Windows 7 How to Install Windows 7 WITHOUT ISSUES

[v-dash]

Greetings!

Let me be the first, if not too late, to congratulate everyone who got Windows 7. It's been a week since the official retail launch and there have been over a million copies sold already. Being a support professional for Windows 7, it is an honor and a privilege to be part of this momentous achievement. Having been a Windows 7 user ever since before it became Beta, I have dreamed of the time when everyone will be using Windows 7 - it's just too good to be true.

I have gone through numerous forums seeking for feedback and comments on the product and somehow, most of the problems, even in the calls that we receive at Microsoft Support, are related to installing it into their computers. So, I have chosen this forum and this thread to begin helping those that seem to have difficulty in putting it into their systems externally. I will soon jump from forum to forum (about Windows 7) and post similar postings that I will be posting here. I am not blaming anyone because some issues are REALLY related to something other than the mere fact that we (Microsoft) have done everything possible to keep the general public informed; somehow, it was impossible to reach everyone even in this age of technology. Honestly, MOST of the problems came from "misinformation" and "misinterpretation".

Before I begin, I would like to set expectations to everyone reading this thread that I will not be answering any question that is available in the Microsoft Knowledgebase or those that I have already posted here. If I find a "unique" issue that cannot be resolved by any Microsoft KB Article or by any of the steps/procedures that I will post here, then, I will do my best to research on it and get back to you as soon as humanly possible. Furthermore, I will not disclose any confidential Microsoft Internal information in these forums.

(It took me 5 hours to write this post for all of you but then I had to break it down because the forum only allows 10,000 characters per post so just read on to the next post for the continuation)

 

[v-dash]

Continuation from Above

Now, let's start-off with the easiest part - let us define INSTALLATION. Installation is putting the operating system into your computer correctly. To do an installation, there are 3 ways - there's the CLEAN INSTALL, the CUSTOM INSTALL, and the UPGRADE INSTALL. These are arranged from Simple to Moderate.

Now, let's talk about the requirements. Windows 7 has a number of editions to choose from. We have the Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate. There are 2 architectures as well: the 32-bit also known as x86 and the 64-bit also known as x64. The recommended requirements are: a processor that is at least Pentium-III 1 GHz, 1 Gb of RAM, and 16 Gb of FREE Hard Drive Space (but Windows 7 does not occupy this amount of space after the installation, it just needs the space DURING the installation to, let's say, "draw its cards on a table"). The other "unique-to-edition" requirements will be discussed below.

Now, let's talk about BACKUP. IN EVERYTHING DONE WITH COMPUTERS, you MUST ALWAYS keep a backup. This is most especially true when you're messing with your operating system which is the life-force of your computer. Losing your computer can be resolved but losing precious data is a totally different story. BEFORE you even decide to install Windows 7, ALWAYS BACKUP your data and keep it safe in an EXTERNAL MEDIA (a USB external Hard Drive, a Thumb Drive, a DVD-R/+R, whatever you think is best) and if you use the Windows 7 Windows Easy Transfer tool (which is in the DVD), PLEASE, I beg you, to PLEASE test the MIG archive after you backup BEFORE you start messing with Setup and DO CREATE A VHD file if possible (Virtual Hard Drive) backup file. This is to make absolutely sure that your MIG/VHD files are not corrupt.

Now, let us clarify the CLEAN INSTALL process. Some people refer to this as a "FRESH COPY" or "FRESH INSTALL". This is when you install Windows 7 in a brand new computer WITHOUT an operating system, a system with a NEW HARD DRIVE, or a system currently in use but don't mind losing everything in it (see backup above). This move REQUIRES a FULL RETAIL VERSION of Windows 7 across all editions EXCEPT the STARTER edition which was specifically designed for Netbooks (Small notebook/laptop computers that have WiFi but don't have a CD/DVD drive). The ONLY way to do this is to boot off the DVD. This is can be done by either setting your 1st boot device in BIOS to Optical Drive, CD/DVD Drive, or whatever it is called in the version of your computer's BIOS OR if your computer has a boot menu (usually F9 for HP and F12 for DELL), you can use that (by pressing the specified key) when you see your PC's brand's logo on the screen. Refer to your computer's manufacturer's website or your computer's manual to know if this function is supported in your PC. If your computer has an existing OS, it will prompt you to "Press any key to boot from CD/DVD..." or a similar message in which you need to press something (like the spacebar or the enter key) to start Setup from the DVD. If you have a new hard drive, this won't be necessary since your computer will automatically search for any bootable media in all of the installed devices in your computer.

