Windows 7 Install Problems

[jokerman01]

Hello Everyone,

I am trying to install OEM 32-Bit Windows 7 on my machine. The Install disk takes forever to boot, and when I finally get to the select drive screen, it tells me: "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu". When I proceed and attempt to create a new partition I get this message: "Failed to create a new partition on the selected unused space. [Error:0x8007045d]". I am currently running 32-Bit Vista on my machine and it installs in under half an hour without a hitch. How does Windows 7 not recognize my hard drive when a clean Vista install runs so smoothly? Do I need to manually load a driver for my hard drive, or a driver that came with my motherboard, or tweak settings in the BIOS? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

SYSTEM SPECS:
Video Card: EVGA 512-P2-N757-TR GeForce 8600 GT 512MB
RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (4 x 1GB) F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
Motherboard: ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz
Power Supply: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W
Hard Drive:Western Digital Caviar
SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM
OS: 32-Bit Vista Home Premium

[pam123]

What is the boot order in your bios ?

[jokerman01]

Originally Posted by pam123 What is the boot order in your bios ?

1st Boot Device: CDROM
2nd Boot Device: Hard Disk
3rd Boot Device: Removable
4th Boot Device: Disabled

[Spools]

Some searches show that MS suggests running chkdsk /r on the drive.

[pam123]

Can you boot from any disk in the optical drive ?

[jokerman01]

Originally Posted by pam123 Can you boot from any disk in the optical drive ?

Yes, I can boot the Window's Vista and Window's 7 install disks. Vista installs quickly and without a hitch. The problem is with the Windows 7 disk. Something appears to be wrong with my hardrive.

[jokerman01]

Originally Posted by Spools Some searches show that MS suggests running chkdsk /r on the drive.

Is this necessary if the hardrive loads Vista without any problems? Would purchasing a new hardrive likely solve my problem? Or do I need to load any drivers for my SATA controller? I really want to run Windows 7 on my machine, and storage is relatively cheap these days.

[pam123]

The other possibility is that it's the Win 7 DVD that has the problem.

You have the right of two free calls to customer support and if they can't walk you through the problem they will have you to return the disk to an address they'll give you.

They will also refund your money and send you a replacement disk.
A good deal by anyone's standard.

[jokerman01]

Originally Posted by pam123 The other possibility is that it's the Win 7 DVD that has the problem. You have the right of two free calls to customer support and if they can't walk you through the problem they will have you to return the disk to an address they'll give you. They will also refund your money and send you a replacement disk. A good deal by anyone's standard.

Will they do this for the OEM version of the software? I initially had the 64 bit version and that had the same problem, so I doubt it's the disk.

[pam123]

Do me a favor, just one more test.
Put the DVD in the DVD drive ( This may sound dumb, but that is a DVD drive you've got listed, right? Not a CD-ROM.) and shut down the computer ( yes I mean shut down not restart.)
Go away for a cup of coffee for 30 minutes and then reboot the computer and, faced with the black screen, hit the "any key".
Will it boot from the DVD then?

[jokerman01]

Originally Posted by pam123 Do me a favor, just one more test. Put the DVD in the DVD drive ( This may sound dumb, but that is a DVD drive you've got listed, right? Not a CD-ROM.) and shut down the computer ( yes I mean shut down not restart.) Go away for a cup of coffee for 30 minutes and then reboot the computer and, faced with the black screen, hit the "any key". Will it boot from the DVD then?

My computer boots from the install DVD, but when I get to the select drive screen it says that windows cannot be installed on my hard drive, and I cannot format or create a new partition on it.

[jokerman01]

Alright so I just went into the device manager and realized that there was an update available for my motherboard's chipset. I don't have time right now to boot up the windows install disk as it takes about two hours to load, but will this likely solve my problem? Any other thoughts or advice on how to go about troubleshooting this problem?

[pam123]

Originally Posted by jokerman01 Alright so I just went into the device manager and realized that there was an update available for my motherboard's chipset. I don't have time right now to boot up the windows install disk as it takes about two hours to load, but will this likely solve my problem? Any other thoughts or advice on how to go about troubleshooting this problem?

Possibly, you may also want to check and see if there's a bios update for the Win7 install problem.