Windows 7 install hangs up

I would consider that a 6 year old M/B that has been handled quite a bit may be victim to a damaged circuit in the board.
Too much force being applied to connector blocks when installing (in the case) can cause severe flexing of the board.
My son gave me a M/B (Asus) which he had changed because of intermittent Black screening or sudden restarts, which was due to the board being mounted in a case that had small right-angled metal lugs that held the board in place.
During assembly the circuit on the underside or the board had been scratched by a sharp edge on one lug. This caused the circuit to overheat and fail intermittently, depending on the load put on it.
When installing components, the motherboard should be on a flat surface which prevents flexing of the board (Doc's suggestion plywood). This means that the only hardware needed to be installed after the board is fitted in the case will be Graphics cards.
I usually make all connections possible (including PSU) on a flat supported surface then carefully install the board and connect the Front Panel Header connectors/block.
I would strongly advise looking at the board with a magnifier to see if it has been damaged as you aren't making any headway with all the suggestions and Fixes that have worked for others. (Whiskeymans HP link).
Has your friend considered buying a new comp and getting W8.1/ W9 ready? Neil.

 

I am out of town right now, but I will check that as well....thanks for the reply