Blue Screen of Death ... Cannot Install XP

[josel]

Howdy!

Have Dell Latitude laptop which died on me. I started to get the "blue screen of death". I opted to re-install OS but have failed to successfully doing so for the past 48 hours. I have changed the HD and memory module and still have the same problem. Through the installation, I get errors and/or it simply freezes.

At one point, it looked like it completed installing but upon boot, the same "blue screen of death" comes up.

What must I do (other than buying a new laptop)?

Thanks!


Jose Lerebours


KNOWLEDGE: Something you can give away endlessly and gain more of it in the process! - Jose Lerebours

 

[Prydonian]

One item that could help is if you report the STOP code from the BSOD. Each code means something specific and they go a long way towards indicating what is going on.

Mike, The IT Guy.



Life is too short to drink warm beer....

 

[supergino]

Is this an XP SP2 Disk? If so, try using a pre-SP1 disk. Ive had that happen to me before and I just used another copy and it worked fine after that.

 

[noobtechie]

Try using this

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=518

format it from there and then install the OS.

============================
Hope this helps.

 

[wolluf]

jose - assuming your replacement memory & hard drive are both ok (have you tested - eg, memtest & drive manufacturer's utility), then it sounds like another item of hardware is failing. That's the usual cause of stopping XP from installing. In which case, assuming its out of warranty, probably an expensive repair from specialist laptop shop or buy a new laptop.

 

[allteltec]

Over heating ? The fan ducks for the laptops get pluged up and cause over heating.

 

[josel]

Thank you guys for all of your suggestions. I tried installing Win 2000 and it failed as well.

I will follow your suggestions and will advise which, it any, got the installation going.

The CD is back at my office and so I do not know which version (SP1 or SP2) but will check and advise accordingly.

Regards;


Jose Lerebours


KNOWLEDGE: Something you can give away endlessly and gain more of it in the process! - Jose Lerebours

 

[electronicsfreak]

What os was on this before it died? You might need to flash the bios.

 

[youngnetworkadmin]

Yeah flashing the bios might be a good idea, altho i would recommend sending it either the the manfacturer or to a professional to do that because if you screw it up it will be screwed up forever


well good luck with that

sorry to be so blunt

 

[firewolfrl]

First and foremost... The really sounds like a bad CPU and in some rare cases the motherboard chipset.

Is the CPU fan spinning or slow/stopped????

Try this. get a cookie rack (for full airflow under the computer) and put the laptop on it. Then use a fan and have it aimed to the side of the computer (very important: it has to flow above and below to remove heat). turn the fan on high and make sure the room is cool or cold.

try the install again. If it gets farther then it did or completes then your CPU is damaged and sensitive to heat.

Or it might be too damaged to do more than it has done before.

It's been awhile since I played with a Dell Latitude laptop so I cannot remember if the BIOS gives CPU temp.

Does the computer do a hard lock up during install after it has loaded XP (format and load files for install) and rebooted to the Windows XP GUI install. If it locks up at that stage the CPU may not be processing the 32 bit part of the process. The first stage of the install is a 16 bit process.

Do you have the original OEM recovery disks? some laptops install all the critical drivers through an image to avoid the issues you are having.


good luck

 

[temporello]

If there's a BSOD,then there's a Stop error code as well!
I'm surprised that you guys are willing to speculate on the cause without knowing the exact problem...

 

[wolluf]

temporello - if you can tell what the EXACT problem is and solve it from any codes that appear on BSOD, then you're a better man than me gunga din!

At best they may give an indication - but even if you can actually find the exact code, 9/10 times the solution is not relevant to the problem in hand (in my experience).

So speculation is best - as at least it gives the questioner different ideas about cause/fix for problem.

 

[Prydonian]

I posted earlier on in this thread that the STOP code would be helpful...

One other thing that just occurred to me is that this is a DELL. In my experience, DELL often "strays" from industry standards. Chances are the standard XP or 2K drivers may be causing an issue if JOSEL is using a full retail install disc. The DELL restore discs are customised for the hardware they accompany.

JOSEL; Did you try to install using the DELL supplied recovery disc?

Mike, The IT Guy


Life is too short to drink warm beer....

 

[linney]

Is there any Bios virus scanner that you can disable to see if that is a cause?

Are there any USB attachments that can be removed?

The troubleshooting checklists in this article are a good guide too.

310064 - HOW TO: Troubleshoot Windows XP Problems During Installation When You Upgrade from Windows 98 or Windows Me

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310064&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

What was the original reason for deciding to install a new operating system, does this machine have a colorful history?

Is it always the same BSOD message (whatever it is)?

 

[temporello]

I'm not saying that knowing the error code solves the problem,but in many cases can point you in the right direction.
If you see a report saying that "i get errors",it's pretty hard to help...
Or we could just put up a general message on the site:
If you have a problem check your memory,harddisks,mobo,vga,psu cables basically everything and hopefully you'll find the cause...

 

[firewolfrl]

temporello,
The error "Blue Screen" is just a symptom of a major problem josel is having. you are right in the respect that it may give you a direction to follow in the diagnostics. But, With a hardware issue this may mask the real issue and lead you into hours of chasing those wild gooses.

No matter what the "blue screen" says the real issue is it is not loading windows. I addressed heat as an issue because laptops get hot....REAL HOT.... Just run a laptop on your lap for a couple of hours and you will feel like you got a major burn on your legs. this is why there are so many products out there to cool the underside of a laptop and vent the air sideways protecting both the laptop and you.
If josel has run the laptop with any of the air ports (intake and exhaust) blocked then the laptop may have cooked.

All we can do now is wait to see the status of josel

LOL