As early as now, let me inform all of you that cross-architecture installation (32-bit to 64-bit or vice versa) is ONLY POSSIBLE thru CLEAN INSTALL. More on that in another post. Let's skip the rest for the meantime.

Let's talk about CUSTOM INSTALL. Custom install is a special installation procedure that has the "best of both worlds". You can start a custom install using the steps above (clean install) or by running Setup within whatever version of Windows you currently have installed in your computer. Windows XP is an AUTOMATIC CUSTOM INSTALL. Upgrading from these versions of Windows just isn't possible because of the kernel they were designed to run on. We will discuss this further when we get to the next paragraph. Let us DEFINE it: A CUSTOM INSTALL WIPES OUT YOUR HARD DRIVE just like what a CLEAN INSTALL does so technically, it IS a form of CLEAN INSTALL and REQUIRES a FULL RETAIL VERSION of Windows 7. The major difference is that a custom install TRANSFERS ALL YOUR CURRENT OPERATING SYSTEM FILES, SETTINGS, and PROGRAMS into a folder called WINDOWS.OLD. This allows us to do so many things - referring to your old Program Files to remember what you've installed in your previous OS, transferring/migrating your old files into Windows 7, a possible transfer of your Outlook e-mails into Windows 7, or even reverting back to the old operating system with some advanced steps you can get by calling us. All this is possible thru the WINDOWS.OLD folder IF, and ONLY IF, your installation was successful. Let's skip this part again and go to where the all the action is.

Finally, where the fuzz is all about - the UPGRADE INSTALL! An UPGRADE INSTALL is a kind of installation that allows Windows 7 to be installed in a computer that contains Windows Vista with at least Service Pack 1. If you DO NOT HAVE Windows Vista SP1, you are NOT eligible for an UPGRADE! Why? Because an UPGRADE install REQUIRES files from Windows Vista that you've already modified in order for the migration to work properly in Windows 7. It is NOT about Software Licensing, it is NOT about Software Piracy Protection, it is NOT about money! Windows 7 and Windows Vista share a similar architecture, as far as the kernel (engine) is concerned, and what makes the upgrade possible is the program itself, not some store or company policy! Certain files in Windows Vista are copied into a system folder during Setup, converted into Windows 7 compatible files, and installed in with the new Windows 7 files when ready (Online Configuration Phase). This is where the problems occur. Since Windows 7 grabs these files from Windows Vista, if any of them are corrupt in any way, the installation WILL FAIL! That's when we get the issues of hangs in the middle of expanding files, or completing setup, or some even at the 1st boot phase. Another issue concerning this are the upgrade paths. When upgrading, make sure that you are upgrading to a same edition or a higher edition. You cannot upgrade Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Home Premium! That's why it's called an UP-grade. This is true for both the version and the edition. But if you really want that, that can be done thru a CLEAN or CUSTOM install. And by the way, IF you do a CUSTOM install even though you HAVE an eligible copy of Windows Vista installed, it STILL requires a FULL RETAIL VERSION of Windows 7. Let's continue with the installation from where we left off from the other 2 types mentioned above.

(Please read on to the next post)

 

[v-dash]

Continuation from Above, Again...

