Where are thou, Win 7?
March 15, 2010 2:45 PM Subscribe
Win XP machine won't boot from Win 7 DVD. In fact it doesn't even see any files on it. Other machines have no problem with the Disk. Problem machine can normally boot from that drive. Help me get to Win 7 Nirvana.
I have a 4-year old machine currently running Win XP 32 SP3. It's a 64-bit machine, and I've planned to do a complete install of Win 7 64. The problem is that the machine will neither boot from nor read files from the Installation DVD. Same deal on a Vista Install DVD.
Two other machines (one XP, the other Vista) will boot from the Installation media and can see the files on it, so it doesn't seem like the media itself is the problem.
The PC in question can boot from that drive, although I only have other bootable CDs and no other DVDs to try. The PC in question can play video DVDs from that drive, and can see the files on them, so it doesn't appear that the drive is bad.
Boot order in the BIOS had the optical drive first.
The motherboard is an ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe, not sure as I type what the firmware version is.
Google has lots and lots of pointers to pages relating to booting from Win 7 DVDs, but none that I looked at relate to this problem.
Anyone in MeFi land run across a similar problem, or have any pointers?
I have a 4-year old machine currently running Win XP 32 SP3. It's a 64-bit machine, and I've planned to do a complete install of Win 7 64. The problem is that the machine will neither boot from nor read files from the Installation DVD. Same deal on a Vista Install DVD.
Two other machines (one XP, the other Vista) will boot from the Installation media and can see the files on it, so it doesn't seem like the media itself is the problem.
The PC in question can boot from that drive, although I only have other bootable CDs and no other DVDs to try. The PC in question can play video DVDs from that drive, and can see the files on them, so it doesn't appear that the drive is bad.
Boot order in the BIOS had the optical drive first.
The motherboard is an ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe, not sure as I type what the firmware version is.
Google has lots and lots of pointers to pages relating to booting from Win 7 DVDs, but none that I looked at relate to this problem.
Anyone in MeFi land run across a similar problem, or have any pointers?
Oh, I meant the BIOS firmware, not the CD/DVD drive's firmware. But if firmware is available for the drive, that probably couldn't hurt.
posted by zarq at 2:51 PM on March 15, 2010
posted by zarq at 2:51 PM on March 15, 2010
Hmm, can you try a 32-bit disc?
posted by damn dirty ape at 3:06 PM on March 15, 2010
posted by damn dirty ape at 3:06 PM on March 15, 2010
Response by poster: @zarq - have definitely made a full image backup. Will probably need another if I ever get to the point where I think I can boot the DVD and do the upgrade. Flashing the BIOS had occurred to me, with much fear and trepidation.
@ape - should have mentioned, same issue with 32-but as 64-bit Win 7, and with 32-bit Vista. There's something about these Microsoft DVDs, apparently.
posted by johnvaljohn at 3:40 PM on March 15, 2010
@ape - should have mentioned, same issue with 32-but as 64-bit Win 7, and with 32-bit Vista. There's something about these Microsoft DVDs, apparently.
posted by johnvaljohn at 3:40 PM on March 15, 2010
Well, I think zarq is right. First try updating the firmware for the drive (since that's easier) and then flash the BIOS. I know you say you consider this with fear and trepidation, but it really shouldn't be that hard, especially if you follow the instructions from the BIOS manufacturer (which shouldn't be too complicated, trust me).
I think that's the only way, unfortunately. You could test it out by downloading and burning a boot DVD and seeing if it boots to that, if you want to.
posted by koeselitz at 3:55 PM on March 15, 2010
I think that's the only way, unfortunately. You could test it out by downloading and burning a boot DVD and seeing if it boots to that, if you want to.
posted by koeselitz at 3:55 PM on March 15, 2010
There is another option to booting from a DVD-Rom. If you have a 4GB USB thumb drive, you can use a working machine to copy the DVD onto the thumb, then try to boot off of that. This of course assumes your computer offers the option of booting from a USB port.
