Cannot install Windows 7 on new PC (BSOD during installation)
2014-04
andronz
Yesterday I received new hardware and tried to assemble all of it. But when I was installing Windows 7 x64 I got a BSOD twice, and the following error message:
Your PC has rebooted unexpectly, installation will continue after reboot.
I have checked everything and tried to install one more time. It was almost successful, Windows had installed, but I cannot format my disk, open cmd or Control Panel, boot from DVD etc.
It's the first time I have assembled a PC, and I don't know where the problem is, in my hardware or in Windows.
My components:
- MSI z77a-g43
- Intel Core i5-3570K
- Seagate Barracuda (plugged into SATA 6 Gb/s slot, I also have a SATA 3 Gb/s slot)
- Corsair XMS3 (4x 4 GB)
- HIS IceQ
Also in the BIOS, I have changed RAM frequency to DDR3 1600 and voltage to 1.65 V.
UPDATE: I have removed the video card, sound card, and left only 4 GB of RAM, and restored BIOS defaults. I can now install Windows. However, my memory is specced at 1600 MHz and 1.65 V, but if I set these values in BIOS I have BSODs very often. AUTO setings show 1.5 V and 1333 MHz. Is this memory compatible with my MSI z77a-g43 or the Intel Core i5-3570K?
Indrek
The tech specs on the page you linked to clearly show that the SPD settings are: "1333, 1.5v, 9-9-9-24" which matches what your BIOS reports. Frankly, I think the manufacturer is playing a little loose with the facts here.
Leave your memory setting in the BIOS on AUTO, and proceed with your install. After you have the computer running properly, use a program such as CPU-Z to get a better look at what the memory reports in SPD.
You can then experiment with adjusting the timings if you want. I doubt it will really be worth the trouble: the synthetic benchmarks will probably say you have faster memory, but real world usage will probably show an underwhelming or unnoticable difference.
cesar
On a previous question I posted, I asked for help on fixing my Windows Vista box because it keeps going to a blue screen. No one seems to have the answer, so now I want to install Windows 7.
Can I install Windows 7 without having to reformat my hard drive and having to lose all my files?
I've already confirmed the hardware is working because I installed Ubuntu 9.10 on my external hard drive and it runs on my system fine. I tested the memory using Vista's memory test and Ubuntu's memory test.
Here's the previous post: Windows Vista BSOD on my desktop
Felix
If the Vista system is not functional and you say you have Ubuntu available, you can boot Ubuntu, mount the Vista partitions and back up your files. Then, you can just reformat the drive. If you have enough space on your portable HDD I think this is the cleanest solution.
DCookie
According to Microsoft, you should be able to upgrade Vista to Windows 7 and keep your files.
Chris
With keeping your files and software on an upgrade is possible, you may still be inheriting the issues that caused your Vista installation to blue screen.
If you still have the intallation disks for your software, I would take a live CD boot into that, copy off your personal files and then install everything from scratch. You might have better luck with that.
Good luck and hope this helps some.
Steve McKay
You have an external hard drive. Excellent! Now is the perfect time to start doing backups. Then nuke your Vista partition and install whatever you like.
Traveling Tech Guy
You can upgrade to 7, but like earlier replies suggest:
- Backup all your files to the external drive. It's much better to install 7 on a fresh partition than to carry over past issues.
- Even more important: your blue screen may be caused by a hardware issue (memory/card not seated properly, BIOS malfunction etc.) in which case upgrading to 7 will just be a waste of time. What is the root cause of your BSOD? Can you post the strings you see?