The DOWNLEVEL PHASE - This happens in CUSTOM and UPGRADE installs only. This is what happens when you click on "Install Now" on the 1st screen that appears on your desktop when you put the disc in. BEFORE YOU START, UNPLUG ALL USB DEVICES EXCEPT YOUR MOUSE/KEYBOARD (if they are USB). In Vista, it is highly recommended that you close (X-out) of this window, open "Computer" ("My Computer" in XP), and navigate to the DVD drive, RIGHT-CLICK on Setup and click on "Run as Administrator". This will ensure that all issues pertaining to rights are file access are prevented. In an upgrade with Vista, it is recommended that you uninstall ALL 3rd-party ANTI-VIRUS, ANTI-SPYWARE, SYSTEM REPAIR, SYSTEM PARTITIONING, SYSTEM MAINTENANCE, and any other application that requires exclusive access to your drives and hardware. If you are unsure, CONSIDER the CUSTOM install; this will spare you from a lot of trouble and headaches. Remember that for a custom install, you'll need the FULL RETAIL VERSION. Another nice thing about the custom install and upgrade install VS. the clean install is the next window after you accept the license agreement - the UPDATE SETUP FILES step. This allows you to download new, critical, or up-to-date setup files from Microsoft that could prevent more issues from arising during the installation/upgrade. You will need an active Internet connection to do this. The next step is to choose whether you are upgrading or doing a custom install. Microsoft has NOT done a "grey-out" or "disable" on these selections for a number of reasons that we will discuss in another post. At this point, you are responsible for choosing wisely on which path you are going to take. BEFORE YOU MAKE THIS CHOICE, IF UPGRADING, TURN OFF YOUR WIFI AND/OR REMOVE ANY NETWORK CABLE FROM YOUR PC. At this point, the computer will do everything that needs to be done. Sit back and wait. The more programs and/or files you have, the LONGER the entire installation will take and the MORE hard drive space is required. Make sure you have more than enough because if you don't, that's going to be a very bad cause for a catastrophic crash. "Enough" is usually twice and a half or three times as much space as the amount of space you have consumed. If you're using about 20Gb of space, you'll need at least 50-60Gb of FREE SPACE JUST TO BE SURE.

The EXPANDING FILES part is the part that takes the MOST TIME, so please be patient... except in upgrades where you have A LOT of files and programs that need to be migrated.

The Windows Pre-installation Environment (WinPE or 1st-boot) Phase - This happens to ALL types of installations. Custom and Upgrade will breeze thru this part (assuming there are no conflicting problems) since half of it was already done during the Downlevel Phase. For CLEAN installs, you will need to choose a partition where you will need to install Windows 7. At this point, there may be some issues - we will discuss these later in another post. [CLEAN INSTALL: Click on ADVANCED, then choose the hard drive where you are installing Windows 7 and click DELETE. Click or Highlight on the "Unpartitioned Space" selection on the list and click next]. A CLEAN INSTALL has an advantage over Custom and Upgrade at this point. Windows will create a 100Mb System Reserved Partition at the beginning of the partition where it will store a complete copy of Windows 7's Recovery Environment and Boot Files. In case you need to repair your installation, you won't need the disc. The Custom and Upgrade still has these options but the files are stored on your C drive or where Windows 7 is installed. The problem with that is if something happens to the C drive or becomes inaccessible, you still won't be able to use the Recovery Environment. From here, let Windows install and restart.

Online Configuration Phase - After the installation restarts (1st time for CLEAN, 2nd for UGPRADE/CUSTOM), Windows will start with a black screen and a line at the bottom that has a glowing dot changing colors. This is the most sensitive part of the installation. It's at this point when Windows will start its services, apply registry settings, and run the Windows kernel (setup) in the background. Technically, this is the part when Windows actually takes control over setup - and this is also where the problems with UPGRADEs start between 47% to 70% progress. If the files, like I said before, have the most minor issues, Windows, in its very sensitive state is not protected from any damage that will occur. If a virus or any malicious software was carried over from Vista, for example, Windows 7 WILL CRASH AT THIS POINT! This catastrophe will be almost impossible to get out off or fix that's why the preparations for an UPGRADE is VERY IMPORTANT! If you get thru this phase, you are almost done and the major issues start to dwindle. In a CLEAN or CUSTOM install, the PC will restart 1 last time but in an upgrade, the PC may restart 2 or 3 more times during this phase before you move forward to the next phase because it's at this point that your programs, settings, and files are migrated into Windows 7. (Your compatible programs/applications are installed in the background at this point). Your devices are also tested in this phase and if a device driver is malfunctioning or a device in the system is NOT supported or has issues with Windows 7 regardless of what the Upgrade Advisor reported, the installation will FREEZE between 86% to 99% which is true for ALL types of installations - more on this in another post.

