Windows 7 Stuck at "Expanding Windows files" 0%

Rookje

New Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2009
I can't get past "Expanding Windows files" at 0%, the installer is also very slow. I get stuck at the wallpaper for around at least 5 minutes, and then I hang on "Starting install" for another 5. I've let it sit for around a half hour, and then it gives me an error saying I don't have all the files. Is this CD just DOA? (It's a CD from the software, it isn't a burned ISO etc.)

I'm trying to do a full install of 64-bit from 32-bit Vista.

I would do a USB flash drive, but I have no other computer than this one (other than my netbook) so I can't extract from the CD. I'm in the process of downloading an ISO from a torrent site, though.

My specs:
INTEL C2D E6750 2.66G 1333FSB
ASUS P5N-E SLI NFORCE 650I SLI MB
EVGA GEFORCE 8800GT 512MB PCI-E
500 GB SATA II 3.0 GB 16MB 7200RPM
 
You can't upgrade using 64 bit files from a 32 bit system without a bootable DVD. If the DVD you are using now did not boot your system, it won't work. It is a little curious you did not get an error message.

Check the tutorials or stickys to find out how to make a bootable DVD from your downloaded files.
 
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Try this...

I can't get past \"Expanding Windows files\" at 0%, the installer is also very slow. I get stuck at the wallpaper for around at least 5 minutes, and then I hang on \"Starting install\" for another 5. I've let it sit for around a half hour, and then it gives me an error saying I don't have all the files. Is this CD just DOA? (It's a CD from the software, it isn't a burned ISO etc.)

I'm trying to do a full install of 64-bit from 32-bit Vista.

I would do a USB flash drive, but I have no other computer than this one (other than my netbook) so I can't extract from the CD. I'm in the process of downloading an ISO from a torrent site, though.

My specs:
INTEL C2D E6750 2.66G 1333FSB
ASUS P5N-E SLI NFORCE 650I SLI MB
EVGA GEFORCE 8800GT 512MB PCI-E
500 GB SATA II 3.0 GB 16MB 7200RPM


I had this issue as well, and it took the entire last 48 hours to develop a work around. Your DVD is fine there seems an issue that is affecting the installation of windows 7 from optical drives.

First thing, Did you use the microsoft upgrade tool to verify that you would have no issues with the install?

You can find this tool here http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx

Now I ran this tool and the tool informed me that I would need to do a clean or "custom" install. In doing so I ran into the same issue that you are having (would freeze at 4% then request the GRMCPRFRER_EN_DVD to be placed in the drive bay. For those of you who don't know this is the Windows 7 Disk, My copy is Retail not an iso burn.) This occured with a Windows7 OEM disk, and a Windows7 Professional Retail.

The work around is to copy your windows 7 disk to a 4GB or larger USB flash drive. This can be done on either a 64 bit or a 32 bit machine, you are not running the software you are copying it. Make sure that your USB flash drive format is NTFS. Finally, rename your flash drive to the same name as the DVD.

For those of you needing to know how to do this on XP here is a step by step link.
How to format NTFS on XP How to format USB drive and memory stick with NTFS


If you have a USB boot-able computer this is all you should need to do.

for Rookje
You have 1 more specific issue, you are running a 650i board, which I do not believe has USB boot option. So, here is the same work around that I did for my 680i board. Set the bios to boot from the CD, put in the Windows7 disk, wait until the the black screen with the windows logo pops up, (this is after the two white bars) remove the disk and plug in the jump drive that you copied and renamed.

Windows7 will install in about 10 min. Which will cause you Joy, and aggravation that it took so many hours to do something that should have been relatively easy.

If you have any specific questions about this work around please send me a PM.
 
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UPDATE and FIX to Windows 7 Login

How to make it work ...

Don't use NERO or any other Burning software. It just creates these random issues. There is a Utility on MS's site called Windows 7 USB DVD Download tool.

This formats the USB and The DVD correctly and fixes errors put in the system to prevent piracy.

I have been messing around with this for the last 24 hours and the solution is to use there tool. If you have a USB it installs much faster.

The reason the earlier poster coulded get the USB to start was due to the fact that is was that the USB was not set as a bootable device. THe tool takes care of all of these things.

Hope everyone has a much better experience than I did getting Windows 7 Loaded on their boxes.

:razz:

Gary Rollie
 
How to make it work ...

Don't use NERO or any other Burning software. It just creates these random issues. There is a Utility on MS's site called Windows 7 USB DVD Download tool.

This formats the USB and The DVD correctly and fixes errors put in the system to prevent piracy.

I have been messing around with this for the last 24 hours and the solution is to use there tool. If you have a USB it installs much faster.

The reason the earlier poster coulded get the USB to start was due to the fact that is was that the USB was not set as a bootable device. THe tool takes care of all of these things.

Hope everyone has a much better experience than I did getting Windows 7 Loaded on their boxes.

:razz:

Gary Rollie


Actually Gary, the USB was set as a bootable device. The issue had to do with the Bios, of the 680i board, and the 630, and 650 boards not having the ablity to boot from a USB drive. The tool will not help you if you bios CANNOT boot from a USB, that is why I provided the work around stated above for how to install from the USB with out being able to boot from the USB drive its self.


Further, many people are having installation issues from the DVD disks provided from MS. I was providing them a work around solution to those types of install issues, many of the issues are NOT related to people making their own disks from the downloaded ISO versions. It has to do with something with in the installer its self.


If it was related to how people burned their ISOs then it would be logical that the manufactured disks from MS, would install with out stalling out. Instead the MS manufactured disks are having the exact same issues as burned ISOs.
 
I have the upgrade disks from the Microsoft store mailed to me in nice box and had no problems but that disk was the noisiest damn thing when running I've ever had in my drive.

I wonder if there is some defect with the process of manufacturing these?
 
Re: Try this...

I registered to say f-yea thank you, you saved me from buying a new hard drive. Not to mention countless hours. I would have never thought to do that, I didn't even know tricking the installer to look at the usb would even work. Kudos karma and my thanks to you!
 
Re: Try this...

Hi BrandonBlizard , im glad you find the site usefull and thay it resolved your issue, we hope you stay on the site and recommend to others. The site can help on advice or issues you may need help with.
 
Re: Try this...

Hey I had the same error too. When I installed my RETAIL WINDOWS 7 ULTIMATE DVD, it was a few seconds when it completed the copying windows files option. It came down on expanding windows files but could not succeed. I dont know whats the problem. I first tried this on my PC. As you suggested Keltorrel, I copied the files to a 8.5 GB moserbaer dvd. The previous one I tried at one of my friend' s house but there TOO it failed. Is this a problem in the DVD or the PC.
Here are my PC. :-
Intel Desktop Board DZ68BC
Intel Core I7 920 @ 3.20 GHz
Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 1 GB
4 GB DDR3 RAM
It is my new PC, when I bought it, windows 7 Ultimate was already installed on it. Now I use other Windows 7 Disc which I brought from another shop. And now works fine. Currently playing battlefield 3.!!!:eek:
 
Re: Try this...

Had same problem - fixed by booting into recovery mode, deleted all partitions, creating new partition and importantly formatting partition while in diskpart
 
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