SOLVED Windows 7 not compatible with board?

[Tech Tweaker]

I wasn't really sure whether to post this in the AMD motherboards section or the OS section, so please forgive me if I posted in the wrong one.

Anyway, I was trying to install Windows 7 on my DFI nForce4 SLI Infinity board earlier, but just could not get it to install.

I could get into the setup, accept the terms, format my disk, and begin the install, but every time it gets to around 50% of the expanding files portion it blue screens.

Tried everything I can think of, loosened the ram timings, made sure voltages were correct, checked connections. Ran prime95 for 15 minutes, no errors or warnings, checked the HDD for errors and only found one bad sector (it shows drive health is 97-98% on both HDSentinel and SpeedFan's drive test), and actually I just got through installing an OS on that very same drive a week or two ago without a problem. Everything checks out okay as far as I can see. There's nothing physically wrong with the board, ram, or CPU because I've got it up and running XP right now *switches video input to check*; yep, still running.

So, that brings me to my question, is it possible that my board is not supported by Windows 7 or that my board will not support running Windows 7 for some reason? That's my only theory because on DFI's website there are no Windows 7 drivers for this board, XP and Vista have drivers there but not 7.

 

[johan851]

That would be really surprising. Are you sure your Windows 7 install media isn't corrupted?

 

[Tech Tweaker]

That would be really surprising. Are you sure your Windows 7 install media isn't corrupted?

Well, the disc surface is pristine (or close to it, with no deep scratches) so I can't imagine there's anything wrong there.

I don't know how it would get corrupted if that's possible.

 

[Maximouse]

How much RAM do you have installed?

I ask because Windows 7 would not install on my A8N-SLI with 4 Gigs DDR Ram installed. I removed 2 Gigs and then it installed with no problems.
Replaced the 2 Gigs I removed and it has worked fine since. I had the same issue when installing Vista on it.

 

[Tech Tweaker]

How much RAM do you have installed?

I ask because Windows 7 would not install on my A8N-SLI with 4 Gigs Ram installed. I removed 2 Gigs and then it installed with no problems.
Replaced the 2 Gigs I removed and it has worked fine since.

Just 2GB's (2x1GB sticks), matching sticks too.

 

[johan851]

Are you reformatting the drive before you install?

 

[Tech Tweaker]

Are you reformatting the drive before you install?

I tried it both ways, formatting before install and just clicking continue on the unformatted space.

 

[johan851]

It's a SATA HDD? Are you in AHCI mode? You could try IDE mode...hmm. Have you tried running Memtest86+ for a while?

 

[Tech Tweaker]

It's a SATA HDD? Are you in AHCI mode? You could try IDE mode...hmm. Have you tried running Memtest86+ for a while?

Nope, IDE HDD and IDE ODD.

Yes, I've run memtest on these sticks before and they tested fine.

Trying something different now, think I may have found the problem, will update with results.

 

[Tech Tweaker]

Nope, that wasn't the problem.

I'm at a loss for explanations, everything I've tried that I thought might be the solution to the problem has made no difference.

Now it's failing at just 5-10% completion of step 1.

 

[johan851]

That's really weird. Load optimized defaults in the BIOS? Or try the installation media in another system, or new install media in this system?

 

[Tech Tweaker]

Made it to 85% of completion and then it blue screened again.

I thought I had it working there for a minute.

I've tried everything it recommends doing on the blue screen that comes up plus a few other things I thought up myself, made sure BIOS caching was disabled, disabled memory caching, loosened the memory timings, disabled IDE Prefetch, manually set the CPU voltage, tried with only one stick of memory, and I don't even remember what else.

 

[Tech Tweaker]

Found the problem, and I've successfully installed Windows 7 now.

The install media wasn't corrupted, and it wasn't some bios setting (that I know of); I changed so many things though that something might have made a difference.

Problem was some piece of hardware in my system was overheating and causing the installation to crash. Could be CPU, GPU, or hard drive, because they were all pretty hot when I opened up my case for a closer inspection.

So, either a. this stock heatsink is garbage, b. my airflow setup is rubbish, or c. my board's design doesn't cater to good cooling.

I'm betting it was either the CPU or the GPU, because my CPU fan exhausts the hot air directly onto my graphics card's heatsink/heatpipe (my GPU has a passively-cooled heatpipe with an external fan below the card blowing up at it, but no cooling on the backside) and with very little room between my graphics card and CPU fan it may have been sucking the hot exhaust air back into the CPU heatsink and thus heating it up further. Either is a possibility it seems.

Kind of surprising the heatsink would do that badly though, it is after all meant for a 125W Phenom II X4-X6 and not a socket 939 110W dual-core.

Regardless it seems I need to upgrade my cooling if I plan to run a 110W dual core in this configuration, and/or maybe stick one of the lower-power 89W models in my system instead.

So, I got out a box-style fan, set it up on my desk blowing into my open case and away I went installing seven. A ridiculous setup if I do say so myself, looks hokey as all get out, but it did work.

 

[Tech Tweaker]

Wish I had a 939 bolt-through kit here, I'd slap a TRUE on this little heat factory.

Well, once I get everything installed I'm going for some boints.

Only problem was I had to install 7 to be able to go after them (W7 exclusive programs).

 

[Nechen]

Well incase I try to install Win7 on any 939 boards I come across I'll remember this

 

[Tech Tweaker]

Well incase I try to install Win7 on any 939 boards I come across I'll remember this

Yeah, just remember rule number one is to make sure you're not overheating your hardware. Or to just make sure you have good cooling, whichever comes first.

Doubt you'll do much installing of Win7 on 939 boards though, not many people hunting boints on the 939 platform these days I'd imagine.

 

[Nechen]

True that - I miss my Athlon and Opteron

 

[CompuTamer]

Sounds like bad airflow if everything was hot. Maybe put a fan in the front of the case to help things out?

Glad you got things worked out. As we speak, i'm installing Windows 7 on an IBM Thinkpad running a Pentium M at 1.6Ghz with 512MB of RAM. Wonder if it'll support Aero...? Lol

 

[Tech Tweaker]

Sounds like bad airflow if everything was hot. Maybe put a fan in the front of the case to help things out?

Glad you got things worked out. As we speak, i'm installing Windows 7 on an IBM Thinkpad running a Pentium M at 1.6Ghz with 512MB of RAM. Wonder if it'll support Aero...? Lol

I've actually got four fans in the front, 4x80mm to be exact, pushing an unknown amount of airflow (not sure what the bottom fans are rated to). I know it's a lot of airflow though, with the top fans alone it's 76CFM IIRC. Sounds like a tornado in my PC every time I turn it on, I need some quieter fans for that thing.

 

[Nechen]

I like the Xigmatek fans I bought - decent CFM and dead silent. Mine even glows white so I can see the back of my case when I'm reaching back there

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=xigmatek&x=0&y=0