Welcome Windows (OOBE or Out-of-Box-Experience) Phase - is the FINAL phase in the installation. Windows is FULLY STARTED now. If you have an LCD screen and experiencing issues with the display, try and complete all the steps and get to the desktop where this can be resolved. If the problem is at a point when nothing is readable on screen, you may need to borrow a monitor temporarily to get through this phase and get to the desktop. The problem here is that Windows 7 will attempt to use the highest possible display setting for your display adapter and some monitors just can't support it so the issue occurs. When you get to the desktop, you can right-click on the desktop and click on Screen Resolution, Advanced, and click on the Monitor Tab where you can lower the refresh rate to 60 and use your monitor properly. The MOST COMMON issues we encounter at this point is the "PRODUCT KEY IS INVALID" Error (0xC00F050 and 0xC00F061). This is because you did a CUSTOM INSTALL (which is equivalent to a CLEAN INSTALL) and you are using an UPGRADE PRODUCT KEY. Regarding this issue, you will REALLY NEED to call us to resolve it. If you used a FULL RETAIL DISC, this shouldn't be a problem.

After Windows is done "Preparing your desktop", you will find yourself right in the middle of the MOST ADVANCED OS in the history of computing! Is this done? NOT QUITE YET! At this point, plug your Internet back in AND/OR turn your WiFi back on and wait for the computer to go online. 1st thing to do right after this is done - ACTIVATE WINDOWS! This is done by pressing the WinKey (the key with the Windows logo) with the Pause/Break Key. Alternately, you can click on Start, Right-Click on Computer and click on Properties. At the bottom of this Window, you'll see the link "Activate Windows Now." and clicking on that will begin activation. When Windows 7 get activated, you can start downloading from Windows Update and install drivers for devices that Windows 7 didn't recognize (which is highly unlikely if you got to this point). Make sure that you complete the 1st phase of Windows Updates then forcibly restart your PC if Windows Update won't prompt you. This will refresh everything and when you find yourself at the desktop again... you're in for a hell of a surprise!

Coming up on my next posts:
What do I do to prepare myself for an upgrade installation?
What do I do to a failed-upgrade installation and ended up in a reboot loop?
Why does my computer freeze at the 1st part of installation (CLEAN)?
Why does cross-architecture installation (32-bit to 64-bit or vice versa) REQUIRE a CLEAN INSTALL?
Why is Setup asking for drivers for my CD/DVD drive when I am installing Windows 64-bit (CLEAN)?

 

[droflex]

That's great information. It's pretty straight forward. Not! This is insane. Normal, everyday people are suppose to follow those directions to install an OS?

Maybe back when I was a geek with nothing better to do.

Unless we have some gaming machine with overclocked everything we should all be able to insert the disk in the drive and answer a few mindless questions and BOOM! Windows 7 in all it's glory!

Am I missing something here?

Seriously, please, tell me.

Here I am, back to being negative.


Why cant it just be: Stick disk in. Install software. Go on with life.
(if anyone uses that as an advertising slogan, I will expect a LOT of cash). I'm serious. Microsoft can't use it 'cause it would be false advertising.


No, it's not just a couple people. It's many people on many forums. Not just this one.

I'm on a little mission now so bear with me.

WINDOWS 7 INSTALLATION PROBLEM PEOPLE OF THE WORLD UNITE!

 

[RAK]

Sorry, me again droflex!

I was involved with the Windows 7 (and Vista, which is pretty much the same as far as installation is concerned) from the early Betas.
I have installed many of the builds, up to the RTM and retail release, on several different computers, more times than I can count. I always preceed an installation by checking for compatibility.
My worst case was a Stationary with ½gb ram and only an onboard Graphics card.
I swear to you, on my mother's grave, every install has gone without a hitch.
I, as a standard, plug in everything available, as I wish, hopefully, to have the installation check the hardware and install it. For this purpose I remain connected to the internet throughout the procedure.


"Why cant it just be: Stick disk in. Install software. Go on with life"

Well, that is what I do. I just have to pop in a couple of times to put in my key and my network login.

