vista 64 bit install

finally came round to installing vista yesterday and having a bit of problems

the 64 bit media is fine up until the first reboot during the install process where after reboot it blue screens (tried this a couple times, same thing)

The 32 bit media installs fine but then can only see 2.3GB of RAM of the 4GB installed (I thought it would be able to see 3GB)

then I tried installing Suse Linux 64bit version plus added another 4GB of RAM and it installed without any problem and can see all 8GB or RAM !!!!

could my problem with the vista 64 bit be down to bad media? what do you guys think? ideally the goal is to have the vista 64 bit running

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Pash

aueddonline wrote:

finally came round to installing vista yesterday and having a bit of problems

the 64 bit media is fine up until the first reboot during the install process where after reboot it blue screens (tried this a couple times, same thing)

The 32 bit media installs fine but then can only see 2.3GB of RAM of the 4GB installed (I thought it would be able to see 3GB)

then I tried installing Suse Linux 64bit version plus added another 4GB of RAM and it installed without any problem and can see all 8GB or RAM !!!!

could my problem with the vista 64 bit be down to bad media? what do you guys think? ideally the goal is to have the vista 64 bit running

Not sure about the first part.

Have you got two gfx cards in SLI configuration or crossfire (if ATI). That could be why you only have 2.3GB of registered physical RAM. And yeh 64bit linux would see all 8GB no problems.

aueddonline

got a GX2 which has two GPU's but I think it defaults to use one until you select sli mode, can't check this though, it was more the 64bit I was worrying about

dynamik

That sounds like a driver issue. Does the blue screen give you any info?

You can use something like vLite to change components, drivers, etc. and make new installation media.

I don't think the media is bad since it copies everything to the drive first. You'd probably get an error earlier in the process if the media was bad.

32-bit OSes can use 4gb of RAM. This includes your graphics cards and other I/O devices.

aueddonline

dynamik wrote:

That sounds like a driver issue. Does the blue screen give you any info?

You can use something like vLite to change components, drivers, etc. and make new installation media.

I don't think the media is bad since it copies everything to the drive first. You'd probably get an error earlier in the process if the media was bad.

32-bit OSes can use 4gb of RAM. This includes your graphics cards and other I/O devices.

there is some text there but it flashes away so fast you don't get a chance to read it, do you run vlite at boot? what's the general idea

undomiel

Is this on the computer that overheated? That cpu may have been damaged. Otherwise I would check into drivers. Maybe slipstream SP1 in there if you haven't already.

tiersten

aueddonline wrote:

The 32 bit media installs fine but then can only see 2.3GB of RAM of the 4GB installed (I thought it would be able to see 3GB)

It is 4GB minus some used for the system and then whatever is mapped to your expansion cards. This includes memory on your graphics cards so if you've got 1GB on there then you'll lose that from your system memory.

As dynamik said, it doesn't look like its a problem with the media. You can test it on another PC if you're still worried.

Are there any reports about this issue with your hardware? Check your motherboard manufacturers website to see if there any required BIOS updates.

tiersten

undomiel wrote:

Maybe slipstream SP1 in there if you haven't already.

Slipstreaming Vista service packs is a real pain. Why'd they have to go for this new system...

dynamik

vLite copies the installation media to your hard disk, you make whatever changes you want, it creates an iso for you, and you burn new media.

It might even help you integrate the service pack. I know nLite (XP/2003/etc. equivalent) does, but that's a more mature application.

http://vlite.net

A lot of the blue screen error might be here: c:\debuglog.txt if you can get to it. Can you boot off the DVD and get to the recovery console?

aueddonline

undomiel wrote:

Is this on the computer that overheated? That cpu may have been damaged. Otherwise I would check into drivers. Maybe slipstream SP1 in there if you haven't already.

yes this is the computer that was overheating, I kinda figured since the 32 bit and suse loaded up fine that the cpu was working ok

undomiel

Linux has been known to be more forgiving of broken hardware, but if you start seeing kernel panics then I would definitely suspect the hardware. It wouldn't be a bad idea to run it through some stress tests.

dynamik

undomiel wrote:

Linux has been known to be more forgiving of broken hardware, but if you start seeing kernel panics then I would definitely suspect the hardware. It wouldn't be a bad idea to run it through some stress tests.

