Windows 7 Advice required please. Need to install Windows 7

silverman

Honorable Member
I have a computer that I build just over two years ago, till recently it has given me trouble free use. However around two months ago it developed an intermittent boot-up problem. This was about once a week and more recently it’s been four or five days a week. Today I can’t boot it up at all. I did manage to get a boot-up once today (after sever hours of trying) when it did start it went into a continuous loop of booting up, and closing down.

Over the last few weeks I have been removing hardware (one item at a time to see if this resolved the problem. The only item that did speed up the boot-up process was the removal of a Belkin FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 PCI Express card (item 10 below). But it did not improve the boot problem.

I have for some time been thinking about replacing my current XP Pro operating system for a new Windows7 Home Premium.

Now my questions.

As I cannot follow the recommended procedure for backing up XP first and follow up with a recovery. I have purchased a new WD1500HFLS-O1G6U1 (WD VelociRaptor (150Gb) hard drive for the operating system to replace item 4 listed below. I am 99% certain that I have a software corruption or a slim change that the HD is at fault.

I have managed to back up the majority of important data over the last few weeks so I am not too worried about losing anything else.

My other two hard drives have most of my other important documents/images etc. (currently disconnected).

Can I just fit the new WD VelociRaptor HD on it’s own and after a format install Windows7 Home Premium DVD (Full version – Not upgrade or OEM). Would it then be best to then add the hardware items one at a time after Windows 7 has been installed? I could then download the latest drives as I go along. I will be installing the 64Bit operating system.

I assume that after this I can connect the two other hard drives and Windows7 will read them – is this correct?

Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.


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1. Motherboard: ASUS P5KC AiLifestyle Series iP35 Socket 775 8 channel audio ATX


2. Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Part No BX80557E6850 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3GHz Socket 775 4MB Cache 1333MHz FSB Retail Boxed Processor

3. RAM PC8500 (1066 MHz) 4 x Corsair 1GB PC2-8500 C5 XMS2 Dominator (2 twin packs) (4GB total)

4. Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB SATA 10KRPM 16MB Cache - OEM – 5 Year Warranty.

5. Hard Disc 2 (500gb) Seagate ST3500630AS 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 16MB Cache 7200RPM – OEM

6. 1 x Western Digital 750GB HD SATA300 7200rpm 32MB Cache Caviar Black OEM

7. Case – Coolermaster RC-1000 Cosmos Full Tower Case – inv 4 large fans (all ready purchased)

8. Power Supply (PSU) Coolermaster RealPower Pro 850W Modular PSU

9. (b) Graphic Card, Nvidia GeForce 8600GTS 512MB PCI-E - Manufacturer code: 8600GTS

10. Belkin FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 PCI Express card.

11. DVD drives x 2
 
YES there is no issues installing a windows 7 to a new HD, in all likelyhood it will discover all the devices without any hickups with everything attached that you intend to use. Windows 7 has the best driver base of any OS out, so once thats done just check for newer video drivers etc once its all up n running if you feel the need. I personally have installed numerous systems of all ages and at worst had to dig out a suitable sound drivers and video card drivers (base install ones merely do the job without being optimised drivers for gaming.)
 
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Thanks, Highwayman, If I install the new hard drive first, will the computer boot-up on it's own ? do I need to get the drive formatted before inserting the Windows7 disc? With all the boot-up problems recently I can't see how it will start. I have an old XP boot floppy disc, that would not launch it when I tried it.
 
Install the HD beforehand, slap in dvd into the drive, Windows 7 DVD is self-booting so simply press a key when prompted to load the installer, making sure in your BIOS that DVD drive is the primary boot device, windows installer will allow you to pick and choose drives to format and install to in easy laymans terms.
 
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Thanks again Highwayman, your first reply I think you were saying refit all the hardware, I can't be 100% certain if any one if them is faulty. what do yoiu think.

Also So not to format the wrong drive, I would think it's best not to connect the two other drives till after the installation of the systm drive is complete, do you agree?
 
Today its the day - so refitted all the items listed below (except the Firewire card (item 11 listed below) - has to be done after installing software).I fitted the new "C" drive (unformated) WD1500HFLS-O1G6U1 (WD VelociRaptor (150Gb)

I had set the BIOS to read from the CD as first option. I installed the Windows7 64bit disk, and switched on.

