Reinstalling Vista

Question

I am having a problem with the reinstallation of Windows Vista on my XPS M1730. I have gone through the entire installation but seem to be hanging on the Completeting installation page. My computer has restarted once and is now hung. It has a check mark beside Copying windows files and one beside Expanding Files and one beside Installing features and one beside installing updates. Now it is hung at Completeting installation? I have gone through this 3 times now. Any ideas?

AurelAnghel · Accepted Answer

I have the same problem and i receive from dell suport this message:

You will need to install the Sata Driver. On one of the setup screens is an option to install drivers on the lower right side of the screen. Choose this option and put the Dell Driver disk in. The driver it is looking to install is the Intel Matrix Storage Driver. If you need to download this driver and put it on a disk you can click the title below.

Another way to complete the install without first installing the driver is to change the bios setting to ATA. To do this restart the system and press F2 to enter setup. Once there you can TAB down to Onboard Devices and hit Enter. Then tab down to SATA Operation. You will then see at the top of the screen on the right side ATA and AHCI. Change this to ATA. Save the changes and exit out. Once the system restarts you should be able to complete the install. After the install and you have loaded the drivers you will need to go back into the bios and change the setting back to AHCI

it worked for me

:emotion-1:

TheRealFireblad · Answer

Welcome to the forums :emotion-21:

Why didn't you just restore it to factory defaults, using the 'Recovery' partition?

Did you format the hard drive (HDD) prior to starting the install, or did you do a 'Repair' install?

If you didn't format the HDD, you should still have the recovery partition (D:\) - assuming you haven't deleted it intentionally before of course?

And in that case, you can use Dell's guide on 'Restoring your [Dell] computer to the factory settings'.

Make sure you have everything important backed up first though, because a restoration wipes the HDD!

If you no longer have the recovery partition, you need to boot from the Vista disc, and [quick-] format the HDD, before installing the OS :emotion-55:

Ans as above... make sure you have everything important backed up first, because... unlike a 'repair' install... a 'clean' install wipes the HDD completely!

F350Johnny · Answer

Thank you so much it worked like a charm. I am now installing the drivers. I did call tech support and they came to the conclusion that I had a faulty CD. He figured that it was scratched or faulty somehow. Then I read your message and followed the steps in my Bios.

Thank you again

John Mroz

F350Johnny · Answer

I did back up everything I wanted to keep. I wanted to do a complete reinstallation to get rid of the build up of ***. I had windows XP before and found that just wipeing the drive made my laptop run much better for about 6 months then I would do it all again. So now with this new laptop I have had for over a year I was just trying to do the same thing and have run into this problem. I am still a novice with computers but also I am very interested in learning. Sometimes the hard way.

Thank you so much for your response I greatly apreciate any help I can get.

John Mroz

F350Johnny · Answer

So I have installed all drivers and then tried to go back into bios settings and change them back. After I changed them back my computer went into a loop. I have been able to change back to ATA and my computer seems to be running fine. Do I need to find a way to change the setting to AHCI? Or is it ok to leave it?

Regards

John Mroz

AurelAnghel · Answer

The AHCI sistem speed-up comunnication with hard disk. If you whant to add some speed to your sistem you must use this feature.

For installing and use this feature you must load driver (for AHCI ) at the begining of installing of Vista.

The steps are :

1. First you must dowload from this link http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&releaseid=R166200&SystemID=XPS_M1530&servicetag=&os=WLH&osl=en&deviceid=11530&devlib=0&typecnt=0&vercnt=1&catid=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=41&fileid=224400 the file and save to your computer.

2. Run R166200. It will ask for extracting path (default C:\dell\drivers\R166200).

3. Copy the content of this folder to the root of an memory stick or if you have the second partition on your hard disk copy this FOLDER to a second partition other than you whant to install Vista

4. Start installing a fresh Vista and in Advanced window (at the begining of instalation where is options for path installation, partitions of your hard disk), in the left-down of window you have an option called Load driver. Click on this feature and browse for path to memory stick or second partition in the folder (R166200). It will display only driver compatible with your hardware select and load driver.

