Computer dies while installing Windows XP

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Saajid

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Hey guys

I am trying to install Windows XP Pro on an old Meccer laptop.

I insert the installation disk, boot from CD, run setup.

Then delete the existing partition, re-create it, and format using NTFS Quick.

It then says "Please wait while Setup copies files to the windows installation folders", with a moving progress bar.

Now the first time I tried to install, it got to about 50% and then started telling me that it couldn't copy certain files, and gave me the option to retry or skip those files. I clicked retry and it seemed to work. This happened for several other files. I then left the PC to do it's thing, and couple minutes later I found the PC off..

So I started the whole process again. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th times it didn't give me any file errors, but mid-way through copying, the PC just shut down..

Any idea what could be causing this, and what I can do to fix it?
 
C

ColinR

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Is it a copy? I've had this with a badly written copy. Recopied from .iso and presto. Can do it mid install..
 
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Saajid

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I did another re-install, but instead of formatting, told the installer to leave the old windows folder alone, and install to another folder. This seems to be working now.. It got past 52%.. it's now on 80%

I believe choosing a different folder, and leaving the old folder in tact, caused the installer to start copying files past some possibly bad/corrupted sectors....

Whenever I did a re-install, I did a format, and installed to the default windows directory. And it kept dying at the exact same spot. That's why I believe the HD is corrupted, coz this last time I tried, it was copying to a different part of the HD...

OK Installation completed to 100% while typing this, but then I got blue-screened...

Arr@#$!

OK, the reason I am doing a re-install is because Windows would keep crashing if I tried to open Windows Explorer. This definitely sounds like a corrupted/damaged HD.

Shouldn't a format of the HD cause Windows / Windows Installer the mark the damaged sectors as bad, which means that they will no longer be used? Right?

What do you guys think?
 
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Saajid

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OK did yet ANOTHER install, this time to a 3rd install directory, leaving the previous 2 failed ones intact.

And it still died. @#$#@!!!

Edit: I've uploaded a video to Youtube, of the laptop dying the 2nd or 3rd time. Here it is, LOL:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjshhadDFV0[/ame]
 
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Fury001

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OS installation uses memory quite intensively.. i would suggest swapping memory
 
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Saajid

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Drake2007 said:
you need better tools, hirens boot CD should tell you what's up with the drive and memory.
Click to expand...

Hmm.. will check this out..

I got chkdsk working from the Recovery Console that's part of the Windows Installation Disk. Busy running it now. I has already found some errors... It's taking frikkin long. Luckily its only a 60GB HD.
 
Nod

Nod

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Test your memory. If you have a Linux distro, boot up with it, and use memtest86. Had the same issue when I installed Win7rc for gaming.
 
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Sackboy

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Drake2007 said:
could be heat.
Click to expand...
It could. The laptop needs the CPU drivers to work the fans. Maybe he should do it at night.

Maybe start from scratch and copy the i386 directory onto the drive and do the install from that.

Newer versions of the XP disk have SP2/3 already on it. They have fixed some of the install problems as well. Try get a copy.
 
DrJohnZoidberg

DrJohnZoidberg

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Create your own custom installation CD with nLite - http://www.nliteos.com. Add all the drivers into the install and remove unnecessary components, also make sure you slipstream SP3 and the updates. Maybe it'll sort out your issues.
 
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kingrob

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Laptop DVD/CD drives are very temperamental, took 4 tries before Ubuntu 9.04 installed on my old Fujitsu-Siemens 1.5Ghz Celeron notebook. Strangely Ubuntu also crapped out when it got to 52%. When the progress bar went over 52% when I tried for the 4th time, I just smiled.

But this bad-ass notebook just wont die....half the keys on the keyboard dont work, it makes a loud noise....but I love this notebook more than the latest Sony Viao. :)
 
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Saajid

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ToxicWazte said:
I did another re-install, but instead of formatting, told the installer to leave the old windows folder alone, and install to another folder. This seems to be working now.. It got past 52%.. it's now on 80%

I believe choosing a different folder, and leaving the old folder in tact, caused the installer to start copying files past some possibly bad/corrupted sectors....

Whenever I did a re-install, I did a format, and installed to the default windows directory. And it kept dying at the exact same spot. That's why I believe the HD is corrupted, coz this last time I tried, it was copying to a different part of the HD...

OK Installation completed to 100% while typing this, but then I got blue-screened...

Arr@#$!

OK, the reason I am doing a re-install is because Windows would keep crashing if I tried to open Windows Explorer. This definitely sounds like a corrupted/damaged HD.

Shouldn't a format of the HD cause Windows / Windows Installer the mark the damaged sectors as bad, which means that they will no longer be used? Right?

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

With regards to the above post, I decided to give the installatiion one more try.

So I downloaded a pirate copy of Windows XP Pro slipstreamed with Service Pack 3 (I have a valid license for XP Pro), and used this to do a clean installation. However, during the installation, I deleted all the partitions, and created 2 new partitions (drives C and D) of equal size, and installed onto the second partition (drive D). Everything went well, and I now have Windows running. :D :D

So now the question is, what caused the installation to pass this time? Was it:
  • the new install disc
  • the fact that I was installing with SP3 slipstreamed
  • the fact that I installed on the 2nd partition, which probably has no bad sectors, as it is most likely less used, being the 2nd partition and all - at the "end" or 2nd half of the disk - does this make sense?
  • some other reason

What do you guys think? How can I verify this now that I have a working, running version of Windows.
 
Last edited:
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Sackboy

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ToxicWazte said:
With regards to the above post, I decided to give the installatiion one more try.

So I downloaded a pirate copy of Windows XP Pro slipstreamed with Service Pack 3 (I have a valid license for XP Pro), and used this to do a clean installation. However, during the installation, I deleted all the partitions, and created 2 new partitions (C: and D:) of equal size, and installed onto the second partition (D:). Everything went well, and I now have Windows running. :D :D

So now the question is, what caused the installation to pass this time? Was it:
  • the new install disc
  • the fact that I was installing with SP3 slipstreamed
  • the fact that I installed on the 2nd partition, which probably has no bad sectors, as it is most likely less used, being the 2nd partition and all - at the "end" or 2nd half of the disk - does this make sense?
  • some other reason

What do you guys think? How can I verify this now that I have a working, running version of Windows.
Click to expand...
As I said, my guess is the CPU drivers were not on the laptop, so they could not control cooling so it shut down. Same happens on old Acer machines. The installation usually picks up where it left off, so you were just lucky.
 
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