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Clean Install Win8.1; Can't Get To Step 2

Discussion in 'Legacy Windows' started by ralatwbbs, 2015/11/28.

  1. 2015/11/28
    ralatwbbs

    ralatwbbs Inactive Thread Starter

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    Step 1: "Insert a disk." OK (and select type 1 and press any key)

    Step 2: "Follow the steps." There are no steps to be seen. (This is a clean install, so I can't open or select anything, as suggested by the instructions on the retail package.)

    What I see on the screen is the green 4-paned logo, then after about 3 minutes a circle of moving lights. I waited more than 20 minutes - no change. Hard drive light not on. Same with 32 & 64 bit disks.

    Upgrade Assistant shows no problems.

    I think it may be a monitor problem (Acer G6 Series G276HLGbd 27 "); that the things I am supposed to be seeing may somehow be off screen, but I have fiddled extensively with the monitor's configuration buttons without success.

    A pretty fair search of online help finds this problem unmentioned.

    I use integrated graphics.

    Can anyone suggest what might be going wrong?

    Thanks,
     
    Last edited: 2015/11/28
  2. 2015/11/28
    lj50 Lifetime Subscription

    lj50 SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    First you should remove the link to your email address from your signature.
     
    Last edited: 2015/11/28
    lj50,
    #2

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  4. 2015/11/28
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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  5. 2015/11/28
    ralatwbbs

    ralatwbbs Inactive Thread Starter

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    Yes
    I don't see any point to the first step of the tutorial. I disconnect all hard drives but my Kingston 240gb ssd (so windows will have no excuse to give me a boot option screen after the install is complete [I know what to do about that in XP, but I don't even know if win 8 uses a boot.ini file]), set the bios to boot from cd/dvd and restart. I select the appropriate "drive type" (it must mean optical drive #) when prompted and press a key to boot from cd/dvd when prompted.

    Here's where I get the screen blank but for logo and circle of lights. The tutorial assumes I get an Install Windows page, but I do not get anything but logo and lights.
     
    Last edited: 2015/11/28
  6. 2015/11/28
    ralatwbbs

    ralatwbbs Inactive Thread Starter

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    OK.
    I can see how it might set me up to be spammed.

    Thanks.
     
  7. 2015/11/28
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    Step 1 allows you to open the CD/DVD drive which you cannot do if the PC is not powered up.
    Step 2 enables the PC to boot from DVD/CD/USB as per the bios settings.

    Thus both are relevant. Are you using a full retail version of 8.1 or a burnt ISO?

    The point at which the installation hangs would suggest an issue with either the DVD or the DVD drive. I can't see that it is a screen issue if both the logo and rotating circle of lights are centered.

    Can you check out the installation disk on another PC? - I guess you have tried both your DVD drives?
     
  8. 2015/11/28
    ralatwbbs

    ralatwbbs Inactive Thread Starter

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    I insert the disk when I am in the bios changing the boot method.
    Full retail.
    Well, maybe I should set this aside and finish assembling my newer system
    Yes, and both 64- and 32-bit disks.

    Thanks for your time and attention!
     
  9. 2015/11/28
    retiredlearner

    retiredlearner SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    Hi Robert, What comp are you using. You are showing 2 builds in your System Detail. Have you formatted the SSD?
    I ask the question because I just renewed my laptop drive with a SSD and initially I tried to clone/copy the HDD to the new SSD and the software wanted the SSD formatted first.
    I did the format and then gave up on the clone job and installed the SSD to the laptop. I used my USB thumb drive that had the original Recovery of W8/8.1 to install from.
    It went as sweet as and then updated ALL the MS updates and has since Upgraded to W10 home 64bit absolutely trouble free.
    I have done the install of W8.1 on 2 other NEW SSD's without the format (just straight out of the box) without problems.
    FWIW, try a Format on your SSD to see if it helps.
    I've installed the W8 and W8.1 from DVD's on our home comps using Retail DVD and one that I burned the ISO to DVD and each time it was just insert the disc and follow the instructions. Neil.
     
