Won't Boot

[Supernautty]

My friends computer currently had linux on it, and she wanted me to install windows on it. Now the computer gets to the verifying dmi pool data....... update sucess screen, and does nothing after. My monitor doesn't receive any input "out of range error". Here's what I did:

- Restarted computer with windows cd in it, to install windows
- Goes through the loading screen, and when it gets to the format/hard drive screen, it shows that there is no hard drives available on the computer. Pressing any button comes up with a blue screen of death
- I try ^ this again, just to see if it would work, same thing happens
- I take out the windows cd, and try to restart the computer, and get back onto linux
- The ASUS screen with the f12(boot) and del(bios) screen comes up first, then the verifying dmi pool data....... update sucess screen comes up
- After that I get the out of range error on my monitor.


I've tried resetting the bios defaults, and making sure the hard drive is primary boot. One thing I noticed was when you reset to the defaults, the bios recognizes the A: drive. As soon as you save, restart, and go into the bios again, the A: drive is missing.

I've also tried booting from both the windows and linux discs again, and nothing happens.

Could the hard drive have failed on me?

 

[Raiddinn]

Did you try to install windows while Linux was still on it?

If so, that may have been your problem.

Windows does all kinds of stupid things when you try to install it on a system that has an OS on it that is not an earlier version of Windows.

The order of OS installs must be:

Earliest version of windows, next earliest version of Windows, latest version of Windows, whatever other OS.

If she wants to dual boot between Linux and Windows, the Windows has to be installed first then the linux.

You are just asking for problems if you try it any other way, which it sounds like you might be doing.

If you start up with the Windows CD in the drive and you blow away Linux completely, as in every partition on the whole drive (linux uses more than 1, usually), then you install Windows, it should probably work.

Then you can choose to install Linux or not again afterwards.

It is possible you have a hardware failure on your hands, Linux usually is very tolerant of failing hardware (unlike Windows), but it sounds unlikely at this point.

If the above doesn't help you get on track, let me know.

 

[Supernautty]

Yes, I tried to install windows with Linux still on it.

Not exactly sure on what you mean. When I start with the windows CD in, The setup loads all its files. After that i'm on the screen that shows a list of existing partitions and unpartitoned space on the computer. It shows 4 Unknown Disk's. If I try to delete or use the arrow keys, the blue screen pops up (pressing enter, or c for create does nothing).

"The problem seems to be cause by the following file: setupdd.sys

PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA"

So I can't really "blow away" linux, because the windows boot up cd dosen't even recognize any hard drives, while the bios does.

 

[Raiddinn]

What version of Linux does she have installed? Is it Ubuntu?

The page fault thing sounds like it could be RAM related, but if she isn't having problems in Linux then it probably isn't hardware, even though Linux is pretty tolerant of faulty hardware.

You will be unable to delete partitions off the Windows CD, then. I never tried this, but I guess it doesn't work as you are proving.

There is something called a Universal Boot CD (or something like that) that you can download. I suggest trying to download that and then using it to FDISK when you can do something at a command prompt. That might allow you to delete partitions. You could try doing it that way.

Also, you might be able to use the Linux CD to boot with and then delete the partitions with it and just not reinstall Linux afterwards. That might also work. You might want to try that first.

 

[Supernautty]

Yes, Ubuntu.

I'll try those options, and let you know what happens. Thanks for the help!

 

[Raiddinn]

BTW, why does she want to get rid of Ubuntu and use Windows instead, just wondering?

 

[aicom]

Grab a memtestx86+ bootcd and see if it reports any memory errors. It's still very possible that you had RAM issues from the start but because of how Linux was partitioning off the sections of memory (kernel, userspace programs, cache) you may not have run into an issue.

 

[Supernautty]

BTW, why does she want to get rid of Ubuntu and use Windows instead, just wondering?

Because "Windows is easier to use". I originally put Ubuntu on because of the simplicity, and all she uses the computer for is the internet. She needs her iTunes apparently too.

I'll try the memtest too, thanks.

Edit: memtest passed. Now to try the UBCD

 

[Raiddinn]

Windows isn't really easier to use, it is just more Windows-like.

I don't know about iTunes, but there should be plenty of music players available in the software center that should play her files.

I don't know how iTunes works, but if it is a cloud based thing accessible through a program rather than a browser I would guess it wouldn't work.

 

[Supernautty]

Windows isn't really easier to use, it is just more Windows-like.

I don't know about iTunes, but there should be plenty of music players available in the software center that should play her files.

I don't know how iTunes works, but if it is a cloud based thing accessible through a program rather than a browser I would guess it wouldn't work.

Yah, that why I had that quoted. That's what she said to me, even though I believe otherwise.
She needs iTunes, to work with her iPod.

fdisk didn't work. I deleted the linux partition, and the windows boot cd is still doing the same thing. I am currently running HDShredder and getting rid of everything on the HD, and will try again.

 

[Raiddinn]

When you installed Ubuntu on the PC, do you remember what you chose for the file system?

Also, is this a CD made by Microsoft, or is it a copy of Windows you bought online, downloaded, and burned to a CD?

 

[Supernautty]

When you installed Ubuntu on the PC, do you remember what you chose for the file system?

Also, is this a CD made by Microsoft, or is it a copy of Windows you bought online, downloaded, and burned to a CD?

Can't remember what file system

Downloaded and burned to CD

 

[Raiddinn]

Since you downloaded and burned the CD, you may want to re-download and re-burn the CD.

This would help ensure that:
1) you got a good download
2) you got a good burn

When burning, you might want to set the speed to a manual 8x rather than letting it go at whatever speed, too.

Many times I have seen corrupt downloads/burns for OSs and the best way to rule that out as the cause is just to start over again and square 1 with a new download and a new burn.

 

[Supernautty]

Since you downloaded and burned the CD, you may want to re-download and re-burn the CD.

This would help ensure that:
1) you got a good download
2) you got a good burn

When burning, you might want to set the speed to a manual 8x rather than letting it go at whatever speed, too.

Many times I have seen corrupt downloads/burns for OSs and the best way to rule that out as the cause is just to start over again and square 1 with a new download and a new burn.

Ill try this right after the HDShredder utility is done. I was almost thinking it could be the CD as well. Thanks for all the help!

Now that I realize. My power went out during the download last time... could be possible that it skipped a section?

 

[Raiddinn]

If the power went out during a download AND you experienced problems afterwards, then yes I am going to say that it is possible that could have affected it.

Generally speaking, power problems can cause a huge number of symptom types in computers. It is hard to find any errors a computer could have that can't possibly be due to a power problem.

The power subsystem is what everything in the computer is built on.

I like to use the Leaning Tower of Pisa as a metaphor when discussing power issues.

If the foundation isn't stable, then the end result might not be what you expect.

You may want to invest in an UPS, by the way. It can be very nice in a couple situations, such as when the power goes out.

 

[Supernautty]

Looks like it was just the copy of windows all along... wtf. Thanks for all the help though! Learned some more stuff along the way

 

[Raiddinn]

It is pretty uncommon in my experience to have a bad download, but I have had one in the past myself.

It was the first copy of Ubuntu I DLd, actually. I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't install correctly. I looked all over the internet and eventually I came across something that said it might be a bad DL so I tried DLing again and it worked.

Anyway, hopefully if you get into a similar situation again you will be ready the next time.

Apparently, I learned from it, because I could see the potential for that problem in what you were experiencing and thought to point it out.