Lorne
Premium
join:2002-02-10
Fort Worth, TX
| [Vista] New Vista Install & Newegg - Nightmare
*this all worked out in the end and I'm happy
*I really do like Vista and would never go back to XP
*during the 8 hours of my life this stole, I did spend a lot of time reading up on Mac's. 
My OS HD was showing signs of dying so I ordered a new one from Newegg.com (got a 150GB Raptor - nice). I've been on Vista x32 Home Premium since Vista came out. I thought I'd go ahead and finally upgrade to Vista x64 and put my 2nd set of 2G RAM in while I was doing this and had to reinstall my OS from scratch anyway.
This was interesting. When I ordered it, the product title was:
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit SP1 Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
but now it's:
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
When I ordered it was a "w/ SP1" version and was $94.99
As of yesterday (maybe because I called in and raised hell), "SP1" has been removed and the price has also gone up to $109.99 for some reason. Point being, I paid for a Vista x64 Home Premium copy with SP1 build in.
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···32116204
I spent from 5:00PM on Friday till 1:00AM on Saturday trying to get this copy of Vista properly installed and updated. It went like this:
Attempt #1
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I have two 2GB sets of the same RAM (Patriot 4-4-4-12 DDR2-800). A long time ago I had to take out the 2nd set because of a issue I was having with >2GB on Vista x32. While I was putting my new system HD in, I went ahead and added the other 2GB back in. I also went ahead and ran a Memtest+ BootCD before the install to make sure all 4GB was 100% since the 2nd set had been sitting on a shelf for 6 months.
After the first reboot I got an "IRQ NOT LESS OR EQUAL" BSOD. I had read reports of people not being able to install Vista x64 with 4GB of RAM in a system so I opened up my case and pulled the 2nd set of RAM out (problem solved - but a good time loss).
*After all this was resolved I put the extra 2GB back in and haven't had any poblems. Maybe Vista couldn't work with 4GB during the install because for my motherboard it actually needed the chipset drivers to deal with the extra 2GB (who knows).
Attempt #2
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Vista installs perfectly but (network cable plugged in), immediately starts downloading 55 updates. I was in another room and came back in when this was already in progress. I'm wondering why the hell a "w/ SP1" version is downloading 55 updates.
I check WinVer (Start/Run/WinVer) and discover that I don't have SP1. So Newegg basically was false advertising "SP1" versions and shipping versions without SP1 built in (annoying as hell - but whatever)
90+% of all the 55 updates failed! (fine) SP1 never showed up on WU, so I downloaded the 750+MB standalone version and then installed it. It immediately crashed.
I spent about an hour reading up on all the failure cause codes and from the 55 updates, and about the SP1 failure. I found a lot of information about required WU updates for the SP1 install. Mainly (from MS), there are two required WU updates before SP1 installed (For Basic and Home Premium). One of the updates was on WU but always failed (trying a bunch of different procedures to get it installed including doing things like replacing an XML file), but it never installed. Also one of the required updates didn't show up in WU but when I downloaded it off TechNet, it refused to install saying it was un-needed for my version of the OS.
*MS lists a 3rd SP1 pre-req update for Business and Ultimate
There seems to be a ton of people having problems with failed WU updates for Vista.
I give up and format the HD to try again fresh.... 
Attempt #3
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*I wise up and unplug my network cable
I go ahead and try the SP1 install again right after the install finishs. It gets to 100% and crashes. I try a small number of WU updates and they all fail
Attempt #4
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*network cable unplugged again
** Right after the installation finished I made a Ghost image. I wasn't about to go through the long arse install again.
From all my reading I did two things that are suppose to solve problems for a lot of people:
-Turned off Automatic WU updates
(then I plugged my network cable back in)
-Activated Vista
-Installed Chipset Drivers
** Setup the GUI the way I like it and changed drive letters and made another Ghost image.
This time, I was successful. Here's what I did:
-Listed all the WU updates in order
-One at a time (newest first) I installed the non-security WU updates that were older than 01/30/08 and rebooted after each one. There were only four(Windows Update Software 7.0.6000.381, KB947562, KB938371,KB937286).
-Installed SP1
-Installed the WU updates that were still showing up (about 4 or 5 of them)
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Thoughts:
-I want to slap Newegg in the face for false advertising. Not only did I wait to upgrade to x64 until I could buy a SP1 edition, but assuming I had a SP1 edition when I didn't really hosed me up
-WTF is up with WU? Why did it take me hours to figure everything out when it should be simple for MS to detect a brand new install and properly install any SP1 pre-reqs and then SP1 (and SP1 never showed up on WU anyway).
-Vista x64 with 4GB runs really nice (love it)!
-This really wore me out, but I feel smarter.
My Hardware is exactly 1.5 years old (except the new HD's). Newest BIOS and I had all the newest x64 Vista drivers already downloaded.
-Antec 900 Case
-PC Power and Cooling 750W Silencer
-EVGA 680i SLI
-C2D E6600 @ 3.4Ghz
-4GB Patriot 4-4-4-12
-EVGA 8800GTS |