Yes. I agree with you. "No, it's not just a couple people. It's many people on many forums. Not just this one"

But, in more than 90% of the cases, this is due to mishandling, unusual methods of installing (like unplugging HDs with other systems on them and then reconnecting - other non-standard ways of many flavours and, in particular, bad DVD,s from download sources..) There are, I admit, genuine cases where for inexplainable reasons, the installation fails.

The IE support person is very sincere and earnest. Maybe his ideas will work 100%, but I will continue with my stick in DVD and go method.

 

[droflex]

Thanks Rak. I guess my main issue comes down to this. If the install freezes (or anything happens at anytime EVER) the software should tell you what the problem is.

Not just stop and make you hard reset. That's what we did in old Win3.0 days. Are we going back there again?

It should tell the operator what the conflict is.

Something the operator can work with and maybe come on to a forum like this and say hey I have such and such error message.

You know like those XXX000001111 type messages. Anything, just throw a dog a bone.

I tried to find a boot log but after the installation and a hard reset has to be done I dont even know where to look because there are no options to even find a boot log.

Also, I did do a compatibility check using the Window 7 Upgrade Advisor. It said I was good to go for 32 bit and the only thing that was a concern was that I couldnt do Areo because my graphics card didnt support it. Microsoft Tech support said that that wasnt a big deal unless I really wanted to get my rocks off.

Thanks.

 

[RAK]

Well, as they say, Drew, great minds think alike - lol.
Sorry, I was still writing my sermon whilst you posted yours.
(I like the 10 word installs!)

 

[v-dash]

Hi guys, glad to see some people are replying to this post. I just came back to check if someone replied. I will be posting soon about those that I said I would.

@DROFLEX: Dude, I know how you must feel. I mean, to shell out that much cash and all you get are frustrations, I really apologize for the inconvenience this issue must have caused you. But to answer your question (I thought it was), YES, THERE IS a way to find out what Windows HAS TO SAY about the error that you encountered during install. If Microsoft found out that I am telling you guys this, I will have no job for the rest of my existence. But, so what? Right? Microsoft has a heart too... and a lot of us still haven't slept very well since the launch just to make sure that you guys are happy with Windows 7.

Anyway, to find out what went wrong during the installation, hard-reset your system back into the screen where you get to click "Install Now". If you can still boot to Vista, this will be so much easier because you can use "Computer" ("My Computer" in XP) to navigate. On the screen with "Install Now" (by booting off the DVD), press Shift+F10. This will bring up the Command Prompt with Administrative Privileges. Go into $WINDOWS.~BT\SOURCES\PANTHER or if that's not there, go into $INPLACE.~TR\SOURCES\PANTHER. From there, type "NOTEPAD SETUPACT.LOG" and hit enter. THAT WILL TELL YOU A LOT OF THINGS! Scrolling down to the last entry should identify where you got stuck and why.

@DREW: Dude, that information is MICROSOFT CONFIDENTIAL - the CLEAN INSTALL with an upgrade disc thingy. But if you read thru my next posts - especially on the next one "What do I do to prepare myself for upgrade installation?" - a little common sense will answer that question.

Am really swamped right now, guys... so forgive me if I can't post anything else yet. I'll try to be back before 12 hours and post the "UPGRADE READINESS" checklist.

 

[Ed-Boston]

<IF you do a CUSTOM install even though you HAVE an eligible copy of Windows Vista installed, it STILL requires a FULL >RETAIL VERSION of Windows 7.
This is not true. I did a XP to Win 7 Custom install on my netbook with no issues. Now if you are talking about a custom install in place of failed upgrade from Vista (my case on another laptop), that is not what has been promoted by MS. If the key words are 'without issues', that's a different story. Either way there is no way I will now go out and buy a full version after a failed upgrade. I realize this whole upgrade thing is very difficult and mostly not MS's fault, but you can't advertise one thing, then say, oh...you need the full version when things don't go as planned.

