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  • #1

    OS Install CD freezes

    I'm working on a Vista machine with a problem where the boot freezes soon after the Windows splash screen. When the screen comes up with the running green bar, the screen goes black and the computer becomes unresponsive. No ctrl-alt-delete.

    Computer won't start in safe mode, hangs similarly. Tried to reinstall OS using the appropriate licensed Vista version CD. Same issue, soon after the "Windows is Loading Files" screen, the screen goes black.

    Tried my technical preview CD version of windows 10 just for giggles. Splash screen comes up, but won't load further than that. Haven't tried any other windows versions or a live linux CD yet.

    From the BIOS diagnostics, memory and CPU are OK. Have tried different video cards, same issue. Have removed all non-essential cards, same issue.

    Any ideas or suggestions?
    "Them boys ain't zombies! They're just stupid!"
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  • #2
    Are you able to use F8 to get into Repair/recovery mode? (just keep in mind that, if you reinstall windows, it'll format/erase the drive -- and some repair functions may do this with minimal warning anyway)
    "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
    "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
    "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
    "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
    "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
    "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
    Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
    "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

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    • #3
      I can use f8 to get to the dialog to choose repair mode, but the system freezes right after that is chosen.
      "Them boys ain't zombies! They're just stupid!"

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      • #4
        Ouch. That's generally a bad sign o_O

        You may have to nuke n pave. Do you have your install CD/DVD and code, and is there anything on your Hard drive you wanna back up first?
        "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
        "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
        "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
        "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
        "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
        "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
        Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
        "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

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        • #5
          Quoth EricKei View Post
          Ouch. That's generally a bad sign o_O

          You may have to nuke n pave. Do you have your install CD/DVD and code, and is there anything on your Hard drive you wanna back up first?
          I'm suspecting it could be a failing HDD. In which case you could either (depending on your tech know-how)

          a) purchase a new HDD and install it yourself. Which also means you're starting out with a blank disk drive and you will have to format it and reinstall your OS and everything else you usually have on your computer (software/drivers/apps/et al.)

          b) take it to a repair shop and let them check it out. Not sure how much this costs but I would think you could get a quote and decide from there if it's worth having the repairs done. Prices on laptops and tablets are lower now than just a couple of years ago - you can get a new one for around $300 or so (depending on what you're looking for) so that may be your cheaper option.

          Either way you look at it, it's not sounding good I'm afraid.
          Human Resources - the adult version of "I'm telling Mom." - Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo (NCIS)

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          • #6
            Unfortunately, I am the local repair shop. It looks like this is going to be one I don't get paid for. I'm calling this a bad main board, since the system freezes regardless of what I do. It won't boot from a thumb drive, the system freezes at the splash screen. It freezes when I try to boot from any live CD- freezes on Knoppix, freezes on UBCD, froze on Hiren's Boot CD, froze on my Geek Squad CD. It froze when I tried to use a spare HD with a known good OS. This one is toast, I'm going to give the client the bad news tomorrow.
            "Them boys ain't zombies! They're just stupid!"

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            • #7
              Quoth Salesmonkey View Post
              Unfortunately, I am the local repair shop. It looks like this is going to be one I don't get paid for. I'm calling this a bad main board, since the system freezes regardless of what I do. It won't boot from a thumb drive, the system freezes at the splash screen. It freezes when I try to boot from any live CD- freezes on Knoppix, freezes on UBCD, froze on Hiren's Boot CD, froze on my Geek Squad CD. It froze when I tried to use a spare HD with a known good OS. This one is toast, I'm going to give the client the bad news tomorrow.
              Since it's not booting anything, and freezing up, yep - bad board. That was going to be my 2nd guess, which popped into my head after I posted my earlier reply.

              Learned that one the hard way a decade ago with a previous Toshiba that I had replaced the motherboard in myself - poor thing crashed while on recovery disk #2 and would not power back up.

              Ended up having to trash that one and get another laptop. Luckily at the time I didn't have to do that right away, since I had a desktop I could still use at the time. Still hurt to do that though.
              Human Resources - the adult version of "I'm telling Mom." - Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo (NCIS)

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              • #8
                Yeah, the only other thing to try would be checking the RAM, if you have any good RAM sitting around to swap it out. I've seen it a couple of times, where a chip going bad will act like that.

                Sometimes you just can't fix the computer for a reasonable cost.
                The Rich keep getting richer because they keep doing what it was that made them rich. Ditto the Poor.
                "Hy kan tell dey is schmot qvestions, dey is makink my head hurt."
                Hoc spatio locantur.

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                • #9
                  Thanks GK, my suggestion too. Salesmonkey, did poking around in the BIOS ever cause a hang? When you cleared the decks, did you detach the cooling fans? Double check clearance between the MCB and the box? (I realize you may have already 86'd it, but my two cents anyway.) Hope client took it well.

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                  • #10
                    If you pull out and reseat the RAM, sometimes that will help. Otherwise, if it's not booting from anything, I agree that it sounds like a bad motherboard.

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