Clean install of Windows 7 wont work, bad hardware?

[RW99]

I've spent the last two days on various websites including Microsoft and I'm at a loss. All the solutions seem to be for other issues that what I have.

My computer was working fine until I tried to add another internal hard drive. Shortly before this, I enabled some network sharing. Now Windows wont load up fully. I can go into safe mode and I'm getting errors like Event ID 7001, as well as some 100005 and 6000 in the mix.

Changing services doesn't work, restore points don't work and clean installs don't work. I can't reflash the bios, either within safe mode or through the bios program.

I'm assuming at this point it's a hardware problem. Is there a way to tell if it's the mobo, cpu or something else? I wore the static strap, thought I was careful... Any help would be appreciated. My computer is fine in safe mode, or the Ubuntu stick I'm working off now.

[psicodude]

Maybe the hard drive mode got changed from IDE to AHCI somehow when you installed the new drive? Check the BIOS.

You probably shouldn't be able to get into safe mode if this was the issue though.

[RW99]

Thanks for the tip. Checked but unfortunately it was set on IDE.

[Rathji]

If you unplug the drive, does it work?

[sa226]

My reading comprehension could be a bit low.

Are you just trying to add a storage drive? Or are you replacing your boot drive?

[RW99]

Originally Posted by sa226

My reading comprehension could be a bit low.

Are you just trying to add a storage drive? Or are you replacing your boot drive?

I tried to add a storage drive.

Originally Posted by Rathji

If you unplug the drive, does it work?

No, changing the drives around, having one installed at a time doesn't work

[MickMcGeough]

You didn't release any magic smoke did you?

[Rathji]

That magic smoke is a PITA.

[MickMcGeough]

What do you mean "can't reflash the BIOS". What stops you?

Describe "Windows won't load up fully." Specifics - do you get an error message? Does it just reboot? Does it just hang? Does it BSOD?

What output do you get when you boot in verbose mode?

Have you tried a new SATA/IDE cable? Have you tried a new SATA/IDE port (you should have several)? Are the drives on the same channel?

Also - how clean is your clean installation?

[sa226]

If there isn't any valuable data on either drive I would take both drives and put them in an external enclosure and format them via USB on another computer.

Then start from scratch and try installing Windows on either of the drives.

If you are sure both drives are functioning normal. Then it eliminates the OS install and boot from the equation. If you are still having issues then it could be Hardware.

[sclitheroe]

Event ID's 7001, 1000005, etc, are all related to service startup failures, and are not unexpected in Safe Mode - many services _can't_ start in Safe mode due to dependant services being disabled.

There's no hardware issue in this machine - it's fully capable of booting an OS - Windows in Safe mode (or any mode) is a full OS boot, so we know it passes POST, we know it it finds a hard drive, we know that hard drive has a valid partition table, we know that active partition has an OS installed, and we know that OS's boot loader is functioning and booting Windows.

As MMcG says:

can you boot "Safe Mode with Networking"? That's even closer to a full boot than just base Safe Mode, and might help narrow down the issue further.

You need to describe "windows won't load up fully" in more detail - what doesn't it do on a normal (non-safe mode) boot? Where in the process of booting up does it stop or hang? Have you let it sit hung for 15 minutes or more to see if it moves past the apparent hang? Have you tried verbose mode as suggested above?

What is the last and second to last driver listed in verbose mode before it hangs (if it hangs at that stage?)

[RW99]

Thanks for all the help. There were some minor issues that didn't help. But I realized what caused most of this.... the video information was being sent to my TV which I just plugged into the hdmi of my video card. So Windows was booting, I just didn't see anything on my two monitors