Windows XP installation halts at "Setup is starting windows"

[Gustavus]

New system build. ABIT IC7G motherboard, Intel Prescott P4 3.2 GHz, 1 GB of OCZ platinum series II memory (two 512 MB modules), ATI Radeon 9600 video card, Samsung CD reader and a Seagate 160 GB IDE hard drive.

The Windows XP with SP 2 CD has been used for two other installs so the CD is known good. The system is set to default values -- I cleared the CMOS before firing it up.

I can enter BIOS OK and have checked that the settings are all as expected. Monitor gets a good signal and the display is stable.

I set the boot sequence in BIOS to boot first from the CD and then started the Windows install. Got the usual long sequence of blue screens showing files being loaded. CD drive was busy reading files as it should. When I get to the point in the install where it exhibits a message, "Setup is starting Windows", the screen goes black and never comes back. The CD drive and the hardrive are then inactive.

I have gone though this sequence three times -- with the same results each time.

Do any of you have any notion of what could cause such a problem?

Thanks.

 

[robisbell]

to start off, the problem is that during set-up, windows wants to identify your type of computer and for WHATEVER reason it can't (most likely a hardware inconsistency it can't resolve, but that's not important). So it just sits there and hangs during the "Setup is starting Windows" screen.

When booting from the CD and "Press F6 to install raid controller drivers" comes to the bottom of the screen, pressing F5 instead is Crucial because that's how to FORCE windows to accept what type of computer you have. Unfortunately, people in this thread have been using F5 and coming up with only two choices, Standard PC and Other. Since "Other" doesn't work, they've been loading "Standard PC" and have been able to get past the hang state and install Windows. The trade-off is no "Stand By" option and the archaic "You may now turn off your computer" Screen. This is because Windows now thinks that your operating an older generation computer, a "standard PC", one not capable of Advanced Power Management.

If you go into Control Panel--System--Hardware--Device Manager and check what's listed under "computer" you should see "Standard PC". This makes sense because this is what you chose in the F5 screen back in set-up. But if you want your computer to shut-down properly and be able to go into "stand by" mode, it needs to read "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC".

The solution is simple but escaped everyone for a simple reason too...back in the F5 screen, "Standard PC" and "Other" aren't the only choices. If you use the "Up Arrow" key you'll find you have lots more choices!!!Windows, being completely illogical, put you at the bottom of the list of choices instead of the top. Any normal human being would come to the conclusion, after not becing able to scroll down anymore, that there were only two choices. But if you think in terms of "the opposite of common sense" (i.e. windows) you'll realize the choices are up, not down. And one of the choices is "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC". Choose it and you'll not only be able to load Windows, but you'll also be able to turn-off your computer without it telling you "it's OK to turn me off now".

One note...because the problem lies in hardware issues, while loading windows it might ask for files that aren't on the windows disk, for instance mine kept asking for "nVidia" drivers...you can try loading your different device CD's during set-up, but i just kept hitting "cancel" and resolved all incomplete drivers after windows was fully set-up - just go into device manager and you'll see exclamation marks by hardware that was not properly set-up. You can use your CD's and whatnot that came with those devices to properly set them up now. Good luck!"

 

[Old Hippie]

Hey Robisbell, Cool! :thumbsup: :beer:

 

[Gustavus]

Robisbell,
Thanks for the very detailed answer. I will try your suggestion this morning and post back here if successful. I have installed Windows (most versions from the 90's on) in dozens of machines and have never seen this particular failure before. Your comments will go in my notebook for future reference.

 

[robisbell]

not a problem.

 

[Gustavus]

Robisbell,

Unfortunately that did not work. I pressed the F5 key as you suggested which did open the computer type window which I scrolled up to "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) Computer" and selected it. However immediately after the "Setup is starting Windows" message appeared, the screen went black and stayed that way. Exactly the problem I was having before. I have gone through this process twice with the same result each time.

Since I have several harddrives in the lab, I swapped to a new Seagate 160 GB drive for the second try, but as I said -- with the same result.

About the only thing I can think of to try now is to try with the first Windows XP CD I had which loaded the startup info from six floppys. Don't expect to succeed, but at least it will be something different.

 

[robisbell]

you should not need the floppies. if you're going to reload, I'd suggest you totally wipe out any partition information, and then try using just the XP CD.

 

[Gustavus]

I formatted the two hard drives in another computer and set them to a single active partition. I have now tried each of them in an install of Windows XP with the same results. Beats the Hell out of me as to what is going on. I have the Paradox partition manager bootable CD and tried running it. The main menu comes up just as it should, but no matter which option I choose -- such as the disk wizard -- I get the start screen saying "Please wait" and then a perpetual freeze.

On a suggestion by private message from a member I have run Memtest 1.70 for hours with no memory errors. Didn't expect any, but then it was something to be checked. The system is barebones -- only an AGP graphics card, the hard drive (two have been tried), a CD writer and a Sony floppy.

I have reset CMOS three times and checked over and over that the BIOS is set to safe default values. The CPU is certainly working and the memory has passed Memtest with nary a flaw.

But I still cannot install windows.

