Reinstalling vista from MESH recovery CD

[kevvyb]

Hi Thanks for your reply. Apologies for the ommission. I could have sworn that I included that explanation. Yet another problem with not being anle to check back on your posts immediatley.

As stated, leaving the installation to its own devices results in DOS message, 'Press any key to boot from CD'. But the install effectively hangs pressing any key does not get a response at this stage like it did at the beginning of the installation.

If I remove the disk the DOS screen immediately gives DOS message 'Disk Read Error. CTR ALT DEL to reboot'. At this stage the machine does not respond to CTR ALT DEL. I have to resort to hard reboot but that just gets me back into the same loop with 'Disk read error......' again.

Please understand I have done many reinstallations of XP and a recent install of Win7. I can find my way out of most problems but there is a problem here that I think is not related to what I am or am not doing. I have tried every option I can think of.

I have tried reverting to one partition to see if that made a difference. It did not. I think I will now try an install of Win 7 to see if that runs through. If so I think it possibly points to something being wrong with that MESH installation disk. If necessary could you supply another to the owner of the PC or directly to me if he confirms my address to you?

[kevvyb]

To eliminate the MESH recovery CD as the cause, I downloaded and installed the Windows 7 RC. Same result. Install proceeds up to reboot.

Then hangs at 'Press any key to boot from CD or DVD'.

Removing the disk and rebooting results in 'Disk Read Error, CTL ALT DEL to reboot' >>>> and into loop.

As I said in the last post this evening, there is something else wrong here.

Is this a mobo failure? How can I test that?

[kevvyb]

Originally Posted by pineman

The first part of the install works fine. System reboots for first time then hangs on DOS screen with press and key to boot from CD or DVD

I have just re-installed Vista from a Mesh disk (it's contents are identical to an original Microsoft Vista disk). The instructions I read from Microsoft's web site stated that you MUST NOT remove the disk before a reboot and after it has rebooted DO NOT under any circumstances press any key when you get the request to do so. That request should clear and it will read from the CD/DVD automatically without any intervention by you.

Do not remove the disk until the re-installation is complete.

Good luck!

I agree with you the delay caused by the new Mesh policy is absolutely awful and needs resolving. If you leave a message on Friday afternoon nobody can read it until someone at Mesh clears it on the following Monday!!!!!!

Pineman, that's the point. Leaving the install to proceed (which is what I did originally before I realised there was a problem) results in a hang. Nothing happens. Install does not proceed.

I only tried taking the disk out because Davey suggested that it would not matter and then to see what happened.

I cannot be any clearer about what is happening. The install does not proceed by itself, once I have set off the first boot from CD!!! And I can find no way around it.

There is something going wrong at the point the install reboots and for some reason the machine is not booting from CD or Hard drive (whichever it is meant to do at that point) the second time around, however long I leave the message 'press any key to boot.....'.

The fact that a Windows 7 RC install does exactly the same thing points to the machine, hardware BIOS or something rather than the install routine wouldn't you say...?

Can't see how it is the DVD ROM drive as it boots properly the first time to start the install and also from the partition manager boot disk everytime I use it.

On the first reboot should the installer then boot from hard drive or dvd rom? I am guessing hard drive at that point.....?

[pineman]

Sorry I wasn't able to help but I wasn't completely sure how long you were leaving the PC to re-boot before intervening.

Unfortunately my knowledge doesn't extend to offering any other potential solutions BUT this bloody set up that Mesh have adopted with the forum is far from helpful in matters like this as every question and answer takes at least a day and up to three days to appear. It needs rapid resolution or people will not bother to get involved.

Good luck with your problem.

[kevvyb]

Win 7 install same result so it is not the MESH installation CD. Could it be hardware related.



Maybe that old keyboard getting in the way....? Something funny is happening with the keyboard indicator lights. Just noticed that even with machine switched off two lights remain on. Something I have not seen before. Am going to plug in my other keyboard and a wired mouse to see if that gets me anywhere.



Am barking totally up the wrong tree...?

[kevvyb]

Don't believe this! After the unmpteenth reinstall, the machine just booted into windows after the install routine. What do you make of that? Does this implicate the new hard drive...? Or some other hardware issue?

[MidnightDraven]

you changed nothing but the keyboard and mouse?
Id say that was the issue.
instead of not reading that you pressed a key at that press any key, it couldnt read there being a keyboard there and so hung.
thats just my take on it.

[kevvyb]

Pineman

Thanks for responding anyway. All the better to filter out the critisism and complaint that would otherwise be posted, rightly or wrongly.

But does make the forum less effective for active troubleshooting.

[Davey W]

Hi kevvyb/Pineman,

As I have already said/intimated, I cannot go into detail regarding the change to moderated posts. It's not a decision I am happy with but given the options of the forum offline until the matter is resolved, or post moderation, I think the decision made was the right one. I am sorry for any inconvenience it may cause and I assure you the moment I get the go ahead to lift it it will be gone. It's not intended to be a permanent change.

And kevvyb, please do take a look around outside of your own thread. Whilst posts have been subject to edits, deletion or locking I have tried my utmost to be as open as is possible unless a private matter is involved. In honesty if I/we did censor the uncomplimentary posts then I doubt the regulars who post often would feel it worth sticking around.

With regards to the problem, what is the current status? Has it occurred again? If so has it done so with alternative keyboard at all? Also with regards to the keyboards involved, are either/both USB and do they have additional USB ports on them?

Davey