Quit being such a Linux zealot. Now it can run on fried CPUs? Also, he also had Vista-32 running, and that is known to have problems on fully functioning hardware

If you still have access to the working Vista install, run this: http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=36

That'll more than likely show you whether you have a weak CPU or not.

You might want to run some memory and other diagnostics from this as well: http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

undomiel

dynamik wrote:

Quit being such a Linux zealot. Now it can run on fried CPUs? Also, he also had Vista-32 running, and that is known to have problems on fully functioning hardware

Not really fanaticism here, just experience.

I had Gentoo running on some known damaged hardware. It would panic every now and then and sometimes wouldn't boot but it installed which was more than XP could do. I figure it is about different processes and error tolerance. It could probably just as easily be XP that would install and Linux that wouldn't.

aueddonline

undomiel wrote:

Linux has been known to be more forgiving of broken hardware, but if you start seeing kernel panics then I would definitely suspect the hardware. It wouldn't be a bad idea to run it through some stress tests.

anything I can run under linux that'll test the hardware?

undomiel

Not something I've really looked into but I did come across this:

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-hw1/

dynamik

aueddonline wrote:

undomiel wrote:

Linux has been known to be more forgiving of broken hardware, but if you start seeing kernel panics then I would definitely suspect the hardware. It wouldn't be a bad idea to run it through some stress tests.

anything I can run under linux that'll test the hardware?

Use the ultimate boot CD I linked to earlier...

rfult001

Download Hiren's Boot CD (info at www.hiren.info) and run PC Check (run the stress test), or it 32-bit is working you can run CPU Burn-in to see if it is an overheating issue.

64-bit Vista gave me a huge pain in the *** with the installation. Here are some pointers:

1. If you are using dual channel ram, remove all but one stick during the installation. You can re-install it after everything is done.

2. Remove all un-needed USB devices, printers, and un-needed PCI/e cards.

3. If it still isn't working, downgrade your video card during the install, you can re-install it after the install is completed.

4. Uninstall all HDD except the one you are installing Vista to.

This issue has been around since Vista came out. There are a ton of solutions online, but they don't work for everyone. vistax64.com has some good info on this.

Good Luck, you'll get it eventually. Took me 4 attempts to get any edition of Vista working.

aueddonline

ok I have some progress:

I took out all the RAM except 1 stick and managed to install the 64 bit version do all the windows updates and install drivers for my video card and motherboard

only now when I try to add RAM it blue screens on me, I took a pic of the blue screen

it has this
' A problem has been detected and windos has been shut down to prvent damage to your computer.

If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart you computer. If the screen apears again, foolow these steps:

Check to be sure you have adequate disk space, if a driver is identified in the stop message, disable the driver or check with the manufacturer for driver updates. Try changing video adapters.

Check with your hardware endor for any bios updates. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use safe mode, blah blah blah

technical information
*** STOP: 0x0000007E (0xffffffffC0000005,0xFFFFF8000185DC11, 0xFFFFF9800129FE58, 0xFFFFF9800129F830

undomiel

Run a memory test. The boot cds linked above have memory tests on them or you could build a memtest86 disk and test from that. Go through the complete diagnostics multiple times with all of your memory installed. http://www.memtest86.com/

If you get errors then strip down to just one stick and run the tests with that one stick in each slot and then go through all of the rest, one stick in each slot. That way you can narrow it down to whether the problem sticks with a certain slot or if it sticks with a certain stick of ram.

If there are no errors then make sure your drivers are all up to date, disconnect usb devices, and also make sure your bios is flashed to the latest version.

dynamik

What do you have against the ultimate boot cd

It contains memtest86, memtest86+, and tons of other utilities. All you have to do is burn the disc, boot off of it, and you're good to go.

aueddonline

dynamik wrote:

What do you have against the ultimate boot cd

It contains memtest86, memtest86+, and tons of other utilities. All you have to do is burn the disc, boot off of it, and you're good to go.

running memtest86 now, the other two crashed on me and this is the only one that saw all 8GB,

another thing I noticed just now is my CPU is showing as 1.86 mhz at post when it's name is intel 2.4mhz

aueddonline

ok now memtest has crashed

undomiel

dynamik wrote:

What do you have against the ultimate boot cd

It contains memtest86, memtest86+, and tons of other utilities. All you have to do is burn the disc, boot off of it, and you're good to go.

I mentioned that the cds above have memory diagnostics! I just prefer building a diskette than a cd.

