Win 8 Install issue

cavemanoc · 30 Jan 2013 at 18:21

I posted this across on the MS forums but thought I'd try here too as their answers always seem a little 'scripted'!

I am trying to do a clean install of Windows 8. I used the Windows8 Upgrade Assistant, bought my license, then used the "install windows" programme to "install by creating media - USB stick". I have set the BIOS to boot the USB stick 1st and the clean/formatted hard drive 2nd. When I boot up the system posts as far as the BIOS info, then reboots and having gone through the hardware display again hangs with a flashing cursor. Sometimes it gets as far as the Win 8 icon, but then hangs. I have disconnected all peripherals, tried a couple of different USB sticks in all available ports but always get the same result - it won't even start the install process? None of the install issues I found searching seem to hang at such an early stage - my BIOS is the latest (Asus M3A78EM with 4Gb and a Phenom II X6 1090T) - Help?

Really frustrating me as I'm trying to get the Media pack while it's free but obviously this is stopping me from achieving that!

Just for comedy value - one of the screens I get just after the Bios splash screen

kitch9 · 30 Jan 2013 at 18:33

Can you make a disc and run the install from that?

Reason I say that is I had a similar issue with a USB stick albeit I got a lot further down the process.

cavemanoc · 30 Jan 2013 at 18:38

I've opted to buy the DVD media as well so it'll be arriving by MS's blisteringly fast postal service sometime this year! I might try burning a DVD but my writer is bad - and it should feel bad!

Thinking about it the only other thing I can thing of is pulling the 6970 out of there and trying to onboard GFX to take the card out of the equation - given how easy it was to create the USB install (finally MS!!!) - this has been a real let down and it seems I am far from alone in my issues :mad:

CaptainCrash · 30 Jan 2013 at 18:48

cavemanoc said:
I've opted to buy the DVD media as well so it'll be arriving by MS's blisteringly fast postal service sometime this year! I might try burning a DVD but my writer is bad - and it should feel bad!

If you re-download the setup files (the link will be in the "Thanks for your order!" email), you could try using the option to create an ISO and create a USB install with the Windows 7 USB download tool (it works fine with Windows 8 as well as 7).

I've done it this way with all my Win 8 installs to date, and it hasn't failed me yet.

cavemanoc · 30 Jan 2013 at 18:51

Wouldn't that just be perfect! I think I'll give that a go out of pure stubbornness and because it would tickle me if the community hack worked where the shiny new system didn't!

CaptainCrash · 30 Jan 2013 at 19:05

Well, to be fair I'm not sure it's really a "hack" as such... I just like to do it this way because having the ISO on hand gives you the option of using a flash drive *or* an optical disc.

It might just be that you have a corrupted download, and re-creating the USB install drive directly using the upgrade assistant (with a fresh download) would work just as well for you...

cavemanoc · 30 Jan 2013 at 19:43

Oh well - a nice thought but no dice - I get exactly the same issue - I get the blue window on a black background and it goes no further - I had wondered if it was a corrupt download but after 4 separate downloads across 2 different USB sticks safe to say it's not (now backed up by the failed attempt with an ISO)

I'm afraid that my Windows 8 adventure is at an end - to be honest I was only installing it now to get the free Media upgrade - it will be interesting to see whether a 'fix' is published or if the installer is quietly changed - it definitely seems to be affecting a core group of us running x64 installs on AMD chips - time to get the tinfoil hat out!

MatteH Oxford · 30 Jan 2013 at 20:10

The blue window/black background took an age to go away when I installed win8 from a usb stick.

I thought it had gone wrong! :eek:

cavemanoc · 30 Jan 2013 at 20:15

If there is no indication of movement maybe I've just been too quick to reach for the power button - might leave it going overnight and see what awaits me in the morning - out of interest was it 10-15 minutes or a couple of hours?

MatteH Oxford · 30 Jan 2013 at 20:50

Somewhere around 15-20 mins iirc, but once the usual install options came up it was dead quick from then on.

cavemanoc · 30 Jan 2013 at 21:13

sweet - will give it a go overnight

MatteH Oxford · 30 Jan 2013 at 21:45

I know it's not that long, but it seems forever when there is just a black screen with a little blue windows logo and nothing else to say what is happening or how the install is actually progressing!

Especially when you're sat there with a phone with no credit, no newspaper or book to read!

MatteH Oxford · 30 Jan 2013 at 21:46

Oh, if you get the media centre key & use that it appears that you don't have to do the registry tweak to do a clean install with the upgrade disk/iso.

cavemanoc · 31 Jan 2013 at 21:06

I have tried the DVD install and it runs fine - unfortunately I now have an issue with my Vertex 4 drive not being recognised - I have not had the best of luck with this one so far - here's hoping this is nearly the end and it's worthwhile when I get there

cavemanoc · 1 Feb 2013 at 08:56

Well I guess patients really is a virtue! Waited a bit longer and it did get started - unfortunately I have now fallen foul of the install hang after first reboot (after falling for the infinite boot loop - you have to remove the usb to get past it!) - all in all I really can't be bothered any more!