Loading Windows on a Packard Bell laptop

[Slootvreter]

A friend was struggling to load Windows onto a Packard Bell laptop he got second hand.

It currently as an unlicensed copy of Windows 8 on. He has the original Windows 7 package on CD. It will boot off the CD, and somewhere during the installation, the laptop just shuts down. Every time.

So I tried a bootable USB flash drive. When I press F12 for the startup menu, no USB drives are available. It does work when booted into Windows 8 and running setup from there, but then the laptop shuts down again.

WIndows 10 runs up to about 35%, then fails with a little box saying Installation Failed. (all the diagnostic information there is mindboggling )

I CANNOT get this thing to boot from USB.

Hardware problems?

 

[Willy Strong]

Boot from Hirens and check the HDD health with HD Sentinal or HDD Regen.
Boot from Hirens, go into Mini-XP, if it doesn't load HDD is the problem.
If if does work, format the HDD and try to reload again.

edit: laptop overheating? installation media faulty? etc...

 

[Slootvreter]

Boot from Hirens and check the HDD health with HD Sentinal or HDD Regen.
Boot from Hirens, go into Mini-XP, if it doesn't load HDD is the problem.
If if does work, format the HDD and try to reload again.

edit: laptop overheating? installation media faulty? etc...

Installation media is not faulty. I've also tried from different flash drives, each time the same problem. Also no option to boot from flash, although in the BIOS, you can select USB as an option in the boot order. But press F12 with the bootable flash drive in, it doesn't appear as an option.

I don't think it is overheating. I can't tell, doesn't feel like it. Only the Windows 7 installation shuts down. Windows 10 (setup run from within Windows 8) terminates at about 35% with an error.

 

[Fox1]

Try updating via Windows Update Assistant and see if problem continues. Turn off any onboard peripherals you not be using.

 

[sajunky]

I've also tried from different flash drives, each time the same problem. Also no option to boot from flash, although in the BIOS, you can select USB as an option in the boot order. But press F12 with the bootable flash drive in, it doesn't appear as an option.

I don't think it is overheating. I can't tell, doesn't feel like it. Only the Windows 7 installation shuts down. Windows 10 (setup run from within Windows 8) terminates at about 35% with an error.

On order:
- In BIOS setup disable UEFI boot/Secure Boot. Windows 7 is not compatible with secure boot. It will allow to boot from USB stick too. Many BIOS implementation require to power on with USB stick already attached to get it recognised (no hot swap). Make sure that booting from USB option is enabled.

- Boot from live CD like Hiren's and do the following tests:

a) memtest. It should be at least two passes before judging that memory is OK. It can take many hours.

b) Use MHDD (DOS tool) to scan hard drive for errors and delays. It might require to temporary disable AHCI mode in BIOS (switch to compatibility mode). If you don't have such option and MHDD do not recognise controller, then boot from the same CD Windows XP, then run scan from Victoria.

c) On the same CD there is number Windows utilities for checking temperature sensors and CPU stability (prime95, CPUstress)???.

 

[Slootvreter]

On order:
- In BIOS setup disable UEFI boot/Secure Boot. Windows 7 is not compatible with secure boot. It will allow to boot from USB stick too. Many BIOS implementation require to power on with USB stick already attached to get it recognised (no hot swap). Make sure that booting from USB option is enabled.

- Boot from live CD like Hiren's and do the following tests:

a) memtest. It should be at least two passes before judging that memory is OK. It can take many hours.

b) Use MHDD (DOS tool) to scan hard drive for errors and delays. It might require to temporary disable AHCI mode in BIOS (switch to compatibility mode). If you don't have such option and MHDD do not recognise controller, then boot from the same CD Windows XP, then run scan from Victoria.

c) On the same CD there is number Windows utilities for checking temperature sensors and CPU stability (prime95, CPUstress)???.

Did all that. SecureBoot disabled or enabled did not allow Windows to install. USB plugged in at power-up made no difference.

Memtest was actually the only hardware diagnostic I did, and the test came out fine.

I did actually manage to install Windows 8.1 from a USB drive from within the running copy of 8. Then from 8.1 I managed to Install 10.

Anyway, all good now