The CPU and the northbridge chip are cooled extravagantly -- an XP90 cooler on the CPU and a Swiftech MCX159-P northbridge cooler with a typhoon fan on it. Everything is as cool as a cucumber.

 

[robisbell]

have you tried Ultimate Boot Cd and run the HDD diagnostics on the drives?

 

[Gustavus]

Yes, I have run hard disk diagnostics and get a clean bill of health for each of the two Seagate 160 GB drives. Single partition, new format, partition set to be active. In desperation I borrowed a Windows XP installation CD from a colleague to eliminate the small possibility that something had happened to my CD. Get exactly the same result -- at the place where Setup says "Setup is starting Windows" after maybe 30 seconds, the screen goes black and nothing happens thereafter. I have let it sit in that condition for a long time -- nothing happens.

I have another computer built on an ABIT IC7 G motherboard so I may do a disk copy from its C drive to see if this unit -- on the bench in the lab -- will boot from that drive. They are not identical machines so I will probably get the message CPU has been changed or is inoperable, but even so I may be able to get further than I have with a virgin install of Windows.

Sure is a mystery to me. It is possible that the problem is with the motherboard, but I can't even guess at how that could be.

 

[robisbell]

okay, on UBCD is a memory tester called memtest86+ run it for about 6 hours and report back the results of it.

 

[Gustavus]

Robisbell,

You must be like me and on net most of the time. Thanks for the reply. As I had mentioned earlier I have already run the latest version of Memtest, v 1.70, for several hours with no errors. The RAM is OCZ PC 3200 enhanced latency platinum revision 2 -- a pair of matched 512 MB modules -- which runs at 2,2,2,5 timing. I believe it completed nearly 40 passes, which took around four hours. This pair of modules came from the other IC7 G based machine which I had upgraded to more memory with Corsair modules, so it has been doubly tested. On that machine -- which is much overclocked -- I had run Prime95 for 24 hours to check stability.

 

[robisbell]

hmm, no, I just just got in from shoveling snow. are there any usb devices like camera, mp3/mp4 players memory sticks plugged into this machine, when you try to install?

 

[Gustavus]

The only things plugged in on the motherboard are the two memory modules in DIMM slots 1 and 3 and the Radeon card in the AGP slot. The hard disk is connected to the IDE 1 connector -- with an 80 lead cable -- and the CD drive is connected to the IDE 2 connector. A floppy is connected to the FD connector on the motherboard and a mouse and key board are connected to the two PS2 connectors. Nothing else is connected to the motherboard except the power supply. About as clean an assembly as is possible. It is on the workbench -- powered by a Thermaltake 480 watt supply -- which is obviously just loafing along with this load.

No progress again today.

 

[robisbell]

disconnect the floppy both the cable and power. can you get new ide cables for the HDD and cd drive? double check the jumper settings on each and if you get dual connection ide cables put them on the end.

 

[Old Hippie]

You must be like me and on net most of the time.

Posts: 916
Joined: 10/27/2007

hmm, no,

:laugh:

 

[robisbell]

I just use my time wisely when i am on.

 

[Gustavus]

robisbell,

I have a very well equipped lab with dozens of cables of all types -- both rolled and flat. I will try swapping cables and disconnecting the floppy from both power and it's signal cable. You may have noted that when the problem first appeared, I simply opened a new -- previously unused -- Seagate 160 GB drive. I have assembled several dozen computers, but this problem has me stumped. I will post back if disconnecting the floppy and/or changing out cables makes any difference.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

PS
Where are you that you are shoveling snow this early in the winter?

 

[robisbell]

Montana, had about 4' or so.

 

[Gustavus]

I disconnected the floppy -- both power and signal cables and broke out a brand new rolled cable for the IDE hookup -- one with a single hard drive connector on it. Of course I checked that the correct end of the cable was connected to the motherboard. Both of the hard drives are jumpered as master and set to be active. I tried each in turn with exactly the same result each time. Windows setup proceeds to the point where Setup says "Setup is starting Windows". After about 30 seconds the monitor goes black and nothing happens thereafter. Just for the Hell of it I left it in that condition while we ate supper and it was still black when I returned.

Tomorrow we are going to be gone most of the day, but when we return I will try copying the hard drive from the working computer based on an IC7 G motherboard and see if I can get a partial boot from it. If that doesn't work, I don't even have an idea for anything else to try.

 

[robisbell]

both hard drives are set as master??

 

[Gustavus]

Only a single hard drive is ever connected at any time -- the cable only has one hard drive connector on it. I have been reformatting both of the drives on another computer and trying each of them in the installation process. That way I can make two tries before reformatting, clearing CMOS etc. and starting over. I wanted to be sure that nothing was left on a drive from an install that aborted.

 

[robisbell]

okay, did you completely wipe out the partitions? you may have to go to bootdisk.com and make a 98SE or ME with the updated fdisk on it and use that to do a quick partition and format before letting the xp c have a go at it.

 

[UndrMediKated]

Swap motherboards if you have 2 similar computers with the same motherboards and try to duplicate the problem in the other machine. I don't personally like doing this but it's something to try. It sounds like a motherboard issue.

 

[UndrMediKated]

I'm not sure how similar your machines are?