It is sounding like it is probably the motherboard, but I'd recommend continuing through the diagnostics like I had sketched out.

dynamik

undomiel wrote:

I mentioned that the cds above have memory diagnostics! I just prefer building a diskette than a cd.

I was teasing him since I had already mentioned it twice (I know this is hard to believe, but not everything's about you).

Don't worry, I know you love your 486 (I hear it's a dx!) and it's floppy drive.

aueddonline

undomiel wrote:

dynamik wrote:

What do you have against the ultimate boot cd

It contains memtest86, memtest86+, and tons of other utilities. All you have to do is burn the disc, boot off of it, and you're good to go.

I mentioned that the cds above have memory diagnostics! I just prefer building a diskette than a cd.

It is sounding like it is probably the motherboard, but I'd recommend continuing through the diagnostics like I had sketched out.

yeah what i'm doing now is putting the skicks in slot 1, on at a time and running memtest, ould take a while

then I might run a cpu burn within windows

About 10 minutes ago I press the reset button and it had prblems running the post, what makes you think it's the mobo

aueddonline

dynamik wrote:

undomiel wrote:

I mentioned that the cds above have memory diagnostics! I just prefer building a diskette than a cd.

I was teasing him since I had already mentioned it twice (I know this is hard to believe, but not everything's about you).

Don't worry, I know you love your 486 (I hear it's a dx!) and it's floppy drive.

I am using the ultimate boot CD

undomiel

dynamik wrote:

undomiel wrote:

I mentioned that the cds above have memory diagnostics! I just prefer building a diskette than a cd.

I was teasing him since I had already mentioned it twice (I know this is hard to believe, but not everything's about you).

Don't worry, I know you love your 486 (I hear it's a dx!) and it's floppy drive.

Everything is about me! And it's a DX -2- thank you very much!
I always like keeping a floppy drive around for diagnostic purposes. Plus I only have King's Quest VI on floppies. Which probably don't work any more.

I suspect the motherboard because you mentioned an improperly listed cpu speed on boot and also because you are now having problems with post. Plus your system overheated. I also suspect the cpu. At Dell in this type of situation I would normally replace both the motherboard and cpu just to be on the safe side. Of course that wasn't my own money I was playing with there either so that made things easier.

aueddonline

undomiel wrote:

dynamik wrote:

undomiel wrote:

I mentioned that the cds above have memory diagnostics! I just prefer building a diskette than a cd.

I was teasing him since I had already mentioned it twice (I know this is hard to believe, but not everything's about you).

Don't worry, I know you love your 486 (I hear it's a dx!) and it's floppy drive.

Everything is about me! And it's a DX -2- thank you very much!
I always like keeping a floppy drive around for diagnostic purposes. Plus I only have King's Quest VI on floppies. Which probably don't work any more.

I suspect the motherboard because you mentioned an improperly listed cpu speed on boot and also because you are now having problems with post. Plus your system overheated. I also suspect the cpu. At Dell in this type of situation I would normally replace both the motherboard and cpu just to be on the safe side. Of course that wasn't my own money I was playing with there either so that made things easier.

I ran a cpu test program and it ran though a load of cycles and 138 billion operations with no errors

I'm starting to think the motherboard could be to blame although i'm confused as to why suse 64 bit and vista 32 bit installed and worked ok, if I replaced it and used the cpu I have could I damage the new motherboard?

dynamik

How many sticks of memory do you have? Have you tried memtest with only one at a time and rotating them? You may just have a bad stick or two. You're only going to have problems when that memory is access, so maybe you just didn't use the other long enough for that to occur.

tiersten

aueddonline wrote:

I'm starting to think the motherboard could be to blame although i'm confused as to why suse 64 bit and vista 32 bit installed and worked ok, if I replaced it and used the cpu I have could I damage the new motherboard?

They will use different amounts of memory and in a different arrangement. You might not be hitting whatever is bad about your motherboard/CPU.

aueddonline

dynamik wrote:

How many sticks of memory do you have? Have you tried memtest with only one at a time and rotating them? You may just have a bad stick or two. You're only going to have problems when that memory is access, so maybe you just didn't use the other long enough for that to occur.

I have 4x2GB sticks, I have tested two with memtest which are fine, I'm doing the other two now.

I have tried putting sticks in slot 1 and 2 (which gives the blue screen) and 3 and 4 (which made the screen go blank entiely)