Vista x64 Ultimate with integrated SP1 causing much grief! Can anyone help?

Hi
I was able to download Vista Ultimate 64Bit with SP1 integrated fro
Microsoft. I started on this project Thursday and I have yet to have
working computer. The original configuration is

Tyan S2985 Thunder system board (nforce chipset
Dual Opteron 280 processor
4 GB Ra
Dual NVIDIA 7900 GT
four SATA drives running RAID 1+
ASUS Xonar D2

I had been running Vista for several months but after installing
bunch of software things started going downhill so I figured it would b
good to do a format and start over. I had applied SP1 seperately an
I've been running that, too, for several months, so I'd have to say th
hardware should be fine with Vista

When I re-installed Thursday, I did a format of the OS partition an
reinstalled. Vista installed without any issue and but when I installe
nforce and geforce drivers, the computer would reboot without even
BSOD.

I've run the integrated memory check (extended) from Vista overnigh
and no issues. I've also run the memtest86+ testor and it didn't fin
any issues

I've been researching this for many hours, and I've reduced the RA
down to 2 GB and removed the sound card and any peripherials. I eve
went out and bought a new Geforce 9800 GTX Video card because I saw
few posts about the 7000 series and Vista (however, I had been runnin
those cards fine for months). I have the 9800 installed now

Here's where I am now...I'll give you some history and document wha
I'm doing as it happens
-----------------------------
This is the 4th time I've gone through the format/install vist
process, and I'm still seeing errors at the start. Current state i
Vista Ultimate x64 w/SP1 installed and nforce drivers. I haven't trie
the Geforce Drivers yet. A window popped up titled Assert. The window
says expression is: (!fInFire != !m_DEBUG_fInFire) Must be switchin
states. Now here's the really crazy thing! It's saying the file i
d:\rtm\windows\advcore\duser\engine\motion\action.cpp; line 341.
However, drive D was formatted. I've turned on show hidden/syste
files, and there isn't a d:\rtm directory - even hidden

I've had IE stop responding a number of times while I was searching fo
updates and solutions. I ended up typing this post on a differen
computer

Just for fun, I checked Windows Update, and it said everything wa
current - nothing to download

One thing to note: I did the NVIDIA auto-detect for motherboar
drivers, and it had me download 15.01_international for the nforc
drivers dated around July 2007. When I search manually the latest i
15.16 dated May 2008. In the mix of the 4 times of installed, I'v
tried both of these - for now I'm with the ones that they auto-picke
for me
-----------------------------
OK. I saved the restore point and rebooted. Downloading lates
drivers from NVIDIA for the Gefore 9800. I installed them and wa
prompted to reboot.

As soon as the login prompt for Vista came up, BSOD! Due to
problem..... The stop code is 0x0000007E. It didn't mention any drive
or device. I reboot, try start windows normally, and same thing

I've read on another post on another site that this may be common wit
Ultimate. Going down to Business edition seems to fix this. Jus
strange that I've been running Vista Ultimate for months and haven't ha
any trouble. Must be the new build

Any suggestions on getting Ultimate to work correctly for me? This i
driving me insane! 3 days working on this now and still no workin
computer

Thanks

--Ken

 

My experience on the issue - cannot document it, though - is that Vista (and
XP) leaves hidden traces on the hard drive; reformatting the OS partition
would not erase whatever data is hidden on the HDD. If you have another HDD,
try to install on it (unplug the OS HDD).

If you do not have another HDD, before tossing the machine to the dumpster,
however inconvenient, time consuming, undocumented etc, zero out the drive
(low level disk tools from HDD's manufacturer's website), repartition and
reinstall - have drivers ready.

Don't forget to make an image of the fresh install after activation.
Michael

 

Are you suggesting/saying that because a format doesn't actually
remove info from a hard drive, the info would interfere with an
installation?

If it is, it's no wonder you can't document it.

 

I made a new DVD of the Vista Ultimate without SP1 and in the process o
installing it now. I'll let you know how it goes. If that doesn'
work, I'll zero out the drives and then do a re-install

--Ken

 

How did you do that?
If you were running 32bit with SP1 then you should have been able to install
64bit SP1 on top of the 32bit partition with a clean install directly from
the 64 bit SP1 DVD as ;long as any other HDDs containing an os were not
connected.

 

I had the ISO of the non-SP1 version of Vista Ultimate that I wa
running previously (from MSDN). I've never been running 32bit Vista
always 64-bit

--Ken

 

Hi

Yes , the "clean " install is no such thing - the format performe
under advanced drive options during install process is a quick format
it just clears the log files

Seems to me you could attach a 2nd hd, format ( or rather quick forma
) the
1st hd during install process and install fresh on 2nd hd. Then use ne
install of Vista on 2nd hd to do a full format of 1st hd using dis
management

Don't know if that was causing the problem, but if you are getting
2nd hd , you might as well clean up the first one. If you don't clea
the log files ( i.e. format it during new reinstall ) on 1st hd
suspect the new install on 2nd hd won't let you do a full format of it

SIW

 

Update: I've completed installing Ultimate x64 without integrated SP1.
I installed the system drivers, then the video drivers and no issues.
downloaded and installed SP1 and everything so far is working great! N
BSOD!!!!! There have to be something wrong with the integrated version
At least I have a working system again....now to get everythin
reloaded

--Ken

 

Hi Ken

It seems your earlier download which included SP1 must have bee
corrupted in some way

Glad you've got it working now though

You could if you like use the non SP1 disc you just created and you
successful downloaded SP1 and make a slipstreamed install disc fo
future use

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/151606-vista-sp1-slipstream-installation-dvd.htm

SIW

 

I'd like to throw my 2 cents in on this. I have retail Vista 64 bit DV
(no SP2 embedded

I had XP on the drive. I booted up with the Vista DVD, Choose th
"clean Install" and del the partition, made a new partition, forma
install completed. Then installed SP1 then windows update. This was
months ago and things are flawless.

Also I created 2 Vista Images with Vlite ('www.vlite.net
(http://www.vlite.net)) and slipstream SP1 into the images. Works great
:

Ra

 

I contemplated doing the slipstream, but when I found the ISO image o
MSDN/Technet, I figured that would be cleaner! I'll be VERY careful no
when I choose to re-install. I'm in the process of imaging this buil
and will probably restore from it for future reloading

Thanks for all the suggestions

--Ken

 

If you have the time, try this:
Install Vista, do not activate, use it to end of trial period - 3 days.
Delete the partition, create new partition, format.
Install again... see if you can run it for another 3 days.

I did not try it on Vista, but some had the surprise to see that XP could
not be reinstalled for another 30 days after the initial 30 days trial.
Hence, I assume some data is left on the hard-drive.

Michael

 

As you describe it, Windows installed without a hitch the second time.
That's gotta be an activation issue, not an issue related to
formatting.

I'd believe it was a formatting issue (MS placing a hidden file where
it couldn't lose its pointers) if you did that without the machine
EVER being connected to the Internet.