I have told you how much I dispise Microsoft?

[chernabog_ca]

I've spent the last 24 hours trying to install Vista Ultimate and
still do not have it installed.

I first tried to install it on a brand new virgin Seagate SATA-II hard
drive. Had Windows Install create the partition and format it. It
started installing and got the point where it reboots. PC comes back
up and I get the message saying that it will be a few minutes as
Windows prepares to start for the first time. Then goes back to the
install screen and is at the "Completing Installation" portion. After
about a minute, my monitor goes blank and the PC shuts off. I thought
that was kind of weird so I power it back up and I get to the Windows
Error Recovery menu. I select "start windows normally" figuring that
will go ahead and finish the installation. I then get a dialog box
saying that Windows installation encountered an error and cannot
continue and that I need to restart the installation.

No problem, I figure it's just a glitch. I restart the installation
and the same thing happens again. Attempt number three ends the same
way. I figure maybe it's a hardware problem so I go ahead and
disconnect everything and yank out my video card and use the onboard
display adapter. Same thing happens.

Now I'm wondering if it's a problem with my Vista DVD (OEM). I also
have the 64-bit edition and figure I'll try that to see. Same thing
happens.

I've got a copy of RC1 on CD. Same thing happens.

So no I figure it's got to be a hardware problem and possibly this new
drive. Slap my XP drive back in and spend 2 hours running scans and
low-level formatting it.

Give it another shot. Same thing happens.

Try installing it from within XP. Same thing happens.

I then clone an extra drive over onto the new one to give that one a
shot thinking it's got to be something with this drive. Same thing
happens.

I updated the BIOS on my motherboard. Same thing happens.

I've installed Virtual PC in XP and Vista installs and runs, although very sluggishly.

So I've used 2 different drives (both Seagate 250GB). I've removed
hardware. I've tried 3 different copies and versions (all legit BTW)
and two different methods and they all end the same way.

The only thing I haven't done is slap in a new power supply and I really don't want to have to go buy a new one. I've spent enough money as it is getting my PC able to run Vista.

I'm more curious as to what the problem is now than any desire to use
Vista.

Hardware
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300
Intel DG965WH Mobo
2 GB DDR2 - OCZ
BFG GeForce 7950
Creative Auidgy 2 ZS
2 x Pioneer DVD-R
PSU - Antec TruBlu 480w

[st39.6]

Thats why I´ll stay with XP and even buy laptop with old OS (XP too)

[chernabog_ca]

Well I've got it installed. It appears to be a BIOS power setting that was interfearing. It's always the dumbest things!!

[j7wild]

sounds like you just dont have good luck with Windows, my friend!!

http://www.movie-list.com/forum/show...highlight=dump

[chernabog_ca]

Tell me about it. I thought it was suppose to be getting easier! I haven't had this much trouble in all the years I've owned a PC like I have these past months.

[Jax]

I'm giving Vista Ultimate this weekend a shot, I'm curious to see what will happen. If I'm happy with it I'll stick with it.

[chernabog_ca]

Well after using it now for a day, I'm very happy with it. The only thing that's caused me any problems so far is Dreamscene craps out on me after a few minutes and I get an error saying that my video driver stopped responding. I just ended up turning it off for now but it is a cool feature. Other than that, everything is so far, so good.

[corfy]

I had my own run-in with Microsoft today. One of the computers at the office today just froze up mid-way through the boot process.

I looked at the side of the computer where the Windows sticker has the the Windows key and saw that this was a Windows 2000 SP1 computer (yes, we have a couple of Windows 2000 computers still running).

So I go upstairs and get a Windows 2000 SP1 CD. I just grabbed a CD, I didn't think much about it. I bring it down, reboot the computer with the CD in the drive, tell it to do a repair, and sit back and let it do it's thing.

A half hour later, it asks me for the Windows Product Key. So I get the 25-digit number off the side of the computer and put it in.

"Product Key is Invalid"

I try again. Same thing. I went into other room where we have an old Win2K computer sitting around. It doesn't run anymore, but I keep it for spare parts. I pull the Product Key off that computer and try it.

"Product Key is Invalid."

I go back upstairs. Unfortunately, I don't know where the CD for the specific computer I am working on is. I do, however, know where the CD is for the old computer in the other room, so I grab that CD. I bring that downstairs, restart the repair process from scratch, and a half hour later with the new CD, it asks me for the Product Key. I used the original key for that computer. It was accepted.

Later, I looked at the two CDs. I didn't see any difference at all between the two. They were both identical Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 CDs, but one worked and the other didn't. Why it matters so much, I have no idea, but it did. I understand (somewhat) if I were trying to use a Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 key on a Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 CD or something like that, but this was not the case this time. So that didn't put me in a good mood.

Of course, the repair process didn't work. It got so far along and just froze up. I tried again, same thing. I installing Win2K over the old install (instead of trying to repair). Same thing.

Three hours after walking into the building, I had accomplished squat.

After lunch, I asked around about how much information was on that computer that would be missed if I simply wiped the harddrive. I was told that there was a lot of information on there (why they don't put that on the server, I couldn't tell you). So wiping the harddrive is not an option.

I finally ended up using a LiveCD for Linux (I threatened to install Linux, but I know that is not gonna happen) and deleted the Windows directory, and was then able to do a fresh install of Windows. But by that point, even though all of the documents are still on the computer, the programs are not (not only was the registry deleted, but several .dll files as well). And, as I pointed out, this was Service Pack 1. I spent a lot of time installing Service Pack 4 (which requires a restart) then installing the Service Pack 4 Update Rollout, and then had to download and install 56 updates, and then had to download and install an additional 4 updates, then had to install all of the actual programs.

An entire day+ spent on one computer in the noisiest part of the building... just a few feet away from where the press runs for all of our printing (I work at a newspaper, btw).

All-in-all, I have had better days spent around computers.

[j7wild]

I bet this is Microsoft's fault too:

http://space.newscientist.com/articl...ars-probe.html

[Jax]

I recently installed Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit and I must say the interface is gorgeous, the aero interface looks a lot beter then XP's teletubbie-look. It's also a bit getting used to, the tools, the way everything is organized. If you're a sucker for large icons you're gonna love vista.

[jmcc]

How about copying and moving files? I have read that those operations are noticeably slow with Vista.

[Kal-el]

How about copying and moving files? I have read that those operations are noticeably slow with Vista.

I didn't have any problems transferring my files.

I transferred mine from my old laptop to my new laptop. I used a Cat 6 cable and selected my files to transfer using Vista's Easy Transfer Program. Once I had them selected it took about an hour or so transfer about 40 GB of information.

[jmcc]

OK. How about moving and copying files within Vista?

[Kal-el]

I've had no problems so far, but I've also only moved small stuff like pics and short vids......

[chernabog_ca]

No problems here either or noticeable slow down when transferring files within Windows. The only thing that bugs me about Vista so far is the fact it seems to ask you twice to confirm you want to do something, even as simple as renaming a file. That Mac commercial is very much true. And yes I know you can turn Access Control off.