The screen did the ASUS listing as usual and ended with a message "Overclocking failed"

I have not seen anything about formatting the new hard drive.

Any suggestions



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1. Motherboard: ASUS P5KC AiLifestyle Series iP35 Socket 775 8 channel audio ATX


2. Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Part No BX80557E6850 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3GHz Socket 775 4MB Cache 1333MHz FSB Retail Boxed Processor

3. RAM PC8500 (1066 MHz) 4 x Corsair 1GB PC2-8500 C5 XMS2 Dominator (2 twin packs) (4GB total)

4. Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB SATA 10KRPM 16MB Cache - OEM – 5 Year Warranty.

5. Hard Disc 2 (500gb) Seagate ST3500630AS 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 16MB Cache 7200RPM – OEM

6. 1 x Western Digital 750GB HD SATA300 7200rpm 32MB Cache Caviar Black OEM

7. Case – Coolermaster RC-1000 Cosmos Full Tower Case – inv 4 large fans (all ready purchased)

8. Power Supply (PSU) Coolermaster RealPower Pro 850W Modular PSU

9. (b) Graphic Card, Nvidia GeForce 8600GTS 512MB PCI-E - Manufacturer code: 8600GTS

10. Belkin FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 PCI Express card.

11. DVD drives x 2
 
UPDATE: The computer has now booted from the Windows7 disc, and is asking me to install Windows7 using the set-up, as I have not formated the new C drive yet should I do this? I would have thought it needs the new CD to be formatted first?

How do I start this procedure.

Help.
 
Ok, on the dvd click install go for a custom install at the partitioning screen select your drive and just tell it to install windows. The setup will automatically format your drive.
 
I started the install process a short while ago and have got to the following screen.

Where do you want to install Windows ?

It shows the following two options:-

Disk 0 Partition 1: Local Disc Total Size 465.8Gb - Free Space 329.3GB Primary.

Disk 1 Unallocated space. Total Size 139.7Gb - Free Space 139.7GB Primary.

it does not show any other drives, is the above one drive ?
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I have three hard drives connected.
The new WD1500HFLS-O1G6U1 (WD VelociRaptor (150Gb)
(unformated one) to be used as the "C" drive.
and two others:-
5. Hard Disc 2 (500gb) Seagate ST3500630AS 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 16MB Cache 7200RPM – OEM

6. 1 x Western Digital 750GB HD SATA300 7200rpm 32MB Cache Caviar Black OEM

these have been used previously on my computer with XP Pro - It's most important that I don't overwrite these two, certainly don't want to install Windows7 on them either
 
Disk 1 Unallocated space. Total Size 139.7Gb is where you may want to install it. Click on Drive options > Format. Then select this drive and install.
 
At the botton of the page are the following options:-

Refresh
Load Driver
New
The above are selectable.

The following are greyed out! and I can't select them.

Delete
Extend
Format.

I did try the Refrsh, but it still did not allow me to select Format.

Should I click on NEXT and go to the next page?
 
Click on Disk 1 Unallocated space. Total Size 139.7Gb, so it's high-lighted, then create New, then Format should be available. :)
 
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I selcted Disk 1 Unallocated space. Total Size 139.7Gb - Free Space 139.7GB Primary. then New,

then a screen with selection Disk 1 Unallocated space. Size 143089MB.

After clicking on next it showed

Disk 0 Partition 1: Local Disc Total Size 465.8Gb - Free Space 329.3GB Primary.

Disk Partition 1: System reserved, Total 100MB, free space 86.0MB System
Disk Partition 2: Total 139.6MB, free space 1329.6MB Primary.

I can now select Format, do I just select Disk Partition 1: System reserved and run format? or do I also need to Format Disk Partition 2: Total 139.6MB,

Am I going to have enough space for all my programmes - with a partition?

Thanks for all you help, hope this is the last question.
 
Proceeding towards the next step of installation, it will list all the partitions on your system, simply click the partition that belongs to the HDD of your wish to install the operating system on and next are pieces of cake.
 
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