If you can't boot off the thumb (but the option is offered in your CMOS,) then you're probably looking at a BIOS firmware issue. If you can boot off of the thumb, then you still may have a firmware issue, but at least you should be able to upgrade.
Firmware upgrades can be nerve-wracking, but they're usually quick and easy to do. My advice: don't stress too much over it.
posted by zarq at 4:03 PM on March 15, 2010
If you can't boot off the thumb (but the option is offered in your CMOS,) then you're probably looking at a BIOS firmware issue. If you can boot off of the thumb, then you still may have a firmware issue, but at least you should be able to upgrade.
Firmware upgrades can be nerve-wracking, but they're usually quick and easy to do. My advice: don't stress too much over it.
posted by zarq at 4:03 PM on March 15, 2010
Best answer: Are these real (pressed) DVDs, or burnt copies? That may be a problem. Are they discs that are specific to a manufacturer?
It is possible that CD/DVD drive is just funky and won't boot from a DVD. If I were a betting person, I'd guess that the drive itself needs a firmware update. See who makes it and see if there is an update available.
I sort of doubt the BIOS needs an update, but that's just me guessing. BIOS updates are a lot less troublesome these days than in the past.
posted by gjc at 4:47 PM on March 15, 2010
It is possible that CD/DVD drive is just funky and won't boot from a DVD. If I were a betting person, I'd guess that the drive itself needs a firmware update. See who makes it and see if there is an update available.
I sort of doubt the BIOS needs an update, but that's just me guessing. BIOS updates are a lot less troublesome these days than in the past.
posted by gjc at 4:47 PM on March 15, 2010
Response by poster: @gjc - They're pressed DVDs from Microsoft. The DVD drive is a Sony/Optiarc AD-7170A, and after taking it from v1.02 to 1.05 firmware, still no joy. There may be a motherboard BIOS update in my future.
@zarq - Doesn't look like my current BIOS supports booting from USB.
Thanks for the suggestions so far.
posted by johnvaljohn at 6:41 PM on March 15, 2010
@zarq - Doesn't look like my current BIOS supports booting from USB.
Thanks for the suggestions so far.
posted by johnvaljohn at 6:41 PM on March 15, 2010
gjc: “I sort of doubt the BIOS needs an update, but that's just me guessing. BIOS updates are a lot less troublesome these days than in the past.”
Well, some older BIOSes won't do booting from DVDs or USB drives. Sometimes flashing the BIOS will change this - sometimes not. It's worth a try.
posted by koeselitz at 7:02 PM on March 15, 2010
Well, some older BIOSes won't do booting from DVDs or USB drives. Sometimes flashing the BIOS will change this - sometimes not. It's worth a try.
posted by koeselitz at 7:02 PM on March 15, 2010
Some BIOS's have a pop-up menu key, like F8 or so that allows you to select the boot device without jumping though the BIOS setup every time you install windows.
Just a thought.
posted by glenno86 at 7:27 PM on March 15, 2010
Just a thought.
posted by glenno86 at 7:27 PM on March 15, 2010
Response by poster: I'd be willing to believe in the idea that the MB needs a BIOS upgrade so it will boot from DVD except that the PC doesn't even see the files on the disk at all. If I simply insert the DVD into the running PC, the drive will spin up for about a minute (presumably while Windows looks for something to autorun) and then stop looking. If I open the d: drive in explorer or any other file manager (e.g. Free Commander), there's nothing there.
posted by johnvaljohn at 7:38 PM on March 15, 2010
posted by johnvaljohn at 7:38 PM on March 15, 2010
Best answer: A 4 year old machine should support it. AFAIK, a DVD appears to the BIOS the same way a CD does. It shouldn't care which kind of disk is in the drive. It only cares if it can get to the first few sectors containing the boot code.
Also, as the poster says, the drive can't even see the files while the system is up and running. That needs to be solved before tackling the boot no-boot issue. I would say the drive is borked. I've seen drives fail in odd ways- drives that when new could read a disk, and then as the aged, became less and less able to read that same disk. (Or, the same image written to new disks.) I think the laser wears out.