 

[kbz1960]

Hummmm, I did a custom install booting from the upgrade dvd to 7 64bit from vista 32bit. I deleted the factory (hp) restore partition and then deleted the windows partition. I was not connected to the internet during the time he says to be connected and the install went fine. I did put in my key during install and told it not to activate now and I still haven't activated yet.

Now according to him when I do try to activate it will fail because I did a custom install with the upgrade dvd. BTW this upgrade was pre-order from the Microsoft store back in June and came in the mail, this dvd made a lot of noise in my drive and I've never had a cd or dvd make that kind of noise in my drive.

 

[dooglo]

@kbz1960, have you connected to the internet yet and done ALL available upadates?

The reason why I ask is my friend and I found this (Link Removed due to 404 Error) and I also posted a thread here (http://windows7forums.com/windows-7-installation-upgrade/24153-might-help-some-folks-out.html)

D.

 

[kbz1960]

Yes the first thing I did before ever connecting to the internet was install my anti-virus of choice then I went online and updated it then did all of the windows updates.

Even so the way I read what the op said is that it will not activate since I did a custom install from an upgrade disc.

Not sure I even want to try to activate right now if it might cause a big hassle to get it activated. I deleted my factory image partition and my vista partition and installed from there.

 

[solardog]

My path to ^64-bit:

• PC with Vista Home Premium 32-bit
• Custom install Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade 32-bit (had to do it via a USB thumb drive but its installed)
• so far Vista is gone and I have a fresh custom install of Win 7 Ultimate

Now you are saying I cant use the 64-bit upgrade disk and do a custom install from boot? That is if that friggin CD/dvd problem ever lets me past.

32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions :

If you want to move from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows or vice versa, you'll need to back up your files and then perform a Custom installation of the version of Windows you want to install.

You are saying I cant do that? Thats exactly my next step, but I'm still getting stopped by that CD/DVD message.

 

[v-dash]

Hi Guys, so sorry it took too much time for me to come back; we are still kinda busy about all the "unique" issues. Most of these are connected with hardware so we are currently working with the computer manufacturers to resolve these issues. I still cant post the upgrade readiness thing but I would like to address some of you who replied.

@Ed-Boston/kbz1960: You said you did a custom install on your WinXP to Win7 and installed without issues on your netbook (the Starter Edition of Win7) and by the way, the netbook version of Windows 7 is under a different set of policies. The "issues" I am referring to includes "Activation" after you install Win7. If you do a CUSTOM install on a PC with an UGPRADE DVD, it WILL INSTALL but it WILL NOT ACTIVATE. Why? Because your product key is an UPGRADE KEY! There are 2 ways you can activate your copy - you either buy a full version (or buy a new FULL VERSION KEY online), which I might add is NOT what most people want to do OR you can call us and we'll activate it for you. The reason why you have to call is NOW ABOUT POLICY. Microsoft is a corporation and there are 95,000 of us they have to feed. We won't just tell you how to illegally activate Windows. That is the reason why you have to call because software pirates don't call and if they do, we have most of them flagged in our database.

@Solardog: We have heard that some are able to do a CUSTOM install when installing Win7 x64 from a PC with Vista x86. We are NOT SURE how this is possible (least of our problems at the moment) because the scenario is this - the x64 installer contains a 64-bit Setup Application. When you put the disc in a 32-bit system, Vista should immediately say "This is not a compatible version of the software... yadi yada..." which is why I said it's possible ONLY when you do a CLEAN install (or booting off the DVD). However, the vice versa (x64 down to x86) IS possible with a CUSTOM install because a 64-bit operating system CAN READ and EXECUTE 32-bit applications.

Basically, installing with the UPGRADE DVD is possible because it can be labeled as a FULL VERSION or UPGRADE or HOME BASIC or ULTIMATE - IT DOES NOT MATTER because all the DVDs ARE THE SAME! They ALL contain the bits for ALL VERSIONS of Windows 7, they are just labeled so you can identify which it is you bought. There are only 2 things in the box that are different, the Edition Identifier Configuration file which is written to the disc depending on the product line where the edition of the disc is packaged AND the almighty Product Key! The Edition Identifier limits your choice to that edition that you purchased that is also linked to the type of product key that is in the box with your disc. We have many types of product keys and the ones involved with what we're talking about are just the 2 most common types - the UPGRADE KEY and the FULL RETAIL KEY.

