Vista Install Problem

[makoblue]

Hi,

I've just built my new PC and am currently trying to install Vista with great difficulty. At first when starting the installation process, the install would load but would then crash to a blue screen with some error reports. I have gotten so many of these error reports and can't seem to find out how to solve any of them. They appear in the form of codes (e.g. 0x0000008E (0xc000001D, 0x894726B9, 0x86797A88, 0x00000000)).

At one point I got the installation to run (just by repeating the process of restarting when the error appears and trying again), but when it came to actually installing Vista, another error appeared mentioning the file 'acpi.sys' and that windows couldn't write to a read-only platform (is my hard-drive ready-only? how do i change that?).

So I restarted and tried again, running into different errors again, one being 'PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA'.

I ran a windows memory check and it said nothing was wrong.

The only thing that I did wrong in building the machine was not securing the heatsink completely, causing the computer to shutdown when it was first started up, but that is solved now. I don't know if that would be causing this.

Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions please?

[alsenior]

are you running with more than 2gb of ram. if you are reduce this to 2gb or less and try again. if you are running less than 2gb you might need to run a program called memtest to see if the memory is faulty

[Sk!mD4Rk]

How are you installing Vista? are you installing from within a current version of windows or booting from the cd/dvd?

'PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA'. sounds like a memory error, so you could try upping the ddr voltages from withn the bios or even removing one of them and install Vista with just one stick.

Need more info really, motherboard, amount of ram, video card..

[makoblue]

I'm just updating the BIOS, if that doesn't help I'll try removing a stick of RAM.

Heres my spec:

Mobo: Asus P5N-E SLI
Graphics Card: 512MB HiS HD 4850
RAM: OCZ 4GB Kit (2x2GB) 800MHz/PC2-6400
HDD: 500 GB Samsung HD502IJ Spinpoint F1
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
PSU: 630W HiperPower HPU-4M630-PE
DVD drive: LG GH-20NS15

This is Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit

EDIT: I'm installing vista by booting from the CD.

[TAKTAK]

wooo nelly....

flashing the bios is the riskiest thing you can do (besides pouring molten lava on your PC)

try 1 stick of RAM first... that should sort your problem...

[makoblue]

I didn't think upgrading the BIOS was that risky... I thought it was good to keep everything up to date.

I removed one stick of RAM and the installation has actually begun (the furthest I've gotten so far).

I'll keep you up to date, fingers crossed!

Why would removing the RAM make it work anyway? Surely more RAM = good.

[TAKTAK]

it's a known problem for installing vista.. it just doesn't like more than 2GB

you can put the RAM back when it is installed

and as to why a bios flash is risky, if you have a bad flash then your mobo is effectivly borked.... or can possibly be recovered....

[Sk!mD4Rk]

edit ^^ yep and the 4 gig thing

If it blue screens with both sticks then either 1 is faulty or there's not enough voltage to the ram slots. Ocz likes volts wether your overclocking or not.

[makoblue]

It worked!

This is only the second time I've posted on this forum and both times I've got great help super fast. You guys are fantastic!

One quick question, should I change anything in the BIOS now? Everything is set to default, is it recommended to do anything? The machine seems to be running fine so I don't really want to mess with it much.

Cheers!

[TAKTAK]

all you need to change really, are RAM voltages... change them to what it says on the sticks of RAM (will be about 1.9v-2.1v ish)

and in the BIOS it should be called something like vDIMM

and i'm glad you have things working

[Sk!mD4Rk]

Nice one , If it's going now mate, you know the rule - If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[TAKTAK]

Nice one , If it's going now mate, you know the rule - If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

or my motto: if it aint broke, twiddle with it until it breaks, then fix it, twiddle some more, optimize, break, fix, break, upgrade

[makoblue]

Guess what.

It broke.

I don't know why, but now I'm getting no signal to my screen. All I did is turn it off, re-install the stick of RAM and turned it back on. Now I'm just getting a my monitor's default blue empty screen.

Whats happened now!?

[TAKTAK]

you need to change volts with 1 stick installed, as the mobo will allow 1 stick to run at 1.8v while it may need 2.1v etc

then when you have changed it, save, exit

turn off the pc

re-install the RAM and jobs a good 'un

as previously said, OCZ RAM tends to like lots 'o juice

[makoblue]

Do I do that in the BIOS then?

[TAKTAK]

yes you do.

on the side of the RAM or the packaging, it will have a voltage, set the RAM voltage to that

in the bios it will probably be known as VDIMM