PC freezes during setup

[JayE]

Hi everyone,

I have recently replaced my desktop PC with a laptop, and I am delighted with it !

I want to sell my desktop PC as a working PC, but at the moment I am mystified as to what is wrong with it. It's had Windows ME on it, and it had a problem - even though the system is functioning, the mouse and keyboard was completely frozen. If you unplugged the mouse (PS2), you could control the system using the keyboard.

I thought it would be best to format the hard drive and try reinstalling Windows ME afresh, but each time I try to do this, it completes the first stage of setup, right up to 100%, then the system tries to access the floppy drive (whether or not there's a disk in it), the system beeps and a small black box appears on the screen. Then nothing can be done other than reboot.

It doesn't seem to make any difference whether I boot from a floppy disk or from the CD-ROM. I've even tried borrowing a Windows 98 CD from work to see if that would work, but exactly the same thing happens.

Can you give me any idea what could be wrong? I thought with a clean-boot, I couldn't go wrong !!

Kind Regards,
Jay/UK

 

[jmatt]

Boot with the startup floppy and get to the A:\> prompt. Once there type fdisk /mbr. Do this several times to insure that it did its thing.
This command will clean out the mbr fully.
Now type format c:/s .
Next ,
Fdisk and format , your hard drive . Do not reboot your system but run fdisk /mbr .
Then reboot your system .

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q255/8/67.ASP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q69/0/13.ASP

 

[Jakespeare]

JayE,
I think you are going to owe this guy a Pink *Star*

 

[oxygene]

Try the fdisk /mbr and hope it works. If not then try the following as I have done the fdisk /mbr and it drove me crazy as I kept getting the same hanging problem at 100% that youve been getting.

I found out that I had to enter the BIOS and setup program by pressing the DEL (or some other) key on booting the machine and make sure to turn off BIOS protection or virus protection for the BIOS.

Tha has worked for me like a charm a number of times.

You can also try rrunning setup with some switches.

d:\win98\setup /is /it /iq Remeber, life is what you make it.

 

[JayE]

Hi everyone,

I am delighted to report that the problem of the PC locking during Windows setup with a beep and a black box has been resolved.

A very helpful person over in Hardware forum (I posted there too) said that I should try turning off the anti-virurs option in the BIOS - I turned it off - and BINGO, setup runs through without a hitch. (I see that Oxygene mentioned this in passing - excellent).

Now all I hae to do is get the mouse working in Windwos. Attempts to reload the mouse driver have failed. If I leave the mouse unplugged (PS2) the keyboard is fine, the moment I plug it in, the keyboard stops working too. Trying a serial mouse doesn't work. Not sure what to do - any ideas?

Regards,
Jay/UK