Keep throwing in the questions guys. The more people I can help, the better. I hope this reply helps!

 

[v-dash]

@Solardog: I forgot to include this in my last reply - contact your computer manufacturer and ask if they have 64-bit versions of the driver for your RAID or IDE controller for both stand-alone and Windows Vista (if they don't have one for Win7). If you get that, you can install Windows 7 x64 with no problems. I haven't seen your post but I assume that your problem is that Windows asks for a floppy or CD or USB flash drive that contains the drivers for your optical drive when you run the 64-bit Installer. When prompted, put the stand-alone Floppy/CD/USB driver disc in. Windows will copy and load the drivers and ask for the Win7 installer again so you can continue with your installation. And while you're at it, trim down your RAM to 2Gb or less just for installation. We're looking for a way to get past that bug (the less than 2Gb install) but it's not under priority at the moment.

Cheers!

 

[Captain Halibut]

..contact your computer manufacturer and ask if they have 64-bit versions of the driver for your RAID or IDE controller for both stand-alone and Windows Vista (if they don't have one for Win7). If you get that, you can install Windows 7 x64 with no problems. ../QUOTE]

v-dash, I'm doing a totally clean install - in boot screens my sata2 drive is being read as a simple IDE drive. Now I've downloaded the various sata/nForce driver packages, but how the hell do I get ultimate 64 to see them prior to it going through its (99%) install before falling over? Got it to install fully once, but after 8 windows updates, it failed to reboot. No idea if the two are connected. Reluctant to try a bios flash just yet. (Probably 18 months old bios at this stage).

P.S. I've probably burned through one of my activations by now, don't want to waste any more.

 

[RAK]

@DREW: Dude, that information is MICROSOFT CONFIDENTIAL - the CLEAN INSTALL with an upgrade disc thingy. But if you read thru my next posts - especially on the next one "What do I do to prepare myself for upgrade installation?" - a little common sense will answer that question.QUOTE]

Not really "dude" It is extensively recorded on the various Microsoft pages, with comments from MVP's

The Panther folder, and other useful install information, is outlined here:
Understanding Log Files

 

[droflex]

Well, I did the shift-f10 thing at the install screen and was able to find the setupact.log. I brought it up in notepad and checked the last entry but it just pretty much said "Installing" or whatever. Nothing to right home about.

It did not give an error message or code of any sort.

I was trying to save it but it wouldnt allow for whatever stupid reason.

I didnt think a hard reset after a hang was going to produce anything but I wasnt going to argue.

Any more bright ideas?

 

[kbz1960]

@Ed-Boston/kbz1960: You said you did a custom install on your WinXP to Win7 and installed without issues on your netbook (the Starter Edition of Win7) and by the way, the netbook version of Windows 7 is under a different set of policies. The "issues" I am referring to includes "Activation" after you install Win7. If you do a CUSTOM install on a PC with an UGPRADE DVD, it WILL INSTALL but it WILL NOT ACTIVATE. Why? Because your product key is an UPGRADE KEY!

No I said I did a custom install from vista 32bit to 7 64bit, both home premium. If you can't upgrade from 32 bit to 64 bit of an equal os why do they send you both? I thought part of the upgrade process was being = or better? Isn't 64 bit better than 32 bit and what does it cost microsoft for me to purchase the upgrade and install the 64 bit that came with my purchase?

So what happens when my hd/computer dies? I'm left without any operating system? That's bull. If that's the case when I purchased my system I should be getting a full retail copy of the os instead of these BS restore partitions that the oe puts on.

I buy a system and in that cost is the cost of the os otherwise it should come with nothing at a cheaper price and then I can put what os I want on it. I understand MS wants to prevent people from stealing the os but us who pay for it when buying a system and then pay again to upgrade shouldn't be penalized for that!

What's the best Linux flavor going these days?

 

[kbz1960]

So why doesn't MS spell it out? From this it sounds like if you want to upgrade from 32 bit to 64 bit you have to do a custom install. It doesn't say anything about you can't upgrade you have to purchase the full version.