Yet another odd Win 7 clean install problem on GA-870A-UD3

[Al_the_Tooth]

Time for help!
New build with a Gibabyte GA-870A-UD3 MB with AMD Phenom II x2 555 Black and a new WD 500 GB SATA HDD.
Boot menu selects CD so in goes the 64 bit Win 4 UPGRADE disk. Windows begins to do its thing. I accept the EULA, and it offers up Disk 0 for the install location. Fine. I tell it Custom Install.
It makes it into the Expanding Windows files a little over 40% and issues this message: Install Cancelled. Any changes made ... will not be saved. The Error dialog box is "Windows cannot install required files. The file may be corrupt or missing. Make sure all files for installation are available and restart the installation. Error Code: 0x80070570.
Duplicated with a re-try.

Then, installed an IDE HDD and successfully installed XP so I am thinking the system is generally working. I did try to upgrade on this HDD with and without the SATA drive plugged in. I could not upgrade with a clean install on this drive either. Got 67% into it and got this nice BSOD message: "A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. If this is the first ime you have seen this stop error screen, restart and check to make sure new HW or SW are properly installed. Blah, Blah".
So, I thought to install XP to the SATA drive but I have no driver disk since I bought an OEM HDD. WD shows no downloads for it. darn.

I have not tried the 32 bit upgrade disk. I'd rather know what is going on with this disk or HDD.

Ideas? Tnx!

[g00n]

I just installed Win7 - 64 (CyberPower's OEM image) several times on this same mobo (rev. 2.1, BIOS F5a) with no issues. I was installing onto a SATA3 RAID mirror as well (drives plugged into the AMD SATA controller, not Gigabytes). I used the updated preinstall RAID drivers on Gigabytes site during the install process. There are SATA/AHCI preinstall drivers on Gigabyte's site.

This may seem like an unrelated, silly suggestions, but its the only perspective I have. I once had a similar issue like this installing vista 64 on a machine. It was some ISO I downloaded. It kept crapping out midway through the install process and it made no sense. Finally, I just used another image (another install disc) and it worked fine. I just thought I'd throw that out there if you have another Win7 ISO laying around.

[Al_the_Tooth]

Thanks.
I doubt the 64 bit disk is bad since the 32 bit disk also will not work either and it was totally virgin when I tried it tonight.  This time  I got into Expanding Files again and got this BSOD message:
'A driver corrupted pool memory used for holding pages desitned for disk.'
I found my BIOS versionh is F2 and wonder if I should update it.  It is dated 6/7/2010.

I note you had a memory speed problem.  I wonder if I should also downclock.  The memory is 2x2GB, 1600 MHz.  I thought the memory would automatically run at 1333 unless forced to a higher speed.
Thanks again.

[absic]

Hi,

You don't say what type of Western Digital Drive you bought, just that it is 500 GBs. Could you post back with full details of this and also your RAM and other build specifications?

If you are not using a Floppy Drive try disabling that feature in BIOS under the Standard CMOS Features, as there can sometimes be Install problems with the Floppy Drive enabled.

Error Code: 0x80070570 could be pointing at a problem with your RAM. Have you tried running Memtest to check that your modules are OK?

Updating BIOS might also help.

[Al_the_Tooth]

Many thanks.
The HDD is a WD 5000AAKS, 500 GB, Bue Caviar SATA.
Tried the drive in both types of controller: AMD and GB with same result
DDR3: Patriot, 2x 2 GB, 1600 MHz in slots for dual channel operation CAS9
No floppy drive installed and controller is disabled
PSU is an ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W
Antec 300 case
WIll do the memory test tonight but will bue a new pair for comparison regardless.  The MB is a 1333 MHz but offers to OC to 1600.  The memory is 1600 MHz but doesn't it just downclock itslef to the MB setting?
Tnx again.

[Al_the_Tooth]

I never imagined how much fun I could have and what I could learn!
Well, I changed both sticks of the memory with Kingston 1333 MHz and stuck in a fresh Hitachi 1TB drive. Voilla: Got Windows 7 installed without an activation key. Went to this site for guidance:
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/10/27/clean-install-windows-7-with-upgrade-media-and-product-key-on-formatted-or-empty-blank-hard-drive/

Tried to activate by calling the toll free number after entering the key. Could not activate. Repeated, same thing. Then did Workaround 3: did the regedit and gave the slmgr -rearm command. back to the activation and same result.

Then tried Workaround 1. Used cmd to manually enter the key, slmga ato and got the invalid notice. Tried to slmgr -arm again and got a different error message: On a computer running MS windows non-core edition run slui.exe0x2a0xC004D302

Another tip is the same so tend to believe is ought to work:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/how_use_your_windows_7_upgrade_disk_fresh_pc?page=0,1

So, back to the drawing board. I noticed that there are a lot of slmgr / commands. I wonder if I need to use some of these to get me back to square one so the workarounds work.

Once I get activated, I will replace the original ram to see if it is a problem.

[absic]

Just got ask......
are you trying to install a legitimate copy of Windows?

If the answer is yes, why didn't you use the activation key during install?

[Al_the_Tooth]

Yes, my copy is legit.  Bought in summer of 2009 off Amazon for the pre-release price.  What I failed to understand is that it waas intended for Vista  only and not for XP.  I let it sit for a long time and even offered it to a firend but he was not interested even for teh $50 I paid.
I then learned that it could be made to work as a clean install if XP were present but all my apps would need a reload.  I then read that a clean install was possible on a clean disk so I built a machine, the one that now does not like my efforts to get Win 7 activated.  I thought that entering the key was a problem so I tried to follow the links above and got messed up sosmehow.
Tips to solving this welcomed!

[Dark Mantis]

Try just formatting the disk and then installing Window7 as normal and use your number except when it comes to the prompt about automatically validating online tell it not to and you can phone Micro$oft for a code instead. Unplug your internet connection to make sure.

[Al_the_Tooth]

Thanks.
I guess I better plan on a few hours for a reformat and install.
Cheers!

[blackie]

What you have is an upgrade only copy of Windows 7. It allows you to do a semi-clean upgrade from XP or Vista to Windows 7. It DOES NOT allow a completely clean install - you must install over the old XP or Vista installation. Then it will activate. On a clean disk it will NOT activate.

That said - if you call Microsoft and explain that you have build a completely new machine and why - Microsoft can (but does not have too) activate Windows 7 for you.

I went thru the same process as you and since Microsoft had a record of me they did activate Windows 7 for me.

[absic]

I didn't realise that the upgrade options for Windows 7 were different from previous versions.

Whenever I have upgraded before, Windows asked for my previous Install disk (98, 2000, XP) to check that I had a legitimate copy of Windows that I was upgrading from then carried on with a clean install.

[Dark Mantis]

Yes it was a bit of a mess the upgrade system on Win7 as opposed to the previous versions. Actually I thought that there was no direct upgrade path from XP to Win7 and thought that you had to do a clean install.

[blackie]

That is why I said semi-clean. A clean install means a completely blank HD with no OS (requires a different Microsoft license than an upgrade) - a semi clean means you must have the old OS on the HD (can use the upgrade license).

There is no direct upgrade path for XP - you must reinstall all your applications. BUT - the upgrade does save your old installation under a directory called old Windows (or some such thing). The upgrade also leaves any other root directories alone. What is lost in this process is all the registry settings that actually make your applications work.

A Vista upgrade, on the other hand, does save all your setting and applications - you do not have to reinstall them.

[Dark Mantis]

Yes that is fairly much how I understood it to be.