  10. 2015/11/28
    lj50 Lifetime Subscription

    lj50 SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    You're welcome.
     
    lj50,
    #9
  11. 2015/11/28
    ralatwbbs

    ralatwbbs Inactive Thread Starter

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    - Reformatting

    Using older system, the one before the "// ". I formatted the SSD just before the attempted install using Easus Partition Master - Full format, not quick - but Easus does not offer the distinction. So I will reformat using WinXP; Drive is NTFS.

    Reformat done. I will let you know if it makes a difference.

    Thanks.

    [later] It evidentally made 1 difference: there was no prompt to press key to boot from CD/DVD.
    Further information
    0:00 I hit "1 "{enter] to select drive type
    optical drive light begins flashing
    hard drive light is almost solid on
    Logo appeared
    1:09 drive lights off
    1:30 I remove disk
    3:22 circle of moving lights appears
    5:00 test aborted
     
    Last edited: 2015/11/29
  12. 2015/11/30
    ralatwbbs

    ralatwbbs Inactive Thread Starter

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    11/30 20 min test. No difference.

    I had assumed that Windows8-UpgradeAssistant.exe would advise of any hardware deficiency, but it dawned on me that WUA evaluated my system AFTER the motherboard drivers had been loaded. They would not be available for a clean install, so my Intel DG965WH MB's integrated graphics may not be good enough.

    I've ordered an inexpensive graphics card and am setting this problem aside for a while.
     
  13. 2015/12/13
    ralatwbbs

    ralatwbbs Inactive Thread Starter

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    Giving up on Clean Install

    for now, at least. I'm trying a different approach: 1) install win 7 2) upgrade to win 8 (on the way to win 10.

    I've installed win 7 and poked around a bit, and I have to say I don't hate it.

    Best wishes,
    Robert
     
  14. 2015/12/17
    ralatwbbs

    ralatwbbs Inactive Thread Starter

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    Upgrade from Win 7, Speed Problem?

    Installing the video card, an nvidia EVGA geforce 8400 GS, made absolutely no discernable (or rather, discerned) difference to my clean boot attempt, and I have abandoned the project.

    Instead I clean installed a new copy of Win XP on a freshly formatted Samsung 250g SSD. From there I installed a downloaded copy of Win 7 Home Premium. I installed the video card driver and Norton Security Suite. Total time for all this was about 65 min.

    I then inserted my Win 8.1 disk and clicked on setup.exe (or autorun). Everything seemed to be going smoothly, compatability check, product key, etc., until finally it said "Installing Windows 8 (or 8.1) ".

    After the first restart it said "loading files" for, I think, less than 10 minutes. Then the screen went black until about 2 minutes, when the blue/green 4-paned logo appeared. After another minute or so the moving circle of lights appeared. At which point I killed the power. 121.35mb had been written to the SSD.

    For the next test I went through the 8.1 installation steps as before, but this time I waited for 15 min. then went away. When I came back after 49 min. (timer started at last click to finally start install) the screen was black (but my monitor's power light was blue, which meant it was getting a signal). I powered off.

    For the next test I started the process, went away, and came back after about 1.5 hours. It said "Setup 3% ". After another 1.5 hours it said "Setup 7% ". And I pulled the plug; I can't have my computer tied up for 2 days with no guarantee of success. I know my computer is old and slow - 1.86 ghz dual core cpu - but not that slow.

    Assuming it is a speed issue, what could be causing it?

    Or can you think of anything else that could be going wrong?

    I have 4g of DDR ram and plenty of space on the SSD for a swap file. Before I try again I will look at the swap file settings, but they are as they were set by the Win 7 install.

    Thanks, Robert
     
  15. 2015/12/17
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    At this stage I would be very suspicious of the installation DVD.
     
  16. 2016/02/13
    Mr Chuck

    Mr Chuck Well-Known Member

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    Going from W7Pro. to W10Pro took a total of 2 1/2 hours, you just have to be patient and WAIT......... This was on a Intel® Core i3 2120 3.3 GHz with 16GB of RAM, so I can see where yours would take even longer than mine did, yours may take 4 or 5 hours or longer, just wait.
     

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