Trouble with Vostro reformat and clean install

Hi  mk37,

Welcome to the Community,

It could be an issue with the Harddrive.Try running the onboard hardware diagnostics by tapping F12 on start up(Dell logo),select Diagnostics.

Note:Remove Media(CD/DVD) from the optical drive while  running the diagnostics.

Post back error code/message if any.

Thank You

If the diagnostics pass. Try installing from USB. If your Vista DVD doesn't have Service Pack 1, slipstream it.

Follow the instructions here. See if it gets stuck again.

Hi Roshan,  

I was finally able to get some time away from work and I did the diagnostics.  There were no errors noted at all.  Thank you for the suggestion.  I am currently downloading files to a USB stick per the other answer I have.  I will post any results.  If you have any other suggestions, they are welcome.

Mike

Hi Natakuc4,

I am currently downloading all the files provided on your link so that I may try to install  the OS from my USB stick.  Only one file was not available.  7zip showed a message screen that said '503 error....service not available".  Is there a good substitute that you recommend?

Thanks for your help and support,

Mike

Can you tell me what file?

I just tried again several hours after I received the error message and the site came right up.  I have successfully downloaded all the files on your wiki and I will start the process.  Wish me luck.

Mike

Good luck, let me know how it goes. :)

Philip,

Your help has been invaluable.  Just when I think I have it and I am emerging from the forest so to speak, I hit another roadblock.  I have my bootable USB drive and after using the OEM disk to partition the drive I put the USB stick in, change the boot order and boot from the drive it gives me the error message "BOOTMGR is missing".  I looked on the Dell site where I downloaded all the drivers and such and there are so many boot mangers.  Did I miss one in your instructions? Or is my download of the OS corupt?

Please let me know which way to go.

Thanks,

MIke

Philip,

Re: my last question, on your wiki 2.3 Microsoft Windows Vista Offical .iso Download Links (Digital River) there is a download for Windows Vista,  boot.win and install.win.  My OEM disk is Vista Business 32 bit.  Does it matter and would that be a better bootable USB stick including the bootmgr that I need?

Thanks for your guidance,

Mike

You managed to create the .iso? For 32 bit English of any version you should have the following 3 files:

http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msoffice/pub/X14-63452/X14-63452.exe (81.2 MB)

http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/msshus/vista32/boot.wim (126 MB)

http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/msshus/vista32/install.wim (2.59 GB)

If the 3 are in the same folder and the setup is run it should create a subfolder called Vista. This should be 2.9 GB in size.

You did create the .iso using imgburn? It should be 2.9 GB. You did change the settings to make it bootable (very important)?

Launch imgburn and select "Create Image file from files/folders"

Select the browse folder button and select your Vista folder. Next select Advanced.

To the left will be your Vista folder, to the right make sure, you have checked Make Image Bootable, changed the Developer ID: Microsoft Corporation, load segment: 07C0 and Sectors to load: 4.

Select the browse folder button and then navigate to your Vista folder and then select the boot folder and finally select the file called etfsboot.

Select the build button.

Save your .iso

Your Dell OEM disc, you copied the files to the desktop and then used Vlite and slipstreamed Service Pack 1?

You then used NovaCorp WinToFlash or the Microsoft Tool or WinToUSB to make a bootable USB stick?

Hi Philip,  Sorry about the lapse of time between my posts/questions, I keep getting called away for work.  In answer to your questions I did create a bootable USB stick but it was not complete with the bootmgr.  I did it with Roxio.  It actually started to boot but stopped when it gave me the error message.  It has been a long day and I plan to start the process over again tomorrow when I am rested and follow your steps precisely.

Thanks for your guidance and patience

Mike.

Its fine, time differences are normal on these forums anyway. I am in the UK for example.

Although it should be possible to do with Roxio, I personally haven't tried it and would suggest you to retry with imgburn. imgburn is a free program and you can get it from them here (mirror 7 is direct from them). You can uninstall imgburn after you are done if you don't want to keep it/

Philip,  I had to travel  and when I got back I started my process over.  When I try to use the Vlite I keep getting a message that I have dependencies. When I click to install the WIM filter that it says I am dependent on and need to install, it takes me to the download site and wants to download the WAIK and install again.  It has been installed a couple of times.  What am I doing wrong?

Its been a while since I have used vlite and haven't had the problem.

You could try following the instructions here however Can't use vLite due to missing WIM filter.