Cannot install Windows

[venik212]

I have an ACER netbook which, after an upgrade or a virus (not sure which) I could no longer boot.
After many attempts I took the disk out, and (using another computer) removed the partition, reinstall a new partition, and reformatted the disk. I then plugged the disk back into the ACER.
When I tried to install Windows XP on it, it loaded a few installation files, and then gave me the Blue Screen of Death.
-- What would do that on a clean disk?
-- What can I do to fix it?
-- Could the Master Boot Record be corrupted, and would that cause such a behavior?

I have tried the Hiren Disk and the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows-- none of the utilities on those disks helped.

Thanks for any suggestion.

[Steve R Jones]

Google the error code listed in the BSOD.

[Ol'Tunzafun]

I have tried the Hiren Disk and the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows-- none of the utilities on those disks helped.

Have you done a memory test on it?
http://www.memtest.org/
If you haven't done this yet, you might wish to do it without any removable memory. If the onboard memory is toast, then you probably wouldn't want to spend any more time on it.

[venik212]

That is the odd thing about this-- it passed the memtest, and the disk is clean as far as FDISK can tell.
What else is there Where is the gremlin that is plaguing this poor machine? Could the Mastr Boot Record be defective?
Thanks

[Midknyte]

Run a hard drive diag off of UBCD. Run the short or quick test first. If that passes, then do the long test.

[venik212]

I bought a new HD, and put it into the ACER Netbook, and rebooted from a Windows CD (using a USB CD reader). Windows started the installation process, but then stopped at the BSOD. I was never given the option to reformat or partition the disk.
The BIOS sees the HD, but the UBCD4Windows appears not to see it. I am not sure which utility I need to use to force the UBCD to see the new drive.

Thanks--

[Ol'Tunzafun]

A USB power issue maybe? What does the optical drive use for a power source?

[Midknyte]

Do you mean UBCD or UBCD4Win? Those are two different projects.

UBCD4Win probably can't see the drive since you didn't add the chipset drivers.

Are you using IDE compatibility mode for your SATA ports in the BIOS?

[venik212]

I believe that I was using UBCD4Windows-- I am away and cannot verify it now.
The CD ROM has its own AC adapter.
How do I add the chipset to the BIOS?
I did not modify the setup/BIOS settings, so it is whatever the ACER Aspire One had originally, as far as the HD interface is. The new disk I bought is a WD1600 SATA, 160 gb 2.5 inch drive.

BTW-- this behavior is the same as I got with the original HD that the computer had. It is beginning to look as if the problem is NOT in the HD, doesn't it? But what else is there?

[Ol'Tunzafun]

But what else is there?

Do you ever hear the CPU fan running?

[Rocketmech]

Acer support should have the SATA AHCI (F6) driver listed for your model. Ordering a Recovery CD from them is easy, and make the install almost effortless. Another option is try installing Ubuntu.

http://support.acer.com/us/en/produc...=2072&sid=2790

https://secure.tx.acer.com/RCDB/Main.aspx?brand=acer

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/download

[wardD]

I agree with rocketmech, try loading ubuntu, at least you will know if the computer its self is working and you can run some diagnostics at the same time.

[venik212]

I install Ubuntu (9.10, and then upgraded to 11.04) on the ACER netbook, using the new 2.5 SATA disk. It installed without a hitch and worked just fine. However, when I tried to add WINDOWS to the same disk, I got the same BSOD that got me here in the first place. It appears that there is something (in the BIOS, perhaps?) that has made this computer incompatible with WINDOWS, even though it works just fine with Linux. The person who will be using this machine knows ONLY windows, so adding Windows to it would be very helpful.

On a related matter, I have put the old disk into the ACER and tried to install Ubuntu on it-- it could not see the partition table, and all my attempts to repartition and reformat failed. When I put the same 2.5 sata disk into another Linux machine, gparted could not see the devide, so I naturally was unable to repartition and reformat the disk. I am convinced that the disk itself is fine, but it needs to be repartitioned and reformatted-- how do I do it?

Thanks for all your help--

[Train]

If Gpart can not see it, then try DBAN.
The default 3 passes will bury the problems with the face of the disks.
http://www.dban.org/

Had to use it several times over the years so I could get windows installed on a hdd s that acted about like that one.

[venik212]

Running DBAN 2.2.6 kept giving me Reading section error (EDD) for hours. Not sure what that means....
Perhaps I need to find a utility for low-level formatting of this disk, but I suspect that I shall need to partition it before I can format it.