5. After load the driver start install Vista

6. Complete install Vista and have fun

If you are not interesting of speed up your sistem with almoast 15% faster you can use ATA feature, and you can continue used without this feature.

Have a nice day

im going to sleep now . In my time is 4:AM

BELL BOY · Answer

John Mroz

Could be wrong?

But if you have already installed correct drivers then you need to enable the AHCI driver in the registry before you change the SATA mode of boot drive?

Read MS KB article 922976

Hi again John

You (& others) may be wondering why this reply has been strangely edited

DCF Admin or Mod must have deleted my post you acknowledged (19 Feb 2009 07:03PM)

Think I’ve identified what must an unacceptable term - sorry about that folks

So here it is again now edited & albeit now in wrong sequence of replies for this thread, otherwise other members would be confused when reading your thread

Very strange & you certainly are learning the hard way!

If the PCRestore key function were still working I’d have used that to “wipe” the system even if you do get some of the Dell unwanted software back on your computer

Think you have confirmed that you did:

Enable AHCI driver in the registry, rebooted to System Set-Up, changed SATA mode to AHCI, saved settings, exit System Set-Up then reboot again before booting to Windows normal startup

If correct only other issues could be:

RAID configuration problems (if applicable)?

Incorrect clean install procedure, e.g. did you reinstall all drivers & in the correct order (very important) click here

AurelAnghel · Answer

it's not wrong what are you doing. It's fine.

F350Johnny · Answer

Bell Boy

I have finished all installs and I am now trying to change to the AHCI driver. When I change to it in the bios my computer hangs and will not start. If I go back to ATA then my computer run fine as far as I can tell. I have followed all the steps in the article you mentioned and still no change? Is it possible to change to AHCI driver after reinstalling Vista? I had to change to the ATA just to get Vista to complete its install. If I have to reinstall Vista and change steps during install to ensure the right driver is enabled I don't have a problem with that.

Remember I am still a novice at this and do really appreciate all your help.

Regards

John Mroz

AurelAnghel · Answer

i will tell you something. I install Vista with ATA mode enabled. After i install all the drivers i try to change ATA mode to AHCI in bios and doesn't work. My sistem restarting every time i try to boot. After that i change it the bios to mode AHCI and i reinstalled the fresh Vista with loading of the driver of AHCI at the begining, my sistem work fine.

So i install Fresh Vista with AHCI enabled in bios at the begining and it work.

If you want to use it , enable AHCI in bios follow the steps as i wrote in the earlier message with loading of AHCI driver at the begining of installing Vista from memory stick or second partition.

Sorry for delay

AurelAnghel · Answer

Maybe it was hard way, after i make some calls to the local support and anybody doesn't help me. Maybe anybody is not perfect. After that i wrote to the forum and i found some trics (maybe it was incomplete in that moment)and i reinstall vista.

All my problems start with replacing original hard disk (250GB) with new one(320GB with 16MB buffer) bigger for more space.

I clone original hard disk to the new one with redimensioning of partitions and i see work. So i try cople of times to install Vista Business, and i receiving some errors and all tryings was in vain. I need Vista Business for account control remote desktop etc and some network services.I use this pc into domain network.

After that i install with AHCI enabled in bios, loading of driver at the begining and work.

i don't want to give lessons to anybody, is far from me that thing. i want to say that i learn something from this ....

And thankyou for your advices.

F350Johnny · Answer

AurelAngel

Don't be sorry as with any help I get I really appreciate it all. I think I am going to try reinstalling vista as you mentioned before. I just want to learn to do this and get it right.

Thanks

John

F350Johnny · Answer

Bell Boy

I installed the chipset first not the notebook system software. The list does say to install the notebook software first. I installed the rest in the correct order I just missed that one. I guess that could be the problem? I think I may need to reinstall as suggested by AurelAnghel in my other reply.

Yes learning the hard way seems to be the way I do everything. But I still like doing all this, I love my computer and even though messing it up causes headaches I like learning how to fix it.

Thank you again for your help

John

Windows General

Reinstalling Vista

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