DVD burners are dirt cheap right now, the cheapest one out there ought to be as good or better than the one in the machine.
Also also, will a 4 year old machine run Win7 adequately?
posted by gjc at 8:53 PM on March 15, 2010
Also, as the poster says, the drive can't even see the files while the system is up and running. That needs to be solved before tackling the boot no-boot issue. I would say the drive is borked. I've seen drives fail in odd ways- drives that when new could read a disk, and then as the aged, became less and less able to read that same disk. (Or, the same image written to new disks.) I think the laser wears out.
DVD burners are dirt cheap right now, the cheapest one out there ought to be as good or better than the one in the machine.
Also also, will a 4 year old machine run Win7 adequately?
posted by gjc at 8:53 PM on March 15, 2010
Best answer: Also also, will a 4 year old machine run Win7 adequately?
Depends on the machine, and whether Vista drivers for its hardware already exist. The upgrade advisor will tell him what to expect. It might run Win7 in its most basic mode nearly as well as XP (or better,) depending on many factors.
I would say the drive is borked. I've seen drives fail in odd ways- drives that when new could read a disk, and then as the aged, became less and less able to read that same disk. (Or, the same image written to new disks.) I think the laser wears out.
This makes a lot of sense. I've also seen that. gjc, do you think it would be worthwhile for him to run a cleaning disc through the drive before buying a new one? I've had success doing so for other older drive read/write problems, but I've never seen these specific symptoms.
posted by zarq at 9:09 PM on March 15, 2010
Depends on the machine, and whether Vista drivers for its hardware already exist. The upgrade advisor will tell him what to expect. It might run Win7 in its most basic mode nearly as well as XP (or better,) depending on many factors.
I would say the drive is borked. I've seen drives fail in odd ways- drives that when new could read a disk, and then as the aged, became less and less able to read that same disk. (Or, the same image written to new disks.) I think the laser wears out.
This makes a lot of sense. I've also seen that. gjc, do you think it would be worthwhile for him to run a cleaning disc through the drive before buying a new one? I've had success doing so for other older drive read/write problems, but I've never seen these specific symptoms.
posted by zarq at 9:09 PM on March 15, 2010
I did a quick google search. Most people who upgrade don't seem to have problems getting Win7 to run well on that motherboard. Of course, the rest of the hardware attached to it matters, too. :)
posted by zarq at 9:14 PM on March 15, 2010
posted by zarq at 9:14 PM on March 15, 2010
Response by poster: @gjc - it won't be a great Win 7 runner, but it will be fine. Purchased as Vista-ready shortly before Vista was released, and the Upgrade Advisor doesn't reveal any big issues.
I'll pop a good DVD drive from another machine - one that can read the files on the DVD in that other machine - into this one later today and see what happens. Great suggestion.
posted by johnvaljohn at 6:50 AM on March 16, 2010
I'll pop a good DVD drive from another machine - one that can read the files on the DVD in that other machine - into this one later today and see what happens. Great suggestion.
posted by johnvaljohn at 6:50 AM on March 16, 2010
Response by poster: @gjc has it, with an assist from @zarq. Put a known good DVD drive in the machine and lo, it can read the files on the Installation disk just fine. Looks like I'll be putting a new DVD drive in and then proceeding with the Win 7 install (with a fresh complete XP image in hand just in case).
Thanks, everyone, for the help!
posted by johnvaljohn at 8:36 AM on March 16, 2010
Thanks, everyone, for the help!
posted by johnvaljohn at 8:36 AM on March 16, 2010
Awesome! You're very welcome. Good luck with the install!
posted by zarq at 9:11 AM on March 16, 2010
posted by zarq at 9:11 AM on March 16, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Word to the wise... I installed Win7 on that laptop and had to reformat the drive and downgrade, because the video driver wasn't Win7 compatible, and no others existed online. Do yourself a big favor and make a backup prior to installing. It may save you a huge headache if something goes wrong.
posted by zarq at 2:50 PM on March 15, 2010