set it MANUALLY instead of AUTO, same with the timing.
4. Defective Windows CD or defective drives
5. Improper or corrupt driver for the SATA controller if you are using an onboard RAID or SATA (hit F-6 to install 3rd party driver)
6. The copy of Windows does not have SP2 on it and the drive is greater than 137GB and must be partitioned FIRST
7. Defective IDE controller if using an IDE drive
8. Improper BIOS settings for the hard drive (LBA support not enabled or other settings)
9. Defective motherboard
10. Defective SATA or IDE cable(s)
11. Defective PSU


Assuming you have the drivers for the SATA controller and they are correctly installing, I would have to ask if this version of WindowsXP is the full version WITH SP2 already slipstreamed into it. IF NOT, then you CAN NOT install WindowsXP on a partition larger than 137GB.

There are some versions of WindowsXP that can have XPSP2 in it and still be an issue if the Windows disk is from the time of the first release of SP2. If this is in doubt, I would use a DOS hard drive tools program to PREPARE the hard drive in the NTFS format with a partition size of 120GB @ 4K clusters. Some DOS HDD tools you can download from the drive manufacture have all that pre-programmed into it and all you have to do tell it which version of Windows you are installing (also with or without SP2).

When you install Windows, ONLY format in the NTFS file system and just to be sure, run the FULL NTFS FORMAT. That process takes much, much longer than the QUICK NTFS format because it runs a DISKSCAN as it is formatting. If it finds a defect it will probably tell you before it starts the Windows file copy process.

If all of the above is in order, many times you may have a defective stick of memory. It happens all the time. You can use Memtest86+ to check your memory for defects. Run the DOS floppy memory test for several hours and see if it halts with errors, if it does, you have a defective stick.

Another way to check is to REMOVE ONE stick of memory and retry the install with the disk properly prepared. If the problem does not occur you probably have a defective stick and you need to run memtest on EACH stick to see which one is bad.

Another possibility is the CPU is overheating after the install gets so far. It is VERY difficult to find this because one the system reboots the CPU will typically cool off far enough by the time you get into the BIOS to check it, it does not look like it is.

You do need to make sure that BIOS is not reading those memory sticks SPD charts wrong and not setting the timing or voltage correctly. I usually set all that manually, at least the voltage, to make sure the sticks are being run correctly.

I doubt a BIOS update is the issue and I would not try to flash BIOS unless you know exactly what you are doing. A BIOS update may fix problems but I can not see how they can sell the board of it doesn

First do memory test (with the boot floppy from http://www.memtest.org/, not the memtest86 one because that one really hates your chipset and may give stupid errors)

If that goes OK, wipe the disk with fdisk and start over again... what you have now cant be repaired anyway.

Oh and pre-sp2 windows will always give BSODs with PCI-E boards... at least it did with mine

[quote]I doubt a BIOS update is the issue and I would not try to flash BIOS unless you know exactly what you are doing. A BIOS update may fix problems but I can not see how they can sell the board of it doesn

Nick and Ivan-


Ok:  I am currently working on setting the memory timings and voltages correctly in the BIOS. It was down aroudn 1.75, and the timings were auto. Crucial says these guys are 4-4-4-12 on 2.2V, so that's my next task, to get it stable in those settings. CPU voltage is set 1.25.


As far as SATA controllers, I don't know if I have these?? I have a SATA capable motherboard, but I don't have a CD with controllers on them. One thing I was thinking was that I'd buy a floppy drive, because I believe the CD for the motherboard has them, but when I run that it asks to have a floppy drive to make a copy.

As far as the OS, it is a Full, new, legit version WITH SP2 installed. When I did the first install, it recognized it as 478+/- GB, so that's not an issue. What IS an issue is that that I did NOT select full format. However, this goes back to my problem of not being able to get back to that point in the install. I feel like the CD/DVD is picking up in a middle portion, the portion after the reboot, not letting me start fully over. Is there anyway to really start over? The one issue I have is I only have this laptop, no other desktops to put the drive in and reformat it....

Ok I think that is all for now, I will keep working on your lists. The other problem is I'm never getting into windows at all, so some of the diagnostic functions I am unable to run till I even get that far.

CPU temps seem to be ok, it usually beeps before it does autoshutdown and I haven't seen anything over 46 or so yet.

Update:

I was able to get passed the "Setup is loading windows" screen! Seems initially that the RAM was causing issues with its low voltage.

I went to Windows Install Recovery by pressing "R" and I am currently running a full format on my HD. I probably wont get that done before I head to work, but after that I'm going to try to re-install windows again. I am still debating whether to purchase a freakin internal floppy drive to help with the SATA drivers. However, this computer is obviously recognizing my hard drive so I'm not sure if I need to install those drivers for the time being.

Good

It sounds like the memory may not have been set up right by the BIOS.

I see you have Crucial, not Corsair memory. Sorry, when I posted that it was very late I was exhausted, had just gotten in and don

Nick/ALL-


Here were the problems thus far:

Memory Voltage was 1.75 in bios (auto), needed to be 2.2V. Timings were on auto, I left them there.

That let me get the windows installer past "setup is starting windows."  Once there, I did a recovery and reformatted the drive, the long (not quick) way in NTFS. Once that was formatted, the installer ran flawlessly. I am currently loading all my drivers in Windows XP    8-) 8-) 8-)

Seems that the memory was the majority of my problem, then I had to reformat my poor format choice initially. I will do some installing tonight, the rest over the weekend.

YOUR HELP HAS BEEN PRICELESS. I will issue a larger report this weekend.

I am sure that is what it was. Keep mental notes for in the future regarding the rest of the items I mentioned. You never know when something like that will come up again, and its usually never the same thing twice